China > Rainy Xizhou

It’s raining outside when we wake up. The sky looks gray, and it doesn’t seem like it will clear up soon. Fortunately, we cycled yesterday. The weather today seems less suitable for that. Frank offered to help at eight o’clock to renew the data bundles on our Chinese SIM cards. This turns out to be more difficult than expected. He can’t renew the cards through his phone. He calls China Mobile several times. Outside, the rain continues without stopping. Since renewing the SIM cards isn’t working, we walk to a China Mobile store in Xizhou. The store is nearby in the old town. Unfortunately, the store has moved. After some searching and back-and-forth walking, we find a store. Here it’s not possible to renew the cards because they were issued in Beijing. Also, we can’t buy a new SIM card because passport scanning can only be done in larger cities. Frank doesn’t give up and tries two more phone stores. To no avail. We will have to manage the next few days without a data bundle. This is especially difficult because all payments with the phone require an internet connection. We also can’t use the translation app anymore. It’s not ideal.

China - In the rain the market looks bleak

This means I have to withdraw extra cash today and pay more often in person. Because of the hassle with the SIM cards, it’s already half past ten. I haven’t eaten anything yet this morning. At a bakery, I buy a few small rolls and further on order a cappuccino. All in cash. We walk on to the market. Due to the rain, everything looks a bit bleak. There are hardly any customers. Behind the market lies the Daci Temple. Like the temple we visited yesterday in Dali, this temple is dedicated to Taoism. Compared to the other temples we visited, this one is less impressive. At the back of the temple complex, there is a restroom. On the wall, “men” and “women” are indicated in Chinese. I have no idea which way to choose. No one else is around. I choose right. Later it turns out this was exactly the wrong choice. Apart from a few drops, it has practically stopped raining. The old town of Xizhou lies on a peninsula in the lake. At the tip is a park. We walk there, although it is several kilometers. Along the way, we pass open fields alternating with streets of old houses. Judging by the buildings, this is truly old Xizhou. After about an hour’s walk, we reach the park. A guard stops us. It turns out we need a ticket. At the little shop, a translation on the phone shows that we should have reserved tickets in advance and that tickets now cost 70 yuan. If we buy something in the shop, we get a discount. We don’t understand why we would pay over eight euros for a bit of park.

China - One of the oldest houses in the old city of Xizhou

It’s not clear what makes the park so special. If I understand the translated messages correctly, it would have been cheaper or even free if we had booked in advance. We skip the park. We walk back via the other side of the peninsula. This is nice enough as well. On the way back, we pass another temple and visit the courtyard. When we return to the busier part of Xizhou where the shops are, we notice the streets have become much busier. However, the feared crowds do not appear, maybe because of today’s unsettled weather. In a restaurant, we order lunch. Someone apologizes that they don’t have cold beer. They bring a bowl of ice cubes. We order chicken, shrimp, and rice. On the chicken dish, even the head is present—probably to show it was a whole chicken. It’s now three o’clock. I return to the hotel for a break. I update the travel report; I was a bit behind. Early in the evening, we go back into town. The streets are just as busy, and every shop tries to sell something. We pass a food court. I order fried noodles. This turns out to be a tasty choice. There are no alcoholic drinks here, though. At a café further on, we end the evening with a beer.