winding road
Wednesday, 25 February 2009
Can you imagine being faced with this, with the dog breathing down your neck, the kids arguing in the back, the cell phone ringing, Nintendo Ds's and PSP's beeping, and your passenger giving helpful driving advice (or maybe that's just my husband!!!)
The road shown here is the Guoliang Tunnel in Taihang mountains (China). It has been built by villagers themselves, which is an inspiring story in itself:
"Before 1972, the path chiseled into the rock used to be the only access linking the village with the outside world. Then the villagers decided to dig a tunnel through the rocky cliff. Led by Shen Mingxin, head of the village, they sold goats and herbs to buy hammers and steel tools. Thirteen strong villagers began the project. It took them five years to finish the 1,200-metre-long tunnel which is about 5 meters high and 4 meters wide. Some of the villagers even gave their lives to it. On May 1, 1977, the tunnel was opened to traffic."
25 February 2009 at 13:41
OMG - that makes my stomach lurch just thinking about it!
You are right about the courageous villagers. How incredible that they built it themselves to have access to the outside world.
Gives new meaning to "Where there is a will, there is a way!"