It was great to wake up feeling refreshed for a change. My legs have been taking strain lately with mosquito bites (they leave V alone when I am around) and being in a ‘hotel’ last night gave me a much needed break from being munched. We caught the 9am bus (£1 – BTW when I write prices they are normally per person) out to Xijiang – another hour and a half on windy roads with stunning views but at least the road was in perfect condition – we were obviously on our way to a popular place.

The village is a bit of a mix. It is obvious that the lower flat section along the river was once rice paddies but has been converted into a typical Chinese tourist trap with trinket shops, restaurants and continuous ‘traditional’ performances. It’s not bad but a million miles from yesterday. The upper part has held onto a lot of its charm and character while being kept clean. Upgrades have been done carefully so as not to destroy the aesthetics (eg. rubbish bins look like tree stumps, concrete structures are painted to look like wood).

Raffaele and I headed uphill into the old village in search of a guest house recommended by friends of his and after finding someone who could speak English were able to locate the place (we walked straight past it on our way up !) Mama Lee’s Inn is really a very basic hostel with three tiny dorm rooms and a shared bathroom, but since it was empty we figured we would end up with two rooms to ourselves and for £1ea we could not hope for cheaper (well it was higher but Raffaele got it down).

Drumming in the new part of town attracted us to the main square with some traditional performances but the volume of the sound system quickly chased us away in search of lunch. Fried noodles and various other bits – there was no reason to fret (hmmm). We spent a few hours wandering around the old village and surrounding hills looking for good photos and just enjoying the place, its people and our friends.

Unfortunately V started to feel a little I’ll and by the time we got back to our Hilton was decidedly green. She has definitely contracted a bought of food poisoning and wasn’t even able to keep a few sips of 7up down. We attempted to walk down to the square and do a little more sightseeing in the late afternoon but aborted the attempt. V was limited to her bed and the nearest toilet. Definitely the most I’ll either of us have been – my poor little V.

Obviously V could not join us for the dinner that Mama Lee had prepared for us. I got to try some rice wine (basically Saki) and the food was very good (I’ll take R&S’ word for it on the main dish since the fish head hotpot was not my cup of tea). The three of us had an entertaining meal chatting away while V was curled up in a ball waiting for her meds to start working. Hopefully she feels better by the morning – if not we will stay another day here.

[Pictures: V at yet another bus station ticket window, Negociating at the Hilton (Mama Lee’s Inn), A view of the old village from up on the trails]

– Posted from my iPhone via Wifi