An old river town stuck in time! That's what I'd heard about Fenghuang, and I was excited to spend a couple of days there. The bus ride from Zhangjiajie was a good five hours, and despite the bus operator's one-hand-on-the-horn-at-all-times-passing-every-vehicle-at-high-speeds-on-curvy-narrow-roads driving, the trip was quite enjoyable. I grabbed a seat by a window in the back of the bus, and soon found myself surrounded by a group of chipper young women heading to Fenghuang for the weekend. They were quick to realize that I was incapable of conversation, but were more than happy to share their bounty of tasty snacks with me - although I passed on the chicken feet. A lot of the snacks were soon lost, along with their liveliness, as a couple of them were forced to hang their heads out the window and paint the side of the bus as a result of severe car sickness. Luckily I was un-phased, and in an attempt to escape the suddenly altered mood of my present company, I plugged in my headphones and let the passing scenery sweep me away. The road cut through valleys for most of the drive, hugging hillsides, dipping down into small villages, and criss-crossing rivers. The stair-stepped agriculture became more dramatic, with an occasional terrace of bright-yellow rapeseed flowers adding vibrant streaks to the mountainside patchwork. The bus got caught up in some weekend markets while passing through some villages, and while the bus driver continued to lay on the horn, I felt thankful for the slow motion drive-through and the chance to take in some of the bustling small-town life. The road was my Travel Channel, the bus window my TV screen, and the five hour special on rural China was fascinating! A lot of times, traveling becomes a series of dots on a map of the places you've visited. But if you can connect the dots with an interesting journey, if the lines in between also tell a story, then the voyage becomes richer, and you can gain a better understanding of where you are. Anyways, the bus ride was very enjoyable, although I can't say that my pale-faced co-passengers would've agreed, I'm sure they were psyched for it to end.
Fenghuang was larger than I thought it would be - not a big surprise in China. It happens to me every time when I arrive in a new place here - I walk out, glance at the simple map in the guidebook, look up, spin a few circles, look back at the map, and realize I have no idea where I am. But I decided to hoof it, and with the help of a few curious students I was able to find the old part of town and a cheap place to stay. After checking in I set out to find some food and drink and explore the old town lining the river. It definitely wasn't what I expected. The rustic stilted houses were there, lopsidedly perched above the water, but the scene surrounding it was absolutely blown out with tourists! I guess I felt a little deceived, I had imagined I would fall off the bus and stumble into a quaint little village. But that was not the case, and the unanticipated atmosphere kind of put me on edge. One thing I'd heard about Fenghuang was that there was absolutely no English. This I found to be true, and now that I've been in China for a while, this was also not a surprise. But for some reason I was thinking that 'no English' was synonymous with 'untouched'. I should have known better. I quickly found a bar with outdoor seating and posted up along the river, I needed to take it all in and reevaluate my surroundings. The menu consisted of snack food (great, more snacks), so I ordered some popcorn and a beer. The beer, or should I say beer-flavored water, was a weak 2.5%, so after downing one, I ordered another along with a tumbler of Johnny Walker. It was Saint Patty's Day after all, and now that I think about it, the river appeared to be slightly green, how inadvertently appropriate. The Johnny Walker came out neat, in a rather large glass almost filled to the brim. Last time I checked Johnny Walker was not sweet with a hint of caramel, but whatever it was, it was strong, and after a few swigs and a couple of deep breaths, I started to feel a little more relaxed. After paying my bill I stumbled back to the hostel to grab my jacket, and then, realizing I was short on cash, went out to find an ATM. The first one was broken, the next two didn't accept my card, and when I finally found one that worked, all I wanted to do was head back to the hostel and call it a night. My first day in Fenghuang and I didn't even snap a photo! Luckily the next day turned out to be a little more redeeming.
It was overcast and damp when I stepped outside the next morning. In an attempt to get off the main drag I ducked into some small residential alleyways that quickly took me up onto a hill overlooking the river. There's nothing like getting up onto a highpoint to help you gain perspective on your surroundings; I always try and do this if the geography is permitting. From there I could see down over the old town and was able to map out a route for the day. I was off to a good start! The fluvial charm that I had overlooked the day before due to the overbearing tourists, was quick to reveal itself once I got back down to the water, and it wasn't long before Fenghuang had won me over. The river was low due to some construction upstream, and an on-and-off drizzle freckled the stagnant water throughout the day. I took my time strolling the banks, crossing back and forth on the multitude of bridges that spanned the water. Life on the river very much revolved around the burgeoning tourism, but the way in which it maintained it's existence was reminiscent of days gone by. The banks were lined with people doing daily chores, from rinsing produce for local restaurants to washing clothes and linens for the family-run inns. Bamboo boats ushered people up and down the river through a gauntlet of old stilted buildings that seemed on the verge of toppling into the water below. It's days like this when I enjoy traveling alone the most, when I can just post up and watch life unfold in front of me.
As daylight faded, so did the timelessness that makes Fenghuang unique, and with nightfall came the universal qualities of the tourist nightlife. Behind the rustic facade of the ram-shackled stilt houses were a slew of bars and night clubs, each fitted with bright lights and competing sound systems that volleyed rounds of bass across the river. I wouldn't be surprised if you could see Fenghuang from outer space at night - it's that bright. The lights were quite a spectacle, but after one more quick loop up and down the river, I headed back to the hostel and called it a night. It had been a wonderful day, and I was glad that Fenghuang had been redeemed of its bogus first impression. I could see myself heading back there again someday, although next time I think I may jump out in one of those towns I passed along way in.
Fenghuang was larger than I thought it would be - not a big surprise in China. It happens to me every time when I arrive in a new place here - I walk out, glance at the simple map in the guidebook, look up, spin a few circles, look back at the map, and realize I have no idea where I am. But I decided to hoof it, and with the help of a few curious students I was able to find the old part of town and a cheap place to stay. After checking in I set out to find some food and drink and explore the old town lining the river. It definitely wasn't what I expected. The rustic stilted houses were there, lopsidedly perched above the water, but the scene surrounding it was absolutely blown out with tourists! I guess I felt a little deceived, I had imagined I would fall off the bus and stumble into a quaint little village. But that was not the case, and the unanticipated atmosphere kind of put me on edge. One thing I'd heard about Fenghuang was that there was absolutely no English. This I found to be true, and now that I've been in China for a while, this was also not a surprise. But for some reason I was thinking that 'no English' was synonymous with 'untouched'. I should have known better. I quickly found a bar with outdoor seating and posted up along the river, I needed to take it all in and reevaluate my surroundings. The menu consisted of snack food (great, more snacks), so I ordered some popcorn and a beer. The beer, or should I say beer-flavored water, was a weak 2.5%, so after downing one, I ordered another along with a tumbler of Johnny Walker. It was Saint Patty's Day after all, and now that I think about it, the river appeared to be slightly green, how inadvertently appropriate. The Johnny Walker came out neat, in a rather large glass almost filled to the brim. Last time I checked Johnny Walker was not sweet with a hint of caramel, but whatever it was, it was strong, and after a few swigs and a couple of deep breaths, I started to feel a little more relaxed. After paying my bill I stumbled back to the hostel to grab my jacket, and then, realizing I was short on cash, went out to find an ATM. The first one was broken, the next two didn't accept my card, and when I finally found one that worked, all I wanted to do was head back to the hostel and call it a night. My first day in Fenghuang and I didn't even snap a photo! Luckily the next day turned out to be a little more redeeming.
It was overcast and damp when I stepped outside the next morning. In an attempt to get off the main drag I ducked into some small residential alleyways that quickly took me up onto a hill overlooking the river. There's nothing like getting up onto a highpoint to help you gain perspective on your surroundings; I always try and do this if the geography is permitting. From there I could see down over the old town and was able to map out a route for the day. I was off to a good start! The fluvial charm that I had overlooked the day before due to the overbearing tourists, was quick to reveal itself once I got back down to the water, and it wasn't long before Fenghuang had won me over. The river was low due to some construction upstream, and an on-and-off drizzle freckled the stagnant water throughout the day. I took my time strolling the banks, crossing back and forth on the multitude of bridges that spanned the water. Life on the river very much revolved around the burgeoning tourism, but the way in which it maintained it's existence was reminiscent of days gone by. The banks were lined with people doing daily chores, from rinsing produce for local restaurants to washing clothes and linens for the family-run inns. Bamboo boats ushered people up and down the river through a gauntlet of old stilted buildings that seemed on the verge of toppling into the water below. It's days like this when I enjoy traveling alone the most, when I can just post up and watch life unfold in front of me.
As daylight faded, so did the timelessness that makes Fenghuang unique, and with nightfall came the universal qualities of the tourist nightlife. Behind the rustic facade of the ram-shackled stilt houses were a slew of bars and night clubs, each fitted with bright lights and competing sound systems that volleyed rounds of bass across the river. I wouldn't be surprised if you could see Fenghuang from outer space at night - it's that bright. The lights were quite a spectacle, but after one more quick loop up and down the river, I headed back to the hostel and called it a night. It had been a wonderful day, and I was glad that Fenghuang had been redeemed of its bogus first impression. I could see myself heading back there again someday, although next time I think I may jump out in one of those towns I passed along way in.
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