28th December: Shaxi, China
Shaxi is the only surviving market town on the Tea Horse Road, sometimes known as the Southern Silk Road. For millennia, traders have carried tea north from Pu’er across the mountains of Yunnan into Tibet and beyond into Nepal and India. Shaxi is primarily Bai ethnic with some Naxi, Hui, and Yi peoples living here too. All of these groups keep up their traditional skills and workshops throughout the town showcase amazing skills in woodworking, stone carving, and buzha – intricate blue and white tie-dyed fabrics.
For lunch, we decided to have pizza again as when else will we get the chance?! It was disappointing, however, with mouth-numbing Sichuan peppers baked into the toppings. Despite enjoying it the first time I tried this unusual spice; it’s now one of my prime candidates for what has made me ill a few times recently and I can’t stomach it any more. Also, sitting and waiting on a stool for a long time didn’t help my neck pain. I was fairly perturbed!
We ventured into the temple on the main square, most of the rooms in which were now a museum of traditional clothes and sculptures. I love the cobbled main street in Shaxi, with a small stream running down it. The peaceful vibe was only accentuated by seeing two more golden retrievers to add to the one from yesterday. If that’s not a sign of a good place, I don’t know what is! Either way, that was enough wandering for me, and I went back to the room to chill for a few hours and Kaja joined me a little bit later.
Kaja popped out to get some dinner and brought back a feast of tofu in tomato sauce, delicious mushrooms and pak choi in peanut oil, and some vegetable dumplings. She also said how lovely the town was at night, so I resolved to get out too before bed. One of the great things about China is how safe it is. Whether in a dark rural town or a brightly lit city, Kaja feels completely safe being out alone at night.
Shaxi is indeed chilled at night. The first thing I noticed when stepping out were the stars! It’s the darkest night sky we’ve seen in months. In town, most of the light is from lanterns or ambient from a few restaurants, bars, and shops. Walking down the main street, a handful of bars had acoustic music drifting out from inside and combining in a beautifully peaceful way with the babbling waters of the brook. Very few people were about, and the entire town felt calm and special. It felt to me as if akin a festival site, very late at night, when everything is bliss.
