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Published: September 26th 2008
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So much has happened since our last entry. The days merge from one to the next and all of a sudden more weeks have flown by. We had a wonderful Mid Autumn Festival (Moon Festival) as friends from Alaska, also living here, came to visit with their daughter. As they like to hike about, we took our first "check out the neighborhood" walk since arriving. As you can see from the pictures, we are in an older part of Kunming where "urban renewal" has not yet taken hold. In fact, we awake every morning promptly at 6:30 with the many neighborhood roosters crowing their little hearts out. The little street which goes in front of our school's gate, is narrow, winding, and flanked on both sides by stoned in trenches or waterways which carry the aromatic liquid waste from surrounding homes and businesses. As we walked down our street, we found ourselves surrounded by ancient dwellings, some losing their battle with gravity.
Our destination for this walk was an area which would provide access to a climb we have been very interested in taking up the high hills behind our college. We eventually found it, and were surprised to
find a huge temple, park and koi filled pond at its base. The switchback road, lined with bricked walls, which is sort of visible in one of the photos, will offer a wonderful view of Kunming. We decided to wait for another weekend to scale the peak however.
Later that evening we were surprised by a Moon festival show of fireworks not far from our apartment which we viewed from Ya-Li's bedroom. See video one.
About mid week, we again met our Alaska friends to locate and purchase bikes in an area close to the school they teach at. We are so fortunate to have 2 families here, (both with connections to Alaska) who like to hike and bike like us. It did not take long to find the right "rides" (Ya-Li's is bright yellow, and mine baby blue) and soon after we took off on our new purchases, in Kunming rush hour traffic, surrounded by countless other bikers and the silent stealth electric scooters that you cannot hear approaching till it is swooshing past you. There is an interesting dynamic to riding a bike here, as the traffic ebbs and flows, sort of like
a waterway, and as long as you stay loose and ready for any kind of interruption to your forward movement, you can actually stay alive and sort of enjoy the whole process.
The dad of our friends bought a full size bike and as we first departed the bike store, I told Ya-Li, who was riding between me and him, to stick close to him, as we were headed to their apartment, and I had no idea which direction to go. Well fortunately Miss Ya-Li took this to heart, and for the next hour she zigged and zagged, like a skier coming down Eaglecress Mtn in Juneau, and never got more than a heart beat away from his back fender. Several times I lost track of them, as the crowds were difficult to maneuver in, but every time I caught up, there she was, in the number 2 position. I was frankly speechless as I watched her maneuver thru the crowds as she only learned to ride a two wheeler last May!! It was as if she had been born in Kunming.......(oh wait a minute, she was!!!) and doing this all her life. By the time we
had eaten and arrived at our friends apartment complex, it was dark and too late to push on to our side of town. But no worries, our new bikes fold up, so rode out to the main road, hailed a cab, and threw the folded bikes in the trunk. Life is so easy here.
At week's end, we finally arrived at September 20th, a day I will never forget, when 9 year's earlier, Ya-Li was placed in my arms on her first birthday. To celebrate, I decided to book a room at the same Green Lake Hotel where my good friend Alice Goodman and I stayed in 1999. The hotel underwent a major renovation in 2002, and the main entrance now looks out on Green Lake, instead of the other side, where we had entered and exited in '99. But the alley we took a number of times to get down to the lake area is still there!
After checking in, and relaying the reason for our stay to the hotel staff, we took a stroll around. Ya-Li wanted to retrace our many footsteps both within and outside, around the Green Lake area, where
Street view
Our on way back, a young girl was washing the family laundry in this little pool. many small stores of jewelry and local crafts could be found. Alice, if you can believe this, the guy who loaned you that purple raincoat still had his shop there, and I bought some more beautiful wall and table covering fabrics from him. He now has a daugher whom was born in Sept of 2001. We somehow were able to establish this connection, though neither spoke the other's language. I took a shot of his store from the Green Lake shore.
Later in the afternoon our friends from AK again joined us, and we wandered around and within Green Lake, watching and listening to the countless musicians and dancers which took up residence in every nook and cranny along the walkway. I took some video to give you a little taste. After a nice dinner we exited the restaurant into a Kunming wonderland of twinkling lights. See last 2 videos. It sure has changed a lot in 9 years, at least in this downtown area. We even found some gelatto to buy.
Upon our return to the hotel, we found the staff had placed a "memory" crib in our room. At least I hoped
that was why it was there and that I had not left the wrong impression when checking in that I was adopting a child that day. But no, shortly after 3 decked out hotel staff knocked on the door to share a cake, card, and flowers with Ya-Li and sing Happy Birthday. I think she was about speechless. Not having any candles on me, I used a box of matches found in the room to adorn the little cake with 10 match candles and somehow got them all lit without burning the room down. According to Ya-Li, it was her best birthday ever.
Well that about wraps it up for now. We have another week long vacation awaiting us next week, as Monday is China National Day and so good reason for more time off. We are thinking of going to Lijiang, about 10 hours NW of here by bus or train. Will fill you in on details on our return.
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