Hiking through the rice terrace fields

Tody we hiked through the rice terrace fields. The original hike was supposed to be for 5-6 hours, but the weather was against us. We woke to the sound of consistant rain and had to rethink our plans. The hike was shortened to 2 hr hike into a village, pretty much all uphill. There were a few slips along the way but nothing too untoward. I mde one of the more spectacular slips in the first five minutes! The lunch at a local inn was fantastic. The girls are all enjoying the food and are eating heartily. They got an opportunity to do some shopping at the local stalls this afternoon and have made a few choice purchases that will make you very happy I'm sure.

We leave the village in the morning and drive out to where we begin our bike ride through the local villages. The karst mountains are simply beautiful in this region and I'm sure the girls will be entranced by the scenery. Shopping is great in Yangshou and I know they are looking forward to more of that!

I should be able to get some photos uploaded over the weekend so keep your eyes peeled on this space.

We're in Ping An village

After a couple of hectic days we're settled in Ping An village and are enjoying observing the local people live life at a different pace to the lives that we occupy back home in Melbourne. We're never going to complain about lifting heavy suitcases again after watching older village women haul visitors luggage on their backs up the mountainside to reach the local inns. People certainly do work hard here and I'm pretty sure the girls are taking note.

Our time in Hong Kong was busy to say the least. We crammed a whole lot into the time we had there. We visited the Temple Street market, negotiated the subway system, actually found the location of a restaurant that had been recommended to us, caught a ferry across Victoria Harbour, found the Peak Tram and got on board to see the sights of Hong Kong from the skydeck, found our way back to the subway system and located our hotel. Sounds tiring doesn't it? It was!

The next day we hd a slow start and then caught a train into mainland China. We had to change trains and board the overnight one that took us to Guilin. The girls really enjoyed the experience and did a great job negotiating their luggage and settling into the shared cabin with bunks.

Today we boarded a bus that drove us to the rice terrace fields. We walked into the village of Ping An and settled into our hotel. Lunch was great - all the girls made comment about how much they enjoyed it. After this we set out on hike to a neighbouring village. We arrived back late afternoon and had another lovely meal at a neighbouring inn. All are settled in their rooms as we prepare for tomorrow and the six hour hike that awaits us. We are visiting a nearby village where we will have lunch and then we will hike down the mountain. At the bottom a bus will be waiting to take us back to this village. It will be a big day but the weather is very temperate - much cooler than when I visited last year. It should make difference for this hike.

The girls have been wonderful. All are making real effort to make the most of this experience. They are really enjoying the Chinese food that we have experienced today. Plenty more of that to come!

Safe flight to Bangkok

Well, we've made it to Bangkok airport safe and sound. Everyone slept well, so things look good for our day and night in Hong Kong. It was an uncomplicated flight, except for the air pocket descent that woke us all up! Just a jolt, and we all had a bit of a laugh about it.

Here at Bangkok airport for a two hour layover and taking advantage of free wi fi here. Probably won't get time in Hong Kong to post - it's going to be busy. All is well!

We're almost there

We leave shortly for our 18 day China trip. It promises to be a life changing experience for everyone going. Having been on this trip last year, I know what is in store and I'm convinced that everyone is going to have a wonderful time. I was looking at the itinerary on Friday and saw that we have the same guide who was with us on the trip last year. His name is Stony and he did a stellar job in leading us through China and ensuring that our experience was a positive one. That's him above when we had reached the top of Moon Hill, a karst mountain, last year.

I hope everyone is busy packing and ensuring that they are ready for the flight.

Exciting times ahead for us all!