Bangxu family meal

Got up at 9.30 in good time for the trip to Bangxu, then heard Tan swearing and having a go at Er Jie because her and Lao He were waiting for us in the car downstairs even though yesterday they said they’d wait for Tan to call her. Ha! I’ve had this all my time in Pingguo and I’m surprised she’s surprised. Of course she wanted us all to rush but I needed a shower, even if I didn’t grab a shave. I sorted out my laptop and everything I might need for work as the kids called the lift, but as soon as I got in the car I found I’d forgotten my charging cable and I doubted Bangxu would have a USB-C one. So to Tan’s undelight I said I'd have to go and get it and she said not to go to Bangxu at all then. I disagreed so ran off in the burning 10.15am sun to get my cable and when I rushed back I found Lao He in the shop calmly getting some food for the one hour journey - so much for my rush. And is that the only word in English ending “lmly”?

At least he’s a pretty safe driver, and the drive was a lush view of the Guangxi countryside over the next 70 minutes. Upon arrival it was a matter of walking round various houses over the next 90 minutes or so. I ended up in one house where the occupents were putting stickers on alcohol bottles, then boxing them. I sat down to join in and to my surprise they positively welcomed me to do so. What I thought would be five minutes work was over 45 in the end until we finished labelling and boxing every single bottle, but I was really happy to have helped out.

Arriving in Bangxu

Goats keeping an eye on the cooking

Labelling bottles of alcohol

Leilei helping to set up the remembrance stuff

And Xixi pouring alcohol for dead relatives

For some reason we went for a walk in some water before we ate

Leilei insisted on driving us to the cave

Eventually the time to eat arrived. It was another of those times where I thought we were going for lunch but it ended up being more linner. The food was good and far too copious, as was the drink. I stuck to beer, unlike many of the locals who still hold the local tradition of drinking white alcohol from a bowl, though now sharing from the same bowl is apparently frowned upon due to hygiene reasons. But my teeth were not good. Somehow during the first week or so here the meat has pushed them around a fair bit and it’s quite uncomfortable to eat stuff that’s not that soft. But beer doesn’t cause an issue and a good deal of cai ma ensued, during which I did particularly well and enjoyed talking to the locals including an ex-pilot with whom for some reason I had a conversation about turbulence.

My table for the meal - ex-pilot is in the red opposite

Was a bit more than just a family meal

Cai ma at the family meal

Work was basically out of the equation, and I would have to take a holiday but no regrets as this was quite an important day in terms of the family, and to some extent Waipo’s memory. We left before 5pm and got back to Pingguo at 6, dozing a fair amount of the journey. I could have done with going to bed but the kids really wanted to go to the guangchang to skate and I wasn’t going to impede them so at 8.19pm I took them out. Leilei went back himself for a shower after skateboarding, so I took Xixi to go shopping until most of the shops closed at 10.30, at which time we went for an MMT and then to Huang’s Beihai place for a lovely bite to eat and chat as he wasn’t that pissed or racist. Home finally was a not too late 11.47 where I got Xixi to shower and a few moments later collapsed in bed exhausted.