A walking tour of Xingyi

My mum always said that running is the best way to discover the ins and outs of a new area, and I whole-heartedly believe her. There is something about foot traffic, pedestrian pursuits, that allows you to gain a fuller expereience of an area. For starters, I suppose, you are not in the bubbled, enclosed, airconditioned atmosphere of a four-whevehicle. Secondly, you're moving at your pace, slowing when you want to see something, and speeding up when you want to escape the fumes of a street vendor's wares. Lastly, when you run, or in my case briskly walk, you can go pretty much anywhere. Humans are built for long walks, and the world around us is built to be walked upon.

I have been exploring Xingyi mostly by foot, for the idealic reasons above as well as the practical reasons enforced by the PC and the environment. I can't ride my bicycle until I recieve my PC issued helmet, I can't ride a motorcycle at all due to PC safety standards, and I can't communicate with taxi cab drivers well enough to get anywhere in a decent amount of time and for a decent amount of money. Long story short, walking is a great last resort.

A few days ago I grabbed my camera, my money, and my aviators as I headed out for a walk. The skies were semi blue, and I hoped to get up to a park in the middle of the city that would afford some good views of the surrounding area. Xingyi has a few parks, and this one is by far may favorite. Its a limestone peak, not a mountain and not a hill, in the middle of the city. Its rather developed, with terraces, wide staircases, two pagodas, something that looks like an abandoned temple, and small grove of statues commemorating (I think) influential Chinese individuals. The photo to the right shows some of those statues, with the nicer of the two pagodas in the background, and a lollipop salesperson in the foreground.

The pagoda was really neat, to use a worn colloquialism. Its three stories tall, with a steep spiral staircase acting as its spine. Every inch that isn't covered in terra cotta tiles is decorated in vivid geometric hand painted designs. Very cool. Furthermore, the pagoda reaches up over the treetops are offers a five view of parts of the city. The pictures below show the view and the designs, respectively.