My OH's mum kindly invited me to join her and her friends on a trip out-of-town.I had no idea where we were going, just that we needed to get up very early. After my favourite street-breakfast of mild noodles we caught up with the mentioned friends and the rest of the group and began, what turned out to be, a two-hour journey to a private garden or orchard. The whole point was to see the Sakura trees bloom. Unfortunately things didn't go to plan...
First of all, the roads were bad and by that I mean really bad.If we were in a Jeep-type vehicle that wouldn't be a problem but driving along dirt-tracks in a state wagon?NOT COMFORTABLE. It was a very warm day but couldn't even open the windows as there was such much dust around us!Going outside Yichang opened my eyes to the poverty in Hubei province. I'd already read somewhere that it was one of the poorest provinces China but you can't really feel that while in the city. There are 'poor' districts but still, these are balanced by the presence of many wealthy and up-market areas and posh shopping malls. A short journey to the countryside confirmed the information I read. I saw people working in large fields with no machines,like tractors, using only the simplest of tools. I saw very few cars and motorbikes but a lot of people seemed to use oxes and carts for transportation. It was almost like stepping back in time. English countryside is very different-developed, mechanized, the issues of organically-grown foods and well cared-for farm animals, so often discussed in the media, seem totally alien and out-of-context here. Many parts of English countryside are some of the most elegant and well-looked after areas of the country, take the villages along the Thames for example. The idea of country- living in UK could not be more different to what I saw that day driving around Hubei. Poland, a fairly poor country overall, has only a few areas similar to Hubei countryside. On one hand I was a bit shocked to see just how hard life in the Chinese countryside must be but on the other hand, that way of living seemed almost charming. As if those people's lives were somehow easier, more stable and peaceful. When we finally arrived at the destination it turned out...it was closed:( Disappointing as it was, it did not dampen our moods. To make the most of the day, we decided to visit another tourist attraction nearby. But first, we needed lunch. Luckily for us, the restaurant we chose to have a meal at, was next to a strawberry field!Without hesitation, all of us jumped straight in between the rows of beautiful ripe fruit and filled our bags to the brim!I don't like to boast but me being an experienced strawberry picker, experienced I gained through spending most of my summer holidays in my grandparents' allotments, I picked the nicest and ripest ones:)Check out my next post to find out how the rest of the journey went...