10th February, 2001
Countryside Journey: Sirens, Loudspeakers Announce Convicted Murderers With Armed Policemen; Green Paddy Fields, Tea Bushes, Sweet Scented Longan Berries:
July, 1993
On the countryside journey leaving Longzhou we passed through a small village where the increased heavy traffic had taken its toll on a road accustomed to bikes, scooters, mule carts, buses and the occasional car. Our driver on this countryside journey avoided as many of the ruts, potholes and floods as he could, even mounting the pavements at times, but completion of the obstacle course left us free to drive through parts, where patches of sunlight highlighted lush green paddy fields and then to start ascending mist topped mountains. We enjoyed some wonderful scenery as we drove over the mountains with tea bushes growing on some of the slopes. Water cascaded over the top of a hydro-electric dam across a river, swollen with silt laden liquid looking almost like dull gold in the sunlight, with sparkling eddies and swirls. In the mountains, parts of the road had been commandeered by local farmers, who had spread their harvest of longan berries on the tarmac to dry, coned off by large stones, and the air was heavy with the sweet scent of the berries. On the outskirts of Ping Xiang we went through a passport and ID checkpoint and then entered the very crowded town, busy with market tradersBefore we left Ping Xiang to continue to the border, the traffic in the town was brought to a standstill by an approaching procession of police vehicles with sirens and flashing lights, and loudspeakers at full strength. On the third vehicle, which was an open topped lorry, stood two handcuffed prisoners with placards hanging round their necks, and guarded by armed
policemen. Convicted murderers on their way to prison were being paraded as a warning to others.
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