Day 3: Weishan / Weibaoshan
Another "Shushu" (uncle) picked us up in the morning. As we could barely understand his local dialect, we did not exactly know where he would bring us...
We followed him and found ourselves back in 'Old Town' Weishan. This is truly one of the highlights of our trip. Old Town Weishan is well preserved and surrounded by ancient gates on either side of the main street.
We stopped at a small restaurant where a lot of people where already lining up. Shushu explained that this is the best noodle soup shop in town.
The noodles where freshly made in front of us and the soup was indeed one of the best we have eaten so far - 'hen hao chi'!!!
Weishan feels special... It brought us back to a time, we really enjoyed, but never knew. We are certain that in a few years time, swarms of tourists will discover this place.
Weishan is a city with a rich history reaching back 1300 years. The Drum Tower Gongshenlou, once a gate in the medieval wall, is the second largest in China.
Weishan is home to the minority cultures of Bai, Hui and Yi. We enjoyed the early morning hours when the town was waking up gradually.
Shushu spotted another Weishan delicacy: preserved fruits. The pears were very strong in taste, full of wine vinegar flavors.
In the afternoon, we went to Weibaoshan, a Daoist enclave with 20 temples spread throughout the forested hills. It's a mystic place with great views of Weishan and its surrounding villages...
Weibaoshan is 2509 meters above sea level and its peaks are covered by many rare trees as well as the tallest camellia tree in China.
After an exhausting walk to the peak of the mountain, we drove back to Weishan to have lunch. After Didi finally managed to park the car in a 12m wide parking space, Ayi (our host mother) was determined to eat at a small streetcafe that served Hui (Muslim) food.
The noodles are served cold with tons of chilly on top. After we had our first few bites, we asked for water to cool our tongues. Instead of water, Ayi brought back a huge bowl of vinegar which - according to her - was a great way of refreshing... yami yami!
After lunch Didi pointed to a man near the road that was selling fried potatos and said: This is Weishan's McDonalds... all of us started laughing! 
Afterwards, we drove to Didi's parents which are school teachers in the village. They live in a traditional courtyard style house (the shelter on the right hand side of the entrance is the toilet).
Drinking water comes from a fountain in the courtyard. There was no electricity and the kitchen was a wood stove.
When the women prepared the food, Shushu drove with us to the local school.
The kids stay overnight in small and overcrowded rooms.
Lyn and Didi in the foot steps of 'Yao Ming'...
Back at the family's house, we continued with 'Chi chi He he' which means 'Wining and Dining'. Its a tradition during Chinese New Year where you visit your family and friends. This takes a number of days... multiple times a day!
It was just 2 hours after we had our lunch and our stomachs were still full... but the family was so hospitable and we soon found ourselves sitting around the table in the middle of the courtyard.
The food was interesting, and what looked like worms turned out to be crunchy veggies. Of course, Maotai, the most famous liquor in China could not be missing. With 56% alcohol, another drinking session started... this time already at 3pm in the afternoon.
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