The Bridges of Sanjiang County

The second proper destination on my brief little holiday was the village of Chengyang, just 45 minutes away from Sanjiang by bus or minivan taxi and a much nicer place to spend time than Sanjiang itself, which is a pretty bog-standard small Chinese town. I liked it there actually, but I might as well have been in Lanshan again, just with better geography.

Still, Chengyang is where the action is at, mainly thanks to the amazing Dong Wind and Rain bridge crossing the river here that is apparently the finest example in existence. Again it was built without the use of nails, and took 12 years. It was a spectacular sight. The old ladies that mug you on the way across trying to sell you their tourist tat were not. I dropped my stuff in an otherwise empty hostel in the village and went out to get something to eat, bumping into a nice Israeli girl called Noa who seemed to be the only other visitor around. We ate lunch together then walked round the surrounding villages.
Coming from Zhaoxing, Chengyang was nothing really special. Yeah there were plenty of covered bridges and wooden houses, but as soon as you smiled at someone they pulled some mass-produced tourist shit out of their bag and came after you with it looking for a sale. The village is in the process of being modernised for tourists with new paths being laid and fences erected, which makes it all look a bit Disney. They're even putting up those ugly concrete buildings you see everywhere, just cladding them in freshly varnished pine to make them 'blend in', but they stick out like so many sore thumbs. I suppose it's our own fault. As travellers and tourists, in pursuit of the rare and unspoilt we eventually destroy what it is we keep coming to see.
I dunno. Chengyang just seemed less friendly overall and less interesting than Zhaoxing. I contemplated leaving again that same day even, but once I met and got on well with Noa I had more of a reason to hang around. Even better, later that evening another two Israeli lads, Noam and Zach, turned up and we all hung out together at their hostel having a good time playing cards, drinking tea and chatting. They somehow all thought I was Jewish for most of the night, and I was innocently wondering why I was getting so much stick for having poor Biblical knowledge, e.g. not knowing that Noa was the first feminist in the Bible, until they started talking about the cheese festival 'Shavuot' and I was like, 'what?'.

It's not all about cheese by the way.

So now I know how to count in Hebrew and apparently I'm quite good, although I keep saying 'nine' in Arabic instead. Don't ask me how that works...

I also saw my first wild snake here. It was bright green, about half a metre long and crossed my path right in front of me. Very cool.
Next morning, after a shower that was ironically too hot to stand under, we all left Chengyang. Noa went on to Zhaoxing with all our recommendations and Noam, Zach and I caught the bumpy bus back to Guilin and on to Yangshuo, there being absolutely no reason to spend a night in Guilin itself. Funnily enough we ended up in a hostel with about another half a dozen Israelis. They're everywhere! I did some shopping, ate a pizza, got a hair cut and massage and then we went to a bar. It was a nice evening. Then early the following day it was back to Guilin and home.

All in all, a great holiday. A bit rushed maybe, but it needed to be. Still well worth it. If I come back this way again I will certainly devote more time to Guizhou. Who knows, by then they may even have finished the roads...