And explored the water system.
This is the top of a large concrete cistern with a way of draining water into it.
They were situated less than 100m apart. Lots of them.
We didn't find the way of getting water out.
Wide to us that is.
No warnings. Just a sort of double take as we moved to the right a bit ...
We stopped counting the barges.
Piles of onions going rotten.
And good road.
We'd taken a wrong turn and it had recalculated while we weren't concentrating.
It then steered us up a muddy track.
We assumed they were in a queue for loading so drove past them to see what was in front.
We stopped to help the inspection.
300mm thick reinforced concrete had disintegrated.
We eventually decided to drive across as the concrete beams under the plank looked intact.
Ali and Susanna walked.
The crowd cheered when we were successful.
It had originally been a good concrete road but had broken up into blocks. Some on their edge.
With a steep unprotected drop.
We assumed that since it hadn't run away the bridge was ok underneath it!
This was the rubbish recycling depot.
From broken concrete to cobbles.
At least it was predictable in its bumpiness.
I've heard of dams becoming silted. This one obviously had.
This is one of two dredges working in the dam.
Not sure if the silt was being pumped to the next dam or somewhere else. Through what looked like 300mm diameter pipe.
Our minor excursion meant we were about 200 km short when we needed to stop.
The bumpy roads do take their toll on both us and the vehicle.
We asked at the toll booth and did a u-turn to camp in the car park of the traffic police office.
We were sufficiently tired that the occasional truck passing in the night didn't wake us.
It looked like a deep limestone gorge.
Just room for the river and the road, sometimes one on top of the other.
I've driven a train over a similar loop (border loop between NSW and Qld) but not seen such a road.
That's the bit we drove along above us.
It is also on the Yangtse River which here forms the border between Yunnan and Sichuan.
Wuliangye Group has a large stake in liquor and is growing horizontally into packaging and logistics.
We are parked outside the supermarket.
The "Big W" is stainless steel and the entrance to "Liquor City".
We tried camping outside one of the attractions inside liguor city but were moved on by a very apologetic security guard at about 11:30 so we went back to the supermarket.
World famous apparently, having won global awards.
Had a bit of difficulty figuring out if it was just fermented or distilled and plumped for distilled (given the alcohol content).
Some of the process description seemed to be lost in the translation.
This hall is a showcase of recent company history as well as a model of liquor city.
The large pictures on the walls are of visiting political dignitaries.
Like any company of this size and significance (as a provider of government revenue) it manages its external relations.
We did visit the museum but forgot the camera.
There was a substantial description of Chinese Liquor Culture over 5000 years.
We particularly enjoyed the references to how liquor enhanced creativity and has been used extensively by poets and artists.
Reminded me of the coal man delivering bags of coal during my youth.
The cylinders of coal have air holes through them and burn to reddish ash in the same shape.
Some older apartments in the background.
The covers look just like magazines anywhere, but with Chinese characters of course.
There were the obvious titles for young female fashion victims.
Susanna chose something more substantial.
This is liquor production on an industrial scale.
Would you believe we didn't buy any!