BTC. Guiyang day two

Some sunshine and blue skies

Geology lesson on the route to Han village, old Han group, about a two hour bus ride southwest from the urban area. Karst formations and landscape. One of our group knew quite a bit about Karst history. The rest was revealed, where else: wikipedia.

The Han chine army defeated the locals about 600 years ago, and the Ming emperor got the 200 thousand strong army to stay. This village, isolated, has their decendents. Guide explained, to see modern Han dress go to Shanghai, for traditional Han culture come here.

The village, Jiachang, is made mostly of stone. Greeted by traditional dance symbolizing the old war, masks, drum beating and some chanting. The village is poor, dirty with winding alleys. Slits still evident in the stone structures.

In the main areas a few vendors. One selling shoes., embroidered, with front point (had a blade in it for fighting in previous perood). Feet still too big so the vendor took us through a Warren or alleys to see other shoes and maybe sizes. QB got to go shoe shopping in an old Han village!. No success.

On a road developed for buffalo the bus managed not to overturn, though it was close at times. Headed east to a botanical garden looking area about 90 minutes away. Decent lunch with good dumplings and broccoli as well as spicy beans.

Up another mountain road, about 90 minutes of tortured terrain in a bus that felt as if it had no shocks. Hairpin turns with impossible grades and clearances. Finally we reached the tea plants at 1600 meters.

These are very special plants. A few are thought to be 2000 years old. The area is being supported by the government, means lower taxes to encourage development.

At the top of the world, still Karst geology, we get to sample teas from this farm. Black, white, and green. Done somewhat formally we were able to quiz the owners and servers for an extended time. Got tastes, process and species questions answered. Then down the mountain and bit to see Green tea processing. A new plant was being built. There are three crops a year, no winter crop, and harvesting for the spring crop was over. Naturally we were told how they pick, with fingernails not fingers.

In the store, not yet really built, we looked at a box of tea, maybe 500 grams. $580. We passed. Suspect we drank three or four cups of this fine tea. Good, but we like the black tea of India and Sri Lanka better. Overall a very useful education in tea growing and processing in exchange for a very difficult ride. But the views..and the air quality are memorable. Could feel the difference in my lungs as soon as we returned to Guiyang.

Leave very early for Shanghai.