It was a wonderful night of sleep in the village. Quiet and peaceful. Of course we were up late with rice wine and games but it was still a good sleep. Lots of roosters around so most people were not as happy that they were getting up a little earlier. We had time to relax before breakfast.
The Yau minority women stop cutting their hair at the age of 18. If sections do need cut they keep the lengths to make a larger hairpiece as a bun at the top of their head. The shine and health of the hair is amazing. They use the water that they soak the rice in as a rinse.
After breakfast we started our trek back through the terraces, this time going in another direction to see another village and the terraces from a different perspective. We walked through jungle on clay and rock paths winding up mountains and back down the other side. My hiking pole purchase was a great idea. The hike also took us through the terraces where we walked on the paths that Villagers use.
At the Dazai village we wandered around.
At the top of the viewing platform. More stairs up and then more stairs back down!
On the way down we stopped to have tea with a friendly villager. I bought two kinds of dried mushroom and also a tea I’ve never had before. This is made from the inside of a mature fruit and it makes a naturally sweet tea. It is called Luo Han Guo.
Another hike and we were at Danzai village where we ate lunch then walked to the parking lot at the base of the cable cars (there is an easier way to see the terraces!)
After a two hour plus bus ride and then a similar length high speed train ride we were home. It only rained once we were on the bus. It was perfect weather considering we are in South East Asia and it is the wet season. At the train station we took over a row of massage chairs!
On a last note, we had to register our names, passport, copy of negative covid-19 test, date arrived back in China, quarantine dates, etc. The police had our itinerary and followed up at every stop requesting those people collect and submit our information again. By the end of the trip we were pretty tired of the scrutiny and the fact that many people have our personal information. Good thing a consulate person was with us as this will be addressed at a higher level. On the train we were asked to show our passport arrival stamp when we came back to China. Myself and a few others refused. Traveling as foreigners is still contentious.