If I didn't mention it earlier, Zhenyuen is a busy tourist town. It is summer break and the Chinese travel, sometimes in large groups. I targeted today as an escape from town. First stop, after my morning noodles, Tiexi, in the opposite direction of Wuyang. Small buses wait at the old bridge to take people up to this gorge, about 20 minutes outside of town. It's quiet and has well-maintained rock trails. Enterprising Chinese vendors set up stands all along the way. It takes away from the feeling of being away from everything, but you're never far from the next snack. In another demonstration of hospitality, when I stopped to have a rest along the way, a few Chinese had a vendor send a cucumber over to me. Here, as elsewhere this visit to China, there
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