To Pingyao

From one courtyard hotel to another. This morning, I was in the quiet Bamboo Garden Hotel down a narrow Beijing hutong for yet another planning meeting. And this evening, I checked into the Yunjincheng hotel in Pingyao (see left), which is straight out of Zhang Yimou's Raise the Red Lantern. Inbetween which, one hour in a plane, two hours in a car, and half an hour in a little electric buggy - all that's supposedly allowed within Pingyao's ancient walls. I'm here for Pingyao International Photography Festival, and have brought Dominic along for the ride. Liz, the girls and I were here for a weekend last November. Nice to be back. It really is a lovely town. Touristy yes, but not enough to spoil it. And if you deviate from the four main axis, down a labyrinth of hutongs and alleyways, then it's like going back a hundred years.