Our first official stop in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region was filled with anticipation to check out the renowned Guilin scenery but before we can do so, it's necessary to cut through a 500-year old town by the name of Xing Ping.
Dad was on cloud nine as he had raved so much about its natural beauty for the longest time ever and can finally see it for real this time!
While waiting for our fellow tour mates who were visiting the restrooms, my dad and i explored the immediate surroundings in seek of photo-worthy scenery. The above was a residential building next to the washrooms.
Knowing that tourists like us would make a toilet stop before continuing their journey, stalls lined up the walkway leading all the way to the restrooms!
A few photographs for you to have a clearer picture of what to expect from the stalls. Nothing much that fancied me as i have long passed the "need" to buy souvenirs that would likely collect dust at home.
The above is the kind of things my grandparents would buy twenty years ago! Those birds on the rafts are not penguins; known as cormorants, i would share details about them in this blog in a week or two.
Street vendor offering oranges, honey and peeled sweet potatoes and persimmons!
Freshly peeled by the way. Convenient it may seems from a customer perspective although i am unsure if i would buy any. One nagging reason is obviously hygiene since i have been an unwilling recipient of food poisoning on a number of occasions when i am overseas!
Another one right by the roadside with a larger variety including starfruits, pomelos and even Chinese chestnuts!
Traditional walking sticks even though you don't really need this at this stage as most tourists would take a cruise along the Li river rather than hike up the mountains.
There's a lot more to the old town and we only covered a small section in order to get to the ferry point. Those who are backpacking can consider spending more time or even spending a night.
The Old Place Youth Hostel looked like a good place! Travelling free and easy in China shall be an item on my bucket list as i could do so much more!!! I have mentioned to a few friends before that i would love to revisit Lijiang, Dali in Yunnan province and Phoenix Old Town in Hunan province! Guess the list is going to get longer!
This isn't a pedestrian-only walkway and you have to keep a lookout for motor vehicles, especially the electric motorbikes which were so quiet; you wouldn't know until they hit you from the back!
Another hawker peeling the fruits.
Dad posing with the backdrop of the Guilin scenery which meant we were quite near to the ferry point. A separate posting with a ton of breathtaking pictures shall be up for your viewing pleasure this week!
In the meantime, let's continue with more photographs of Xing Ping Ancient Town that were taken after we had taken the ferry ride.
According to the notice, one of Xing Ping's specialties was the fishes from the nearby Li River (漓江). Well, my mum might appreciate the kind gesture although there's a high chance she might just hide it at one corner of the fridge and forget about it for a 100 years.
Hand-knitted booties! So cute right?!
Little trinkets; the one appealing to me were the fans! I have no idea that the weather in China can still be so warm at the end of October!
Bored aunties gambling! Frankly, i really feel that gambling is ingrained in most Chinese DNA, including overseas Chinese; explaining why the Chinese market is so lucrative for the casino business.
An ancient looking alley.
Brick and mortar stores; as you can see, the buildings didn't appear to be ancient and seem rather like a recent development. However, other parts of the town could be different.
Another modern building but this was built in the white walls, blue tiles style signature of Xing Ping. It's a dilemma sometimes; on one hand, traditional architecture speaks length of a place's history while on the other hand, maintenance is a killer and it makes better sense to built high rise buildings!
Though there were plenty to shop, you may wish to save more time for another similar yet much bigger place in Yangshuo, our next leg of journey! The place is foreigners street (西街) which would be covered soon!
Once you are in Guilin or its surrounding cities and towns (like Yangshuo, Xing Ping etc), you would see a number of shops selling vermicelli which is considered a Guilin specialty!
Back to the carpark where our coach was waiting for us!
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Location
Xing Ping Ancient Town (兴坪古镇)
(25 kilometers from Yangshuo)
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region
China
For the summarised itinerary of my tour package (guaranteed no shopping stops) to Guilin via Chan Brothers, please check out the link here.