Walking around Wuzhishan - June 2017

Not much again this month, a lot more walking. I decided to include pictures that you may not have seen before, to give you more of an idea about where we live.

Not much again this month, a lot more walking. I decided to include pictures that you may not have seen before, to give you more of an idea about where we live.

June 2^nd. (Approximately 2½ hours). This was a ‘split’ walk. I went up the long way, past the police station and towards the reservoir while Huan went the other way towards the 21 Hotel. The plan was we would meet there and then walk back down together. Here I am after 45 minutes, the hardest part of the walk!

And here I am after 1 hour and twenty minutes. If you look behind me you can see the steps going down to the trail that leads to the hotel. Thank God, no more walking up!

Huan wasn’t there when I got to the hotel so I had to keep going. I found her a short way down the hill where stopped for a much needed break, and so that I could ‘wring my shirt out’! From there we took a nice leisurely stroll home. I should point out that the motor scooter is not ours!

June 11^th (About 2½ hours) Down the main drag towards Sanya for about 5 kilometres before coming back through the villages on the north side of the river again. I was alone so could go faster. This walk would normally take us a little over three hours. So, here’s the start, outside our block.

This is the road from our front gate going towards the town.

And this is the one leading up to the Post Office and San Yue San Da Dao.

San Yue San Da Dao leading out of Wuzhishan towards Sanya.

And here I am at the five kilometre mark, not so fast, it took me over 50 minutes to get there!

This is the small village of Zali Cun, a peaceful place, usually just a few chickens around.

Quite a bit further on is the turn off to Yingshi Cunweihui, a small village perched on the side of a hill I didn’t go there today, I didn’t fancy the ‘uphill’ part to get there. It’s not too difficult but on a hot morning when you’ve already walked for over an hour. . .

Ah, there’s nothing like a pleasant walk through the countryside.

Until of course you have to return to civilisation. And what’s the first thing I see? More knocking down of mountains of course, more construction. Sometimes I despair.

But then I get further into the city and my spirits rise again. Here’s the pedestrian bridge over the river just near the Fodelai Hotel.

Saying hello to an elephant

And then nearing home, the traffic lights on San Yue San Da Dao

And finally, home at last. In the background is our car. I usually name my cars, haven’t got round to finding one for this car yet. As it’s a Dong Feng, maybe I should just call it ‘Donny’!

June 14^th Just a ‘short’ walk up the hotel. Here’s Huan and I at the start. I’m slowly getting the hang of this ‘selfie’ lark.

And here’s our pleasant rest stop before walking down again.

June 17^th (About 2 hours) We started early so decided on quite a long walk going through Shifen, Tongting and Hongya villages before coming back via the country tracks I love.

Walking on the country lanes I am always surprised by how many different caterpillars we see. We never try handling them because we are not sure which ones can give you a reaction!

Then we found this poor little fellow. I thought he may have been run over but Huan thought that the two marks on his back came from a trap. Who would trap a rat then throw it on the road?

The lack of traffic and the beautiful scenery never ceases to give me pleasure

And of course life wouldn’t be the same without the ducks!

The varieties of fruits still amaze me, what are these? Huan tells me they are Dong Gua, possibly ‘winter squash’ in English. Now why one is plain and why one is shapely I don’t know.

Managed to get quite close to these birds. One day I’ll have to buy myself a better camera instead of just using my phone. I don’t think it does a bad job though.

Once upon a time, there was a house here. We see many abandoned places in the countryside. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could actually buy one to do up and live in? Not this one though, too much work required.

This is the marker by the main road where we took pictures, to prove we had been there, the Chinese way!

And then we were back on the track towards home again. It’s lovely when it hasn’t been raining. Here’s another view of that building I mentioned before. It’s certainly big enough for Huan and I!

Well that’s one use for a bed end, although it doesn’t keep the dogs in!

And whose idea was this I wonder? We think it must have been the road workers in the area. Quite why you need an umbrella under the trees though I don’t know.

There are still some old burial places around Wuzhishan. This one looks like a family plot, not looked after very well.

You can also see a lot of these. Local farmers are very good at getting the water to where they want it.

Here we are now entering the village of Kongren. “Where’s the people?” I hear you ask. Well, we were probably too early for them, it was still only 9 o’clock.

Somebody came to say hello though.

Most villages have a village hall where they hold meetings, this is Kongren’s. I guess it is not used too much these days. Perhaps we could buy this and convert is into a house?

The final slog towards home, you wouldn’t believe that there is a city of 150,000 people just over that hill would you?

Another bunch of local fruit, possibly Mu Gua?

And he we are, on the other side of the ‘bridge to nowhere’, almost home now.

What you see here is supposed to be the site of the new local market. They are going to relocate the one from town to here.

Your starter for ten, who can tell me what’s going on here?

And finally, home at last. Even though I say it myself, we look pretty good for two OAPs who have just walked for two hours!

June 23^rd (Maybe 2½ hours) We had no plans to take pictures on this walk, we had been this way many times, but then this happened.

He, or she, is quite a big one!

I have to give Huan her due, many women, and perhaps also men, would have been leaping up and down yelling and screaming. She wasn’t, she stayed calm throughout. Mind you, I told her she was safe anyway. Being a woman she wouldn’t get her head bitten off!

I managed to get it onto a bottle and then spent some time playing with it; it was fighting my fingers, before setting it down gently in the nearby shrubbery.

June 27^th (About 2 ½ hours) Just me, up the reservoir road and back down again. Here’s a view over my shoulder from somewhere along the way.

And that’s it for June. Slowly the posts are getting smaller.