Dapeng Ancient Town

Today I journeyed out to a Ming-era city about two hours east of Shenzhen called Dapeng Ancient Town (as opposed to the current town of Dapeng, which is referred to as "Dapeng 'Looks Ancient But Is Only A Few Years Old' Town"). Because I believe that it's part of the experience, I decided to take public transportation all the way out to Dapeng. I could have done it in a cab, but spending 2+ hours in a cab just doesn't seem like much fun, although the cost probably wouldn't have been prohibitive.

As it turns out, the bus to Dapeng is not easy to find. I initially took the subway to the main station in Shenzhen – Lo Wu (or Lo Hu depending on who you ask). I had a list of busses that a site online claimed would get me to Dapeng. Only one of these, as it turns out, was available at Lo Wu, so I took it. The Internet lied to me. The #25 doesn't go to Dapeng…it goes back to the Holiday Inn.

An hour later, and I was finally on a bus toward Dapeng. I had initially thought that I would also visit one of the nicer beaches in the area on the way out or back from Dapeng. Xiaomeisha and Daimeisha Beach are both on the way, and Daimeisha even features a big new Sheraton resort. I hopped off the bus at Xiaomeisha, but when I looked down at the beach, it looked like a log had been turned over and millions of ants were scattering off of it. The beach itself looked lovely, but I didn't feel up to that much of my fellow man, so I hopped on the next bus to Dapeng.

I have to mention that the bus ride along the cost was quite beautiful, but it was hard to take in while screaming. If you thought a cab in China was scary, a ride in a bus along a cliff is far worse. At multiple points the road went to one lane, and the busses would play chicken with each other on the cliff. I think I left a little Dapeng in my shorts…if you catch my drift.

Once I reached Dapeng, I realized it was 1:00pm, and there was a KFC staring me in the face. What I've learned on these trips is that I'm a very adventurous eater…for about 3 days. Then I have to take a break and eat something that isn't staring me down. After KFC, I took yet another bus to the Ancient Town.

The ruins of the town are situated within the original four walls and towers, all of which were quite impressive. I was a little disappointed to discover that virtually none of the signs describing the history of the town were in English. This led me to have to do quite a bit of imaginative interpretation, which kept me occupied during my journey. Who knew that the Kongs of Hong could be so unsuccessful in attacking the coast of Dapeng in an effort to steal its vast supply of electric scooters and pointy hats? But I digress.

The most shocking thing about Dapeng was that the walled city is still completely inhabited. In amongst the historic plaques are hundreds of small homes. It was a good reminder of how good we have it back in dear old Indiana. These folks live in places that I wouldn't have guessed were inhabitable, yet the kids were playing in the streets and many of the ladies smiled and waved as they hung their laundry out to dry. The conditions were truly abhorrent, and I read later online that China is trying to figure out what to do with these people who are living in a historical site that the government now wants to restore.

After leaving Dapeng, I made the long journey back to my hotel. After a quick shower and Tsingtao, I walked over to Pizza Hut. That's right. KFC and Pizza Hut in one day. I'll do better tomorrow. The Pizza Hut was actually pretty interesting, in that it bore little resemblance to an American store. The menu was different, the servers were dressed as thought it was a 5 star restaurant, and there were at least 4 servers circling my table at all times…not one with a pierced lip or discernable attitude problem.

Now it's off to bed. Tomorrow I'm going to take it easy. My feet and back have one good long day per weekend, so tomorrow may involve reading a book in a local park. Only three weeks to go…