We always enjoy seeing what’s on offer at local markets, so one morning, we followed women toting backpacks toward the enormous daily open-air emporium.

The produce looked fantastic, worthy of Whole Foods, with a local flavor – like these bales of hot peppers and chicken – sold live, of course, for maximum freshness. Next to the animals a squad of butchers stood, cleavers at the ready, to kill and dress your purchase for about RMB 1.

Other things were definitely NOT on any American menu we’ve ever seen (yes, those are dogs -- to eat -- on the left. Who knows what the gray stuff is?!).

I was pleased to see yak milk cheese, but after a close sniff, decided that photographing it would be sufficient, even for me.

Our only purchase was a Naxi costume, found at a shop on one of the market lanes. This was the only place in town we found selling Naxi garb; the many Yunnan costume stores in Lijiang actually sell the costumes of the minorities who live further south, in Yunnan’s jungle regions bordering Thailand, Burma and Vietnam. Bursting with colorful embroidery and laden with silver ornamentation, the costumes of the Miao and Dai people are what most people think of when they mentally picture “Yunnan minority” clothes.

But we are purists: we only want to buy the costume of the region we visit, so we were pleased to find this store, where Miranda was outfitted in the dark-red vest and other ornamentation of a young Naxi woman.

A fitting purchase, indeed!

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