I couldn't have picked a better place to have 2 layover days. The old section of Lijiang, located in the foothills of the Himalayas, is tranquil and old-fashioned, yet filled with energy and vibrant culture. The 200,000 inhabitants of the village are part of the Naxi (pronounced “Na hee") tribe, one of China’s various minority groups. My favorite aspect of Lijiang is the people. I've already talked about my time with Tom Shi in his art studio, the ongoing jokes with the staff at the guesthouse, the badminton rallies, the home-cooked meals, but the list goes on: Susan from the traditional Naxi restaurant, Lamu from Lamu's House of Tibet, the old lady at the tea store, the guy at the weapon shop (where I got my slingshot), the waitress from the Bistro Well that is yet to get our order right, the random group of Chinese tourists that asked to take their pictures (individually) with me, and the many other faces that have quickly become familiar in a very unfamiliar setting. I spent an hour last night (after badminton) going around with my friend's baby rabbit, asking people, "ni xi huan wo de tu zi ma?" - "do you like my little bunny?" The reactions were priceless. It never got old. There are 2 things I could do without, however: 1) The spitting (if you can even call it that). It's unbelievable the way men and women alike make a loud coughing/choking sound as they summon their phlegm and eject a big wet loogie onto the sidewalk. It's both disgusting and hilarious. 2) The babies relieving themselves in public. Or rather, parents relieving their babies in public. Diapers? What are those? If a baby has to go (number one or two), the mother pulls his/her pants down, lifts the legs over the head, and lets it do its thing...IN PUBLIC!! Other than that, no complaints. After an enormous lunch of Naxi baba (pancake, either salty or sweet), pork roast, and deep fried rice sausage (I passed on the yak meat barbecue and fried dragonfly), I walked around town to take any last photos. Within a few minutes, I found myself in a circle of 40 Naxi grandmothers doing a simple 6-step jig. There was a stereo in the middle blasting a classic Chinese song, and a large crowd of spectators, tourists and locals. These two young girls I had met pulled me into the mix and linked me to an old Naxi lady and an older Naxi lady. They must have been 80, at least. But don't let the wrinkles and hunchbacks fool you - they were gettin' their daily groove on, shaking whatever was under the layers of traditional tribal dress. I could barely keep up. We saved The Naxi Traditional Music Show for our last night in Lijiang. Believe it or not, it's the most popular form of nightlife in the town - an orchestra of 30 old men with beards dangling like plant roots and hair like kiwi fuzz. The founder of the program (now 76) hosted the event, and spent the majority of the 2 hours speaking in Chinese. He said that if he doesn't separate the music with commentary, people leave after the second song. Plus it gives the elderly musicians time to nap. Although he translated bits and pieces into English, he mostly joked around with the Chinese audience. Jamie and I just joined our neighbors in their abrupt outbursts of laughter. As for the music, it was either beautiful or painful. The ancient instruments (those that survived the Cultural Revolution, that is) were fascinating to watch and produced some very unique sounds. They're in the same family as the guitar, flute, drum, etc., but are all just a little bit off. Like the weird aunt. The singing that often accompanied the instruments, however, was not so pleasant. I didn't know such high pitch sounds were humanly possible. I thought a cat was being skinned outside. To sum it up - the past 4 days have been one big Naxi party. But on to the next. Tomorrow morning we go from very rural to very urban, from quiet village to bustling city: from Lijiang to Shanghai...

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