They whiz down the highway at tremendous speed. He's going so fast that the steering handles shudder under his tight grip and the wind howls in his ears. The seaforest follows him close behind.
The same scenery passes them by with slight variation. Small towns. A decrepit abandoned factory. A dark tunnel. Before long, they reach their destination of Fuli Town and ask the locals for directions to the Li River.
Lady Luck smiles down upon them. The market of Fuli - held once every three days - is being held. The market sells anything to everything. Live chickens are hung and weighed out under the big old white ugly structure of a market. Cheap rubber slippers are lined up on the ground in an amazing array of colours.
A few more lanes deeper into town and they stumble upon the old village with simple single storey houses of brick, clay or wood. Once again, people sit behind their wooden doors entertaining themselves with whatever means possible. Their arrival sparks up some interest especially since the seaforest's Caucasian. The children run out of their houses and greet them to which they reply politely.
More twists and turns along narrow alleys and they reach the makeshift village pier. Crossing a simple cement bridge, they reach a mound of an island where three boys swim close by. Another man tries his luck at fishing on the bridge. The seaforest thinks of going for a swim. He encourages the seaforest to jump from the bridge. The seaforest thinks it's a very good idea.
The water's perfect. Apparently. And the floor's rocky. The seaforest tempts him to join in for a swim. He's tempted but starts thinking about parasitic worm larvae that penetrate the skin. Courtesy of Pathology. This far downriver can't possibly be any good for swimming. Besides, he wants to write. But, it's very tempting.
[Swim]
Minutes later, they get out of the river and sit on the grass to dry. They get to know one another better. A herder leads his herd of oxen to the island via the bridge. Some of them enter the river and begin to bathe in it. It's perfectly tranquil. Peaceful. Serene.
Time becomes meaningless. So too, does existence. Do you know what I mean? No. Of course you don't. How can you?
They're late. Chatted for too long. Lost track of time. They cycle as fast as they can along the highway which darkens by the moment. The seaforest needs to catch a bus to Guangzhou while he needs to catch the bus back to Guilin.
Goodbye was simple. Quick. Brief. He catches up with the seaforest and cycles alongside him. He says, 'This is it.' And pulls ahead of the seaforest. Simple. Quick. Brief. And a perfect ending to an unforgettable experience in Yangshuo.
The same scenery passes them by with slight variation. Small towns. A decrepit abandoned factory. A dark tunnel. Before long, they reach their destination of Fuli Town and ask the locals for directions to the Li River.
Lady Luck smiles down upon them. The market of Fuli - held once every three days - is being held. The market sells anything to everything. Live chickens are hung and weighed out under the big old white ugly structure of a market. Cheap rubber slippers are lined up on the ground in an amazing array of colours.
A few more lanes deeper into town and they stumble upon the old village with simple single storey houses of brick, clay or wood. Once again, people sit behind their wooden doors entertaining themselves with whatever means possible. Their arrival sparks up some interest especially since the seaforest's Caucasian. The children run out of their houses and greet them to which they reply politely.
More twists and turns along narrow alleys and they reach the makeshift village pier. Crossing a simple cement bridge, they reach a mound of an island where three boys swim close by. Another man tries his luck at fishing on the bridge. The seaforest thinks of going for a swim. He encourages the seaforest to jump from the bridge. The seaforest thinks it's a very good idea.
The water's perfect. Apparently. And the floor's rocky. The seaforest tempts him to join in for a swim. He's tempted but starts thinking about parasitic worm larvae that penetrate the skin. Courtesy of Pathology. This far downriver can't possibly be any good for swimming. Besides, he wants to write. But, it's very tempting.
[Swim]
Minutes later, they get out of the river and sit on the grass to dry. They get to know one another better. A herder leads his herd of oxen to the island via the bridge. Some of them enter the river and begin to bathe in it. It's perfectly tranquil. Peaceful. Serene.
Time becomes meaningless. So too, does existence. Do you know what I mean? No. Of course you don't. How can you?
They're late. Chatted for too long. Lost track of time. They cycle as fast as they can along the highway which darkens by the moment. The seaforest needs to catch a bus to Guangzhou while he needs to catch the bus back to Guilin.
Goodbye was simple. Quick. Brief. He catches up with the seaforest and cycles alongside him. He says, 'This is it.' And pulls ahead of the seaforest. Simple. Quick. Brief. And a perfect ending to an unforgettable experience in Yangshuo.
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