Xiang Cheng

To go to Xiang Cheng from Litang is not so easy. There is no bus so I have to find a minivan that goes there. Some of the drivers speak English, others don’t, but I don’t want to end up somewhere else… Finally there is one who speaks English and who assures me that he’s going to Xiang Cheng and that his brother even has a hotel I can stay in and that he will purchase a ticket for the bus next day to Shangri La. Things often work out better than you expected. And it’s only the start. Suddenly the girl in front of me turns around and invites me for supper. She calls her mother, it’s ok. She hasn’t been home for three months and still she’s so happy when I accept her invitation, her face lights up like a little sunflower. It is one of the best things that happened to me so far. I spend the whole afternoon and evening with Hang Yu and her family. They are adorable! The food is delicious, I drink some more milk tea, eat fruit and pickles. The mother gives me 5 kilos of apples (I wonder how I will carry those to Shangri La) and even bakes a whole bread for my lunch tomorrow. They are afraid I won’t find my hotel so the grandmother grabs my hand and holds it during our whole walk through the city. The hotel is a catastrophe… I even have to hide the ashtray so that the guy with whom I share the room doesn’t smoke inside the room. The toilet door doesn’t close and there are suspicious stains everywhere. Luckily it’s only for one night!