I'm currently in Guiyang the capital city of Guizhou province nursing a bit of a mysterious fever - lets call it asian death plague. Anyways, I'm about to start biking (assuming i feel alright) tomorrow through some small villages to get to an extremely famous but possibly too touristy town called Yan Shou. There are still fireworks going off everywhere 7 days after chinese new year (Tip: if you see chinese kids running away and laughing at you - plug your ears something in the immediate vicinity is about to explode), but i've also come across rain for the first time this entire trip which i suppose i can't complain about. Alas, home in less than three weeks. Every other minute that notion switches from being an extremely happy to devastatingly sad thought.
Shael and spanks reunited for 7 days, after evan finishes a two week business trip in hongkong/shenzhen.
Roadside break on the way to Ganaba.
Maybe it sounds contrived, but water splashing festivals are the most fun things on earth. That said; these women are INVINCIBLE. I had to keep retreating for air.. not to mention that when the match started I ran in and slipped right onto my ass to the absolute delight of chinese tourists.
Asking for directions typically draws a crowd.
Rack saga continues to continue. Really just a few emergency tweaks.. but really someone tell this guy to save some eye protection for the rest of us. Repair was free, really nice guy and he promised me the next day was mostly downhill when he saw me arrive exhausted.
another biking sunset. oooooo.
Chinese people love to squat soooooo much. dude, there's a chair right there!
no explanation needed, butterfly sanctuary near dali.
Old lady walking away with disgusted look on her face after hearing my counter offer while vintage shopping at shaping market.
Local dentist. Pick a tooth, any tooth.
despite what you may beleive china has some beautiful, beautiful dogs walking around the streets and they're priced accordingly so people treat them right for the most part. Not this one though - tied up all almost all day owners didn't really take me seriously trying to convince them they can roam free in the carless streets of dali as most do - more of a status thing here to have a rare breed.
First job in china, getting paid room and bored to stand and drink infront of a bar. NOT too shabby. And i think we did a pretty good job drawing a crowd.
Stone forest. Sneaking in was more fun than the actual park.
Alot of stairs.. it actually gets pretty chilly down there.
People indeed still dress like this.. sneaky peter shot.
Chinese tourists; i am but weird dressing foreigner in a sea of them. Also note: cool haircut.
I called this little guy "zwai pungyo" which translates to "most friend" and makes chinese people giggle.
On the road back from the middle of no where to try and catch a bus
Your average freaky statue.. found practically in the middle of nowhere
Me and spanks spend a night with a family on the road with our rental bikes.
He shoots, he... finds inner peace.
Cockfights are no small deal in china, theres money at stake. So naturally there are scheduled intermissions which include blood sponging, shoving a wet feather down the chicken's throat to clear feather debris, they get water forced down their throat, a bit of banana.. and.. and..
as you probably guessed and/or are horrified to find out, they actually stitch the chicken's wounds inbetween rounds to keep them going. This lucky feller is getting what used to be an eye sewn shut..
rental bike sunset love
Breakfast at 80's styled miami home stark in the middle of nowhere - very kind family. (we bought them oranges)
The guy behind me is actually holding his own IV bag.. how awesome is that? On another note: in two more weeks i'm never going to be able to buy bubble tea for less than 30 cents again.
Soooo many reasons to be a vegitarian in china..
I'm a real sucker for light beam shots
Instead of a receipt, these ladies will have this picture.
Asian markets: come for the chicken, stay for the calculator watch.
Chinese new years was INCREDIBLE. There probably wasn't a bird within 100 miles of any major city. Unfortunately I was too drunk during the festivities and forgot to take any pictures.. but videos of me shooting rockets off my straw hat were promised to be sent.
Commute
Dali Lake motorcycle ride.. crashes: 2
Soo peaceful, and yet i highly doubt that basket has a picnic inside..
He may stand out a bit but spanky looks so darn happy to be confused..
I literally bought this little ladie's basket backpack right off of her back..
Man of the year. You can probably count the foreigners who actually live in Dali on one hand.. and we happened to meet this one on a public bus. This guy arrived from spain 8 years ago when he came across these two children abandoned in a dumpster and took it upon himself to raise them as his own. They currently go around playing music together in the streets of china.. The kids can speak english now (maybe spanish too?) which more or less makes them set in china.. check out their clothes, and the stitching; all clearly done by his hand. This guy is amazing..
Early sunset, streets of Dali.
Attempting to learn how to play mahjong in the middle of nowhere in winnie the pooh sandles.
Biking into dali, 45km of endless fields and endless mountains after a huge mountain descend into the valley.
These ladies saw me and waved so i stopped to take a picture.
I could have made a webpage devoted to chinglish by now, but this recent one is my favourite.. I'm convinced they must have hired a native english speaker to help them spell it this wrong.
Any man who feeds ducks is a friend of mine.
Busing back from the rock forest.. Never seen a massive suspension bridge being built before.. pretty darn cool actually. The road construction here probably dwarfs the rest of the world's combined.
After this guy's done sweeping someone should probably call 911.. just throwin it out there...
I've seen alot of weird accidents on the road during the course of my time out here, but do you realize how fast this guy must have been driving in reverse to pull this off ?
"please cut my hair, i'll never pee on your rug again"
So much texture.. need my old job back..
I found this on the wall in an abandoned hospital.. an old eye test i suspect.. the bird however i suspect was probably simply done for artistic merit.
I know, I know.. but at 50 cents a night... and you should have seen the view from the other window.
