First contact from the outside world


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1. Beijing 02.04.08

2. Beijing 03.04.08

3. Beijing 04.04.08

4. Beijing 05.04.08

MAP 1 Beijing-Yingxian

5. Beijing-LouCun 06.04.08

6. Lou Cun-YudouCun 07.04.08

7. YudouCun-Laiyuan 08.04.08

8. Laiyuan-Wangzhuang 09.04.08

9. Wangzhuang-Hunyuan 10.04.08

MAP 2 Yingxian-Taiyuan

10. Hunyuan-Dai Xian 11.04.08

11. Dai Xian-Xinzhou 12.04.08

12. Xinzhou-Taiyuan 13.04.08

MAP 3 Taiyuan-Linfen

13. Taiyuan-Pingyao 14.04.08

14. Pingyao 15.04.08

15. PingyaoHuozhou 16.04.08

16. Houzhou-Xiangfen 17.04.08

17. Xiangfen-Hejin 18.04.08

MAP 4 Linfen-Weinan

18. Hejin-Heyang 19.04.08

19. Heyang-Dali 20.04.08 Heyang-Dali

20. Dali-Xi'an 21.04.08

21. Xi'an 22.04.08

22. Xi'an 23.04.08

23. Xi'an 24.04.08

24. Xi'an 25.04.08

MAP 5 Weinan-Hanzhong

25. Xi'an-Mazhao 26.04.08

26. Mazhao-Yangxian 27.04.08

27. Yangxian-Mian Xian 28.04.08

28. Mian Xian-Ningqiang 29.04.08

29. Ningqiang-Guangyuan 30.04.08

MAP 6 Hanzhong-Mianyang

30. Guangyuan-Jianmen Pass 01.05.08

31. Jianmen Pass-Zitong 02.05.08

32. Zitong-Loujiang 03.05.08

33. Luojiang-Chengdu 04.05.08

34. Chengdu 05.05.08

35. Chengdu 06.05.08

36. Chengdu 07.05.08

37. Chengdu 08.05.08

38. Chengdu 09.05.08

MAP 7 Mianyang-Maoxian

39. Chengdu-Dujiangyan 10.05.08

40. Dujiangyan-Miansi 11.05.08

41. Miansi-Maoxian 12.05.08

42. Maoxian 13.05.08

43. Maoxian 14.05.08

44. Maoxian 15.05.08

45. Maoxian 16.05.08

46. Maoxian 17.05.08

47. Maoxian 18.05.08

48. Maoxian-Chengdu 19.05.08

49. Chengdu-Chongqing 20.05.08

50. Chongqing-Wanzhou 21.05.08

51. Yangtze River 22.05.08

52. Yangtze River-Wuhan 23.05.08

53. Wuhan 24.05.08

54. Beijing 25.05.08

55. Beijing 26.05.08

56. Beijing 27.05.08

57. Beijing 28.05.08

58. Beijing 29.05.08

59. Beijing 30.05.08

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English Version 43

Wednesday 14.05.08
Maoxian

One weak quake during the night and one even weaker this morning. A new grey day has started, but the rain has stopped. When I`m out for a walk down the street I feel how cold it is. People are walking both directions some with water or other nescessities some like me just to kill time.
Most of people in Maoxian are Chang people Xia Wei told me. They are a minority with their own language like the tibetans up north.
Most of the mountain peaks can be seen today and the highest are snow capped. According to the map are the highest which I cannot see from here about 5000 m.
When I`m for a walk down south two helicopters comes by and up through the valley. They`re circling the city and just when I think they`ll disappear they go down behind some houses 8in the meadows. People comes running. Half the city is on the move. Lots are running some even carrying flags. I have to go all the way back to get my camera. So I have to imagine what it looks like when they go down and 6 soldiers with reed scarfs hurry into strategic positions to keep the crowd away. But I can see the military precision at lift off. They`ve waited for two others to arrive which have probably landed somewhere else maybe in Nanxing. When they show the turbines immediately start. And then the match is over and everyone goes home.

 


Red army soldiers are keeping the crowd away It turns into a feast Then they take off again

 

Now at 11 o'clock a minor quake during 5 sec. I think the sun will come through soon. For the first time in China I see some clear blue sky! And wonderful green and white mountains which rise to impressive heights. Beside this I`m busy all afternoon talking to students from different classes. And learn Chinese, but it`s not much you can learn in one afternoon.
At a time a jet plane passes and drops 7 parachute soldiers who land nearby. And later it returns with 8 more. Many cheers and everyone is looking, but what`s the meaning of this "stunt"? What could they bring, that the helicopters couldn`t? But visible they were!
In the evening I have a long conversation with Xia Wei under the influence of a bowl of rice wine (the strong one) and I think I speak too much.
Still NO communication with the outside world. No electricity, no water, no mobile net, no nothing.
Late in the evening a lot of soldiers arrive to help, as far as I understand to dig out a burried bus. Every time I hear "news" the number of dead increases. In Beichuan a mountain should have collapsed and caused a flood that should have killed 16.000? The total number of dead exceeds 20.000?
I`ve been lucky and unlucky. Unlucky to be in this area, lucky to be at the exact position. 20 m`s ahead would have been bad and 20 `s behind also bad.

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