Blog 6 - and then some

April 12 and our time in Luga Lake continues. Went for a canoe ride ( the canoes here are called 'pig troughs' and they certainly look like them). They are traditional dugout canoes. Ours was rowed by two strong women. We set out for an island with a temple on it. It was a bit disconcerting for Cynthia when after 20 minutes from the shore she was handed a small basin to bail the water out from the bottom. The wind was too strong so we rowed around Lige Peninsula to the next bay and over to a smaller island where John and Jonathon hopped off for a little explore. The row back was difficult in the wind with John and Jonathon being given paddles to help with the task. Jonathon took on the role of rower and subsequently broke the oar. In the process he fed his mobile phone to the fish.

Back late for our meal of traditional pickled chicken (with black skin) and a pork dish. Then off to see the Mosu dancing. Not as colourful as the Dong and Miao but nice music and rhythm - a bit like line dancing.

April 13 and up early to leave at 6:20am to drive and see the sun rise over the lake. Lovely and clear with very beautiful light on the lake. Yummy steamed buns with chives for breakfast.
Then we began our walk to the Mosu village of Dazui for lunch in a local, traditional family home. We walked around the shore of our village then contoured up and over a steep path that took us through a saddle and down a slippery gravel path into the next lakeside village of Tao Lushen. Walked along the shore and climbed up a rough path but had to leave this and join the road for a while. Then down another steep, slippery path and along the shore in front of another village before climbing again onto the road which we followed until we reached Dazui for lunch.
All in this village live traditionally and there are no guesthouses as yet. Jonathon negotiated for lunch in a family home where we were taken into the women's part of the house. The room was internal with a high step over to get in. There were no windows but a kind of open lantern in the ceiling in the middle of the room. This was to let out the smoke from the fire. There was a raised open fireplace with a large iron stand for pots and kettle. This fireplace had an altar behind it and was considered sacred space and it was extremely bad manners to put your feet on it. On three sides of the room were sleeping platforms with thin mattresses. We sat on these. The quilts were folded and piled in a corner. Part of the floor was cement and the part where we sat was a raised wooden floor. There was a TV and a very modern looking phone in the corner and a small table with a very new looking electric wok plugged into a dangling power board. At the end of the outer corridor was another food preparation area with two large built-in wood fired woks and a cutting bench. Off this small room was an even smaller storeroom in which were the carcasses of two ash covered pigs, heads and all, which had been trussed up so well they looked like black sacks. These had been smoked to preserve them. Traditionally the girls and boys stand on one of these preserved pigs at age 13 and they are then considered adults. The girls can then begin to take lovers.

In the main women's room pieces of cut smoked pork hung from the rafters and it was from these that the piece for our lunch was chosen. The pork was 95 percent fat so not very nice - had just one piece to try. You are considered a very honoured guest if you are offered this pork fat. We were also served a green and root vegetable dish, some fried dried fish and a soup of vegetables and eggs. Rice wine was taken and we first toasted the visitors and then the matriarch. There was a small door in the back wall of the room through which the man enters during the night for visiting his wife. The mother and the two adult daughters slept in the room as well as the children. We saw the beautiful 15 month old granddaughter.

After lunch we drove on to Zuosuo Town and walked to the Grass Sea at the eastern end off the lake. This was a marshy area frequented by fisherman and in autumn the treat is the frogs they catch here. We saw the "walking marriage" bridge, more than 300m long. This was the thoroughfare through which Mosu people walked to their lover's houses and this Zouhun Bridge is also known as 'the first magpie bridge under heaven'. Drove around the edge of the lake to Luowo(Bowa). John and Jonathon set off along a well formed track that followed the lake in beautiful forested country which featured a number of contorted pine trees, passing through two idyllic vllages. The track passed through the saddle of Mount Haulong then dropped down to a small pristine village in another bay. They crossed the access road and ascended a steep newly-formed stairway to the sacrificial pavilion - the divine altar where they pray to the Goddess Gemu for protection from the weather and abundant output of livestock and crops and a prosperous life for the people. The lake lies below the Gemu Goddess Mountain(3775m). They have two festivals here - Zhuansan on July 25th of the lunar calendar and Zhuanhai, August 15 of the lunar calendar. The Mosu call the lake Xieami (maternal lake). Drove back to guesthouse with Cynthia and driver who were waiting along the road.

April 14 and up to early breakfast and the daunting journey back to Lijiang - 192 in 7 hours with stops for meal and photos. Along the route we saw the remains of one of the 'blue' trucks over a steep near vertical drop. Further along the road we entered a fairly large village in a broad fertile valley. We came to the site of an accident. It appeared that a motorcyclist had been hit by a 'blue' truck. The rider was laid out on a litter and completely wrapped in cloths. There were a group of Yi women in traditional dress keening over the body.

Towards the end of the village we had opportunity to photograph two young adult Yi women in immaculate traditional dress including the large headdress. We had to negotiate 5 yuan each to be able to take photos, which we gladly paid.

After crossing the river we had lunch at a roadside restaurant. Good service as the car was washed while we had lunch. Finally back in Lijiang and off to hear the Naxi Ancient Music Band - also many ancient musicians, two at 80, one at 82, one at 84 and one at 86! Some of the musicians had very old instruments, the oldest being over 200 years old. The music was a variety of instrumental and vocal pieces dating from the 8thC. One of the highlights was the singing by a Naxi woman with a wide vocal range and interesting use of tongue for controlling her vocal range. It was an informative presentation in three languages including English, giving introduction to songs and instruments. A nice end to a long day.