Fenghuang

We arrived in Fenghuang in the afternoon. After asking for directions to old town we finally arrived at our destination. Old town is a strange place, with ancient buildings facing the Tuo River and a labyrinth of countless small streets. We found a great hotel room with a balcony overlooking the river. As the sun set, neon lights lit up the whole town, creating a peculiar mix of the ancient and modern. The streets were filled with loud Chinese karaoke songs and dance music. Miao people sit on the sidewalks selling traditional crafts and the streets are full of small shops selling absolutely everything you can imagine. 

After the first night, we woke up to pouring rain and thunder. We had a late breakfast, waiting for the skies to clear up. The whole rest of the day was spent walking around old town discovering one intriguing back alley after another. You can easily spend a whole day just wandering around, shopping, eating at street food stands and marvel over the unique architecture. We spent a fun night out barhopping from one unique bar to another. Most of them barely standing on wooden poles. As the only westerners here we quickly attracted attention wherever we went. Everyone wanted to talk to us, take pictures with us and even the performing artists would give shout outs to us. This just exemplified the typical Chinese hospitality. After a great night we headed back to our hotel.