Summer Holiday

I am writing the first half of this blog early as we wait for the 9.30am bus to Lijiang. It's now 11.50am- grr!

As you know from Blakey's blog the Gorge was a challenge for me. Not feeling well, heat exhaustion and constant adreneline from vertigo meant I was more than ready for a good night's sleep, so imagine my anger when I was woken in the middle of the night by a skinny white boy wearing a head lamp and pants, camcorder in one hand with that super bright light also shining, one foot on my bed and one on his trying to capture "rats" in the bathroom on film. There was something in the ceiling, but our room was well built and whatever was in there was staying there, but the noise in the bathroom was just creaky pipes! he looked utterly ridiculous, a sight I wish I could project from my mind so you could all see it too.

So this morning, aftre setting an early alarm to re-pack and catch the bus it's not turning up. Jane, the proprietor of the guesthouse (and quite a character- an effeminate guy with peculiar mannerisms who led me to the internet in a room full of pictures of women and beauty products that put me in mind of Silence of the Lambs!) has been on the phone all morning and talking about us. I think we have missed the bus but he keeps saying it will be here soon.

Later...

Eventually we left Jane's at midday and arrived in Lijiang early aftrenoon. We found ourselves a brilliant room in a new guesthouse (so new that when we arrived the reception area was just a load of sofas and by that evening had a bar that was surrounded by stools that I had picked out) Our room is very comfy and as we have to access across a courtyard we have our own front door, making it feel like a self-contained flat.

After putting our bags down and changing out of our dusty clothes we headed down the cobblestone alleys of the old town. The whole of the area is World Heritage listed and the town has been maintained for years with its network of canals that bring fresh water to the locals and three pools: one for washing clothes, one for pots and one for themselves. they are preserved more for aesthetic reasons than practical nowadays, though we did see some older ladies at the water's edge with their veg.

This pleasant town draws many tourists and with the bright sun beating down there was a definate holiday atmosphere in the air. We idly strolled with nowhere particualr to go until we reached the concert hall for the Naxi Orchestra. We bought tickets for that night, and after a nice meal and a brief return to the hotel set out for the evening concert.

The musicians claim the music they play is a faithful rendition of music composed during the ancient dynasties. I wouldn't be surprised as many of them looked like they may have lived since then! 90% of them were over 70 with 6 or 7 of them over 80. Some of them preserved their amazing instruments by burying them during the Cultural Revolution (when over keen students burned anything relating to old culture).

It was fantastic listening to the busy and irregular sounds of the orchestra and otherworldly voices of the soprano singers. Between each piece the history of the music was explained and when the hostess was talking Chinese it was interesting to watch the musicians starting to nod off (though at one point I was worried it might have been for good!) Halfway through a local historian with international recognition- Xuan Ke- came to the stage. I wish I understood Chinese as he had the whole audience enthralled, though even without understanding there was a soft calmness to him that appeared instantly likeable. The few sentences he said in English for foreign guests proved his humour and charm.

After such a pleasant evening we were shocked to find Lijiang was absolutely pulsing! Every restaurant was lit by red paper lanterns and gold flood lights pick out the details in the traditional tiled rooves. Some of the bigger establishments were playing cheesy pop music with a heavy bass line and the scatter of neon disco lights could be seen through the open walls. Most had live performances; dancers, pop singers, a pair with an acoustic and a jambe. As we walked through the crowds of people girls tried to usher us inside with promises of beer. We enjoyed people watching but walked passed and headed for our bed.

We spent the next day doing much of the same, with the exception of buying a bus ticket with the help of a cafe. Someone phoned and ordered it for us, saying we could pick it up after 2pm. We tried to ask which of the three bus stations but she didn't understand so we headed to the one described as 'bus station', were sent right across town to the 'long distance bus station' and then back to the 'express bus station' to be met by unhelpful and unfriendly staff at each. We turned backed to the cafe to ask what had happened to our 40 pounds, but as we walked in the waitress handed us the tickets. Phew!

By the end of the afternoon the bright sun started to fade and huge claps of thunder echoed around the town, though little came of the rain. We maintained our holiday vibe and passed the evening wandering around the old town and soaking up the festive atmosphere, returning satisfied with our experience of Lijiang- nothing extraordinary, no challenge but a pleasant and friendly town that is beautifully pituresque.