The market is stocked with wares for Qing Ming Jie. Incense, paper money, plastic trinkets, streamers, paper houses... all offered to the ancestors.

This man used this device to listen to the ancestors. He put it against the tomb and read the signs as he turned the dial. Then he used a book to interpret the signs and get the ancestor's blessing for the coming year.

The white flags show that the ancestor has been honored. These flags can be seen all across the countryside.

All generations participate in this event, but I could tell that it did not mean very much to the younger generation. The 16 year old pictured sat in the car for the last three. It really has just become a tradition.

They wrap the tomb in firecrackers and set them off when they leave. Quite loud, but people across the countryside know that someone is being honored.

They set food out for the acestors to eat. This family gave two roast pigs, a live chicken, cooked fish, colored rice, wine, and apples. They remove the food before they leave and bring it to the next tomb (7 in all for this family).

The family burns fake paper money and sheets of incense for the dead.

Setting up incense around the ancestors tombs during the week of Qing Ming Jie (tomb sweeping day)

I was standing at the city bus stop when I saw this chicken hanging upsidedown. This is not an unusual thing, but I suddenly started wondering what it would be like to be the chicken. How would like to be drug around town hanging by your legs. So, wondering the perpective of the chicken, I hund my camera upsidedown and took a chicken-eyed-view of the bus stop.

On our way home the bus broke down on the side of the road. I would have to say that I am very impressed that it was my first time for that to happen since I have been here (and I ride the bus the a lot). My shirt says "Today is a Good Day" and that was very true. Though we got home an hour lated than expected, it was still a good day.

We left the town early in the morning so that we could get to the city so that we could catch our bus back home. This bus ride was only about 2 hours, so not too bad. Fortunately we got on at the first stop so we got a seat at the back of the bus. After one stop, this bus was jam packed with villagers catching a ride into town. If they missed this bus they would have a long time to wait before another one came through.

This is a village we saw while we were on our mountain walk. We did not go down to it though because it would have taken too long.

We went on a walk and met some villagers on their way home from the market. I asked them, that's right I asked them, how long it would take them to get back to their villages, and they said about 3 hours. We walked for about 45 and then turned around so that we would be back to town before dark.

It was the first day of warmth since last year, so the village boys took advantage of it by going swimming. Some of the boys got out and put their clothes on when they saw us, but one of them was not shy. I would guess that they wash their clothes in this water and possible use it for cooking and drinking.

The government is now trying to educate the people in saving lives. I saw this CPR sign posted in a few different places.

Some houses from the village

I just thought this little village boy was adorable with his little soldier outfit on.

When we traveled to a village an 85 year old late put on her traditional clothing for us. The part that interested me the most was her neckace. They receive this part of the outfit when they get married and the beads signify wealth. The picture on the silver is very interesting. It looks kind of like a monster, but I could not find a head, and then there are little things that look kind of like skulls. I was wondering if the picture told a story, but I could not get them to identify any significance to it. This jewelry is different from the silver in the other village we visited.

Well, they had me play dress-up again, but this time I got to wear the pants. The pants are supposed to all the way to the ground, but I am a little tall. The pants are also like clown pants around the waist and then you wrap a sack around. The head peace of this outfit is very different fromt he one I wore before, but it is otherwise the same.

I am always impressed by the physical strength of the villagers. Many of them carry baskets on their backs filled with vegetables, grain, rocks, or whatever else they may need to carry. Can you imagine walking five hours (and it isn't level ground) with that on your back? I have seen many older women who must now walk around bent over and I assume it is from years of doing this.

The woman on the left has some very interesting earrings on, but she wasn't too interested in posing for a picture. The woman on the right is in the process of lighting up her silver pipe. I wonder how far these women had to travel to get to town.

Our second day in town was market day and it was quite a happening place. People walked up to five hours to come to town to buy and sell things. Many of the village women wear towels on their heads and smoke pipes.

When we arrived the town seemed pretty empty. There really usn't much to this place. There are a few restaurants, some shops, and a very small market.

This week I traveled to this mountain town with my teacher and a friend. We stayed in the guest house/motel and it was actually pretty nice. There wasn't a western toilet, but we all got our own beds and thick blankets. My teacher had connections so we got our room, meals, and trasportation our the district for free. The English translation of the district we were in is 700 mountain villages.