PINGYAO ANCIENT CITY DAY TWO: CITY WALLS.

I Get up at about 8am and have a relaxing walk to the South Gate where I try to find out how to visit the City Walls. 

I pass another procession, which I guess to be an old ritual. They occur regularly.(I gather it's called a Gong procession)

There is a ticket office (you have to buy a ticket for all the attractions in Pingyao for RMB130) but it's closed, so I go and have a leisurely Western breakfast at Sakura cafe which does a reasonable English Breakfast. I decide to walk around aimlessly for a bit, then return to the South Gate to buy a ticket for the attractions, temples, museums etc. Not all of these appeal to me but I may as well make the most of my visit. I find to my delight I can walk the length of the wall in a circuit like Xian so I set off: it takes about an hour and 40 minutes to complete the walk, and I actually get tired of photographing watchtowers and pagodas.

South Gate of the Wall.

Old Rickshaw by the turret.

Medieval cannon used in battle.

 The view from the wall is charming.This is South Street seen from the top.

Watchtowers along the Wall

Gate of the Confucius Temple.

There is a real flavour of the old Silk Road.( a network of trading routes between Europe and Asia, of which Xian was the last stop)

This sculpture of the watchmen smoking together  gives a feel for the age.

An old house in the hutong.

This is North Street from the North Gate; I'm half-way around by now.

Round window of a house nearby.

Watchtowers as I draw near the South Gate again:  I walked the opposite way around to my walk in Xian, this is anticlockwise. last time I did it clockwise.

Rooftops in  the hutong.

I complete the walk and fetch up in the western cafe and bar where I have a burger and fries. I decide to relax for the remainder of the day and sample some local hotpot later.

Many Chinese people come up to me and say “Hello” as I walk around. Clearly I'm a sight they're not used to. (I keep seeing lots of Chinese on the trains and buses always carrying bags of milk and yoghurt cartons: seemingly they exchange these as gifts during Chinese New Year, how bizarre!)

I feel very tired so go and have a sleep in the afternoon. Cursing my own foolishness in not having brought ear plugs as I can always hear the fans from the showers working around me, and the Chinese love to shower! I get the feeling there are whole families in some of the rooms.

I try the hotpot and it's not only expensive but vegetarian and not very appetising . After two helpings of dumplings and one hotpot I give up on local food and decide to be a Philistine eating Western food as I did in Xian. I can get plenty of half-decent Chinese food in Beijing.

PINGYAO ANCIENT CITY DAY ONE: XIAN TO PINGYAO AND LANTERNS

Pingyao is China's best preserved ancient walled city. Here you almost feel you have gone back in time to Imperial days. It's a UNESCO World Heritage Site: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/812

I have a good vegetarian breakfast at the hostel of fruit, muesli, yoghurt and toast. There is so much fruit though that I decide to take it onto the train for lunch. The prospect of braving Xian's crowds to make the trip to Pingyao fills me with trepidation. However the subway journey to the railway station passes off without undue inconvenience. When I get there I have to ask directions to the railway station entrance as it's not altogether clear. I don't feel so tired now although I'm not sure how to get to the hotel I've booked, as traffic inside the old city is restricted. However this is soon solved as I get a message from the hotel offering me a pick up from the railway station for RMB 30 (Around £3).

While travelling around China by rail I'm reminded of the episode in the film Gandhi when Gandhi travels around India by rail with his family to experience the land and find out about the people. I feel fascinated and privileged too.

On board the train I go to the toilet and notice a little knot of railway police around a suitcase. They are talking with some Chinese ladies who gesture excitedly, they're also laughing and taking photos. This is a curious scene, but I think little of it as I pass by. However on exiting the toilet I notice with alarm that the policemen have produced a large, thick black sheet which they lay on the floor and which has the words printed on it in English, in large bold white, “BOMB SUPPRESSION BLANKET.” I wonder whether to take this seriously, and on going back to my seat manage with some success to divest myself of the idea that the train is about to be derailed by an explosion. 

Another thing you experience on Chinese trains is the presence of Logan's Run/Total Recall-esque announcements couched in pleasant and relaxing voices and expressions wishing you a pleasant journey but issuing a series of instructions (no smoking, please mind the gaps when getting off the train, don't annoy other travellers etc.) and warning gently of dire consequences if any of these are infringed. However most of this is just common sense. The fruit I've got sees me through lunchtime and I realise I haven't brought any tissue paper for my fingers. Fortunately the Chinese lady next to me kindly provides some!

On arrival at the station there is a driver waiting for me with a sign which has my name on it, so I'm driven to the hotel. For what seems an age, (probably about 25-30 minutes) we pass through mile after mile of dreary modern town. At last I glimpse the city wall ahead, we pass through an arched entrance. The driver parks up and we have to walk to the hotel as the roads here are completely pedestrianised with barriers to stop cars from trying to drive through. 

I'm shown to my room, although it's very small it's very charming and has a special old-world feeling to it. It's right on South Street, ( the main street of the old town). It's a conversion of an old courtyard house, so has a Chinese kang bed which is built into the room. It's a raised platform with a futon-style mattress. Actually I had the foresight to bring my inflatable mattress with me so I can be assured of a comfortable night. I've decided to just relax and enjoy the old town.

This is the courtyard of the hotel.

The corridor to the reception area.

I spend the afternoon and evening around South Street where my hotel is. I'm a bit sad really, as I rely on Lonely Planet (LP) to guide me around as Pingyao can be a bit tricky for the first time visitor as there are very few English signs. LP is very good though as an introduction to somewhere you've never visited before.

Fascinatingly, there are a number of costumed processions through the centre of the town. I'm not sure what these are, I gather they are a re-enactment of an ancient custom.

I find the nearest bars through Lonely Planet:

There are fascinating markets and souvenir shops everywhere along here. There is a real feeling of ancient history and adventure in Pingyao!

The whole area is magical at night. I walk around and soon find the nearest local bars. I also have dumplings for a late afternoon snack and supper later.

Street lanterns are everywhere especially around North and South Street.

This restaurant sells Pingyao hotpot. There are a number of local dishes like Pingyao Beef, (cold boiled beef) local noodles that look a bit like canneloni, and hotpot.

There is a special atmosphere at night.

This is the hotel at night. It feels very romantic.

I make up the bed.