Blogs from Yunnan, China, Asia - page 13

And so from the magnificence of Tiger Leaping Gorge, it was a 2.5h bus ride further north to my last stop in northern Yunnan. With time running out on my visa, I'd previously wondered whether I should even come this far, as it would entail having to take a (relatively) more expensive flight back to Kunming, before racing down to the border with Vietnam. But with a name like Shangri-la, how could you not go? Historically known as Zhongdian, the local government decided to rename the city after the mythical paradise of James Hilton's novel, which was set to the east of Tibet, in hopes of tourism spin-offs. And how has it worked. Shangri-la has very quickly become a sort of mini-Lijiang, with its restored and clean Old Town featuring the obligatory hodge-podge of restaurants, guesthouses, ... read more

Did somebody say "tourists"? It was a 3.5h bus ride from Old Dali to Lijiang, another city with a distinctive ancient, labyrinthine portion in the centre. But if Dali is laid-back, hippie and bohemian, then Lijiang is its noisy, restored, main-stream counterpart. Arriving close to the country's national day holidays certainly didn't help, as the maze-like narrow streets of Old Lijiang were packed from dawn to dusk. A Unesco World Heritage site, with the imposing Jade Dragon Snow Mountain as backdrop, Lijiang has been more than discovered by domestic tourists. Its restored streets and traditional buildings are filled with cafes, restaurants, souvenir shops, bars, guesthouses, banks, tour agencies, you name it. And this weekend, it almost seemed like all of China must have been in Lijiang! It's still a pretty place though, notwithstanding the crowd, which ... read more

And so after that brief one week transit in Laos, and another 7h bus ride later, I say hello to the Middle Kingdom. Crossing the Boten-Mohan border, it became apparent very quickly that I'd entered another country. Gone were the quiet small-laned streets and rural backdrops. Enter large, super-highways, flanked by equally imposing but tackily opulent buildings. Yes, welcome to China, centre of the ongoing Asian economic miracle. And my first stop was Jinghong, the capital of the Xishuangbanna region in Yunnan province, in the far southwest of this large country. Despite it being very much a secondary city, it could hardly be more different from my last stop in Laos. Bustling, with lots of people. LOUD-talking people (we are in China after all), many conversing in what I presume to be some kind of Yunnanese ... read more

From the Kunming Airport I wrote the following: It all got official with my booking of the tickets in the beginning of May. I rigorously searched for the right times and prices after finally deciding on a program. Since then it's been excitement and disbelief. I don't have words for my feeling toward this land. I think about setting foot there and I think about breathing in the air of it and whatever feeling this is, it's strong. It takes my beath away. I feel like I have to be there. I want-in my deep heart place-to be there, but I feel like it's more than a want. It just has to happen. It feels like this is big. In definite ways it's important-significant just because I am doing what I want. There's no more to ... read more

Hey all! I forgot to mention something. I am on Yahoo Messenger pretty much all the time. My username is erin.woodmancy. Would love to chat!... read more