a word from...

Greetings America,
Today we took a break from the bustling city of downtown Guilin and Jack guided us back in time to the serene and distant countryside of Aishanmen. As the 90 minute bus ride progressed, the wide highways slowly crumbled into narrow dirt paths, and the excited chatter turned to nervous giggling as we considered all the possible ways we could get stuck in this isolated farmland. The trees pressed in around our vehicle as impossibly formed mountains erupted from the ground around us. The locals held back the branches as our cumbersome bus lumbered cautiously down the narrow rocky path.
Once we unloaded I felt tremendously out of place as we ambled aimlessly though the quiet empty village. We hiked through the scenic landscape to The Giggling Tree; a renovated farmhouse turned Dutch hotel. As we passed all the amazing views of the sheer vertical faces of the trademark Chinese mountains and the bright green rice fields, I became increasingly depressed at the breakdown of my camera. I managed to capture one mediocre shot before it failed to cooperate. It wasn't too bad though because even the picture perfect memory of a camera couldn't remind me of the most important details of this experience; the heat of the sun and the smell of the dirt and the sight of the shifting shadows. Unfortunately, memories blur with time and will either be tragically forgotten or imaginatively embellished.
We finished off the adventure with a wonderfully western cooked lunch at the Giggling Tree served in a fashion which reflected the only selfish facet of the Chinese peoples' character; driving. The dishes were brought out one by one and it was every man for themselves as each person rushed to help themselves to a small portion of each type of delicious food. As we headed back to the bus I noticed the only blemishes of this nearly flawless countryside; a few commercial infections like advertisements plastered on abandoned farmhouses and colorful, umbrella-covered fridges selling refreshingly cool bottles of modernism. The world is making progress with technology and industry but at a high cost. The raw natural beauty of this little known area cannot be mass-produced or shrink-wrapped and it is nice to enjoy it while it lasts. The trip back was much more peaceful as we quietly relaxed in preparation for the wild farewell party tonight!

-Troy