Fenghuang (Pheonix town) and Dehang

I recently returned from an incredible (and spontaneous) adventure to Fenghuang. Twelve of us decided about 3 hours before the train left to buy a ticket and hop on. We took a 10 hour overnight train into Jishou and a 1.5 hour bus ride through beautiful mountain countryside to a river town called Fenghuang. After an incredible day and night exploring the town, we hopped two busses to get to Dehang, a tiny minority village in the middle of a national park.
Most of my memories of this trip weren't captured with a camera (its strange how art school will do that to you). One particular memory I will keep with me forever is the night we spent in Dehang (last photo). It was such a sleepy little village, hardly any people, and at night ALL the lights turned out and from the balcony of our hotel you could occasionally see villagers using flashlights to navigate to and from their homes. Ten of us sat on the balcony with the only other tourists in town: a honeymooning couple from England. We talked and laughed, drinking and snacking and listening to the rain fall. Everything was dark and you could make out the karst formations through the twilight in the distance (karst=second to last photo, the view from the balcony at dawn). I realized in that moment that I was living the vision I'd been longing for my whole life, the vision of my "dream life." Friends, adventure, beautiful scenery, laughter, happy and content. The only thing that was missing was Mikey, and I saved a little space for him there in my heart. After everyone headed to bed, I asked the lao ban (boss) if I could borrow his flashlight and took a walk in the rain. I sat down near the bridge and closed my eyes, soaking in the sounds and the smells and the cool rain on my skin. I sent a little prayer of gratitude out to the night sky and upon opening my eyes laughed out loud at the beauty/absurdity of the moment. Me, wet, in a minority village, in the middle of nowhere China, listening to croaking frogs and crickets.