Back to Kaiping

16.12.2016

I had been to Kaiping a few years ago, but the new version of the China Lonely Planet had some places I hadn't been to before to check out. I wouldn't have a couchsurfing host to stay with this time, so I left on Saturday morning, arriving in Kaiping at about noon.

I went straight for Jinjiangli and decided that's all I'd do for the day. I felt like crap and thought I was getting a sore throat, so I took it easy this weekend.

The buildings are just as beautiful as I remember them, but this particular building was massive. It was nine storeys high and left an imposing mark on the horizon. I thought it was worth the steep 50 yuan entrance fee. I wandered around the village, waving at the old ladies that still live there and speaking my minimal Chinese to an old man drying some sort of mineral he dug up on the pavement.

I went back down the road to Chikan to find a hostel for the night. All the dorms were full, but it was no matter, they had some cheap rooms too.

I went around looking for a special tofu dish but I couldn't find it, so I settled on some leafy greens with tofu and sweet chili sauce by the river. It was too sweet and I paid too much for it. Oh well. The tea was good. A few homeless people walked by to fill their bottles with my tea. Very strange.

Jinjiangli Historic Village