Lost In Time

A relative of mine once visited Lianga after having been out of the country for sometime. After I gave him a quick tour of the town, he turned to me and said, "You know what? Somethings have changed here since I left. But it is still the same Lianga I remember." I could not have agreed more.

There is something timeless about old towns like Lianga. It is not that change has passed it by. It has tried to keep up with the world but there is a feel about it that has remained constant.
Perhaps it is the old houses in many parts of the town that still stand defying time or the same familiar landmarks that seem to have always been there. Or perhaps it is the seeming slow pace with which life in the town is lived and the air of predictability and constancy with which events seem to unfold and happen. Maybe it is the langour and the sense of listlessness that permeates the streets. Or maybe it is the combination of all these and something more.

Some say that Lianga is blessed and that it is this timelessness that makes Lianga special. I happen to agree with that observation. But it is also true that while it is indeed a blessing, it also happens to be a curse.