Day 114: Around Pingyao - Mon 17 Jun, 2013

Day 114: Around Pingyao - Mon 17 Jun, 2013
Were woken early with passing traffic of old tractors and labouring mini-trucks.
Stayed in bed to read, then went to ATM, bakery, and to book into Harmony Guesthouse inside gates by 1.00 pm - partly to get washing of sheets and towels done, to be in air-conditioned comfort to download and sort emails, update apps, work on raw blog notes and edit photos, but also to absorb the life of this ancient Old Town.

"Want that one..."

Dark room, huge bed with heavy table plopped in middle, cushions, no pillows, and only one power point (but we scored the best bathroom on premises). Ventured out into early evening streets, GirlRob bargaining down price on cotton shirt. Enjoyed dinner with Roadie and Lara’s people - funny waitress kept hitting BoyRob on arm with chopsticks. Shared local specialty "naked Pingyao oat rolls with pepper sauce". This was followed by "guess whats in it" pizza (not the name on the menu!) We ordered different pizzas which were made off site and every time one was delivered to restaurant waitress explored it with chopsticks in front of us before announcing which one it was! (Not such an amusing story if Jude gets sick from accidentally eating meat products). BoyRob's pizza arrived last just as everyone else had finished eating. 

 













 

Back to Harmony Guesthouse and good wifi, lukewarm shower, hugely wide bed which was too short for Caucasians, dim lighting, and smell of urine floating in occasionally – oh well, we wanted the true experience. (Do so hope the washing they are doing for us will be clean tomorrow....)