-- From Yangshuo to Guiyang

The evening of the 04/09 in Yangshuo, I attended an exceptional spectacle, “Impression Sanjie Liu”, directed by Zhang Yimou. It is composed of stages of minorities' life at the edge of the river presented on stretch of water on bottom of karstic mountains lit by powerful projectors. The direction of the actors, lightings, scenography are worthy of greater scenes of opera of the world. What a evolution since my journeys in 1982 and 1988!

The road tracklog 
from Yangshuo to Guiyang 
from the 05/09/2006 to the 09/09/2006 

The 05/09, again the two other teams decided to keep their hotel rooms although I indicated that there was more than 350 kilometres on secondary road from Yangshuo to Congjiang whereas they affirmed peremptorily that there were only 200 kilometres. Consequently we arrived towards 12:00 in Longsheng, it was too late to go to visit the “Dragon's Backbone Rice Terraces”. Moreover a bus driver taught us that the road from Longsheng to Congjiang was in very bad condition. Indeed it was battered with works in progress. The speed was lower than 20 kilometres per hour. We did not reach Congjiang, stage of the day. We established the bivouac at 19:00 in a street of Sanjiang.

Culture of rice in terraces 
on the road towards Sanjiang
05/09/2006 

The 06/09 from Sanjiang to Congjiang, the road is a dirt road. The time average was approximately 40 kilometres per hour. During all the morning, we crossed villages of the Dong minority in dramatic landscapes. After Congjiang where we lunched the road became asphalted at the entrance in the province of Guizhou. We bivouacked in Yongle on the place of the market.

Houses of minorities 
on the way towards Congjiang 
06/09/2006 

Market day 
on the move to Congjiang 
06/09/2006 

Yang, our guide, 
buys tobacco 
06/09/2006 

Yang smokes the bought tobacco,
What a pleasure!
06/09/2006

The day of the 07/09 started with a beautiful road curving in the mountains. The temperature was pleasant, certainly the weather was been overcast and misty at the beginning of morning. Little before midday we visited a pretty village in edge of the road where we saw norias which went up water in the channels of the rice plantations. After the lunch in Langde, we attended the Miao folk performance in a village, dances, songs and music of organ with mouth. Nothing changed since my journey in 1988.
We decided to make the dead end on the visit of Kaili and going directly in Guiyang to try to make the extension of our visas and other documents necessary to continue the trip beyond 90 days. The bivouac was installed after many palaver in a small carpark next to a police building.

Norias in the rice plantations 
on the way 
07/09/2006 

Miao Dance 
Langde 
07/09/2006 

The day of the 08/09 was occupied to 90% by the administrative steps of the extension of our visas from 90 days to 100 days. The offices open at 9:00. We made three buildings to find the office for the foreign travellers. The employee spoke French. But the main things were made by Yang, our guide. We were to make identity pictures on blue screen. There is a photographer in the building. Then we sought the localization of the office charged to give the certificate of residence necessary for obtaining the extension of the visa. For that we made to three other buildings, at the second an employee came with us in police minis-van to intervene in our favour. Finally towards 13:30 we had the certificates of residence. Our Yang guide spent much of energy to convince his interlocutors. It discovered, with amazement, the mysteries administrative of his country. We could return to the vehicles and go to lunch quietly. The afternoon at the reopening of the offices, 14:30, we filled the form requested for extension of our visa. The employee will make her possible to return to us our passports Monday afternoon if not Tuesday afternoon. We turned over to the trucks at 16:00 to go to a cybercafé.
The extension of the other documents, automobile license, driving license and traffic taxes remains to be made.

The days of the 09 and 10 were devoted to various administrative occupations, vehicle service and rest. Fortunately the town of Guiyang is at 1,100 meters of altitude and the temperature was pleasant, 20°C in the day and 16°C in the night. What a change!
The serial of the extension of our visas was to finish the next week, to follow…