Kelly and I had heard of Stone Village from a couple of people. Sunday we decided it was time for us to take a look.

We started our Sunday outing by catching a bus to PuTao, a small town about half way between Yangshuo and Guilin. From PuTao we took a san lun che. The road was full of potholes which made for a very bouncy ride. It was about forty-five minutes of body bouncing and slamming that left me wondering if I will ride in such a vehicle again! In this photo taken early in the ride DuoDuo, Susan and I laugh at being tossed around.










The san lun che left us off at a village beside the road. I spotted a building made of stone and thought we had arrived. But, no. From there we had an hour climb to the “real” Stone Village. It seems wherever we go there is a climb!

About half way up we stopped to rest at this wall. The spot was cool, a nice reprieve from the muggy day. In the photo the guide and DuoDuo beckon Lyn, Kelly and Susan to the coolness in the wall opening. They called it nature's air conditioning.

The walk was quite muddy in sections. But at times we were able to raise our eyes and enjoy the quiet beauty of the surrounding nature. We passed through woods, orchards and farmlands.

When we finally reached Stone Village it was easy to see where it got its name. The old construction is made of flat stones, not the red brick of today’s construction.

We visited with an old woman in her home for a bit. She wanted to heat us water or prepare some food. But we declined. Penny made a special effort to talk with the woman. Communication wasn't easy...perhaps because she had only one tooth in her mouth? Or perhaps she simply spoke a different dialect. But Penny persevered. She said she was reminded of her Grandma.

The wall facing the door in the woman's front room was typical of walls you see in older homes. There is often a large picture of Mao...often larger than this one. She also had many red banners of well wishes and what looked like a religious poster.

The village felt quite remote. However we did learn you can get there by road. The drive takes four to five hours. Five hour drive or a one hour climb ….Guess that is remote.