30/6/25
We were supposed to be collected at 8am. We woke up at 7:15am. We felt really tired. It was pouring with rain. Frankie went down to reception. She successfully asked the receptionist to call our taxi woman, and rearrange our pickup for 9am. After our noodles we went downstairs to await collection. Our taxi driver turned up in an old car.
She sped along the sodden road, heading north out of the town. We headed up a winding S301. As we got higher, the cloud got thicker. We weren’t sure if we were going to see anything. The S301 was more tunnels than not. As we emerged from each one the views became more spectacular. Eventually we turned off towards the town of Dazhai. We passed towering lush green mountains, intermittently teeming with waterfalls. Tourist sights started appearing. First the ‘300 acres of rice paddies’. The road up the side of the mountain was covered in the recent remnants of landslides. Our driver waved off the large bumps and knocks with a laugh. Dazhai was a large town on the side of the mountain. It was incongruent how large it was given the location. The clouds had cleared. The sky was dappled with beautifully fluffy clouds.
The final road wasn’t signposted. You’d have to know where you were going. It led along the side of the cliff. A sheer drop below and a concreted cliff face above. At the end of the road was a little car park. A few sellers were setting up shop. Our taxi woman asked a local man where we had to go to gain a vantage point for the hydroelectric dam. Along a tiny path was the answer. With an unbelievably unbroken drop below. Huge red spray painted numbers, “1314”, marked the viewing spot. No idea why. We walked along happily at first. Then the drop became more vertigo inducing. It was hard not to feel incredibly nervous. We had been brought up in an environment where such a path would be closed off to the public immediately.
When we reached the numbers on the cliff we could look back to the mighty convex concrete wall in all its glory. The path continued, a waterfall falling over it. We didn’t dare attempt it, even though it probably offered better views. It was hard to gain perspective of the situation. A car traversing the top of the dam helped us understand the scale. Everything looked tiny and enormous at the same time. Looking down was terrifying. It was around 500m straight down to the river.
After a short lingering period to take photos we walked back. Glad to be off the path we then saw a goat herder take his nimble footed beasts down the path. Checking the map we discovered it’s actually a route. Not just a tourist track. Mad. We felt a little silly for being so scared. Especially as we watched the goats and their master pound through the hammering water with apparent ease.
The locals loved their huge hydroelectric plant from what we could gather. Rather than it being a hated displacement and interference with their lives, it was a huge investment in the area. A stark contrast to how large projects are perceived at home. All the local roads had been improved. Thousands of villagers had been rehoused in larger, newer buildings to make way for the influx of water. The city of Qiaojia had grown exponentially due to the flood of investments. High rise after high rise adorned the skyline.
After an hour or so we set off back to the town. We stopped at a small market to buy some small green plums and small yellow bananas on the way. As we set off back down the landslide covered road we not only found that many of the smaller rocks had been swept away by diligent drivers. We also discovered several enormous boulders in the middle of the road. They’d fallen in between our journey up and down. One of them had crushed the safety barrier. We could only imagine the impact on the roof of the car. Or worse, on us while cycling. The effect of the summer rains was quite something.
It was hot by the time we got back to Qiaojia. The rain had cleared. Our speedy electric car raced us back to the hotel. It took us a while to realise it was electric. It was an old BYD. They’d clearly been living in the future for a while. We gave the woman a good tip for safely returning us and rested in our room.
We started watching See How They Run. Frankie started to snooze. Jonathan started watching The Accountant. We didn’t finish either film in the end. We weren’t completely convinced but we decided to visit the buffet one last time. The novelty had worn a little thin. It was the easiest way to have a vegan meal. Supporting the kind woman was our main motivation. She turned up just as we were finished. Just to see us. We couldn’t believe how welcoming she was to us. It was such a joy for us that we could bond over our strong feelings about what constitutes ‘good food’.
When we arrived home, via yet another DiDi, we watched more Suspicion, finished Amandaland and Jonathan got through another episode of the Shield. Frankie didn’t mind having her phone for a bit rather than it being plugged in. We’d decided to head northwest, rather than northeast. Now which valley to choose?
Surly They Won't Make It 