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Published: June 26th 2010
Everything about getting to China had been difficult. Obtaining a visa, changing money, and even finding the border. However, entering the country was blissfully stress free. We breezed past customs without the least bit of hassle, most officials more laidback than anywhere else we have been. Our James Bond-esque (well Hannah's) attempt at covering our Lonely Planet China book, which now went by the name of 'Rebecca's Choice', went unnoticed. Apparently customs have been known to confiscate Lonely Planet book's that show Taiwan as a seperate country, but who would check two smiley faces like us hey?
We set our clocks an hour ahead (now seven ahead of England) and booked tickets for the 8pm sleeper bus to Kumming, further north of Yunnan Province. We had around four hours to wait and so spent the time sampling our first Chinese food and beer, both cheap and tasty. Soon after boarding the bus we realised it was going to be a long one. The old chug-along had worn out beds (if you can call them that), no a/ c and plenty of smoking locals on board.
It was, as we had expected, a sleepless journey that went from the hot
of Hekou to the cold of Kunming. At first I thought the cold was due to it being 4am when we arrived but no this was glove and hat weather, and it lasted. Travelling South East Asia for eight months had numbed us to the perals of cold and with our toes poking out from our flip flops we were unprepared.
Coming to any new country or city can be a challenge before you get used to the language and the transport systems. We had our phrasebook but any attempt at speaking Chinese was met with bafflement before, with the aid of charades, they grasped what we had said and then repeated exactly what we had said whilst pointing to the bus. Frustrating!
It took four buses, in various directions, and a helpful student of English for us to get to the main bus station where we booked another overnight bus to Lijiang. It was a whirlwind but we had places to see and China is a big country, what look like short distances on a map can actually take twelve sleepless hours on a bus.
With our bags stored at the bus station and some appropriate
clothing on we headed out into a city that struck me as remarkably quiet. The buzzing sounds of mopeds that greeted us in every city in Vietnam had been replaced by a low murmur. There was no less traffic but the mopeds and buses were all electric which was great for the environment and our ears butmade crossing the road trickier.
We wandered around the streets, most shutters still down over shops and cafes not yet open, until we came across a teahouse. When in China hey. It was a quaint, traditonal teahouse with private, curtained booths and cushioned benches. Where better to have tea or so we thought. The smiley owner bought us the menu which, of course, was all in Chinese script with only the numbered prices fathomable. It all looked a bit expensive so we pointed to two cheaper options on the menu thinking any tea would be good. The owner spent the next five minutes or so preparing the drinks and in anticipation of some proper Chinese tea he presented us with a Pepsi and Orange Juice. We assumed it would all be tea on the menu being in a teahouse but no. There was
nobody there drinking tea and so we couldn't point and nod and instead had to revert to the LP phrasebook. It said 'Hongcha' meant black tea and after a few attempts we were understood. Jeez how many Englishmen does it take to order tea in China? The tea that eventually came was delicious in a way that could never be described of other tea I have had. We drank from tiny flower glasses from a constantly refilled pot. This was more like it. The twist in the tale came with the bill which was a litle over £7. We later found out that 'Hongcha' actually means red tea which explains it's deliciousness and price.
We stayed away from tea the rest of the day and explored some very cool streets lined with boutique shops and quirky cafes. After lunch at a busy noodle restaurant we stopped for the day at a bar where even we couldn't go wrong ordering beer.
The sleeper bus that evening was better and we managed to sleep despite the bumpy, moutainous roads. I awoke at around 2am to see the driver open the hatch, where our bags were, and pull out four caged
dogs which he delivered to a waiting man. Han did say she heard barking when we had got on the bus which I thought was just a ringtone. China certainly is interesting and that's before I mention the toilets.
We arrived so early at Lijiang's bus station in Northern Yunnan that the driver and all it's passengers remained on board for another two hours in mercifully motionless sleep. The town of Lijiang is home to the Naxi people who descend from ethnically Tibetan Qiang tribes and lived, until recently, in matrilineal families. Although rulers were generally male the women maintained control over relationships, children, all property and any disputes. So it was no surprise that we were lead to Mama Naxi's G.H. This Mama has gained legendary status amongst travellers whom she has taken under her wing and she certainly lived up to her reputation. Her croaky voice and little English was used to full effect as she ran the show, doing everything from organising treks to serving free tea (luckily for us). We soon booked a room for the night, she gave us little choice in the matter.
The early morning streets of Lijiang were a pleasure
to behold. Old Naxi women, distinct by their blue and black robes, carried baskets full of vegetables down a cobbled street whilst another woman washed her clothes in an ancient well. Traditionally the wells would be split into three pools; one for drinking, one for washing vegetables and the other for clothes. Feeling hungry we entered a small restaurant serving steamy broths to it's cold customers. We tried the local Baba, a type of flat bread mixed with egg, rolled up around pickled vegetables with a sour sauce.
We continued to snack our way through the cobbled streets, not yet greeted by the tourists hordes. The cool air and wholesome food had seduced us into gently ambling through the traffic free streets of this Unesco World Heritage Site, and what a place to be. Tiled roofs arched across the gradient skyline mirrored by the bridges that crossed the gently trickling canals. Chinese lanterns gave light to the morning grey and lead to the main square where locals got in shape with Tai Chi.
Lijiang's ethereal beauty is also it's downfall as more tourists come to suckle it's charm. The amount of shops and restaurants that line the streets
is evidence of this. However, when the tour groups came it merely encouraged more exploration of quiet back lanes where we could admire yet more 'Chinglish' street signs, such as 'Safe and civilized are golden', 'Deep love of the ancient city, careful thought of fireproofing' and even more bizarre ones. Tourism is big here but the town still retains it's enchanting aura.
Our day of culture was enhanced with a visit to a tea shop selling the local Pu'er tea which, in large densly compacted circles, looked like it should be illegal. We examined the different tea's before the friendly owner offered us a tasting. This time there was no Pepsi in sight, only a selection of black, green and red tea from Lijiang which she served to us with great ceremony. Each tea was washed three times before being served in a shot glass which was passed to us using tweezers so as not to burn her fingers. This is how tea should be drunk!
It was a cold and rainy evening in Lijiang from which we sheltered at a hole in the wall restaurant serving steamy dumlpings and stomach warming plum wine. Live music at 'Freshnams
Bar' drew us in to the warm once more where a father/son team, who had just been eating in our restaurant, were playing. We sat in happy contentment as the waiter served us beer and complimentary popcorn, whilst the flamenco guitarist strummed and the house kittens purred on our laps. Then Mama Naxi came into the bar and told us it was time to go home.
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Josho
non-member comment
Great Pics
Hi Guys, just caught up on them all - your writing gets better and better , each one is a well structured story which sucks us all in. Your pictures are amazing and this trip must be empowering you with a degree of cultural empathy and understanding of lives rarely achieved by others. I am pleased for you that you seek to tread a less worn path and seem to have much fun and confidence in what you do. Enjoy having our "olds" with you for the next bit - keep the stories coming - I live vicariously through you. x