PINGYAO ANCIENT CITY DAY THREE: HUTONG AND TEMPLES

I have breakfast at the cafe then a relaxing aimless wander around the old town away from the main streets. This area is full of residences, some inhabited and others seemingly deserted. It appears everyone has a coal fire, as there are always trucks around delivering coal which is in enormous lumps like railway coal only bigger. These are three-wheel affairs which sound like this: BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM (quite loud, like a car that backfires all the time.) I realise I'm in a living and breathing community.

There are tiresome electric trucks everywhere ferrying lazy Chinese tourists around which are forever congesting the hutong. They're a bit of a nuisance to be frank. Many Chinese get around on electric scooters which are a menace as they are a) silent, b) fast, so unless you look behind you all the time you won't be aware that they are there. However they do sound their horns constantly: (A Chinese trait) It come maybe from having having gone from a walking/cycling culture to a motorised metropolitan civilisation in less than 25 years which is almost overnight in cultural terms!

I come across a colourful but strange procession, the centrepeice of which is a large closed sedan chair.I eventually conclude that I'm looking at a funeral procession, and further research proves me right. I don't photograph this out of respect.

http://tiantan.nl/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Pingyao-funeral-K2015-57.jpg

Sadly my decision to eat Western food in Pingyao means soup, burgers and chips. I feel like a complete Lonely Planet sad-case ersatz traveller, which is not how I think of myself. Maybe I'm a tourist at heart. However it's hard to see what else to do. I don't want to go around trying trying stuff I might not like so this will have to do for now as frankly I can't enthusiastic about cold meat, cold noodles or fried vegetables.

I chill out in a couple of restaurants and do a bit of window shopping around the markets. Walking around I find a Taoist temple and Lama Temple, my ticket gets me in, giving a bit of value for money. 

Incense Burning in the Taoist Temple.

Catholic Church in Pingyao

Nine-Dragon Screen

 I also manage to stumble across another bar where for the first time I manage to talk to some locals.

Being by myself for this long without talking to anyone has cause tension to build up within me and maye made me a little stir crazy. So doing lots of walking is a good thing.

Funnily enough this has been a good day.