Overall, I would have to say that weekends have been pretty exciting and always full of adventure and this past weekend was no exception.
It seems that the more that we have been making friends here, the more people want to take us out. Earlier last week, Stone, our English-speaking helper, told us that he was going to have a friend of his take us out to see some sight and we complied with no complaints. 🙂
Saturday morning came along and we met up with the daughter of Stone’s friend. She showed us to where her father was parked and we were off. While we were walking to the car we tried asking where we were going and the only thing that we understood was going to some power station. But that was perfectly okay because it definitely adds to the adventure.
The car ride was fun and adventurous but not as eye-popping as the initial trip to the school was. I don’t know whether to start this sentence with fortunately or unfortunately but I was the only one in the car with a working seat belt. 🙂
After driving for about two hours, we made it to the power station which actually turned out to be a dam in the middle of nowhere. This was pretty cool because it was so peaceful. It was our first time in a while where we didn’t hear spitting or honking or whatever China normally chooses for us to hear. It was also pretty recently built so it was cool seeing the architecture of the dam.
After leaving the dam, we drove through a tunnel which, ironically, did not have any power to turn on the lights. We then reached our destination about a mile up the road. Where we stopped was a town built right beside the reservoir and I guess I could compare its size to, say, Idaho City; very small.
We then had lunch on a small boathouse restaurant thingy docked right off the muddy shore. It was really cool because they were cooking food on the first floor right as you walked in and then you went upstairs to an open air deck where we ate. I have attached a video of the experience after the break. It’s definitely worth watching to see how cool it is.
After that we hopped on a boat (after I slipped in the mud). Now this wasn’t just an ordinary boat but one of those long rickety Chinese-style boats. A very quiet 15-year-old boy directed the boat along with a single oar. It amazed me how he was able to stay balanced and not fall off. The whole experience was breathtaking with the peacefulness, calm and the stillness of the water just a couple inches off the edge of the boat.
After the boat ride we headed back to the school. I would have to say that it was one of the best weekends that I have had so far. Click the pictures below to see a video of the boat ride and the restaurant. Thanks for reading.
