Day 31 - Pingyao

22.08.09

Dodging the onslaught of taxi drivers at the station who literally stalk me as I cannot possibly walk for some reason, I trek around the town's intact 600+ year old outer walls and in the north gate in search of my hostel. It is like walking through some kind of time warp as you enter the town, the buildings all look original and the streets are cobbled and narrow. I can see why it is a Unesco World Heritage Site, the town is really beautiful and to top it off my hostel is located right in the middle of town in a Ming dynasty courtyard house.
Once I've checked in I take a walk around the town and as it approaches 9am, the town starts to pack out with Chinese tour groups and weird electric large scale golf carts. You aren't allowed 'engined' vehicles inside the town, so electric buggies are used instead of taxis or coaches to ferry all the tourists and tour groups around.

My first foray into the world of Chinese hostels and I'm sharing my 3 bed room with one guy called Marcus who is from Italy. He's got some good stories about the places he's been and gives me some tips about where to visit, but says the best place in Asia is North Korea. It's hard to go and costs a bomb to get into, but he says it is an amazing and a fascinating place and makes everywhere else seem boring.

Today I am again stunned by the domestic tourism market and how many people there are in Pingyao on tour groups. Where do they all come from and how can they afford to all go on these expensive tours.