GUIZHOU province: minorities in the misty hills

Xijiang village

Another long-dreamed destination in China can be crossed of the list- 

Guizhou province with it`s minority villages hidden amidst misty hills and rice terraces!

Time: Mid-November

Destination: KAILI and village hopping around it!

(it takes about 2- 2,5 h by bus or by train to get to Kaili from Guiyang - the capital of Guizhou province)

SHIQIAO VILLAGE

1h ride from Kaili; no entrance tickets

The village felt as real as it gets - we had the whole village to ourselves...

..and is famous for its handmade paper (really beautiful!!!)

I was so excited about the traditional art of paper making...just had to try it myself - here`s the outcome :) (pity that it takes 1 to 2 days to dry...otherwise could have taken it with me)

Fascinating Miao minority hair styling art (this woman told it takes her 1 h to do her hair!!!)

nice bridge!

cool bridge (we followed right after)

This guy was "fishing"- fetching fish with his bare hands - turns out rice fields are full of life!

Lunch time

MATANG VILLAGE

30 min ride from Kaili, no entrance tickets (at least not in November) 

No tourists here either :)

This village is home to Gejia minority and is famous for batik and embroidery.

...we followed the noise and "crashed" a local gathering that turned out to be a funeral..

part of the funeral 

Village also has nice paths leading into the hills, so we couldn`t miss an opportunity to take a little hike in the fields :)

Ginger!!! (it was the 1st time for me to see how ginger looks in its "natural habitat" ;) 

XIJIANG VILLAGE

40 min ride from Kaili; entrance ticket 100 RMB; few tourists in November; worth staying a night or two like we did (plenty of accommodation available) to wonder around the village and terraced hills!

Xijiang village is told to be the largest Miao ethnic minority village in the world.

The main street - unlike other two villages this one is definitely seeing many more tourists (in November it all looked pretty low-season: many hotels, restaurants and shops were closed and we only saw few Chinese tourist groups, but during peak tourist season it sure would get crowded) 

...anyway, Chinese tourists rarely wonder away from the main streets (and their guide!), so just start going uphill (whichever direction you may chose) and you`re on your own :)

Picture perfect for a nice hike or leisurely stroll!

...if you wonder a bit higher! 

Miao costume, dance and music show at the ticket office area and official entrance to the village

Miao minority traditional costumes are a true work of art!

Miao dance and music show in the performance square inside the village 
(there is a morning show and the afternoon show @ 5 PM; free)

I loved the local customs :)

Tradition in daily life!

Sweet and sour (and spicy) fish soup will keep you warm in November!
 Guizhou surprised us by a new taste - its spicy fish soup (suantangyu) tasted like Thai Tom Yum soup - amazing discovery of a completely new taste in China!

And it`s the most traditional Miao dish!

Locals returning from a wedding!

English corner

Funny lollipop faces after "hard work" during English corner!

Learning a Birdie dance

What is your name? How old are you? etc ;)

My Uni has opened a new English training centre, so English corner is a way to attract new students from the neighbourhood. We attracted all-right!

South Korea: raw fish & red carpets of Busan Film Festival

First visit to South Korea and what a visit!!!

My friend had a business trip to South Korea - Busan film festival & it seemed just too tempting not to join ;) (especially considering it`s less than a 2 h flight away from my closest airport ... almost like flying to Shanghai or Beijing ;)

So Busan...

...maybe it`s because of the blue sky & the bright sun that greeted me every day while there...

...maybe it`s because Korean language (unlike Chinese) sounded like music to my ears...

...maybe it`s because I never heard anyone spit while there...

...maybe it`s because no squatting was required...

... maybe it`s cause it was really CLEAN!...

...maybe it`s because the city felt green & didn`t look like a construction site (home sweet home Rizhao ;)...

...maybe it`s because of the whole Film Festival package - the red carpet effect ;) ...

...most definitely it`s because I shared it all with a friend... 

I just loved it!

Busan film centre & the breathtaking open-air/roof-covered cinema...

...the only regret is that there was not enough time to see a single film out of an impressive selection...

...but then again - I see movies often enough...while being at a film festival with all it`s fancy red-carpetness, receptions and parties was kinda new :) & kind of a little dream come true!

We worked hard to attend as many as we possibly could..maximum being 5 events@1 night ..just to make sure we didn`t miss anything really good :)

European directors showing their films at the festival

Film people sure know how to please a crowd ;)

Very pleased :)

My dose of K-Pop : with Korean pop band Tiny-G 

(at the time of taking picture we had no clue who they were...they looked funky & definitely stood out in the slightly aged film crowd..a couple of people asked to take a picture with them and I followed :) 

..and trying the chair that the Princess of Thailand was sitting in earlier that night ;)

Wide angle party..with a very movie kinda title

Haeundae beach - told to be the most popular beach of South Korea

...and somewhere in between the work & busy evening agenda we also managed to squeeze in some sightseeing :)

The very looooooong Gwangan bridge 

Shigatse shopping mall holds the current Guinness World Record as the biggest shopping mall in the world! 

Happy Busan police shaking it for Police Promo video...which should also feature me filming them & then happily waving to the camera :)

Yongungsa temple

Bulgogi - one of the many kinds of Korean BBQ

Pleasure to watch the youth absorbed in technology :))

If you have a dog, you like kimchi & you can`t sit still when Psy K-Pops his Gangnam style...that`s the latest "it" trend from Korea especially for you :)

(I guess it`s kinda better than eating it...?)

Street food "a la Busan"

Every Asian loves a good bowl of noodles :)

The famous Busan JAGALCHI FISH MARKET had a festival opening that day ...so we sampled plenty of sea-food (raw & not so raw) washed down by yummy plum wine

Pic-nics in the fish market area...beer, soju, kimchi, raw fish, dried fish...

I did the same with my bare hands...more than just once ;)

Raw fish feast! :)

It`s one of the staples of Busan, so how could we skip it!

YUMMY & WAY TOO MUCH!

And then the part I`m still excited about - fireworks with songs and (my dance moves) to match :)

South Korea is definitely on the radar now :)

Thanks for the fun times in Busan - I could sure repeat it any time...Moet & Chandon...2 am Gangnam style dance workshop and maybe an Indian film ;)