Lee

Day 2: Started with a jolt with a 6 am wake up call and drive to the airport. I am still totally jet lagged, so I passed the day in a haze. I just don't manage to sleep in the hours that I should, I'm completely out of order. The air hostesses on the plane were immaculate in a way that makes me think of those films from the 60's. Seems it is quite a prestigious job for girls from the provinces and they even hold local beauty contests to hire the girls. We flew 3hrs (1980km) from Beijing to Guizhou. Upon arriving we were brought to the main town to have lunch with the local politicians in charge of culture who welcomed us to the district. The meal was 13 courses and was delicious, but by the end it was impossible to look at the food on the plate anymore. The title of this blog is becoming prophetic - it really starts to become an ordeal to eat three full course meals a day.

Weather upon arrival was sunny and + 20, we were told that this was a sign from the heavens that we were welcome, after rainy Brussels and Beijing I certainly felt blessed. After lunch we were bundled back into buses and had a 4hr ride to the village where we will be staying for the next three days. Our tour guide Lee talked non stop for most of the ride, telling us about the local customs of the region, which continues to actively use dance and music as part of their local celebrations and ceremonies. A Miao by birth, he spoke English quite well and seemed to enjoy speaking immensely. It was difficult however to follow all the details given the loud and bumpy bus ride along those small and winding roads. When we arrived in the village after several hours of countryside we found ourselves in a huge brand new 4 star hotel, it seems the Miao's must be getting a lot of visitors!

At dinner (another huge meal!) we had a chance to taste one of the local customs: two girls came round to each of the tables singing a welcome song accompanied by tiny glasses of sweet wine which they asked us to drink with them at the end of the song. Through the whole meal whenever you finished your small glass it was filled up immediately making us all more than a little tipsy at the end of the night. If it continues like this I think we will all be dancing and singing like the Miao before long!


Composer Joyce Koh from Singapore and Choreographer Cathy Seago from the UK at the Guiyang (Guizhou province) airport



Jan Goossens of the KVS with the water buffalo at a pit stop on the road




Jethro Pioquinto, a dancer form the Philippines taking a cigarette break after three and a half hours of driving