Hitch hiking

Yep, I'm a hitch hiker nowadays. It's actually the only way to get anywhere around here. After lunch today I had to go into Yongning to buy a phonecard. When you live in Zhudi there isn't exactly a taxi rank or bus stop. I walked to the main road and started walking. A taxi came along and I flagged it down and jumped in with everyone else. The other day when I had my backpack on I hailed a vegie truck just to get up a mountain. I know it's not really hitch hiking if you catch a taxi, but I think most of the taxis are private vehicles anyway with a sign stuck in the window. They're kind of taxis and kind of buses in that there's a set fare per person to go to a certain place and they wait until they get a few people and pick up more on the way. But they have no set times when they go and if you're the only person who wants to go to their destination they make you pick up the full expense, especially if they don't think they can pick up anyone for the return trip.

Yesterday I was walking to Lige and a passing four wheel drive stopped for me and I realised it was two guys I had met at a bar in Lige, the day before I was walking along and a taxi containing one of the families I stayed with picked me up. At least this means I usually only have to walk one way. It is a forty minute walk to Lige so the return walk takes quite a long time. You need to allow two hours. Especially as yesterday coming home I had to wait because a fork lift was busy scooping up the rocks left by the landslide into the backs of some trucks. I waited with a Chinese guy carrying a basket on his back. We caught the eye of the forklift driver and when a truck drove off we had a window of opportunity to dash over the rubble beside the forklift.

The weather is improving dramatically. I don't have to wear my thermals everyday anymore. Particularly in the late morning and afternoon it is mild and sunny with a light breeze most days. Washing gets dry, I don't have to wear my heavy jacket everywhere- I feel almost normal. It certainly makes climbing the mountain to go to the toilet more bearable. The family still tells me to eat all the time. I have taken a stand against everyone putting their chopsticks in my bowl in order to give me more to eat. But otherwise, I smile, or try to distract them by asking them questions and stuff. When I've really had enough to eat I quickly put my bowl and cup up on the bench so no one can feed me anymore.

Well, I'm going to Lijiang tomorrow. I have some stuff I need to work on quietly plus I want to go to the bank before spring festival kicks in a couple of weeks. Looking forward to having a pizza. I like the food here, but I get occasional cravings for cheese and coffee. And chocolate. The chocolate you can buy in yongning is crap. A shower probably wouldn't hurt either.