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Published: June 14th 2015
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Roasting Chestnuts
This traveller takes a shot of a domestic tourist taking a picture at the market entrance. The market in Lijiang is huge. The 23/twenty-three/23 pictures posted at the end of this story give a true image of the hectic activity taking place there every day.
I love markets. This one can only be topped by a market in Kolkata where fruits and vegetables were artistically arranged. Found lots of eggs ...avoided any contact with chickens here and in HongKong.
At this writing six months later, the images experienced at the market are still very vivid.
Lijiang Market
Once an acceptable comfort and confidence level returned to my psyche, I was prepared to undertake a foray into the maze of the old town of Lijiang and go to the famous Zhongyi Market.
The desk clerk at the Crowne Plaza gave me a map with English names. The map was printed on brown paper. It looked very authentic taking ones thoughts back to the time when the old town was all there was and the roar of vehicles and the rise of condos and office towers did not intrude in ones line of view.
With Mandarin “return if lost instructions” on the hotel business card, a message to be read by
One Busy Lane of Many
The market is basically a square with entrances at the four corners of the compass. Lanes selling particular goods form the maze of shops and kiosks. the taxi drive, in case of emergency should I be disoriented in the maze. Not that cars or taxis are allowed in the old town. Vehicles stand at the ready at north south east and west gates.
The Old Town here in Lijiang is a maze of old wood structures with tile roves, cobble stone streets, and elaborate doors serving as entrances to open air courtyards filled with benches colourful pillows and invariably … a dog.
I took a most direct route along a busy main thoroughfare and then made a sharp right turn to follow the direction from which shoppers with full bags and baskets were coming. Passing street vendors offering fruit, nuts, toys, balloons and kits to fix holes in aluminium pans, I found my way to the entrance of a HUGE market. The market shops, their wares spilling out onto the street stretched ahead and around and back again. What one looked for could be found … if not found it could not exist.
The day was a great success!
Bought tiny mandarins that filled a plastic shopping bag ... they tasted as they used to when we were children and
Sewing Machine Shop
Working on the street is carried on by all trades and skills. mandarins were only available at Christmas ... it came to 3 kg I think for 10RMB plus 5RMBfor a good handful of kumquats. Three Fuji apples also cost 10RMB.
The most exciting parts about the market were the pig head cut in half from the back, dark grey tofu (which I have discovered is really bean curd), vegetables sprinkled to look fresh with I-don't-know-what-kind of water, an electric pounder turning whole dried chillies into chilli powder, fresh noodles in all lengths and thicknesses displayed in wicker baskets and every kind of pickled vegetable one could imagine. There were quite a few veggies I did not recognize. People were eating soup in round cardboard take out bowls. I resisted very strongly buying a bowl. In one area was also a similar looking venue like in South America ... numerous cooking stations with people sitting on small stools eating.
All in all I shot lots of pics ...until battery wore down.
Found my way around easily. Mine was the ONLY non-Asian face in the whole huge market. Had interactions with a small child, the woman shopping for wool and her two kids, and the woman selling the wool.
Naxi Basket
Goods are carried in woven wicker baskets that identify the Naxi people of China. I have to believe I bought 500gms for 30RMB and a circular needle for 5RMB.
I found my way back without incident ... saw a white face on a bike who greeted me and I smiled back!
Lunch was two coffees and a Caesar salad. 178RMB charged to my room/suite. LOL
Now after a hot sublime rain shower I am ready to veg out in front of the TV.
Sunday will be a day of rest. I have to put my boots ready for the walking... the birkies have been sent back to Canada the sandals left behind in HK ....I will take a walk towards the snow covered mountain which dominates the Lijiang scene ...so cool.
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