The piss artist
Trip Start
Apr 04, 2004
1
6
34
Trip End
Jun 07, 2004
Lijiang,
Yunnan,
China
Sunday, May 2, 2004
The mini bus north to Lijiang picks me up from outside the Marley bar. I oblige another 'Susan' waiting at the bus station the other end and walk to her guesthouse. And begin by washing the piss stains out of my strides. An old proverb springs to mind here which should be obvious but often gets forgotten ; man who drink beer before bus ride, arrive with damp trouser. Chinese buses stop for no one. I've even heard stories of backpackers taking an empty water bottle with them to urinate into, emptying the contents out of the moving window and then passing it on to the next person.
I attempt to quickly navigate the absolute maze that is Lijiang. Another mistake. It's designed surely to make a quick reconnaissance mission utterly impossible - maybe a bid to confuse the enemy in case of attack
Lijiang streams
. A whole town built like a labyrinth with a very Chinese theme in mind. Old Lijiang - the Venice of the east with its many narrow waterways cutting through it is home to the Naxi people. One third of the town was destroyed by an earthquake in 1996, so most of the traditional style houses and streets are actually reconstructions. Nevertheless it is an overwhelmingly beautiful place to hang out and therefore accorded the status of being a UNESCO world heritage site. Tourism here has boomed and I make yet another big mistake, which is to visit during a Chinese national holiday.
It's a capacity crowd and every narrow lane flanked by small craft shops and eateries is a surging sea of Chinese tourists, flag-waving tour guides and flashing cameras. Their many pictures will show red hanging lanterns and willow trees over streams of crystal clear trickling water. Planks acting as bridges into little shops which sit on the opposite bank to the paths. Skilfully carved timbers, tile roofs and stone pathways. People selling brightly coloured fish to release into the numerous streams to bring wealth and prosperity. 'Like a film-set of all tings Chinese' Irish Mick had astutely commented.
I have moved into an upstairs bedroom at the Prague café. The food's good here and the location is perfect. I sit on the front step drinking tea with the little guesthouse dog for company. People watching. Girl watching. I've got yellow fever - a consuming desire for oriental girls. I go for a shit and see the sign in the Prague café's toilet which explicitly requests 'for urine only'. Clearly solids will overload this town's equally quaint and congested sewer system. There are public toilets designated for this purpose for which there is a small entrance fee. Pay-per-poo. The 'healthy breakfast' option of fruits and muesli certainly gets me fully ready for a visit to these public conveniences and then a days walking.
Next ; Elephant Hill
