best places for ethnic groups and original villages

I spent just shy of three weeks in Guizhou Province visiting local villages. This is a much less touristed area than Lijiang or Dali. Check my photo website for many pix of Miao, and Dong peoples.

www.onceahighway.com</a><BR><BR>If you have any questions post them here or contact me at the address on my website.

The following is an excerpt from the trip report from my recent visit to China.

… Guiyang to Yangshou Route Overview- Before giving a town-by-town review, an overview of the route is in order. Although the distance between the two places is less than 500 km as-the-crow-flies, there's a good two to three weeks worth of sightseeing on this route.

Guizhou Provence is one of the poorest areas of China. And as a result, it's escaping, or at least delaying much of the rapid development/homogenization that's gripping rest of the land. What you'll see here are small (for China) and grimy but interesting cities and several tribal villages still clinging to their indigenous cultures, as well as forests, rice terraces and river life. The highlights of the route are the beautiful villages of Xijiang and Zhaoxing as well as the bus rides themselves.

Travel is by chicken bus, but more comfortable than many places I've visited. Major sights are rarely farther than six or eight hours apart. So you'll have time to explore once you arrive at your next stop. Hotels and guesthouses are basic, but fine. Food is cheap, tasty, and plentiful. Outside of Zhaoxing and Changyang, little-to-no English is spoken. To me this only enhances the experience. But a phrase book is invaluable. I only saw one Westerner north of Guilin during my two+ weeks of travel in the area.

The weather was excellent (Jan/Feb 07): Clear every day; cold nights but day time highs in the 60s (15-20 C).

I would highly recommend this area for the more adventurous or experienced traveler looking to see a side of China that is rapidly disappearing. This route is definitely off the well traveled track, but still very accessible. Zhaoxing is one of the crown jewels of China and only two short bus-days from Yangshou. Xijiang is four days out and just as interesting. Yet both places are relatively unknown. But not for long!

Now for more details...

Guiyang- The CAAC bus dropped me off very close to the main bus station. From there, I took a pleasant two hour ride to Kaili.

Kaili- I stayed at the Petroleum Hotel for the first night. It was a pretty rough joint and not a good deal (approx. #11 on the LP China map). In the drawer next to the bed I found a pamphlet that describes how to pleasure your customer with out giving him AIDS. Classic! The next day I moved to a nice place near the CITS office. Cost was about 96rmb for a single room with heat, hot water, western toilet, and clean and comfortable bed. This hotel is located at #12 on the map. And like the Petro, had a different name than indicated in the guide.

The lady that runs the CITS is very nice and helpful. For some reason I thought Kaili was a small town. It's not. Although I'd read several negative comments about Kaili, I found it pretty interesting and the people, friendly. Had a couple of excellent and super cheap buffet-style meals at a little joint on the SW corner of Wenhua Beilu and Yingpan Donglu (about 12rmb for all you can eat and one beer). From Kaili, I grabbed a bus for the short ride to Lieshan.

Leishan is sort of a mini Kaili, with a river snaking through the center of town. I could find only a couple of hotels and both are on the same street, 10-15 minutes from the bus station. From the front door of the bus station head right, down the street toward Rongjiang. Take the first left and cross the river. After a few blocks, just before the hospital on the right side is a hotel. It looked nice enough. But if you walk a block past the hospital, you'll reach the hotel where I stayed. It's on a roundabout. This place reminded me of a Swiss chalet (sorta). Very nice room for about 120rmb. Like all of the above hotels, no English was spoken or understood.

Leaving Leishan- Catching the bus to Xijiang is simple: just go to the bus station and ask around. Attendants were very helpful (no English). Buy your ticket on board. Catching the bus onward from Leishan to Rongiang>Congjiang, etc. is a little less straight forward because the bus doesn't stop at the bus station. The through-bus route stays north of the river, bypassing downtown. I couldn't ascertain the exact route, so I walked to the petrol station at the far south edge of town where all routes converge. The bus passed though at 8:00 AM. I think it actually passes both of the aforementioned hotels, but I didn't want to risk missing it. The four hour trip to Rongjiang is paved but bumpy and very windy. If you're prone to motion sickness, take measures before boarding the bus. Note: Those bags the driver hands out aren't for peanut shells.

Xijiang- The road to Xijiang is mainly dirt but good and scenic. We picked up a guy and his freshly slaughtered pig mid way. He just plopped the carcass down in the isle and forever changed my definition of "Chicken Bus". It was pretty cool.

The main street in Xijian is for walking only. There's a small square with a totem pole in the center. On the square is Miao's Home Guest House where I stayed. It's a traditional Miao house with a general store below and eight or so guest rooms above. Rooms on the top floor open on to a patio with an awesome view. And the view out the back window of the rooms is also pretty spectacular. My room with electric blanket and squat toilet cost about 48rmb. meals cost 10rmb and included all the homemade rice wine the hostess could persuade me to swill. And after everyone (including the hosts) gets liquored up, the singing begins. Miao's Home Guest House is highly recommended.

Xijiang is definitely worth going out of your way to visit. The Village's intricately constructed wooden houses cling to steep hillsides and overlook lovely rice and vegetable terraces. This traditional aspect of Chinese culture is rapidly being replaced so check it out before it's gone.

Leishan to Congjiang- The first four hours are across what seem like a never-ending series of mountain ranges. Somewhat scenic. From Rongjiang to Congjiang takes two more hours. The road runs along a big river, past several small villages and is more interesting.

Congjiang- Just a commercial center along the river. I stayed at a dive hotel across the street from the bus station about a block further east. It was OK. I did a 40 minute walking loop to burn time: from the bus station/hotel go west down the main drag until you can cross the river on the bridge. Continue west on the opposite side of the river forking right to keep near the shore. Check out the indoor market. From the market, scope out where to descend for the ferry crossing. Take the ferry for a couple of rmb and head back.

Congjiang to Zhaoxing- The direct bus didn't show up so I took a bus heading to Liping. It took a pleasant couple of hours to get to Pilin junction. I got off at the corner and waited for a bus heading south east. After a short wait a bus stopped and thirty minutes later I was in Zhaoxing. This route seems much simpler than disembarking at the Xin'an junction, walking into town and then finding a ride across the hills (as recommended by others).

Zhaoxing- There are almost twenty guesthouses in this small village! Still, I only saw one other westerner; and she was doing her doctoral thesis on the Zhaoxing's tourist industry. This is a pretty amazing place: Traditional buildings; classic faces; and gorgeous countryside. I stayed at the Dong Village Hotel (or GH?) on the main street. An extremely clean room, comfortable bed, heater, western toilet and sweet, street view cost about 80 rmb. The proprietor is a very nice and helpful guy and even gave me free internet access. There are a lot of sleeping options in Zhaoxing, and while Dong Village Hotel isn't the cheapest, it is the nicest. I spent three nights here and did plenty of walking to the surrounding villages. Zhaoxing is a gem and not to be missed.

Zhaoxing to Chengyang- I caught a bus out front of the GH at about 8:00 AM that arrived in Sanjiang five or six hours later. In Sanjiang there are two bus stations. I arrived at the one at the base of a hill on a crowded commercial street. This is the station with busses to Chengyang. But for busses to Guilin you'll have to walk across the river. There are good city maps in the waiting room of both bus stations so finding your way from one station to the other isn't a problem, just a fifteen minute walk. The short bus ride from Sanjiang to Chengyang was nice enough.

Chengyang- After Xijiang and Zhaoxing, Chengyang was a letdown. I stayed at the Dong Village Hotel. And although it shares a name with the hotel in Zhaoxing, they have little else in common. This place is big and drafty but still clean and friendly. Like at most places I stayed in the area, I was the only guest. They have a big patio with a good view of the village's famous wind and rain-proof bridge. I imagine In the summer the patio would be a sweet spot to hang out. My room was big and had nice balcony but no heat (about 50rmb).

The village was OK, and they have free singing and dancing in the main square every afternoon. I saw a couple of other guest houses under construction in the village proper. There's a small fee to get close to the bridge, which I don't mind paying. But you're hit with a barrage of high pressure salesgirls as you cross it.

To get back to Sanjiang, I just sat by the bridge and waited for a ride. A mini van picked me up after a short wait.

Sanjiang to Guilin- Six grueling hours of dust and bumps.

Guilin to Yangshou- You know the drill. Buy a ticket on the next bus; and no matter what the touts say, don't listen. One hour ride on a luxury bus.

Yangshou- My first visit since 1988! Only the karsts remain the same. Stayed at the brand new Li River Retreat. Far from the cheapest place in town but… Wait, the Li River Retreat's not in town. It's is a 25 minute walk up the river and on a whole different planet. The retreat's website describes the place pretty well. What it doesn't say is that 1) the food is superb; and 2) the host and hostess are great people that know what travelers want and will do what ever it takes to make you happy. And the sunrises from your room's private balcony aren’t bad either.

On to the activities… I rented a bike for several days (perfect for getting to and from the Retreat) and did one half-day ride. But was a little disappointed with it. The city has grown so much that it's quite a trek to get out into the quiet countryside.

For this part of the trip, I was joined by my mom, dad, uncle and aunt. So we weren't as budget conscious as I normally am. We did some pretty touristy stuff; including hiring a guide and minivan for the day; and rafting down the Yulong River. We checked out Yulong Bridge and planned to start rafting from there. But it's too far from the nice scenery. So we drove down the river a ways and hopped on rafts a little closer to Moon Hill. Rafting wasn't as lame as it could have been. But not great. And real expensive. The best thing we did was rent a boat from Xingping to Yangdi. The boat costs about $60 for the two hour ride through the nicest stretch of the river. The boat easily holds ten people. You may need to arrange it in advance. But during the summer, I'd think you could just show up and pay for a seat.

Again, please check my website out for photos that describe the area far better than my writing.

www.Onceahighway.com</a><BR><BR>Travel far,

fds

Also all along the border from Hekou, opposite Vietnam, up to Ruili, opposite Burma. Didn't get to go further than that. Of course you can't follow the border closely all the time but especially in southern Yunnan ethnic minorities can be found most anywhere.

southeast of kunming between there and guiyang is almost untouched by westerners. head to xingyi and go south. the incredible karst mountains make for hundreds of untouched valleys in an area that was cut off until only 10 years ago.
even the chinese dont know much about this region.

if youre not that prepared for this region WSW of kunming between the himalays and myanmar is remote and beautiful and has hilltribe/bhutanese ethnic groups.

If you are keen for China's ethnic minority charm, Southeast Guizhou shouldn't be missed for any reason. Dogwap has made a good introduction, while here is more of a practical travel route guide and maps you may need>>Kaili to Yangshuo Route

Hello Dogwap

Thanks for your report , fabulous stuff and thanks to all the others

Never thought I would go back to china but am planning to do so next year and your report makes me want to even more so.
Yangshou , was there in 85 and have fabulous memories of the area , was totally blown away by it.
So much more freedom to travel the country these days

Cheers and thanks