Our ancient guest house in Pingyao

This is where we stayed on our way home to Xi'an. The ancient town of Pingyao. We drove through mountains and plains-- 650 kilometers down 650 to go.

We had made a reservation online but something fishy was up when we go to the wall of the ancient part of the city. A 'guide' met us at the south gate and told us we had to leave our car in the parking lot outside the wall. An eight-seater electric cart was to take us to the hotel. This was all very odd to us and it was freezing when we piled our overnight stuff and valuables into the open-air cart. The topper came just as we were about to set off and they asked for 40 RMB about seven dollars to take us to the guest house. We all bailed on them and XD had more than few choice swear words -- oh my, he was pissed. They cut the fee to 20 RMB and then it was free. We were all tired and not about be taken advantage of so we got back in our own vehicles and just ignored the signs at the city gate that banned cars. There were plenty of others doing the same. Good thing we were driving SUV's. It was quite an adventure driving the narrow alleys -- the walled-city planners of the day could never have imagine our little group.

We soon enough found a delightful courtyard/guest house. Of course it had been renovated and restored but I'm sure it was the real thing. It was likely built 50 generations ago by a merchant family. It was half the cost of our reserved room, at $20.

The four-and-half of us walked the cobbled street in the dark and stopped at the tiniest, localist dinner we could find. No more driving meant XD and I could enjoy a beer and some bijiu. It was a great meal even though the only heat was from a coal-burning heater in the middle of the four-table restaurant.

Outside the city wall is a dreey, grungy industrial town, but Pingyao has preserved the past. You can wander through alleys and courtyard museums, but there's little recorded history. No one really seems to know the past here. It's all about tourism. It might be better in the summer but it's not much more than a solid shell and a trap.

Why would the guesthouse with the fancy website and online reservations screw us around like that? They let $100 slip through their fingers. I've got to alert Lonely Planet.