Am in Fenghuang! Fenghuang is famous throughout China for 2 main reasons. Firstly, its where China's Romeo and Juliet is set. Secondly, it was the last outpost of the Ming Dynasty and beyond here lied the territories of the Zhuang and Miao Peoples. Fenghuang is a touristic town though the crowds are nowhere near as thronging as in Zhangjiajie. It's pretty, but its outskirts really did showcase a poorer side of China. Bus stations have a habit of being in dodgier parts of town, Fenghuang's very much was. The stench of sewage and the site of many decrepid elderly people carrying huge weights on the back measured a stark contrast to the glitzy skyscrapers and empty brand new highways I've seen before.

For me, Fenghuang is a stop over on the journey to Guangxi and the Karst Mountain Scenery there. It's also a place to get a fantastically cheap single room with a very nice double bed! Although Fenghuang is touristic, the touristic centre is focused around the river and the rest of it is very much an authentic Chinese town. It does seem quite poor, it doesn't appear much money trickles away from the night clubs and hotels on the rivers edge. Traditional life is on show, with traditional Miao costumes for sale in shops, whilst old men fish in the river. China has a very outdoor, in the street, kind of culture, people sit out and watch the world go by much moreso than in the west. They also have no qualms about showing you whats for dinner tonight, although I did spot some species of mole like mammal that may or may not be endangered... won't be eating there. The bus across Hunan was also rather odd. The locals had to get the thumbprints taken before they were allowed on the bus, I guess this is connected to the social credit system. The bus, although a public bus, being between two tourist spots sort of doubled up as a guided tour with the bus hostesses giving (loudly in Chinese whilst I was trying to listen to music) information about the history of Fenghuang. The scenery here is not at all tropical, the forest is more of the coniferous type. Undulating hills are dotted with ghost towns and pools of concrete. There was lots of abandoned construction.

Ciao