Hunan for the Holidays

posted by Alan
click on pictures to see them full size


So you might have seen Daisy's gmail status this past week, which read "like the week before Christmas." Chinese New Year is easily the biggest holiday of the year here. For the past week, people have been busy preparing to travel back to their hometowns to spend the week with their families. For those of us that don't have family out here, this week means travel time. For the last Golden Week (there are three in China) in October, we went international to Malaysia. And just a few weeks ago, we made a trip overseas back home to New York. For this Golden Week, we wanted to do something IN China. We were looking for something not too touristy and a little off the beaten path. When outsiders think of China, it seems that people tend to think of pollution, crowds and chaos. Unfortunately, the natural beauty of this country is often overlooked. And there is ALOT of it.
DeHang, "The Most Beautiful Village in China"

We decided on a trip to Hunan province, located towards the southern coast of central China. Our first stop will be to Zhang Jia Jie National Forest Park, famous for its jagged, scenic mountains. So scenic, that one of the peaks was officially renamed after the mountains in Avatar. We'll spend a few days hiking and backpacking around the park before we head to the mountain village of DeHang, described by one travel blog as 'the most beautiful village in China.' It's been described as the real life version of those Chinese scroll paintings. We'll stay in guesthouses with the locals and eat spicy Hunanese food. I can't wait to get back to rural China. All it will take is a 20 hour train ride. Check back next week for pictures and stories.

Zhang Jia Jie National Forest Park

i DO wish that we could be here for the opening night's festivities of Chinese New Year. We've been told that the entire city is impressively lit up with fireworks until 4 or 5 AM and the streets are covered in the red fireworks paper. And if you refer back to this or this blog post, you'll remember that we have an ideal view for the spectacle. Even as I type this, I can hear and see fireworks exploding and its the night BEFORE Chinese New Years Eve. All around the city there are tables set up with massive fireworks for sale. It is truly a pyromaniacs dream.

This guy has some big plans; fireworks and DVD's (right downstairs from our apartment too)


Well, whatever you're celebrating this weekend (Chinese New Year, Valentine's, NBA All Star Weekend, birthday (Happy Birthday Kaitlyn!), Winter Olympics) we wish we could celebrate it with you wherever you are. One thing I learned in all of my travels is that building relationships, family and sharing joy with people you love is universal.