It's been six weeks since we moved to Huizhou. It's been fun and interesting to get out on a bicycle and explore the neighbourhood, or to go for a wander through the city streets. There are some really old areas in this city, and the scenes are so breathtaking they stop me in my tracks and I stand and stare until I feel rude and intrusive and then I look away and keep walking. This mostly happens in the residential areas, off the main streets, tucked away down alleyways that grow narrower and narrower, and lead you through neighbourhoods with tiny shops, streets where chickens roam freely, where a pedestrian path becomes too narrow for a bicycle to get through, and spits you out beside a tiny brick factory of women sewing grey underpants and next door an elderly woman is working in her plush vegetable garden. Across the dirt road is the river, and a then a river boat comes putting around the bend with two men on board with fishing gear and a big colourful umbrella propped up for protection from the damp and rain. A few hundred metres down the road is a cozy little café with modern seating, a lovely glassed in deck and a decadent menu of western style food. (We made a mental note to go there one day for a special occasion.) This is our neighbourhood.
Another part of town that I love to walk along is the riverfront where liveaboards hang out selling their "fresh water" fish...
Zack came back to visit us for his last four days in China before moving back to the U.S.A. It was great to have his company. He's one of the best friends I've made since moving to China, so it was sad to see him go, but such is life in the expat world, friends come and go. On one of the days he was here we decided to do a local hike. We hopped in a taxi and I said, "Wo men chu Daobang shan," ("We're going to Daobang mountain"), and to my delight the taxi driver understood me, no problem, and off we went! About 15 minutes later he dropped us off at the entry of the mountain (more of a hill). We didn't know what to expect, but quickly recognized the typical style of 'city hike' in China - a long steep road up a hill with a pagoda on top. It was good to get out and walk, but it was a misty day so the view from the top wasn't the greatest. I'll have to go back on a clear day to get some better photos.
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| Walking up Gaobang Mountain. |
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| So many funny signs in China... beware of snakes, okay, but rats, centipedes and ants? |
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| At the top there were some temple buildings. |
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| Misty view of the big city of Huizhou. |
The next day we walked to a local pagoda, 'Wenbi Tower.' The ground floor is a mall of little shops with people selling jade jewellery and displaying ancient artifacts. An elevator from the second floor took us to the top. The weather was again, misty, so I didn't bother taking photos from the top. Next time. On one floor we met a group of high school girls who were giddy with excitement to see us. They asked if they could get a photo with us. They were surprised and confused when I asked them to take a photo with my phone as well!
