July 25, 2010 - Guilin, Guangxi, China
Pinyin: mangren mo xiang Idiom: Blind men touching an elephant Meaning: Satirize those who only know part of a thing After spending almost 17 hours in a deep sleep yesterday, my body ached for movement. I decided to rent a rugged one-speed bike to explore the rural suburbs of modern Guilin. By looking at the map it's easy to figure out where tourists are going, so my intention was to ride in the opposite direction. Within minutes my legs felt free cruising down country roads, where local people tended their fields, swam in the river, wash clothes, and some passed-out under a cool tree, surviving the mid-day heat.  Like anywhere in the world, having local friends makes traveling easier. Tese, one of the NCTA group leaders, set me up with a Guilin local, named Zhou (Joe). Zhou and his wife Jenny (English name) took me out to... another banquet dinner. Zhou is an English and Mandarin speaking tour guide for Chinese people. Sometimes guiding trips takes him to the U.S., Europe, and even North Korea. Zhou says there is nothing in North Korea worth taking people to visit, because it's so poor. Next year he is taking a group of Chinese to the United States for Washington DC, New York City, San Francisco, and Utah visits. Apparently the Chinese are very interested in Mormon culture. |
