A Trip to the Sichuan Mountains
A few weeks ago I was part of a group from the school where I am teaching English that went on a charity mission into an area in the Sichuan mountains that suffered greatly from the devestating earthquake of 2008. When I say it was devestating, even though I was more than 1000 km away from it I felt it. Where we went was an area where a town of around 30,000 was wholly submerged because huge boulders from the mountains tore away from the mountains and blocked a river, creating a lake. The town was totally rebuilt on higher ground across the lake in 7 years. Unfortunately it was quite misty, so my photos suffer somewhat. We visited two schools, attended by mostly indigent children, and distributed many gifts and cash. The first school was in the rebuilt city, and the second was a school in the mountains.
On the way, we stopped at a highway service area, and here are some photos from there.
We then started to enter a mountainous area:
The students from the town school met with us in a brand new park, so new workmen were still constructing it while we were there.
Our students were dressed in their school uniform outfits.
Then we drove to the mountain school, across the lake from the rebuilt town. There, on the mountain a huge monument was created, showing the history of the area and the many minority ethnic groups that make up the locality.
Now we're nearing the mountain school.
The Mountain School. I have to tell you that spiritually I would love to teach English to those young kids, many who have never seen a foreigner before, but to be practical and realistic I need to be in a city with many good facilities.
The gifts being distributed to the kids.
They start to enjoy playing with the sporting equipment we gave them.
The symbol on the side of the school for the ethnic minority group from this area.
One of many framed posters hung on the outside walls of the school.
A classroom in session.
Time to call it a day.
Got to keep warm, especially in the mountains.
Heading back - it's getting late.
The town at night from across the lake.
The next day a trip into some 1000 year old history - to the area high in the mountains where the tea is grown, and is carried on foot in huge backpacks hundreds of miles to be sold.
The Chinese often bury their dead in tombs built into the sides of mountains.
And we finish our stay in the mountains with a delicious country meal - and these are just the starters.
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