Banna impression - Magele Festival of the Kemu people

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wasn't the road had been upgraded after Jiangcheng? but it still need 8 hours to get to Mengla. said it was traffic control that the bus not allow arrive Mengla before the designated hour, so....we stop for breakfast, stop for lunch, stop for pee and stop for whatever please the driver. in fact...it was ok with me as I can got out to stretch my leg often, it was a released because I got my back-pain again lately. Mengla town spreading longer each time I came visit. a new section further south will be the local government headquarter later. and from 2013 the new bus station also settle there, although far but no more rushing between north and south station in the future. Choose Mengpeng to hangout for a few days, no particular reason only because there wasn't any info and I'd never been there before...wasn't it good enough for a reason? A simple and plain town...or to be accurate....ugly! The surrounding....typical Banna scene. gum tree, banana, corn, sugar cane, pepper.....layer and layer of these vagetation unfolded from each direction, lush and fertile. and of course...temple！in between the green popped the tile-roof of traditional Dai houses. all Dai villages were nicely built, clean and tidy. I would say the people here were rich, at least not poor! Mengla is a market free county, I was kind of a lost soul here without oreination. Nanla river is the main waterway in Mengla area. but there many trap for fish in the river. I wondered if there are any fishes left. I guess people are just so greedy！landscape here is flat and uninteresting. still...I made an efford to do some walk, but all trail accessed by car as well, and dogs in this area are rather fierce, they came to challenge you even walking on the main road. At least the weather is good. just look at what kind of climate you got in another part of the world...freezing cold！I should be glad right here in this area....well...I am wearing short and T-shirt. Finally got to Nanqian village for the Magele festival from the Kemu people. Kemu people are immigrated from Laos，the small number of people live in couple of villages along the border in Banna region. they probably has their own costume and langauge back in Laos but here...they dress like the Dai and speak like the Dai. and to be able to labled their idenity on the ID card. the Chinese government put them under the group of Bulang. anyway...what is Magele festival？ festival for a plenteous harvest its said. kind of a new year for them. there should be a way to figure out the date in traditional way. but now they just find a convinence date each year on Decembeur for the Magele. It was a zero surprise festival！banquet and performance. very routine style with stupid music and dance，seem like all festival in Banna region were operated in this format. guess I better switch side to Menghai area...at least...they got market.

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