Dragonback Rice Terraces

Can I just say, I LOVED Yangshuo. The whole area is AMAZING and beautiful and I loved every minute we were there. And this was one of my favorite days.

So the rice terraces are actually in Longji, which is a three hour drive from Yangshuo, so we stopped at a tea farm on the way there to break up the drive. Very cool, very informative. Who knew that SIX types of tea could be made from the exact same bush?

The further up the mountains we went, the foggier and rainier it got. It was so beautiful and spooky, and we could make out amazing scenery and rice terraces all over as we drove, but I was getting worried that we wouldn't really be able to see anything or that it would be muddy and miserable.

I should have known better. God loves me too much to let that happen. It was a little foggy, but we still had a beautiful view and I was in awe the whole time.

We started with lunch, which was an adventure. Apparently we got there later than the daily rush, so they were out of just about everything. Which I guess makes sense, since they have to bring everything up the mountain every day, but it was frustrating. We did end up eating some of my favorite and some of the most interesting food of the trip there though, so I was a happy camper. And after lunch we just hiked around and enjoyed the splendor and the culture.

Smooching...

Post smooching

They divert the waterfalls to flood the terraces.

We almost look Asian, don't we? Squinty Chinese eyes...

After hiking a bit we headed back down, bought a few souvenirs (the girls must have their earrings), and headed back to Yangshuo.

On the way up the mountain we had seen a lot of stands on the side of the street selling local honey, so we picked some up on the way back.

Oh yumminess, good choice, it was the best honey I've ever had. Sigh, such a good day. I can't even describe the happiness and wonder that I felt, and I'm so glad we decided to make the trip.


P.S. For those of you who have noticed Spencer's fro, please know that the only reason his hair was that long was because he had to take a drug test as soon as we got back to the States for his summer internship, so his hair had to be long enough to take a proper hair sample. If his hair wasn't long enough they would have shaved his legs instead. We know this from personal experience. Don't ask.