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平遥 – Pingyao
day 45: 祁县 (qixian) – 平遥 (pingyao) = 27,6km
Get on the good foot.
Today was another day I started on the bad foot.
This is the very first thing I see when I step out of the door:
大山 (dashan – big mountain) – China’s favorite foreigner: 100% flawless Chinese and the right kind of attitude. His ads for electronic pocket dictionaries are everywhere, with him in his traditional Chinese outfit smiling at everyone. I think Chinese people enjoy foreigners that are a bit on the whacky side. Why would that be though?
Whatever. 祁县 (qixian) does have an old town district, but I found it not very attractive:
Maybe I just shouldn’t have gone on a Sunday. Too many people. Too much noise.
I quickly made my way out of there.
You know what’s weird – I don’t specifically look for it, but I see a lot of things pointing towards death lately:
This is money issued by the “Paradise Bank”. It is burned at funerals to ensure that the decedent has sufficient funds in whatever might come after this life.
Taking this impression a few miles down the road, I stumble across a little makeshift graveyard:
This guy has lived “a life for the revolution, loyal to the Party.”
Wow.
Why this one is wrapped in red – I don’t have a clue:
Maybe he or she wasn’t so loyal after all?
Whatever the case, I found this place perfect for a rest:
Chocolate chip cookies and some kind of grape lemonade. Straw to sit on. Birds to listen to.
Drifter, vagabond, vagrant, floater.
And then it’s back on the road, because I must make it to 平遥 (pingyao) by nightfall:
To be honest, I have grown pretty tired both physically and mentally by now. Christmas is at hand and I really don’t feel like walking anymore – much rather would I hang out in a room full of candles and friendly faces and have ginger bread cookies…
I’m going to rest up in 平遥.
Rest in 平遥.
Rest in 平遥.
…
These guys offered me a ride:
Seriously, I am not kidding, and neither were they.
李双阳, 宋康, 王俊杰 and 付丽伟 really were insisting I should take a seat on their motorbike and they would give me a lift to wherever it was I was headed to, because they thought I just looked too miserable.
In the end we all agreed that I would be able to pull off the last 6km by myself.
It just doesn’t seem that much when you’ve come all the way from the capital.
Soundtrack: Tony Yayo – “I’m So High”
—total: 731,7km
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December 23rd, 2007 at 15:22
yo du granate.
frohe weihnachten wünsche ich dir!
ich esse für dich was mit.
heute nicht erreicht?!
morgen vielleicht aus kommern.
rubi
December 24th, 2007 at 05:08
I swear, all those towns, look like Pingyao. The youth hostels there are very nice though, maybe you can get some rest there and celebrate Christmas with some foreigners.
December 24th, 2007 at 18:59
Christoph,
I am writing this on Christmas eve. We are thinking of you this Christmas and hoping that you are save, dry, and warm. Have a Merry Christmas.
Love from all in Wichita, Ks. USA
P.S. Ghostie even says "Whats up"
December 24th, 2007 at 22:55
Rubi: Hey Kleiner, hier alles gut! Schöne Grüße an alle!
Thijs: You too, have a good and merry Christmas big guy!
Marvin: I wish you (and Ghostie) a very very Merry Christmas! Will you eat a couple of extra donuts for me these days?
December 25th, 2007 at 17:28
Wir sind wieder zurück in good old Bad Nenndorf. Am meisten freut sich darüber Nase, der, wie jedes Jahr, entsetzt war ausgesprerrt worden zu sein ;-) — ansonsten waren die Weihnachtstage zu kurz und Du hast gefehlt!!
Alle lassen Dich ganz herzlich grüßen!
In diesem Sinne: noch eine gute unbewegte Zeit ;-),
C.
December 25th, 2007 at 23:46
Hehe, auch viele liebe Grüße an alle und vor allem an Nase
December 31st, 2007 at 07:18
厉害！！！会继续关注的！！！
January 1st, 2008 at 21:09
呵呵，不厉害！ 反正谢谢你!!!
April 24th, 2008 at 09:29
红色是因为那墓和墓碑是新的…
April 25th, 2008 at 03:38
嗯，应该是吧。谢谢！：）
December 11th, 2008 at 18:36
Hello
I am contacting you because I am working with the authors of a book about blogs. I have seen a photograph of yours that I find interesting and would like to request permission to include it in this book. If you think this is something you might be interested in please send me an email at hannah@wefeelfine.org and I will send along more details about the project. Hope to talk to you soon!
Sincerely,
Hannah
Hannah@wefeelfine.org
Note: In order to locate your image later it would be much appreciated if
you would include a link to this blog in your response. Thanks again!!
December 23rd, 2010 at 19:14
呵呵，反正我是不喜欢大山那样的外国人，太圆滑了！你小子我喜欢！挺你！
January 3rd, 2011 at 05:28
Larry: 哈哈,谢谢谢谢! :)