I reached a clearing. I remembered walking through this clearing when I came up earlier. There were some man-made rock formations circling the edges on one side of the clearing.
Walking past the rocks, I reached a large open space where I remembered seeing these plants. They were as tall as me, some even taller. They filled up most of the open spaces.
I stopped and looked around me. Suddenly, I was not sure of my sense of direction anymore. Should I turn right or left?
I followed one of the paths further to the right but it led me to a dead end. It was as if the tall plants had blocked the path midway.
So I walked back and tried going the opposite direction. Another dead end. How could this be?
I walked back to the centre of the open space. Behind me were the rock formations at the clearing I mentioned earlier. I stopped to think for a while. From which direction I climbed up just now?
Somehow my brain wasn't working. I decided to just walk straight ahead. But as I followed the path surrounded by all those tall plants, I felt it was not the right direction. I quickly returned back to the starting position.
The tall plants in front of me were beginning to overwhelm me. I realised I was lost!
Looking around me made me feel dizzy. The view on my right....
and on my left ...
They were making my head spin.
I suddenly felt lonely. Very lonely. I was all alone in the middle of this deserted mountain forest.
Then I heard it.
Someone calling my name.
Was it my imagination? Maybe it's just the wind. Who would know my name in such a place? Besides, it was my Mandarin name that was being called. No one ever calls me by my Mandarin name!
My heart was beating faster by the minute. I was on the verge of panic.
I have heard about spirits in the forests and I sure as hell did not want to encounter any such things in the middle of nowhere in China!
Two hours earlier, I was having a nice time chit chatting with one of the counter staff at This Old Place Youth Hostel where I stayed. Before embarking on my solo trip to Xingping's fishing village, I had to make sure I know exactly how to get there. So I enquired at the lobby and I was glad the staff there spoke reasonably good English.
There was one girl there who actually spoke excellent English and she showed me this map.
To reach the fishing village, I would need to hike up a mountain. As you can see from the map, the fishing village is on the other side of the mountain facing the beautiful Li River.
From my hostel, I would need to walk past the bus station (it's written as bus park on the map) on my left and then turn right into a village road. From there, I need to turn right into a hiking trail going up the mountain.
According to her, if I come across any junction during my hiking, I must always turn right to prevent myself from getting lost.
This should be a piece of cake......or so I thought!
Before I left the hostel, I made sure I knew how to pronounce the word yú cūn which means fishing village in English. I had to make sure the locals there understand where I want to go if I ever need to ask them for directions!
Looking at my handphone (I did not have a watch with me), it was already 2.30pm. I had better hurry. According to the girl, it would take at least one hour to reach the fishing village and that also depends on how fast I hike up and down the mountain!
After passing the bus station, I was not exactly sure where the road leading to the village was so I asked a man manning a stall opposite the bus station. He pointed me to the right direction and asked if I was going alone. When I said yes, he sniggered. Now what's that supposed to mean?
Anyway, I continued walking and reached this road.
It was one long road and there was no right or left turn.
I met a middle aged lady and asked her how to go to the fishing village. I did not understand her completely but I think she asked me to turn right when I reach the mountain trail.
If the road I walked looks deserted, let me tell you it was indeed deserted. But the beautiful views of the green hills made the walk quite pleasant. Once in a while, I would pass by the local people there and I would just greet them with a "ni hao" or simply smiled.
I wondered what building this is!
Maybe it's one of those outdoor toilets so I was not too keen to find out!
Further down the road, I saw some small farms and fruit plantation.
See the fruits?
Wonder what fruits these are? Pears?
If only Jam was not sick, he would be here with me, probably talking to some of the local people and asking them about these fruits! Oh, well...
Look at what I found!
An old fashioned water pump!
I guess the locals here still use this instead of modern taps!
All along the village road, I tried to search for the mountain trail on my right side. There were actually a few right lanes. Which was the correct one?
I actually tried all of them! But all of them did not lead me anywhere. One or two led me to a dead end.
So I continued walking on the main road and reached here.
This road led me back to the big main road where the bread shop I visited earlier was located! So I was back to square one! I decided to turn back and search for the mountain trail again. I could have missed it!
I think I must have spent almost an hour walking up and down that village road! What a waste of time!
Finally, I bumped into an old lady who was cleaning the compound outside her house. I asked her how to go to the fishing village and she immediately pointed to the lane next to her house. I wondered how I managed to miss that lane! Still, I really think they should put up a signboard or something!
As I was about to enter the lane, I was stopped by the sound of bells ringing. What was that? Then right in front of me, they appeared. I was stunned!
To be continued ....
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