XingHua to LeShan
           Via BaMeng, BaiBei, RongJiang:
Another restful night - ah!! What clean mountain spring air will do after a hard days' travel - another early start over another bumpy road and river crossing to BaMeng - a Shui village - See panorama here the people are friendly and proud of their "nationality" showing us all their traditional dress.

A word of advice - most people here (GuiZhou) do not mind having their photos taken, but ask first, it's not that they do not want pictures its just that they consider their everyday clothes not good enough, ask and they will most likely put on their "Sunday Best".

To save time we take the local ferry across the river and head for our next destination - BaiBei Village - inhabited by the "Hundred Feather Miao People". Two hours later, high up a mountain, we come across the first of our "feathered people" - who invites us into his home and introduce to us his extended family. Here he explains we are called the "Hundred Feather Miao" because we use 100 feathers to decorate the bottom of our clothes.

And goes on to explain why the "Black Miao", "Flower Miao" etc etc are called such - it's all because of the way the Miao like to dress.

We bid our host good bye and head back down the mountain and continue our journey we need to rush now as we have just received word that the Miao Sisters Festival in TaiJiang has already started, one day early - this is GuiZhou, China after all planning for the unexpected is the norm.

9 PM, LeShan, we are all tired especially the driver, this is good as place as any to spend the night. DAY FIVE