Our time in the tourist mecca of Lijiang was dominated by the irrepressible Mama Naxi. The Naxi people are a proud ethnic minority known for their traditionally matriarchal society, and the dynamic mama runs a legendary hostel. She invited all her guests to her son's wedding.
The happy couple greeted us with gifts of sweets for the ladies and cigarettes for the gentlemen, all served on beds of lettuce.
The whole community was invited so we ate quickly at one of several sittings. Over-sized stork costumes, an apparently stoned dongba priest and a dead hog in a ribbon quietly rotting in the corner - it was all a peculiar affair.
Afterwards there was plenty of time for guests to relax over smoky games of Chinese chess and mahjong.
The happy couple greeted us with gifts of sweets for the ladies and cigarettes for the gentlemen, all served on beds of lettuce.
The whole community was invited so we ate quickly at one of several sittings. Over-sized stork costumes, an apparently stoned dongba priest and a dead hog in a ribbon quietly rotting in the corner - it was all a peculiar affair.
Afterwards there was plenty of time for guests to relax over smoky games of Chinese chess and mahjong.
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