Hi Everyone! Sorry for the delay, but we have been busy hanging out outside of Jinghong. We left early Saturday and began our journey up B Mountain. The China countryside is quite beautiful. Five of us were snugly inside the truck owned by our hosts.
The first hour and a half was a smooth ride including a stop to pick up vegetables in case we needed something to cook ourselves while we were out (some small cafes often have an…interesting selection of fares to choose from). Soon, the paved highway ran out and the next two hours were on a bumpy construction road. It was great! The going was slow, but the laughs and the sights were enjoyable. We drove all the way to the top of B Mountain and checked into a very small motel. We spent the next several hours exploring and wandering through nearby small villages.
We went in some Buddhist temples, spoke with some monks, and had a good time together. As it turns out, the restaurant (if you can call three tables in a garage a restaurant) was quite good and we found ourselves stuffed at the end of the meal. The evening ended with killing spiders in our rooms and a little pinochle.
The next day we took off for another village. We arrived and went to find the family that we were staying with. They were out in their fields for the day, so we parked the truck and explored the village. After an hour or so, we decided to try to find another small village that was not far away.
We had heard that you could drive part of the way and then hike up a narrow winding road for about an hour to reach it. We found the turn off and were parking when some Chinese guys on motorcycles pulled up and told us that we could drive up the road if we wanted. Additionally, they wanted us to take two guys with us and drop them off at the village. Our driver was a little nervous trying to make it up the road. It was really narrow, and had a ton of ruts in it. She asked if any of us would like to try to drive. Jim and I immediately volunteered. Jim hopped in the driver seat, and I hopped in the back with one of the guys we were taking. We made it to the top. Once there, we met a monk who decided he wanted to take us on a guided tour of the village. We got ready to come back down and Jim thought that my trip in the back looked like fun, so he decided to try it for himself. The drive was so much fun, especially when we came upon a broken down motorcycle and had to squeeze by. Additionally, we ended up between a water buffalo and her calf and needless to say, the mom got pretty agitated. We made it safely back down to where we were staying and went for a walk to the local hot spring. After that, we had dinner with our hosts and then were off to bed.
The next morning before leaving, our host family took us to see their fields. It was about a 30 minute walk up and over a hill nearby. The low hanging morning fog made it one of the most awe inspiring things I have ever seen. The joy that our hosts had and the love they expressed for each other and us during our stay clearly demonstrate their love for Father. We made the three hour drive home and feasted on cheeseburgers, fajitas, and coffee. Hope you all are doing well and we will see you soon!
