China Part IV - Sunrise in Longji and Descending the Mountain

The village awakens early and we were awakened by the early morning activities. Before breakfast Raylene and Bob again trekked up to the mountain top to greet the sunrise.

Meanwhile I caught the sunrise from the window of the hotel.

While Raylene makes her way back to the hotel she observes the morning work routines of the local residents.

Raylene returns and we prepare for breakfast.

Bob enjoys his orange juice sweetened with maple syrup (or does he?). After breakfast mom gets in a little reading before we all head down the mountain.

There is a little more time for some last minute photos of the area before the porters arrive and we start our descent.

While one of local ladies waits to see if someone wants their backpack carried down the mountain, Dee Anna does some photo exploring, .

She catches us spying on her from our hotel window.

Soon the porters arrived with the sedan chairs and the ladies with their baskets to carry our backpacks and it was time to start the trek back down the mountain. I had planned to hire a sedan chair for mom and one for myself, but after resting my knees for a day, I determined to venture forth on foot. Mom and Dee Anna (and a few others) opted for the porters with the chairs and off we all went.

The climb down brought with it more interesting sights. For example the pig sties and open sewers.

The small horses carrying cement mix up to various construction sights.

The hanging vegetable gardens suspending from arbors and the peppers set out for drying...

and the free range chickens.

Of course there was always the turning back for one last glimpse of the village.

Before we knew it we were back at the bus park.

Time for a little more shopping before boarding the bus.

One of the Yao women with the long hair eyes Nelson (from our group) to make one last sell.

We pondered on what we had experienced in Longji as we rode the bus back down the narrow switchbacks to the valley floor.

Longji was a unique experience and one we will all long remember and cherish.

We were now on our way to Yangshuo where we would be taking a boat ride on the Li Jang river, purportedly one of the most scenic spots in all of China.

Up next:
China Part V - Yangshuo