Duck, Duck, Mango.

Just about every tree we pass now is some variety of mango. Every street vendor we pass is selling mangos. We pass piles of fermenting mango peels and pits high enough to climb. I swear you could catch a buzz if you just stood there long enough.
The other big industry here is raising ducks. It is the most widely available meat in this part of China. Yesterday we walked through a town and literally every home had a duck coop in the gront yard. We have even seen people taking their ducks out for walks. Ducks are surprisingly orderly and obedient. Doug saw a man walking his ducks last night. The man was using the beam from his flashlight to guide them along. He would walk behind the ducks and point his flashlight in the direction he wanted the ducks to go and they would follow the light.
We also discovered a new favorite dish. No, its not duck! It’s lotus root! It’s not that it’s so flavorful and unique tasting. I think what we like so much about it is just the novelty of it. It’s white and crisp and has little holes that run all the way through it. It was served to us thinly sliced snd sautéed with celery and some kind of mushroom. We can’t wait to try making it at home.

We did some calculations this evening. We have now walked 653 miles and have another 492 miles to go. That means that we have to walk 15.8 miles a day for the rest of the trip. The mileage isn’t the hard part; it’s the heat that gets to us. We try to get up at 4:30am and be on the road shortly after 5:00. It works in theory. We are going to have to try a little harder.