Pool Table at the Zhengjia International Youth Hostel 郑家客栈
By the time I arrived at Pingyao town it was already past three in the afternoon. It was wet and raining here. There was some confusion where we were supposed to get off. It turns out that everyone needed to get off the bus. The entrance for the historic town was nearby. There was a trishaw driver who asked if I wanted a lift to Pingyao. He asked me if I had any reservations and I answered yes, even though I don’t have one, knowing that they will most probably try to sell me some expensive place to stay in. He seemed disappointed but he asked me several times again, no use asking if I already made reservations, right?
Deserted Streets of Pingyao Ancient Town 平遥古城
It took me a while to orient myself as the first order of business was to find a place to stay the night. I only had a small pack with me as I left most of my stuff at the hostel in Beijing. My target was this stretch along Yamen Street which was one of the more significant streets in the town. It was here that I saw the Zhengjia International Youth Hostel which was a member of the Hostelling International group of hostels. The hostel was quite attractive with the building itself being part of the UNESCO world heritage site. The design of the hostel kept with the theme of the town, and it really seemed like a great place to stay at.
Attractive Courtyard at Zhengjia International Youth Hostel 郑家客栈
The problem was that the staff of the hostel didn’t seem to be particuarly friendly and seemed un-interested when dealing with customers. Maybe it was the ones they hired at that time where they were quite confused when dealing with foreigners. There was a far more popular guesthouse across the hostel and they didn’t seem to feel the competition coming from that place. They also didn’t seem to have a photocopy machine and needed to bring my passport somewhere else. It kept me worried with the passport out of my hands as I also have it on my person whenever I go abroad.
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