(Note: No liability expressed or implied if you find yourself mocked for unconsciously humming the chorus in public.)
Well, looking back at my pics from my 2nd day in Dali, it seemed like there was a whole lot of watchin' goin' on...
'Course, it was a mutual thing – from the bustling streets to a local town market in the hills, there were exotic costumes, odiferous edible offerings, and intricate architecture to feast the eyes on, all with the backdrop of Dali's green mountains that rise up sharply at every turn.
My plans were a bit loose, so I just started out wandering Dali's city center early in the morning. The idea was that I was going to get a look at the city before the tour buses rolled in, but that was at best only a far-fetched hope.
Dali is popular. Really popular. Sure, it's been on the backpacker circuit for years, but when you combine that with China's booming economy, that means there is a constant stream of newly middle-class Chinese who are fired up to explore their country and the merchants are up to take advantage...even, sigh, at 7:30 in the morning!
But, it was still gorgeous, and taking an easy turn off the main streets still allowed me to quickly be in non-tourist land... from a back alley market to working neighborhoods with really cool circular doorways that reminded me vaguely of Star Wars:
Famished, and near-fainting with weakness after a not-very gruelling 37 minute walk, I headed back to Cafe Jack. Now, I love Chinese food, but I just couldn't get super fired up by their standard breakfast of rice porridge, so I wussed out and defaulted with my Western standby, eggs and toast. But, at least I generally throw in a token nod to being in China, and keep trying to work my way through their extensive (and always changing!) tea list. For anyone who loves tea, it's akin to being a whisky aficionado in Scotland. No matter how many you try, they always keep surprising you with more! Still – a very nice problem to have...
My main goal for the day was to check out the weekly market at Yuo Shuo. The staff at the superb Jade Emu raved about it, so I found myself on a rattling local bus bouncing along the rocky dirt roads up the hills. We were passed on all sides by heavily laden scooters as families rolled by, Easy Rider-style:
First, a word about markets. Imagine a collection of tents, stalls, and or open blankets on the ground, all arranged loosely in rows. Add in a smidgin of organization, so that the poultry is all together, while shoes and children's clothes are in the another corner. Then, add in thousands and thousands of locals of all ages, walking around or bargaining for necessities at top volume... it makes for a bustling, cheerful atmosphere.
It's awesome. Intoxicating, really - even if there's nothing specific to see, just wandering up and down the rows are a blast. As a bonus, I found myself the only tourist, and got lots of bemused glances and shy smiles, especially as I took pics of a chicken coop or an example of one of their seemingly indestructible trucks- cool and exotic to me, seriously mundane to them.
The only downside of markets is that after an hour or two, you can find yourself seriously peopled out... so I took a break back at the hostel, before getting my shop on in town. And, wow, was I successful. Now, since the family's going to read this, I can't go into much detail, but Dali is a pretty easy place to quickly load up the rucksack. The jackpot was finding an outdoors equipment place that specialized in Arcteryx gear that must have fell off the truck/sampan/whatever. After a bit of bargaining, I scored a $400 sweet double-lined GoreTex jacket for about $50, and STILL probably overpaid. We'll see how well it holds up to a rainy winter in London though - I have my doubts. :)
I also can't help but think what Mao's reaction would be to all of this... markets like Yuo Shuo are pretty much the exact opposite to his dream of communism. There's no greater sign that capitalism has really gripped a country that when you see small businesses selling misspelled knock-offs like:
...to this plucky entrepreneur who must have thought "hm, if 7-11 is good, then using using the lucky number 8 will make my stall unstoppable!"...
There was more World Cup fun to be had, so I fuelled up at a funky pub called Bad Monkey. Health and Safety issues are pretty trivial in China, so when I ordered a plate of sizzling beef, I got exactly what I asked for - a cast iron skillet plopped in front of me that was spewing hot drops of oil in every direction. Messy, but oh-so delicious.
Back at the hostel, it was time to watch some games, with the half-time bonus of getting to challenge the owner to a game of pool for beers. He's got a good racket going - generally, if the guest wins, they get a free night's lodging. But, since that happens about once a month, he's got a good source of free beers day in and day out. Sneaky.
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