WUXIE

THE COUNTRYSIDE ALONG THE ROAD FROM CAO TA TO WUXIE

RAT Rat (left) holds discussion with the condutor (right) on the bus from Cao Ta to Wuxie	WINTER FIELDS Fields along the road from Cao Ta to Wuxie
WINTER FIELDS Fields along the road from Cao Ta to Wuxie. In the foreground some stooks of grain	WINTER FIELDS Fields along the road from Cao Ta to Wuxie
WINTER FIELDS Fields along the road from Cao Ta to Wuxie	TERRACES Terraced hillside along the road from Cao Ta to Wuxie

After taking the train from Shanghai to Zhuji we caught a bus, that we were told, would take us to Wuxie. However the bus stopped at Cao Ta and we had to take a smaller bus the rest of the way to Wuxie. There is a bus (#57) that goes direct from Zhuji to Wuxie but the first bus driver, not wanting to lose a fare, didn't tell us that.

THE DAM AND HOTEL AT WUXIE

DAM Shi Yun checks the low river level below the dam	MAP Map of the area around the lake
STAIRS Stairs from the hotel to the top of the dam	HOTEL Hotel below the dam

When we arrived at Wuxie, where we had planned to take a pleasant boat ride across a lovely lake, we discovered that there was no longer a lake. The dam was under construction and the lake was closed for repairs

Actually it was the dam that was being repaired and to be able to do this they had drained the lake.

BUS TERMINAL

High above the lake the bus company utilizes a farm yard.

As the boat that normally crossed the lake was high and dry we took another bus, backtracking for a short distance on the highway. Winding through a small village we crawled along a narrow winding road that took us up into the hills above the lake. At the edge of a forest we came to an old building which was being used as a temporary bus terminal.

THE TRAIL ACROSS THE LAKE

The Southern half of the lake

The trail down the hillside is very steep	At the bottom of the hill a rough gravel path is the first part of the trail
A bamboo bridge crosses a stream where once a boat crossed a lake	In the Northern half of the lake a good trail has been built along the base of the mountain
Almost there. The Rat Pak thinks it will take forever	LAKE HEAD At the head of the lake, a small dam controls the stream

From the bus stop we walked along a trail through the forest, to a small hut where the trail began to zig zag down the steep side of the hill to the bottom of what had been the lake.

As we walked down the cliff we got glimpses, through the trees, of the empty lake bed, stretching away in both directions. At the bottom of the lake we found that a new trail had been built along the side of the mountain, above the mud in the lake bed. It was a long but pleasant walk to the head of the lake where we climbed up a wide set of stairs to a paved road.

At the Two Dragon Inn we negotiated a price for our room which was less than half the summer rate. We got this lower rate because it was off season and because there was no electricity. The electricity came on shortly after we returned to our rooms that evening and went off the next morning shortly after daybreak. I believe that we were the only guests in the hotel and until we arrived the staff were not fortunate enough to have electricity at night.

As it was getting late in the day by the time we had finished checking in I came outside to explore as much as possible before dark. On the stairs at the front of the hotel, overlooking the lovely gardens, I met Xu Ye and Hu Jun Ping, two young ladies from Zhuji, who had come to Wuxie seeking employment.

Having stayed at the hotel for some twenty days, hoping to get a job working on computers Hu Gun Ping, had just been told that she would start work the next as a waitress. I suspect that was because we had just booked in. As it turned out we never ate any meals there so I don't know if Hu Gun Ping actually worked.

Hu Gun Ping had studied English in school some four years ago and I was the first person she had met that speaks English. Her English was fairly good as she remembered quit a bit from her high school days.

The three of us explored some trails and she pointed out to me that the rocks of the path leading up to the waterfall had been laid some three thousand years ago.

While traversing a trail Hu Jun Ping slipped and twisted her knee so Xu Ye and I helped her back to the hotel. As it was near dark and I hadn't had supper yet I went looking for the Rat Pak, my friends from Shanghai.

Near the front of the temple I heard laughter from the other side of the creek about the time Shi Yun spotted me through the trees. I walked across the stream on stepping blocks that were centuries old while Yi Ming went into the kitchen to order more food.

By now all was pitch black and we were eating by the periodic light of a Bic lighter until the cook brought out a Coleman lantern.

Monkey and I walked up to the Temple and had breakfast at the restaurant inside, then took breakfast back to the hotel for the rest of the Rat Pak who were still abed.

THE WUXIE BUDDHIST TEMPLE

COURTYARD	Entrance to the restaurant in the temple courtyard
Restaurant in the temple	MONK Too late. A monk tells me not to take pictures of the Buddha

Though the ever present clouds hid the tops of the mountains and threatened rain the day was much like the day before. January weather is cool and cloudy.