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China: Kaifeng: Nontouristic Experiences
Published: 8.2.2014
We loved Kaifeng from the very beginning. Well, not actually, no. Because I was snorted over the fact that they even hadn’t swept up the room when the previous guests left.
After while you just become reconciled with such marginal things. 
Moreover, we were very hungry. We did not go far, just across the street to one of the obscure streets, and chose the least conspicuous tiny restaurant. And as it turned out, we did well. Lady with large roundish glasses made each of us a bowl of noodles for six yuans. Or rather a big bowl. A soup with a lot of other ingredients that we enthusiastically throughout lunch appeared. After a closer look around, we noticed that the restaurant is a place where the lady behind the curtain lives. She was still smiling, running around, we wondered if we all really need so many things. It would be nice to replace material things for smiles..
During our reflection we slowly finished and it was time to pay. Nice lady did not know how much the noodle cost, and so it was hilarious dialogue. I'll try to reconstruct at least a little of our dialogue:
We: „May we pay?“
Nice lady: „How much it is? Look in the menu.“
We: „Twelve. We do not have small change. Is it ok? “
Nice lady: „It does not matter, get some change there in a drawer.“
So much of an example of our fruitful conversation. Sometimes it does not hurt instead of visiting the magnificent temple wander into one of the narrow streets where tourists have no reason to go…
That day really was not at all typically touristic. There were two mosques close to the restaurant of the nice lady. In one of the mosques, two elderly Huis who talked with us about the Czech Republic and about other places. Other Huis invited us for a food.
Although we have not seen any monument, but it was a rest for us, a rest from the frowning faces. We have seen faces that are lit on the contrary, when they saw a foreigner - an opportunity to get rich! Again we met some nice people and travel was just more fun. However, we are now in the evening after returning to the room honestly seek the sights that we want the next day to visit.
Text/photo: Hana Bašová
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