While fellow-travellers headed down to the main drag to fill their morning bellies with familiar comfort food, I headed off to watch the old market square coming to life. The locals were drinking tea from their own tea jars, and feeding on soup and dumplings bought, freshly-made, from traders on the market. So I set off to find out where it was all coming from and to investigate the fare that was on offer. It was amazing! Soup (I passed on that for breakfast, although it is a staple for many Chinese at breakfast time), heaps of fried things that looked suspiciously like some former insect, various vegetable dishes… the variety was amazing, and stood in stark contrast to the stands that were opening around, and which were clearly catering for a tourist clientelle.

I opted for a savoury dumpling, the size of a large fist, that could have been filled, for all I know, with some of those insect-resembling dishes. I don’t care. it was delicious and warming and filling… just the thing to be munching in the early morning sunshine while watching others hard at work. It cost so little that they practically paid me to eat it: probably around 20 cents. Yummy! I did relent and have a less-than traditional coffee in a bar on the square that enabled me to continue my surveillance of Naxi salespeople setting up their colourful stalls. A lucky move as it turned out, as I met there a really nice French woman, also on her own, with whom I went off cycling that day.

Theme: Local
Address: In the old market square
Directions: Just follow the crowds of locals, or close your eyes and follow the smell of fresh food. No vocabulary needed - just point, look puzzled and laugh along with the locals!
Other Contact: I don’t think they had a phone!

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