Recovering from Huangshan

The day after making the descent from the summit of Huángshān 黄山, my wife and I were both paying the price, physically speaking (Pamela more so than me). Our daughter, of course, wasn't feeling any ill effects from the five-hour, 15-kilometer (9.3 miles) walk and was her usual 元気 self. We'd spent the night in Túnxī 屯溪, an old trading town that's now part of the city called Huangshan 黄山市. While Tunxi District itself is as bland as any other urban Chinese area, Old Street 老街, with its wooden shops and Ming dynasty-style Huīzhōu 惠州 buildings proved to be an interesting spot to decompress after the hike and before the long drive back to Shànghăi 上海.

We arrived in Tunxi on Monday night (Columbus Day), and after parking the car, checking in to our hotel and having dinner, took a walk (or in my wife's case, limped) along Lăo Jiē:

A number of shops were selling inkstones and brushes:

Although it was an ordinary Monday evening (for the Chinese), the bars and restaurants were active:

Several visitors stopped to photograph this shop selling medicinal herbs:

Before turning in for the night, we wandered over to the Xīn'ān River for a look:

We stayed at the Tunxi Lodge 屯溪客栈, located near the western end of Old Street. The traditionally styled room was comfortable:

Looking down onto Old Street from our window:

Tunxi Lodge from the street:

Following breakfast and checkout, it was back onto Old Street for another stroll:

Over at the river, laundry was getting done: 

Pamela did some shopping, picking up an old picture book:

A couple of tourists watch a quartet of locals playing mahjong on a side street:

My daughter poses in front of one of the restored buildings:

My wife shops for some spices. Pamela loves food that's spicy (but only if it's Chinese):

This interesting-looking building is a private museum displaying traditional Huizhou furniture. Unfortunately, we didn't take the time to go inside for a look:

Continuing our walk along Old Street:

Lunch, and another local beer. All the brews we sampled on this trip were OK, but pretty weak, with an alcohol content averaging just around 2.5%:

Amber at the end of (actually, the official entrance to) Old Street:

Pamela does some last minute shopping (this time for tea) before going back to our car and making the five-hour drive back to Shanghai (with your humble scribe behind the wheel the entire time):