Today’s daytrip first took me to a Yao (?) minority village, which is known for the fact that all the women have very long hair, which they carry in an intricate fashion. Apparently, they also have a rather peculiar way of choosing a life partner. Our tour guide (who was talking, laughing and singing incessantly during the two hour trip to the village – I seriously considered throwing something at her so that she would shut up) told us that in men, it is considered very attractive if they wear glasses and have strong legs. Fair enough. Women are considered a great catch if they have a strong voice (as there are no telephones in the mountains), have large feet (so they can climb the mountains more easily) and a big bottom. And then she told me that she was sure the minority men would find me attractive. I wasn’t sure I was flattered. At the village we attended a show where the women staged a “mate choosing” ceremony and showed us how they did their hair. I was very impressed – they deal with their knee-length hair in 2 minutes and it takes me 30 minutes to fix mine. At the end of the show they showed us their particular way of sending off guests that they would like to return: they pinched their bottoms. Very odd!
Then we were off to the Longsheng Dragon’s Backbone rice terraces – my favorite part of the day. The scenery was just amazing – see for yourselves. We were a bit unlucky with the weather, though. Just when we had reached the top of the mountains, it started to rain. And of course I didn’t have an umbrella with me and I was wearing flip flops. I was soaking through and through by the time we reached the bottom. My Lonely Planet now looks way worse for the wear and even my passport, which I kept in a safety belt inside my pants got wet. Luckily the numbers on my visa are still legible. Still, I had a fantastic day. Bonus: on the way back even the guide was too tired to talk!
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