Yima - Rural Village

Just outside Yangshuo, China is a small village called Yima which sits in a rural area surrounded by beautiful karst hills, paddy fields and a river which is a tributary of the main Li River. Rice, vegetables and many fruits are grown in the rich soil close to the river. The river provides good transportation and you can see many bamboo boats moving up and down the river.

In this small village of Yima is a wonderful Qing Dynasty house, known as the Pan House as the household here are the descendants of General Pan, a great hero of the Qing Dynasty.

Here you can view what life was like many years ago, water being pulled from a hand pump in the yard, a grinding millstone and a simple log-fired kitchen.

The main room of the house with wonderful old carvings and Chinese pictures decorating the bare stone walls.

Volcanic Vegetables

The rich volcanic soil on the banks of Lake Batur in Bali beneath the active volcano, Gunung Batur, provides a rich and fertile base for the growth of local vegetables. As you drive round the lake you can see many local farmers in the vegetable fields tending to their crops.

One of the best and most simple meals I had was right here in the middle of the vegetable fields where a small restaurant served up local rice along with fresh vegetables from the fields and fish caught from the lake .... washed down with the local Bintang beer of course!

Siem Reap Sausages

The New Market (Phsar Leu Thom Thmei) in Siem Reap, Cambodia is a great place to explore and see a wide variety of fresh meats and vegetables.  The word Phsar means Market, Leu means Upper, Thom mean Large and Thmei means New. Now this market is very popular and crowded. It is located about 2 km from Siem Reap, on the right side of National Road #6 when travelling from west to east.