Huanglongxi Ancient Town

Located 30 km southeast of Chengdu is the ancient town of Huanglongxi, dating back 1700 years. Running alongside a river, this is considered by the Chinese to be a peaceful setting of natural beauty. Our tour guide David told us that many city dwellers come here on the weekends to shop, eat, drink and relax. Plus it's a living soundstage since over 100 period Chinese movies and TV shows have been filmed here.

When we first arrived, this older woman tried to lure us into buying a floral head wreath. Ignoring her as we strolled after our guide, she continued to follow us for a while until we saw others wearing them and thus relented since they were so cheap... the equivalent of about $1 each.

The woman appears to be making a face at us, but the senior's camera started going crazy taking a bunch of pictures while she struggled to figure out what was happening. The wreath peddler thought it was funny. Come to find out, the senior had inadvertently set the timer for multiple shots.

The 6th grader and I were amused by the fun stepping stones to get across the little waterway that ran through the ancient town.

We chanced upon a guy pulling what appeared to be taffy.

I took these from the teen's pic download - it's not a vacay unless we're on the lookout for dogs and photographing them.

How about a little snack?

Or maybe something a bit fresher. Take your pick.

Below are some interesting things we saw while we were strolling through the ancient town, most of which was initially built during the Ming and Qing dynasties that date back to the 14th century.

On our way back to the van, we ducked into a little convenience type store to get something to drink. The girls were fascinated by the Lay's and Cheetos products. The one below was a favorite. I like their concept of truth in advertising - Numb & Spicy Hot Pot Flavor. Don't even consider suing them if your eyes start to water and you can't feel your lips after consuming these spicy chips.