Wuyuan Part 1

So leaving Nanchang and all the trauma behind me, I caught a bus out to Wuyuan county in north-east Jiangxi, near to the Anhui border. When looking around on the internet for places to visit in all the different provinces, this place made one of the biggest impressions on me and I was extremely excited to go and see it. I really was not disappointed.Off the bus I was met with a fleet of taxis and motorbikes all wanting my business. I got on one asking to be taken to a tourist office and on the way there was convinced to allow him to be my guide for a few days instead. He was asking 180 yuan for a day (price comparison anyone?), which sounded very reasonable so I agreed and off we went.First stop was just a short trip outside of Wuyuan town but in the middle of a wonderful river valley. It was so green, full of trees, quiet, sunny...just wonderful. We visited two villages that afternoon, Yancun and Sixi, which were picture perfect. The houses were all built around 800 years ago and the villages felt unchanged since that point. I had the hardest time trimming down the photo selection for this and the next post, but I think the views are worth it. Each of the buildings are still lived in and no-one minded as we visited people's homes to look at all the amazing wood carvings. The whole time we were the only tourists around, and with a local guide who knew exactly where to go I felt completely at ease. After leaving the villages we rode together through the countryside along the river for a good hour, stopping occasionally to take photos, to the small town of Likeng. Here my guide took me to see a family he knows and arranged for us to stay there for the night. The deal with the guide meant that I payed for his room and board too, but staying and chatting with a family was really relaxing and I ate the best food here since leaving Lanshan. Fantastic.