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Published: December 21st 2008
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Chillies
Chillies with legs We bought an extra rucksack a few days ago it makes shorter excursions easier by allowing us to leave our big bags at the hostel while we do side trips. It worked well for Tiger Leaping Gorge and was still packed ready for Sha Xi so we left Panba late morning and walked through the old town towards the water wheels looking for the new bus station.
Luckily we were approached by a college student who needed to talk to and get information from a foreigner as part of his English course. When we explained we were looking for the bus station he agreed to walk with us and ended up first pointing out which bus went to the bus station, then coming with us to get more information and a picture and then helping us buy tickets and get on the right bus just before it left the depot.
Sue and I sat on the bus feeling that this ws going to be a good day and we spent the journey looking out at the people and countryside passing by as we wound our way up to the town to change vehicles. Our bus driver took us right to
Exotic spices
You see these and long for a kitchen!! the point where a mini van was waiting to ferry us the final bone jarring 30 minutes into the mountains.
Sha Xi is an old village which was an important stopover on the Silk horse and Timber road into India and beyond. It is famed because most of the original houses dating back up to 300 years still exist and because the Friday market has been occurring regularly for over 1000 years.
Bravely for us we had set off without having a hostel booking confident we would bump into Ron, Steve and Laurel and sleep on their floor if there was no room at the inn.
We unfolded ourselves from the mini bus (half the size of the Bongo and 9 people on board!) and wandered down a dusty cobbled street lined with picturesque old houses looking for hostel or hotel signs and a bed for the night. We quickly found a hostel we had read about online and ventured into the courtyard. We were met by the owner and were invited to sit and join him for tea. The owner didn't speak any English but was soon giving us a choice of rooms to stay in, we chose
pots and chillies
Staple food and container a room with a small courtyard of its own which turned out to be an advantage when we found the window with its pretty wooden panelling was bereft of glass.
After checking in we wandered around the village into the square where the market used to be held where there is a beautiful old temple with a grand looking stge opposite. It seems that on special days and market days n the past musicians actors and other performers provided non stop entertainment from morning to late in the evening. We hardly saw another tourist certainly not a western one and it was easy to imagine what the little square might have been like bustling with people products and livestock centuries before.
We got chatting to a girl who was opening a shop next to the square and sat sipping coffee watching locals wander by and children playing, the sun was shining and it was peaceful.
In contrast when I got up early the next day wanting to see the market setting up our quiet little street was a bustle of activity. Walking up to the main road the noise level increased as the early trades were going on and
minority women
The square headdress is the biggest we saw but there are many others trucks laden with sacks were being unloaded and distributed to waiting traders. Waist high sacks of rice, oats various grains, dried pulses and chillies. People, trucks, barrows and animals were approaching the town from all direction while early breakfasts were being prepared and eaten in open fronted shops with chairs and tables spilling out onto the pavement. The whole scene an intoxicating sensory kaleidoscope of sights sounds smells and tastes that you couldn't help but be caught up in.
we met up with Ron Steve and Laurel the night before peeking into another hostel and finding them eating dinner. We spent the evening together and planned to meet around 10.30 to explore the market. It is a sprawling affair but with clearly defined sections with most fruit and veg together, butchery together with clothing (?) a random mix of all the above lines the streets and all leads up the hill to a big open area where the livestock are driven to assembled, bargained over and exchanged to be driven back out of the village later that afternoon. There are several minority groups in the area, the Bai; Yi; Bulang; Hani; Zhuang; Dai; Lisu; Naxi and Achang amongst others and
Goats and backdrop
Goats await their fate in magnificent scenery they come down from their villages to mingle and add colour to the proceedings by virtue of their bright traditional clothing different groups being identified by the differences in their ethnic dress, (in this environment their normal day wear not a show for tourists) and weathered features.
Sue and I found ourselves by the river near the bridge later in the afternoon and we watched as the villagers and their animals left the village crossed the bridge and took their various meandering routes home to the villages visible at the foot of the mountains in the distance.
The day had been full of cheerful hellos from villagers around the market and this continued into the afternoon with some village ladies laden with children or produce in baskets on their back, calling to us on their way past and beckoning for us to go home with them back to their village. Given a little more time we would have taken them up on their offer and stayed with a family as they are renowned for their hospitality and we would have loved to chat, play and help prepare and cook local food. Maybe next time.
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Dick Ansell
non-member comment
Missing in China?
Hi guys Been a few days now since we heard from you, just wondered if you are ok.