Paradise for Men

Heading out:

Our ride was going to arrive between 7:20am and 7:40am, so we woke early and hurried to store our excess baggage with the inn and lugged our backpacks down to wait for the bus driver. We expected that we could get a small amount of rest on the bus. The bus driver arrived at about 7:30am just as he had reported he would. Fan tried to ask him how long the ride would be, but he wouldn't give her a straight answer. When the other couple came down, Fan tried again, and all he said was that there were several factors that would determine whether or not we could make it in the expected 6-8 hours. He said there was a great possibility of traffic jams for several reasons, but wouldn't go into much detail, frustrating Fan. She decided that she didn't like the driver much when he wouldn't give her a straight answer. We walked with him down the streets filled with nothing but residents on this Saturday morning. All the tourist were sound asleep from a night of partying. We exited Old Town and loaded onto the bus. There was only one other occupant of the bus, obviously a resident of the city, waiting when we loaded. The driver told us he was going to stop at a transfer station and that we would leave from there soon, but had time to catch some breakfast there.

We arrived at the transit station and I was out of tissues and wanted to pick up some juice and water for the trip, so before finding breakfast, we stopped in the nearest convenience store and grabbed some odds and ends. I quickly stashed my 10 new packs of tissues in my purse and threw the water and orange juice in my backpack as we sat down at the nearest restaurant to have a breakfast of bean Kurd (we had tried this the morning before) that I poured sugar into in kind mimicry of the others at breakfast. It was not bad but we ate quickly as to not miss the 8:20am departure time.

Once we arrived back at the bus, we returned to our seats and a bus attendant came to collect our 70 RMB for the ride. We were settled and ready for the trip with our bellies lightly filled. The ride promised to be interesting as soon as I heard that there were 5 mountains involved. On our way to the first mountain, the driver began his information session. He started by touting his amazing driving skills. This was to say that he informed us that he was a great driver, one of the best in these mountains. He then listed the three reasons for delays on the mountain roads. 1.) Traffic jams due to construction. The road we were about to travel on was currently undergoing major renovations and this involved a lot of rock moving. 2.) Traffic jams due to rock slides. The passes were through the mountains, and in some places the rocks were loose. 3.) Traffic jams due to the local market. The people in the mountain towns were not as keen to stay off the road during their market trading. The roads were theirs, and they would use them as such.

All of this speech was translated by Fan, but none of his attitude was lost in the translation. As we started into the mountain road, he continued to tell us how good he was at driving as he flew past other buses and mini-vans on the road. He teetered us back and forth with immense speed on the turns. He reported that the best driver in the mountains was faster than he was and 50% of his passengers vomited. We stopped about once an hour to use the restroom, but I refused to use it the first two hours.

After the last stop before lunch, we had a visitor join us on the bus. A honey bee stowed away on someone's shirt and started buzzing about in the bus. The bee narrowly escaped getting squished by the male of a Beijing couple directly behind us who insisted it must be eliminated. In front of us was a Shanghai couple, the male of whom wore Buddhist prayer beads on this wrist. The bee landed on their window and with his quick thinking, he captured it in a clear plastic cup from a snack he had earlier and used newspaper to capture it. It escaped and the procedure was duplicated, capturing it on the glass and sliding the newspaper under it to keep it from escaping. This time he succeeded in reapplying the cap to the container and put the bee safely in his tiny trash bag.

We stopped for lunch in a larger town just over the second of the five mountains. As we entered the restaurant, the mews of a tiny kitten filled the courtyard area where the tables were set up. I searched for about 5 minutes to find the source of the mewing, then I saw him. On top of the roof to the cooking area, a orange striped kitten who couldn't have been more than two months old yowled. It was the cry of a stuck kitten, though there was obviously a way down for him. One of the restaurant attendants poked a long mop handle at him and he skittered to the other side of the roof, out of sight.

This meal was more like a buffet, but cost us 10 RMB per dish. We pick a beef dish and a veggie dish. The food was good and we sat at a table with several others, all sharing our dishes. The Kitten reappeared, once again mewing just as everyone was paying their bills. We reentered the bus and were off again. It wasn't until about an hour later that I absolutely had to use the restroom. I was in for a very unpleasant restroom trip. I can't say it was really unexpected, but there was no pretending it was anything but disgusting. If you read any forums or descriptions of really disgusting restrooms in China, this would fit the worst of them. I will not go into detail unless personally requested, but for future note, this trip is not for those with cleanliness issues since this is the ONLY way to get to Lugu lake from Li Jiang. There is no avoiding the 8 hour trip or the restroom breaks in these sorts of restrooms.

Entry to Paradise:

We arrived at the entrance to Lugu lake where we were requested to pay an 80 RMB (39 RMB for students) entrance fee. Once everyone had paid the young jewelry adorned bus attendant, he took the fee out to the park ticketing office and paid, returning with tickets and discs for everyone. This stop took a total of about 7 min. and we were off again.

The road was just as winding and bumpy as previously, but the anxiousness took the edge off the bumps. We reached a scenic spot and stopped for a break. The people filed out of the bus to listen to a presentation at the map while I, not understanding a word of what he said, went to use the restroom. This bathroom charged 1 RMB for use, but was considerably cleaner and obviously well kept. I was more than willing to pay 1 RMB for the use of this restroom after the ride up to the mountain. Fan explained that he was just doing a bit of advertising and explanation of the area. It was nothing to get excited about.

We walked out to the scenic overlook and took some photos, then headed back to the bus. When we got on, the bus driver started asking where we should go next. He was trying to convince everyone that it would be the perfect time to take the gondola up to the top of Goddess Mountain and that he would drive the bus there if we all wanted to go. Fan protested that she just wanted to go to the hotel. The bus driver asked people to raise their hands if they wanted to go to the mountain. Only one person raised her hand. Eventually he had the bus convinced that they would all go to the Goddess Mountain, but Fan insisted that he take us to the transfer station so we could just get another bus to the hotels. The bus driver agreed to take us to the transfer station then headed further down the path.

Once again the driver stopped, but this time at a small harbor to the lake that had several pig-trough boats stationed with several boat owners. All but 6 of us were convinced to load into a boat and take a ride out to the center of the lake. There was Fan and I, the couple from Shanghai that sat in front of us, and a younger pair. Fan talked to the bus driver again, insisting that we just wanted to go to the hotels, so the bus driver told us to get back into the bus and he would drive us there. He obviously knew the length of time it would take for them to get out to the island in the center of the lake and back, because he was diving the bus filled with all their backpacks and belongings in his usual break-neck fashion. Once he stopped the bus near the hotels, all 6 of us filed out, hunting for a nice hotel. The pair behind us consisted of a girl from Southern China and a man from Hong Kong. The Shanghai couple had already booked a hotel and went directly there. We hunted for a good hotel with the girl and man, whom we found out had just met in Li Jiang and were traveling together because it was easier to get around in pairs rather than alone. The hotel they had planned to stay in was beautiful, and the waitress at the bar, who was also a hotel receptionist, spoke decent English as well as understanding everything I said. She told us there was only one lake view room left and it had a double bed instead of two twins. This wouldn't suit the other pair, though she did have some twins available that weren't lake view. The pair went off to find another hotel, while we booked the room with the lake view, since that was the real reason we spent 8 hours on the bus. The view was amazing and the room was so refreshingly clean. It was even better than the inn in Li Jiang. The price was a bit higher, 120 RMB a night, but completely reasonable considering that we could watch the sun rise from the bed.

After settling the matter of a hotel, and stowing our back packs, we set out to watch view the water and find a good dinner. We walked down to the water's edge and saw a sign for the pig-trough boats and their fees. Once talking about what we really wanted to do for a boat ride, we were greeted with a boat owner. The boat owner debated with Fan about the price of the trip she wanted. What she wanted to do was to go out to the island in the center of the lake, then travel to the shores of the Goddess Mountain and maybe take the gondola to the top, then take the trip back to the hotel. The boat owner told her that the price for such a trip would be 120 RMB after much debate, but if we could find more people, it would be cheaper for all of us.

Fan decided that she wasn't sure we found the best hotel. Since the festivities of the night didn't start until 9pm we were hungry and in search of dinner. The man Fan had debated with about the price of the boat ride, kindly offered to introduce us to the Grandmother of the village. We had heard that you could eat dinner with Grandmother and that you would pay whatever donation you felt like contributing. We followed the man to Grandmother's house and he knocked and introduced us to Grandmother's grandson who kindly informed us that Grandmother hadn't cooked anything, but we were more than welcome to meet her.

Grandmother's House:

The house was constructed with a wide courtyard in the center. The courtyard was barren, but nicely open to the sky and wind. Directly across from the entrance door was the door to Grandmother's room. The temperature outside was a bit chilly, but as soon as we entered Grandmother's room, the wind was cut and the cozy fire near Grandmother's bed made the temperature perfect.

Grandmother was a small, slightly hunched, beautifully wrinkled 82 year old woman with silver hair wearing a lovely purple dress. Her skin was a color graced by years of sun and weather. Her hands were knotted from years of use and she moved very little. Her grandson added kindling to the fire, brought the wine out for us to drink, and answered her every whim. He also acted like translator between Fan and Grandmother, since Grandmother spoke very little Mandarin and Fan spoke absolutely none of the local Mousu language.

Fan asked for me how life had changed for her since she was a child. The old woman answered through her grandson that she had been a slave as a child and when Chairman Mao's revolution succeeded, she was freed from her slavery and was permitted to live a life that she chose. She was very thankful for the People's revolution and to Chairman Mao. Fan then asked about how she felt about the tourism, despite her reluctance since she expressed that it was a very complex question and the woman may not understand since her education was limited. Her response was that she was grateful for the advances the tourism has allowed them.

We were then offered a shot of the local wine that the Mousu women make. I asked, through Fan, how it was made. The grandson couldn't answer, he said the women all did the work. He asked Grandmother and she said it was a wheat based drink with fruits added. The drink had a very distinct flavor. It was not unpleasant, just very distinct.

Fan mentioned that we would be attending the dance that night and the grandson said he would be there. Fan made him promise to invite me to dance, which she only announced to me after he had agreed.

Once we finished our conversation with Grandmother, she agreed to let us take photos with her. We then left. I had a desire to leave some money with the family, but Fan insisted that since we didn't have dinner with them, there was no need. The grandson showed us their Buddhist worship room, which we were followed to upstairs by three small puppies. Two brown and one black. He also showed us a preserved pig. The pig was killed, emptied of all it's organs and bones, except the skull, then filled with salt. After filling the pig with salt, it was then sewn shut, lasting for years with out refrigeration. The puppies followed us back downstairs and into the courtyard again, where we thanked the grandson and left, the little back puppy following us out. He retrieved the puppy and waved good bye.

Dinner and Dancing:

With out stomachs still empty, we headed back toward the hotel, hoping to find a restaurant on the way. As we exited the alley way, we were greeted with a group roasting a piglet. Fan and one of the men had an exchange that she said went something like this.

"Would you like to eat this pig? You can have the whole pig for 60 RMB," Which was reported to be a scam on the internet.

Thinking quickly, Fan replied,"No thanks, she is American and they don't eat pork."

There was quite a bit of laughing and I totally recognized them saying that I was American back and forth. When Fan explained what she had said to me, I reported to her that she could use me as an excuse any time she needed to.

We found a restaurant near where we were staying, and noticed the Shanghai couple was eating there. Fan asked them what was good, and the recommended yak and frog legs. The restaurant was like a Korean BBQ place with a grill on the table and hot coals put in the grill. Fan ordered yak, potatoes, and some lettuce leaves. The procedure for putting the articles on the grill consisted of coating them with oil then placing them on the outer edges of the grill to let them cook properly. We even grilled the lettuce leaves. It was and interesting meal, and quite delicious, if not completely sanitary. I was finding that things in this area were not entirely sanitary and I would have to be a little guarded about what I ate here.

Once we finished our meal, it was still a bit early so we decided to head out around the surrounding area and check out the hotels to see if we could find a better deal for the next night.

We found a better hotel at a better price which Fan managed to get the price down even further. The hotel had spacious lofts build entirely of wood and decorated in fabrics, each room of a different color. We loved the rooms, but decided to continue to walk around the area and find out what the rest of the hotels were like. We walked all the way out onto a tiny peninsula that had the most expensive hotels. They were all lovely, one of which had no wall, only a large glass pane facing the sunrise. There was no balcony though, and the room was a bit smaller than other rooms at this price. We continued looking. Fan insisted on looking at the last hotel on the peninsula, the one she had hoped to book for our stay, but it had already been completely booked for the time we would be there. The hotel rooms had balconies that when you walked out on them, the water was underneath you. Fan debated with the bartender for a while, trying to get him to show her a room, but he refused, since all the rooms were booked and he wouldn't open a room that had an occupant. One of the guys in the hotel overheard the conversation and was currently staying in the hotel and offered to let us see his room. He was also from Beijing and was to be on the same flight home as we were. The room was just as beautiful as we expected, and we thanked him for letting us just have a peak at it. Fan's curiosity was finally satiated, and we headed back to the hotel with the colored rooms to book the next night with them.

Once our hotel for the next night was set, we headed to the dances, ready to experience the culture of the native peoples. We were a little late, so we rushed to sit behind the dancing. The colorfully dressed people were all dancing in a circle around a central fire. They would dance until the song was over, then the women would warm their hands at the fire, and the men would start the next dance. There were a series of dances, then the crowd was separated into the locals on one side of the fire and the visitors on the other. This was an emulation of the courting ritual that the locals used to practice. The men would sing at the women and the women would respond with a song. It would go back and forth for a while, so first the locals sang a song at us, then our side responded with a song. This went on for a while, then the single singing started. First it was a man that sang across and picked a woman from the locals to sing. Then a local man picked a woman from our side and back and forth for a bit. The crowd on our side begged that I sing something. Fan sided with them and convinced me to sing something. I was the very last person to sing, and of all things, I chose to butcher the National Anthem. It was the only thing I could think of quickly. My brain tends to shut down when I am on the spot like that. I mutilated the song, everyone cheered, then it was over. I was elated to be out of the spotlight. The locals sang a farewell song and we all filed out.

I was shaking from the nerves until I fell asleep.