Yesterday I completed my Tiger Leaping Gorge hike. Anyone who likes hiking and plans on seeing China should do this hike. It was just excellent. And every few hours there are people selling sustenance, so it's pretty relaxed. I stayed in a $5/night dorm halfway through (the place is called Halfway Hostel, btw) and all you had to do was step out on the porch and you were eye-level with an epic mountain view. Oooh, it was so great. I'll post more details when I can get photos up.
This morning I took a bus and then a minivan to Shaxi. I met a German sinologist at the gorge who recommended I check this town out. Way back in the Tang Dynasty, Shaxi was a trading post for tea and horses and supposedly the buildings are relatively well preserved for China. Plus the surrounding countryside is bike-able.
I arrived in time to see the Friday market where all the local Bai people come down from the villages to sell and buy stuff. There were even a couple gentlemen selling bags of hair ... to put on your head.
I walked around for a couple hours but then it started raining so now I'm drinking coffee in the hostel with an adorable hostel doggy curled up in my lap. In a few minutes I'm going to go look for some local fried goat cheese. Mmmmm..
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