A late morning
After an amazing lie in until 11am, we got our heads together and tried to devise today’s plan. There were a couple of museums in the city which were free to enter, so we stuck them on the agenda. Maps said it should take an hour or so to get there, so that would utilise some of our time. For tonight we thought we’d scour the streets for a night club or two. The pair of us wanted to see what the night life is like around here.
We got ready and headed out of the hotel. Whilst out searching for breakfast, we managed to acquire some delicious pastries. I can’t get enough of them. They never disappoint me, and they’re so cheap. I get the best of both worlds. Beats beef noodles any day of the week! When we finished breakfast, we decided to drop by the clothes shop and pick our gear up. Worryingly the shop was closed, it was midday too, so it’s not as if it was too early/late.
To the Museum
As we had plenty of daylight left, we decided to walk to the museum. The walk was about an hour, and we walked through the streets of Taiyuan. As we walked I was keeping an eye out for any location where a night club could be found. But there wasn’t too much that stuck out. Today was pretty hot, no breeze, and quite hazy/smoggy.
The city that we walked through was nothing special. It seemed to be a pretty standard city with nothing alluring to it. I suppose not every city can be a super star. A couple of miles would usually have been nothing, but with the heat on our backs and our legs still recovering from Hua Shan, it was a little more difficult than usual.
Shanxi Museum
As mentioned before, it was free to get in. I can’t resist a bargain, even if it turns out to be boring. Thankfully, however, it wasn’t actually boring. The museum was predominantly about the history and culture of the Shanxi province. There were loads of exhibits which showcased relics and artefacts from thousands of years ago. What surprised me more, was an entire section/floor dedicated to the Incan civilisation. Out of every civilisation that’s existed, the Incan civilisation is perhaps the one I’d expect the least. The tools and artefacts were actually fascinating.
After this museum, we went to the main hall. This mainly showed the growth of China/Shanxi province in terms of economics, population, industrialisation etc. There was also a large section of how the civilisation within Shanxi region had evolved over time, going back thousands of years. The creatures of present and past were also showcased here. All in all, it was a very worthy visit, especially because it was free.
For more info on the Shanxi Museum click here.
Returning to base
After a few hours at the Shanxi Museum, we began our walk back to base. The temperature was a bit cooler now, as we were heading into the evening. It was still quite a long walk though, tired me out at least! When we got back we checked on our washing, and thankfully the shop was open. We took our clothes gratefully, but vowing never to make that same mistake again. After getting our clothes, we just chilled in the room for a bit to recover from the long day.
The pair of us headed out nearby to grab some food as it had been a long day, and we’d not had much food. As per usual, we just pointed at the various pictures of food around the shop and hoped for the best. We did manage to get something resembling sausage rolls, so that was a bonus. The food, as is so often, was spot on again. On the way back we picked up a bottle/can or two of beer (as close to cider as we could) before heading out to a night club. Neither of us like the taste of beer, so it was consumed with a sour look on our faces.
Hitting the town
After having a couple of beers of our own, and playing a few rounds of cards, we headed out in search for a night club/bar. We had quite a walk as we were following Apple maps again. Apparently there was nothing in our area that was open. After half an hour or so, we came to a strip which had lots of lights and some music. Maps tried to take us up a dodgy alleyway, but after a dead end we hastily returned to the street. We finally managed to enter a night club after I noticed the lit up sign down a side street.
It was nice to let loose for once, and to just sit down, have a drink, and not have to think about what’s happening next. The place was reasonably quiet in terms of people, but it was Thursday, so not too surprising. The night club was unique in that it had 10s of fridges stocked full of beers and ciders from around the world. You choose what you like, pop it in a basket/trolley, then pay at the till. Works pretty well to be fair. After a couple of hours and numerous beers, we decided to head back to the hotel. When I got in, I promptly fell asleep.
Check out our culture trip in Guiyang to the Qingyan Ancient Town.
