One of the ladies had found out about a traditional housing complex of sorts that was (is?) inhabited by a family clan named Cai. We are not sure if these are the current dwellers or not, but the place was available for self-guided tours once we paid the 15 kuai (about $2.15) entrance fee. We were not sure what to expect...the first point of interest, right inside the walls, was a stone picnic table. As we had just finished our hot, three mile bridge hike, we were ready for some snacks. This is my friend, Amy, who had brought along a chopped salad to share with the group. We sat at the very low table and ate our various crackers and salad and chugged water before venturing further. The one story buildings, all nestled together, were surrounded by a brick wall. There were narrow alleys between some buildings that formed a maze of sorts. I was glad to be here in the daylight!
Down the lane we found a taller picnic set. The big, stone pavers look a lot like the surface of the bridge we just visited!
Inside courtyard of one of the homes. We didn't know if we should go right inside these areas, but there was no one to ask and we had paid our fee so we had a look. Each section seemed to be set up in the same manner with a main gate, courtyard in the middle, temple area to the back and rooms all around the outside. One of the ladies, Katy, is from Taiwan and said her grandparents lived in a place similar to this and that she never liked visiting as a child! It seemed so old-fashioned and rural, I think.
One of the alleys where we saw livestock milling around (if a duck is considered livestock). I guess when a door no longer has a purpose, it is just closed off with brick and mortar.
Time to head back to school after lunch break. I wonder how they felt about us wandering around their home? Perhaps it is now more of a neighborhood than a big, family dwelling but it did seem a little strange to be lurking around.
There were several open wells throughout the area. The big sink/trough in back might be for laundry. Notice the plastic buckets--they must have used wooden barrel buckets at one point.
Fred Flintstone-style barbell found in an alley. Need to have strong muscles to fetch water from the open well.
Random doors that looked cool to me. I peeked in the far window but it was very dark in there. Then I heard a sort of groan like someone was sleeping in there and I didn't peek in any more windows after that!
We climbed some stone stairs to get a better view. Had to duck under the drooping power lines, but the site of the roofs was worth it. It was pretty hot up here so I didn't stay for long.
The alleyways toward the back of the complex had dirt paths and a bit of overgrowth. We just kept walking around, seeing what there was to see. Got lost a few times.
One last hall way, leading out to a wooded area. This village was interesting to see but was a bit lacking since we had no tour guide or map or information of any kind! I'm sure there was much more to learn beyond what we took in with our eyes and cameras, but it was still a worthwhile visit just to see how different some people live.
One of the ladies had found out about a traditional housing complex of sorts that was (is?) inhabited by a family clan named Cai. We are not sure if these are the current dwellers or not, but the place was available for self-guided tours once we paid the 15 kuai (about $2.15) entrance fee. We were not sure what to expect...the first point of interest, right inside the walls, was a stone picnic table. As we had just finished our hot, three mile bridge hike, we were ready for some snacks. This is my friend, Amy, who had brought along a chopped salad to share with the group. We sat at the very low table and ate our various crackers and salad and chugged water before venturing further. The one story buildings, all nestled together, were surrounded by a brick wall. There were narrow alleys between some buildings that formed a maze of sorts. I was glad to be here in the daylight!
Down the lane we found a taller picnic set. The big, stone pavers look a lot like the surface of the bridge we just visited!
Inside courtyard of one of the homes. We didn't know if we should go right inside these areas, but there was no one to ask and we had paid our fee so we had a look. Each section seemed to be set up in the same manner with a main gate, courtyard in the middle, temple area to the back and rooms all around the outside. One of the ladies, Katy, is from Taiwan and said her grandparents lived in a place similar to this and that she never liked visiting as a child! It seemed so old-fashioned and rural, I think.
One of the alleys where we saw livestock milling around (if a duck is considered livestock). I guess when a door no longer has a purpose, it is just closed off with brick and mortar.
Time to head back to school after lunch break. I wonder how they felt about us wandering around their home? Perhaps it is now more of a neighborhood than a big, family dwelling but it did seem a little strange to be lurking around.
There were several open wells throughout the area. The big sink/trough in back might be for laundry. Notice the plastic buckets--they must have used wooden barrel buckets at one point.
Fred Flintstone-style barbell found in an alley. Need to have strong muscles to fetch water from the open well.
Random doors that looked cool to me. I peeked in the far window but it was very dark in there. Then I heard a sort of groan like someone was sleeping in there and I didn't peek in any more windows after that!
We climbed some stone stairs to get a better view. Had to duck under the drooping power lines, but the site of the roofs was worth it. It was pretty hot up here so I didn't stay for long.
The alleyways toward the back of the complex had dirt paths and a bit of overgrowth. We just kept walking around, seeing what there was to see. Got lost a few times.
One last hall way, leading out to a wooded area. This village was interesting to see but was a bit lacking since we had no tour guide or map or information of any kind! I'm sure there was much more to learn beyond what we took in with our eyes and cameras, but it was still a worthwhile visit just to see how different some people live.
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