Finally posting about Jingzhou.
In may last post, I discussed stumbling upon one of the best and tastiest dishes I have eaten lifetime.
After that, I still had to find a hotel. I decided I would wander around and find a place. I did not count on being a little spice and beer tipsy by this point.
I wandered back towards the east gate. It was now late. There were alot of people out, as it was the weekend before a national holiday (May Day).
I ended up buying too cheap bottles of wine after I made it out of the city gate. I then hopped in a taxi and asked to be taken to a hotel listed in my guide book.
The taxi driver was very nice and took me directly there, but the hotels were full or did not want a laowai waking in drenched in sweat and smelling of beer and crawfish.
Somehow, I managed to drop the two bottles of wine I bought directly in the middle of the street. This was a wierd sort of offering to the unclean gods of this ancient and cool town.
I got another taxi, picked another hotel from my guide book and was whisked about 200 yards to adjacent street where the hotel was located.
No, far be it for me to suggest that my drinking was appropriate this evening, but after checking into the hotel (100 rmb for the night or 15.00 USD), I had a hankering for some wine. What good boy wouldn't?
So I nipped out of the hotel and grabbed two more bottles of wine. These cost about 10.00 USD a piece.
I then spent the rest of the evening and morning listening to songs on my iPad and dreaming of ancient Jingzhou outside my hotel.
I somehow managed to wake up before checkout, took a cold shower, stumbled down and out into the street.
The day before, I had purchased some oranges from a grocer. It was afterdark, and he was playing checkers and smoking with his pal outside. He greeted me profusely as I walked past, so I grabbed some oranges from him.
I was glad for the oranges. The morning was quite warm. By the time I left the hotel it was around 11:00 AM.
I traced my way to the city wall. I wandered down very very narrow streets.
I could see the people I passed in their shops and houses in the same configuration as they have probably cohabited there in ages past.
Chickens, dogs, a all manner of professions; butchers, bakers, TV repairmen, advertising consultants, you name it, they all lined the streets of Jingzhous narrow lanes.
I found my way to the wall. The gates were impressive.
I noticed what I believe are bullet holes along sections of the wall. These holes were not on the exterior. I would surmise that individuals were summarily lined up against the walls and shot. Needless to say, the walls were impressive in alot of ways.
During the cultural revolution, there was a big push to obliterate historical landmarks. The grand and ornate city wall that encircled Beijing was leveled.
There was a plan, at one point, to preserve 78 of the 8000 historical sites in Beijing. Luckily this preservation system was not adhered to.
I walked along the side of the wall, and then found I could scale up the inside wall. The stroll along the top of the wall was very quiet. Very few fellow travelers. I was accompanied by birds and ghosts.
I made it around to several towers and gates. In one of the towers, I noticed laundry hanging. Upon closer inspection, a guardian or custodian of the wall was inside the tower watching television on a tiny portable analog set with bunny ears. He also had a hotplate. Kind of an austere life, living in a centuries old fortification with the portable bunny ear TV and a hotplate.
I kept on my perambulation of the wall. As I got further along, the wall got more and more overgrown. It started to resemble a walk along a ledge in the woods.
I could look down to the moat surrounding the wall, and the farms that came right up to the moat.
Towards the north side, I went down and through a narrow gate and crossed into what had the distinct feeling of a medieval town. I felt like I could blink and be in a fantasy RPG.
There was a christian church along a winding lane, barbers with chairs outside the wall offering shaves, ancient old men offering to predict your fortune, people selling pets and livestock, luggage sales people, a french bakery, a book shop, an optician, and hoards of sweating heaving humanity.
A young boy on a motorcycle made eye contact with me and started at me as he slowly outpaced me on the scooter and disappeared several hundred yards ahead around a corner.
Near one gate, I discovered a temple to Guan Gong. Guan Gong is a sort of protector divinity. He was a real person during the fabled three kingdoms period in China.
Guan Gong is venerated by Buddhists as a sort of protector and remover of obstacles. There are many stories of him and his battles against other historical figures such as Cao Cao and others.
After I found the first temple to Guan Gong, I wandered around further and found a second temple to him. At this temple, there were very large buddhist statutes.
Both temples also have a statute of Guan Gong's horse. In one of them, there is a stone watering trough so the statute can take a sip should he feel parched.
Guan Gong temple was attended by buddhist monks. In one temple, there was a recording of worshippers chanting "Nam Guan Gong; Nam Guan Gong: Nam Guan Gong; Nam Guan Gong". This is basically praising the name of Guan Gong. "Nam" is a part of the word "Namaste", which means to bow before or give respect to.
A plaque describes how the Japanese obliterated the temple during WWII. The first temple I visited had been rebuilt within the past ten years.
There were alot of miniature trees, sculpted, in pots all around the Guan Gong temple.
By the time I had made it around to the second Guan Gong temple, I was getting tired and needed to start thinking about getting back to Wuhan. It was only 1.5 hours, but train seats are not assured during the holiday season.
Luckily, I passed a railway ticket agency. You can buy tickets at the station, online, or at a convenient railway ticket agency. I got a ticket and proceeded to acquire a new T shirt, because I was soaked with sweat and had neglected to take a very good shower during the morning of drunkenness.
I somehow walked all the way back out to the train station It was a few kilometers. I bought alot of water along the way.
I had an excellent trip and slept well when I made it back to my chambers in Wuhan.
In may last post, I discussed stumbling upon one of the best and tastiest dishes I have eaten lifetime.
After that, I still had to find a hotel. I decided I would wander around and find a place. I did not count on being a little spice and beer tipsy by this point.
I wandered back towards the east gate. It was now late. There were alot of people out, as it was the weekend before a national holiday (May Day).
I ended up buying too cheap bottles of wine after I made it out of the city gate. I then hopped in a taxi and asked to be taken to a hotel listed in my guide book.
The taxi driver was very nice and took me directly there, but the hotels were full or did not want a laowai waking in drenched in sweat and smelling of beer and crawfish.
Somehow, I managed to drop the two bottles of wine I bought directly in the middle of the street. This was a wierd sort of offering to the unclean gods of this ancient and cool town.
I got another taxi, picked another hotel from my guide book and was whisked about 200 yards to adjacent street where the hotel was located.
No, far be it for me to suggest that my drinking was appropriate this evening, but after checking into the hotel (100 rmb for the night or 15.00 USD), I had a hankering for some wine. What good boy wouldn't?
So I nipped out of the hotel and grabbed two more bottles of wine. These cost about 10.00 USD a piece.
I then spent the rest of the evening and morning listening to songs on my iPad and dreaming of ancient Jingzhou outside my hotel.
I somehow managed to wake up before checkout, took a cold shower, stumbled down and out into the street.
The day before, I had purchased some oranges from a grocer. It was afterdark, and he was playing checkers and smoking with his pal outside. He greeted me profusely as I walked past, so I grabbed some oranges from him.
I was glad for the oranges. The morning was quite warm. By the time I left the hotel it was around 11:00 AM.
I traced my way to the city wall. I wandered down very very narrow streets.
I could see the people I passed in their shops and houses in the same configuration as they have probably cohabited there in ages past.
Chickens, dogs, a all manner of professions; butchers, bakers, TV repairmen, advertising consultants, you name it, they all lined the streets of Jingzhous narrow lanes.
I found my way to the wall. The gates were impressive.
I noticed what I believe are bullet holes along sections of the wall. These holes were not on the exterior. I would surmise that individuals were summarily lined up against the walls and shot. Needless to say, the walls were impressive in alot of ways.
During the cultural revolution, there was a big push to obliterate historical landmarks. The grand and ornate city wall that encircled Beijing was leveled.
There was a plan, at one point, to preserve 78 of the 8000 historical sites in Beijing. Luckily this preservation system was not adhered to.
I walked along the side of the wall, and then found I could scale up the inside wall. The stroll along the top of the wall was very quiet. Very few fellow travelers. I was accompanied by birds and ghosts.
I made it around to several towers and gates. In one of the towers, I noticed laundry hanging. Upon closer inspection, a guardian or custodian of the wall was inside the tower watching television on a tiny portable analog set with bunny ears. He also had a hotplate. Kind of an austere life, living in a centuries old fortification with the portable bunny ear TV and a hotplate.
I kept on my perambulation of the wall. As I got further along, the wall got more and more overgrown. It started to resemble a walk along a ledge in the woods.
I could look down to the moat surrounding the wall, and the farms that came right up to the moat.
Towards the north side, I went down and through a narrow gate and crossed into what had the distinct feeling of a medieval town. I felt like I could blink and be in a fantasy RPG.
There was a christian church along a winding lane, barbers with chairs outside the wall offering shaves, ancient old men offering to predict your fortune, people selling pets and livestock, luggage sales people, a french bakery, a book shop, an optician, and hoards of sweating heaving humanity.
A young boy on a motorcycle made eye contact with me and started at me as he slowly outpaced me on the scooter and disappeared several hundred yards ahead around a corner.
Near one gate, I discovered a temple to Guan Gong. Guan Gong is a sort of protector divinity. He was a real person during the fabled three kingdoms period in China.
Guan Gong is venerated by Buddhists as a sort of protector and remover of obstacles. There are many stories of him and his battles against other historical figures such as Cao Cao and others.
After I found the first temple to Guan Gong, I wandered around further and found a second temple to him. At this temple, there were very large buddhist statutes.
Both temples also have a statute of Guan Gong's horse. In one of them, there is a stone watering trough so the statute can take a sip should he feel parched.
Guan Gong temple was attended by buddhist monks. In one temple, there was a recording of worshippers chanting "Nam Guan Gong; Nam Guan Gong: Nam Guan Gong; Nam Guan Gong". This is basically praising the name of Guan Gong. "Nam" is a part of the word "Namaste", which means to bow before or give respect to.
A plaque describes how the Japanese obliterated the temple during WWII. The first temple I visited had been rebuilt within the past ten years.
There were alot of miniature trees, sculpted, in pots all around the Guan Gong temple.
By the time I had made it around to the second Guan Gong temple, I was getting tired and needed to start thinking about getting back to Wuhan. It was only 1.5 hours, but train seats are not assured during the holiday season.
Luckily, I passed a railway ticket agency. You can buy tickets at the station, online, or at a convenient railway ticket agency. I got a ticket and proceeded to acquire a new T shirt, because I was soaked with sweat and had neglected to take a very good shower during the morning of drunkenness.
I somehow walked all the way back out to the train station It was a few kilometers. I bought alot of water along the way.
I had an excellent trip and slept well when I made it back to my chambers in Wuhan.
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