5. A stroll through the riverside town of ChiZhou


ChiZhou's bustling shopping strip

Day 5 - 

For various reasons, about twelve of the passengers opted to skip the side trip to HuangShan. Bill, who doesn't do well with heights, tram-rides and such, was among them. 

ChiZhou, pronounced tser'jo, is located just south of the Yangtse. It is a relatively small town. Also, it seemed to very poor. A small local bus was hired to take us into town. It was probably 15-20 years old ... a bit dingy, though not banged up. No sign of carpeting on the floor ... just bare whatever. And the windows have never been washed ... ever!

After a bumpy ride of about a mile or two over poorly maintained roads, our bus dropped us off at the main crossroads in ChiZhou. Our small group of twelve or so proceeded toward the East, following the guide provided the ship. He seemed to know half of the people in town and, whenever we lost sight of him, we found him having a friendly talk with one of the locals.

The shops in this block seemed to be little more than display tables and racks set up next to the buildings. Perhaps some of them actually extended into the buildings. What did they do with all of this merchandise at the end of the day? 

Bill wasn't looking to buy anything. Just as well -- he was carrying very little money. 

One of the first things that caught his eye ... sitting in an entranceway between the shallow shops was a woman with a small child. He stopped and snapped a picture. He hadn't noticed when he framed the shot that a man from the group had moved in closer to wave at the child. It did little to entertain the child, but the woman seemed to like the attention.

Children steal the show

We sauntered down the street ... some of the others fingering everything on display. Bill took notice of the array of products on display ... shoes, dresses, pants for ladies and children ... several places offered food, one sold fried bread, similar to that of the Indians in New Mexico. 

Right in the intersection of the next street, there was a tinker. He made pots, pans, milk-cans, etc. His only tools were tin shears, a crimper and a soldering iron. The quality of his work was amazing.

Also right in this intersection ... a leather craftsman. He made belts ... all under 200 yuan. But there was a heck of a gap between his longest ... about 32 ... and what Bill wears.

It was pretty much the same going back on the other side of the street ... different faces, all smiling warmly ... always selling, but much the same merchandise.

When we returned to the crossroads, our guide told us to continue to the next corner where our bus would pick us up. The shops in this block, on both sides of the street, seemed to be more like our traditional stores ... signs in front, though nothing resembling neon lights. You'd expect it to be cleaner, but it wasn't. In fact, at the fish store, they were washing them in a dishpan on the sidewalk ... it was almost sickening.

All made by hand with basic tools

Bill's perception was that the ladies were friendlier ... maybe because he always had a smile for them. Close to the corner where we were to be picked up, two very pretty teen-aged girls passed. One saw Bill's camera and indicated that she would like for him to take her picture. Bill was happy to take her picture ... but when she held out her hand for money, he was embarrassed. The custom of tipping may be catching on in China, especially in the tourist areas.

We stood on our corner for fifteen minutes or so waiting for our bus. It finally showed up. We all loaded on ... but then, the motor died and the driver couldn't get it started again. So we all had to get off while a group of locals, men and women, gave the bus a push to get it started again.

On the ship, Bill waited in the lounge for the HuangShan group to return. By this time, he had become well-acquainted with the crew-members who worked in the bar. They could speak only enough English to do their jobs ... and Bill couldn't even get out a 'ni hao' ... but they were learning.

At dinner, it was like Virginia and Bill had returned from different worlds. The pictures each took seem to prove that.

One of two beautiful ChiZhou teens poses

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