Pass the City Limit Sign!

Most of our time is spent within the confines of this city with its 5-7 million inhabitants. But, right pass the city limit signs are “small” towns where the traffic is light and you can hear yourself think. The land is open and dotted with little villages and farms. China, of course, is developing these areas and soon the land will disappear into high-rises, shopping malls too expensive to shop in and the villagers will have to move on or adapt. This "small" town we went to probably had a population close to a million, I'm not sure. The most developed area looked like someone had dropped a brand new city in the middle of an empty lot. University campuses, still shiny and new were grouped together with brand new apartment complexes rising out of the dust behind them. All around were vineyards, fruit trees, and dirt. The developing has already begun. We toured one of the Universities and sat by the pond for awhile before venturing out to the real-life village. It was just another city, smaller than ours and with some areas that reminded me of Wagener and Batesburg, SC. Peaches and grapes from roadside stands and old shacks down little dirt roads. The main attraction was a flower market outside their city limits. We walked what felt like miles, (and actually was)  just to see. If I had a car, I would go back and load up on plants. That, and I would need a yard to plant them in of course. If you take Home Depot, Lowe's, Walmart and any other's garden department, multiply it by 100, you might have an idea of the vastness of plant life available here. It smelled sweet and earthy and I didn't want to leave. I only managed to carry back a mosquito repellant citronella plant. There is something special about small towns, population 1 million or 200. Roots, fresh air and a simplicity you can't find anywhere else.


  



mandy