We had boarded the sleeper train and were laughing at our adorable bunkmate (she was a couple months old and trying to stand up on the pillows) when we heard southern accents. Not only were the only other white people on the train in the berth next to ours, but two from the small group - Jerry and Lehman - were from Virginia! Talk about a small world.
Within minutes of introducing himself to the Virginians, Brian met the group's leader, Lehman's son Eugene. Eugene has lived in China for the last ten years. In addition to being fluent in Chinese, he knows the nuances of the area very well. So well, in fact, that he contributed to the Lonely Planet's guidebook for China (we highly recommend Lonely Planet guidebooks, by the way!). As Brian told him our travel plans for the next few days, Eugene pointed out that it would be cheaper and easier to use his town, Linxia, as a base for our day trips. He also suggested that we visit Dahejia, home to one of China's ethnic minorities - the Bao'ans - and situated in between beautiful red cliffs and the Yellow River.
Before I go any further, let me explain what I mean when I say Brian and I planned to stay in Lanzhou. We had a train ticket there and that was it. No hotel reservations, no booked trips, etc. While traveling this way requires a lot of patience when we first arrive somewhere (especially when you've been on the road for hours), it also affords us the flexibility to change our plans at a moment's notice. And that makes it all worth it in the end.
We nixed staying in Lanzhou and joined Eugene's caravan to Linxia. The two hour ride there was stunning. The road wound up and down burnt orange mountains and through valleys of terraced farms. We also got our first glimpse of Muslim China as we passed several mosques along the way. Before that drive, I was fairly ignorant about China's Muslim population.
Tuesday, October 1 we left Linxia for Dahejia. Again, another amazing ride. This time, we saw snow covered mountains. Not as vast as our beloved Rockies, but breathtaking nonetheless. As we climbed out of the microbus onto the main street in Dahejia (there were four paved roads in the town of 4,500) , it was pretty clear we were on the road less traveled. Brian's blue eyes, my uncovered head with blondish hair, and both of our skin tones elicited open-mouthed stares and we almost caused an accident or two as people swerved their scooters when they turned to look at us again.
After getting some noodle soup for lunch, I went to our hotel to drop off my jacket. When I walked back outside 2 minutes later, Brian had already made friends and got invited to join in on tea with a group of ladies. It was quite a sight - all these petite Muslim women sipping tea and knitting and Brian sitting there with his knees up to his chest and a little cup in hand.
Although only one of them spoke some English and we only know four words in Chinese, we spent a good hour drinking tea, chewing seeds, taking pictures, teaching phrases, and just laughing. Their kindness and hospitality is something I will not soon forget.
We spent the next day and a half just enjoying the countryside and the company (naturally we joined our new friends for another spot of tea). We hiked through the meadow alongside the Yellow River and also got to see the handmade knives for which the area is famous. After being in massive cities, it so was refreshing to almost get run over by sheep instead of scooters, to see cornfields in place of buildings, and to have silence replace the city's nightly cacophony.
While we are just a few weeks into our adventure, I have no doubts that Dahejia will be one of the highlights. So, the moral of the story - stop to smell the roses, whatever your "roses" may be.
Muslim China:
Brian enjoying tea with the ladies:
Sharing the road with some sheep:
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