We travelled the 88 km from Wuyuan to Huangshan City by taxi. We'd planned to take the train but would have taken quite a bit longer, the train was only about £10 cheaper, and meant I got to experience the longest road tunnel I’ve been in for a while at 3.7 km. However, now I've googled 'longest road tunnel in the world, this is tiny and doesn't appear in the top 172 according to Wiki.
Our accommodation in Tunxi, part of Huangshan City, was in the old quarter. We enjoyed strolling up and down Tunxi Old Street which is, apparently, one of the best preserved old streets in China in the style of the Southern Song (960 - 1127), Ming (1368 - 1644) and Qing (1644 - 1911) Dynasties. It is sited at the junction of two rivers and the whole area is in a shape of fish (not sure if by luck or design). It has 18 small alleyways and more than 300 old buildings. It is full of tourist shops all selling very similar goods - cookies, art materials, antiques - repeat. There were also a couple of Russian shops for some reason.
We found a pleasant enough spot for lunch and were amused that two of the dishes we ordered were carried up from a restaurant down the road. It’s as if they pool their kitchen resources, each cooking different dishes, and carrying them to whichever restaurant needed them. No wonder they all had the same menus!
We walked down to Cheng's Families House. It is an original Ming Dynasty three family dwelling in the midst of the Luckin Coffee and KFC shops. They have exquisite wood carvings, stone carvings and brick carvings.
Again, you can see how these houses, designed as safe enclosures, collected and retained rain water through their skywells. It was all quite interesting but we'd just come from an area where these were all over the place.
This sign, and its translation in my app, amused me.
My sunglasses had broken on Sanqishan Mountain so we went on a hunt. Shopping with me is a bit of a chore as I know exactly what I want but also like a bargain - they rarely coincide. After far too much trawling I gave up finding a decent pair and just settled for cheap and nasty, 10 Yuan (£1.10). And a pingu coffee from Luckin.
Much to rolling of eyes from JC I do insist on touristy photos.
The umbrellas and lanterns make streets beautiful.
We strolled by the river at sunset. It was good to have a relaxed day - tomorrow another mountain trip loomed (exciting stuff).
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