Highlights

Minority peoples, farmers markets, Yangshuo Cooking School, cultural performances, Asia's largest waterfall, old stone town, hiking, dramatic rice terraces, ancient paper and indigo cloth making, drum towers, wind & rain bridges, river raft trip.

Duration: 18 days
Start: Guiyang, August 16, 2012
End: Guilin, September 2, 2012
Maximum Group Size: 20
Style: budget
Cost: TBA (double occupancy, airfare not included)

by Rick Green

When it comes to visiting China, most people I have spoken to have only visited Beijing, the Great Wall, Xi'an, and Shanghai. Some may have cruised the Yangtze, visited the water cities of Hangzhou or Suzhou, seen the karst landscape of Guilin, or included Hong Kong because it's a nearby world city. The rest of the third largest country in the world, however, is a blank, unless some disaster brings the spotlight of international media upon an otherwise dark corner. This is a shame because China is a diverse, multi-cultural country, yet North Americans' view of it is surprisingly uniform in its limited perspective.

by Rick Green

As we entered Zenchong village, a chorus of plinking could be heard emanating from a number of houses. Even though there appeared to be no conductor, the sounds gravitated to a natural rhythm. Occasionally they would fall out of tempo, but within a short time, the cadence would be regained and harmony restored.

It was a hot, sunny day, the kind where you feel every pore in your body has opened to breathe. The village women had retreated to the shade of their homes to find some relief from the afternoon heat. Relaxing in a hammock with a cool drink, however, would be unheard of for a Dong woman. There is always work to do. In this case, it was an opportunity to labour on finishing the distinctive cloth they produce for their traditional clothing.