The (Sorta) Ancient Town of Ciqikou 磁器口古镇

(the restaurant we ate in serves very fresh fish!)

(temple)

(view of Ciqikou from bikepath near the river)

(dinner, Chinese barbeque! yum!)

(looking down to the river from the old town)

(touristy knick-nack shop)

(lady selling fried sugar dough, yum yum yum)

(mask shop)

(above the mask shop)

(one part of the village)

(main gate)

Sunday evening my host family took me to Ciqikou, an ancient town now located near Chongqing. I imagine that at one time it was an actual seperate town but today it has been engulfed by the city. This place dates back to the late Ming dynasty however recently it has had a new revamping. It still has the same feel, and much of the back alleyways lead to a more authentic ancient town away from the touristy streets. While my host father, host brother, and his little cousin were preparing the barbeque (DIY at a restaurant) we went walking down the narrow lanes. I liked the atmosphere of the place! I liked to imagine what it would have been like to live here during the late Ming dynasty. My host mother told me that it was very important because it is so close to the river. Lots of trade etc.

Along the streets now are shops that cater to tourists only. But here almost everyone is a tourist unless you live in the old town. There were stores that sold clothes, fermented tofu (which smelled like dog poo, I checked my shoe a few times before my mother explained to me what the smell was), tea, dumplings, masks, and places where people will turn the characters of your name into an illustration. There was one haunted house, and one temple (closed unfortunately) build between AD 535-56.

When we got back to the restaurant the food was all ready! It was delicious! Everyone serves themselves. You take the food hot of the grill and then roll it in seasoning and voila! This eating session lasted about two hours...I am learning to eat slowly, in the USA we eat much too fast. The Chinese eat slowly so as to savor the time and flavor.

My brother and his cousin finished eating and then went off on a short bike-ride by the river, a few minutes passed and I joined them. It was a lot of fun, but a little scary because you had to squeeze really really hard on the brakes for them to work!

I was burnt out after that day and went to bed really early...but I was still tired in the morning!