When I walked into the Hunan villages with more than 50 fellow reporters, all wearing the same white T-shirts and carrying cameras, I was greeted with curious yet smiling faces from local people everywhere.
Within a few moments of stepping into Shibadong's village lodge, a spry elderly woman in an intricately embroidered dress and turban-like hat makes a beeline for me, grabs my hand, and begins babbling in a language I've never heard before.
As I clamber aboard a minibus for a leg of the Long March 80th anniversary press tour, I have no idea what to expect. I've never been to this part of China and, as all the materials I have been provided are in Chinese, I barely know when we will be having meals.
Retrace the start of the Red Army's Long March - the task was simple, as were my expectations.