I regret not ordering the rooster for dinner last night as the one in the kitchen decided we should wake up at some ridiculous hour and was not going to rest until we were moving. The four of us managed to scrape a breakfast from the meager supplies we had on us thereby avoiding another price war with our host before heading out to find a viewpoint. From high up on the rice paddies the village looks beautiful, traditional and pure but at street level you have to accept the conditions of rural life and all the consequences to your stomach that go with it. I think V and I prefer places just slightly less rough.

We initially planned to stay until late afternoon but by 10 we had exhausted the potentiometer for exploration leaving us with the problem of getting out of town. Hitching was out of the question as we had not see a single vehicle all morning and ordering a taxi from the city would mean a two hour wait if we could make a call and get someone to understand. We were desperate enough to consider hiking the 7km to the next village but thought it too hot. The only option was to ask our host for help again. Thankfully he was not holding any grudge after last nights disagreement and with the help of a cell and his brother he arranged another mini-bus within 20 minutes. The vehicle was in shocking condition – seats in the rear were all broken and the most essential piece of equipment for driving in China (the hooter) was missing. We didn’t care – we just wanted to get out of there. I sat on my pack for the entire bone crunching ride while R&S tired to utilize the collapsed seats. V had the ‘comfy’ front seat which was probably the most terrifying going around hairpin blind corners with a 1000m drop just centimeters away.

Once back in Ronjiang we arranged a bus to Leshan and walked about in search of food. With a 4+ hour bus ride ahead of us V and I opted for any food as long as it was sealed in a packet. R&S braved another Chinese mix and match meal at a restaurant alongside the bus station – they have far more experience at this sort of thing.

The bus ride turned into a 5 hour marathon up, over and down numerous extremely high (higher than I have ever experienced) mountain passes on roads slightly better than yesterday’s. It was an amazing trip with beautiful scenery, rushing rivers, quaint villages and endless rice terraces that, in our opinion, are far more impressive than the Dragon’s Backbone due to their immense scale. It was incredibly windy though. I reckon that at least 90% of the time we were not moving in a straight line and the people vomiting upfront only served to confirm my estimate (really it was THAT windy).

Coming into Leshan we noticed something strange – Tarmac ! and a centre line on a road wide enough for 2 cars. We were all completely spent when we got off the bus but had to face the possibility of yet another hop. Fortunately (two bumpy days of buses and we have had enough) we were too late and the bus terminal was closed for the day. Raffaele and I were nominated to find a hotel in town rather than taking an expensive mini-bus ride one and a half hours in the dark up into the mountains to our next destination. The town was a complete surprise. Neat, perfectly clean, wide roads and pavements all pristine with buildings that made me think I was back in Europe. We walked around for half an hour checking prices. Raffaele drew a set of stick figures to show we needed two rooms for four people which seemed to at first cause confusion but adding a dress to one member of each couple of stick men generated laughs and eventually some understanding. For £8 we could have taken a western style holiday inn clone but in the end we opted for the convenience of the cheaper hotel next to the bus station which was clean, quiet and had hot showers so everyone was happy.

Dinner in town with R&S was a real laugh. Raffaele kept insisting on seeing inside kitchens and the ingredients before accepting a venue. We eventually settled on a chicken hotpot – much better than last night and much cheaper too, but I have had enough of chicken for now – I think it’s the shattered bones, heads and feet in the pots that I am struggling with.

[Pictures: The view of Zenchong from up on the hillside – not much to look at is it ? New road coming soon in the background]

– Posted from my iPhone via Wifi