Day 3:
Spring out from bed, and get ready fast, today is a busy day! After asking directions from the Linden Centre, walk to the morning market. You will know when you reach there, as your eyes will be filled with the sight of people bartering at stalls, the voices of shopkeepers earnestly advertising their own stall, and the smell of different spices, foods, and other items. There is something for everyone in the morning market. Fresh fruits, vegetables and meat for the foodie in everyone, hand woven baskets and embroidered bags for those interested in arts and crafts, and all sorts of items that reflect on the local recreation in Xizhou. The lively atmosphere here can lighten anybody’s mood, and is truly an authentic market experience.
After finishing your shopping at the market, carry the good you bought, including some fresh fruits, barks of cinnamon, and hand woven baskets back into your room. Next, you will be eating brunch at SFJ. Head down past the shop where you had Baba two days before, and you should see a shop(雲格小吃 yún gé xiǎo chī)advertising dumplings (水饺). Walk in, and take a seat on the wooden chairs. Since this shop is relatively new, their soy sauce dispensers and chili pots are very modern looking, which is quite out of place in SFJ. Order dumplings, and, after a worthwhile wait, they will arrive at your table, ready to eat. The dumpling skins are made of dough, and they are filled with minced meat and spring onions, topped by spicy meat. Sound good? Afterwards, make your way down to a small street stall that sells spicy, fried potatoes. These potatoes are an absolute pleasure to eat, with the potato taste mellowing out the spice of the chili. Lastly, please your taste buds with a delectable cool popsicle, home made, of course. The shop that sells these wondrous frozen milk sticks can be found down Muslim street, in a small shack (清惊小屋 qīng jīng xiǎo wū) that only opens during the summer months. Flavors of popsicle include milk, milk and egg (recommended, this is basically just the thicker version of milk), papaya, chocolate, and milk with nuts, and many more. The fact that they are made using yak milk makes them all the more better.
The art of tie dying is easily learned but hard to master, making it the perfect new form of art to learn in a day. Head down to Zhoucheng, also known as the tie dye village, and ask them for a lesson in tie dye. The ladies there will provide you with a piece of cloth with a pattern etched onto it. Equipped with a sewing needle and string, you are to sew along the pattern. When you are done, the ladies will dye it for you. Leave it there for now; you will have a chance to retrieve it later.
After the mentally grueling task of attempting to insert the frayed string through a tiny needle hole and trying to make your stitches on the cloth just right, you mentally pat yourself on the back and decide that it is time for a snack. Roam the streets until you reach the elementary school, then look for a dried fruit shop. In this shop, you will find all sorts of dried fruits, including the typical dried plums found all over China, but also more unusual ones like dried papaya. The Yunnan province is well known for their dried papaya, so it is only reasonable to try a bite or two. The shopkeeper is happy to allow samples of each fruit, so do not be afraid to taste one or two before you make your purchase. Dried papaya is truly a unique thing here in Xizhou. Unlike what you would expect based on the fresh counterpart, dried papaya is actually sour. The Xizhou people flavor their dried papaya with a spunky spice of sorts that tastes similar to cinnamon, but with more of a kick. If the dried fruit is to your tastes, buy one or two bags as the price is fair and reasonable, then be on your way.
Take around ten minutes to return to Zhoucheng to collect your tie dye. You will have to undo all the stitches, so put this aside as an activity to do on the airplane ride back.
Your restaurant of choice for dinner will be a mala tang(麻辣烫) shop. You will be able to put ingredients chosen from a fridge into soup, which ranges from numb and spicy, a defining taste of Sichuan cuisine, to a comforting chicken soup that reminds you of your mothers cooking. The ingredients are stocked in a fridge in individual portions, for ease of grabbing. On the top shelf of the fridge are vegetables like zucchini, cabbage and basil. The middle shelf has all sorts of bean products like tofu, as well as fungi. Meat is placed in the bottom shelf, and includes sausages, meatballs and spam. This meal can either end with a satisfied you, or a you whose mouth and stomach is burning up, so do not overestimate your ability to handle spiciness.
With a happy belly, head back to the Linden Centre. After another tiring day, you probably want nothing more than to head back to bed, but first, go to the Linden Centre library to read a bit. Then, head out to the terrace and look at the stars one last time. Then bed.
This concludes your Xizhou adventure. From here on, what you do is up to you, but I can guarantee you that you will never forget the time you spent here in the wonderful village of Xizhou.
After finishing your shopping at the market, carry the good you bought, including some fresh fruits, barks of cinnamon, and hand woven baskets back into your room. Next, you will be eating brunch at SFJ. Head down past the shop where you had Baba two days before, and you should see a shop(雲格小吃 yún gé xiǎo chī)advertising dumplings (水饺). Walk in, and take a seat on the wooden chairs. Since this shop is relatively new, their soy sauce dispensers and chili pots are very modern looking, which is quite out of place in SFJ. Order dumplings, and, after a worthwhile wait, they will arrive at your table, ready to eat. The dumpling skins are made of dough, and they are filled with minced meat and spring onions, topped by spicy meat. Sound good? Afterwards, make your way down to a small street stall that sells spicy, fried potatoes. These potatoes are an absolute pleasure to eat, with the potato taste mellowing out the spice of the chili. Lastly, please your taste buds with a delectable cool popsicle, home made, of course. The shop that sells these wondrous frozen milk sticks can be found down Muslim street, in a small shack (清惊小屋 qīng jīng xiǎo wū) that only opens during the summer months. Flavors of popsicle include milk, milk and egg (recommended, this is basically just the thicker version of milk), papaya, chocolate, and milk with nuts, and many more. The fact that they are made using yak milk makes them all the more better.
The art of tie dying is easily learned but hard to master, making it the perfect new form of art to learn in a day. Head down to Zhoucheng, also known as the tie dye village, and ask them for a lesson in tie dye. The ladies there will provide you with a piece of cloth with a pattern etched onto it. Equipped with a sewing needle and string, you are to sew along the pattern. When you are done, the ladies will dye it for you. Leave it there for now; you will have a chance to retrieve it later.
After the mentally grueling task of attempting to insert the frayed string through a tiny needle hole and trying to make your stitches on the cloth just right, you mentally pat yourself on the back and decide that it is time for a snack. Roam the streets until you reach the elementary school, then look for a dried fruit shop. In this shop, you will find all sorts of dried fruits, including the typical dried plums found all over China, but also more unusual ones like dried papaya. The Yunnan province is well known for their dried papaya, so it is only reasonable to try a bite or two. The shopkeeper is happy to allow samples of each fruit, so do not be afraid to taste one or two before you make your purchase. Dried papaya is truly a unique thing here in Xizhou. Unlike what you would expect based on the fresh counterpart, dried papaya is actually sour. The Xizhou people flavor their dried papaya with a spunky spice of sorts that tastes similar to cinnamon, but with more of a kick. If the dried fruit is to your tastes, buy one or two bags as the price is fair and reasonable, then be on your way.
Take around ten minutes to return to Zhoucheng to collect your tie dye. You will have to undo all the stitches, so put this aside as an activity to do on the airplane ride back.
Your restaurant of choice for dinner will be a mala tang(麻辣烫) shop. You will be able to put ingredients chosen from a fridge into soup, which ranges from numb and spicy, a defining taste of Sichuan cuisine, to a comforting chicken soup that reminds you of your mothers cooking. The ingredients are stocked in a fridge in individual portions, for ease of grabbing. On the top shelf of the fridge are vegetables like zucchini, cabbage and basil. The middle shelf has all sorts of bean products like tofu, as well as fungi. Meat is placed in the bottom shelf, and includes sausages, meatballs and spam. This meal can either end with a satisfied you, or a you whose mouth and stomach is burning up, so do not overestimate your ability to handle spiciness.
With a happy belly, head back to the Linden Centre. After another tiring day, you probably want nothing more than to head back to bed, but first, go to the Linden Centre library to read a bit. Then, head out to the terrace and look at the stars one last time. Then bed.
This concludes your Xizhou adventure. From here on, what you do is up to you, but I can guarantee you that you will never forget the time you spent here in the wonderful village of Xizhou.