Today was my favorite day of touring so far. Our companions
took off early today leaving the staff to hustle them off to their
destinations. This left us with a morning to sleep in a little, enjoy a late
breakfast and not pack in a hurry. We have already bought a fair amount of
trinkets and are bursting at the suitcase seams. While our guides are thinking
we are looking for designer knock offs we are bargaining for silk scarves, folk
art and antique revolutionary posters. We were hopeful to find a good trinket
market and felt today was our day.
Our first stop was the Wild Goose Pagoda. Built in 652 AD
this Tang dynasty monument is regal while slightly leaning. Xuan Zan was a
famous Monk of the time and very favored by the Emperor like a brother. His
adventures are chronicled in in one of the four famous tomes of early Chinese
literature that are required reading by young adults. This is the story of this
Monk’s adventures in India to learn more about Buddhism. It is this story that
the ever popular Monkey King is a major player. This area is now a beautifully
laid out City Center with the pagoda at the prominent view surrounded by
granite and fountains and many beautiful bronze sculptures of famous Tang
dynasty characters.
At the heart of this public space children played, kites
flew, families posed for photos, food vendors tempted customers with chestnuts,
baked yams and an unusual pastry that reminded us of the Slovenian sweet called
Poticia that Erich’s family makes. In the midst of all of this Sales people
young and old temped us with their good prices for kites, flying birds,
hovering toys and bubbles. The soap bubbles that they made flew up past the
children chasing them and up above a large bronze of the famous Monk. The
juxtaposition of the whimsy and serenity was most joyful to behold.
We entered the temple to walk the peaceful grounds and to
see all of the Buddha’s in their separate worship areas. The gardens were
beautiful and well-manicured. The structures a clever mix of new and old. Noisy
Magpies squawked from the trees. We arranged for a blessing in Coco’s name to
be said by the Monks later in the day.
Our next stop was the Muslim Quarter which is a huge Muslim
enclave with a long history in this City. It was awesome. Imagine yourself a
noisy pedestrian street scene, surrounded on both sides by layers of business,
the most unique and colorful street food displays, and an occasional motorcycle
that upsets the flow of human traffic in this vibrant outdoor arena.
You could choose between so many delicious options for
noshing. Large vats of roasted sheep’s feet with the hooves still on, spicy
tofu on a grill, drinkable goats milk yogurt, boiled potatoes doctored up the
way you like with garlic, cumin and peppers, fresh roasted walnuts, unusual
cheeses, a yellow cake sliced in long wedges and served on a stick with fresh
dates, taffy being pulled and pounded then coated in honey and sesame seeds,
sweet green bean cakes, sticks full of fried crabs and squid, the biggest,
fanciest cotton candy imaginable, tripe, fresh persimmons and so many other
interesting tastes and smells. I think
that we were driving our guide Minnie crazy because we were gawking and it was
hard to keep track of four different people in those crowded streets.
We turned the corner to a shopping Bazar and bargained our
little hearts out. Coco is becoming so shrewd she would have vendors follow her
down the alley after reluctantly agreeing to meet her price. Erich bought a
beautiful felted hat at the central Mosque. He wanted a green one but Minnie
would not let him get it. Apparently when men wear green hats in China it means
that their wives have a boyfriend!
We ate in a beautiful Muslim restaurant serving locals (we
did not blend in btw). We tried lamb and beef soup dumplings. You carefully
peeled the dumpling off the steamer basket and drained the soup from the
dumpling in a large spoon that you drank before eating your dumpling. We also
shared a spicy lamb dish that was the house specialty.
We flew out again tonight to the Yunnan Province to the City
of Lijiang. It is a home to many of the ethnic minorities and is a high
altitude with lots of clean air! It is Christmas here officially… after
midnight and Coco strung the lights on a little tree and hung her and my Mom’s
stocking out.
Merry Christmas to each of you.
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