From Wuhan to Jiu Jiang!

14 September

 The trip from Wuhan to Jiu Jiang

One of the first destinations we went to the Xunyang Tower. There they had 4 storeys. On the first floor there was pictures of clay figurines of people drinking and talking. The 2 floor  and 3 floor had had tables, seats and many drawings and painting in Chinese calligraphy and Chinese painting. The 4 storey was  where the tourist could view the uppermost levels and take pictures as well as buy souveirs for their family and friends. I find myself like many others buying little zodiac keychains  for my family. The view from the tower was very serene. Little boats that bobbed along in the water as the bigger ships head purposely for the port. In the far distant I spotted a lone man handling what looked like a net supported by a pulley system. Twice he reeled in the net and I got a glimpse of how huge the net was , it looked as if 6 men could easily fit into the net. I have never seen this form of fishing up close before.  Jin Wei surprised me with a gift, a mosquito repellent bracelet. She shoved it to me and told me to take it.  It was touching to see how much she cared for me, noticing how mosquitoes seem to have a taste for my blood. It suprising really to think that 4 weeks ago we knew nothing about each other and now, I truly value her as a friend.

 It was as if I was transported to a magical land.

The trip to Lushan was rather exciting and the scenery along the road was really breathtaking. My unsteady hand and amateur photography created sloppy work, as I took shot after shot with my phone.  

In the distance I saw water buffaloes and paddy fields. The scene triggered the memory of a book that I read called “ Rice without Rain”.  Staring out at the paddy fields made me wish I had book to read on this long journey. We had to switched bus after bus just to reach to the Peak of Lushan Mountain.  The trip up the mountain was long and a bit dizzy as we made turn after turn up the mountain the rocking of the bus rocked me to sleep. I woke up when Jin Wei gave me a firm shake on the shoulder.

 I took a look around and the view was amazing, not to mention the air was cooling and refreshing. We took another bus that drove us around the mountain after we had put our bags at the resort. I have always adored Ghibli studios movies and in those movies, they portray a magical land where

There was a preschool that had a most particular design, it resembled a gigantic tree and had windows and a big door in the front. It looked a bit like the brenistein bears homes (cartoon). It also had a front gate and a porch that had different toys and others amusing things that children liked to play. The roads were paved and the buildings there were a fusion of Chinese and European architecture.

View from a mountain peak

The hike up the peak was extremely daunting, the steps were narrow and the climb was steep. I do have a slight fear of heights and felt my head spin a bit as I looked down from the first flight of stairs I had climbed.  I was halfway through as I puffed and wheezed up to the peak. It looks as if I really need to cut some pounds! On reaching the summit, I was breathless, gasping like a fish trying to fill my oxygen-starved lungs. The rest of the members looked hardly winded as they climbed up to the summit.  The view at the peak was not that beautiful, it was ordinary. In the horizon I saw the valleys and the mountains but it wasn’t spectacular, hardly an award winning view but the breeze was cooling and very refreshing. 

 Today I made the silly mistake of losing my jacket.  I was complacent and should have rechecked my items before hurrying off the bus. Because of my mistake I cause a lot of trouble from everyone but they didn’t chide me just kindly offered me their jackets. It warms me to think that everyone cares for one another and we all look out for each other.  Yet I am not moving towards the independency that I told myself to achieve. Perhaps if I calm down and take things slowly but surely I may make less mistakes and change the scatterbrain character of mine. It was time to head for the next destination and already we were half an hour late. It is famously know here that the Chinese people are quite punctual and tour guides expected the same behavior form us. Nevertheless we took our own sweet time strolling down the path way to the bus. It was inconsiderate of us, yet I just couldn’t seem to pause and not admire the rays of lights peeking out of the trees or the colourful birds flying to and for form one tree to the next. It looked so much like paradise, so calming and serene, the opposite of Singapore fast-paced lifestyle. The tour guide signaled us to pick up the pace as we proceeded to the destination: Mao Zedong Villa.

 Mao Zedong Villa was not overly grand but comfortable and practical. It had a

 lovely little garden and a pond. Most of the villa was separated into his quarters and the guest rooms. We took numerous pictures of his study room behind a barrier and judgingly from the look of how every thing in the room looked aged and dusty,  we can assume that Chairman Mao's residence was left in its original state.  We also took a photography of his toilet and it was big , I think you can fit in an extra bed and bathtub in it.
Many of Mao Zedong's personal items were displayed and some consisted of the collection of delicate pottery that he frequently used in the villa.  One would think that it truly is an old villa until you exit the villa . There were so many souvenir shops hat sell so many items you are basically spoilt for choice.

It was time to head back  to the hotel and we did a bit of late night shopping. Tomorrow is the trip to the Lushan waterfall and I do wonder what is in store for me tomorrow:)