In Amongst the Clouds and Mountains

There is a Chinese idiom which goes like this: 水天一色. Literally, it means the water and the sky are one color. Figuratively, it is used to describe scenes of beautiful nature, like this:

I went on vacation last week and spent four days in Yunnan province. Yunnan is to the west, below Tibet and above Myanmar. I flew to the capital, Kunming, on Monday morning. Kunming is the city of eternal Spring, but it was a mite chilly when I arrived, so I acquired a hat while I wandered about.

I was meeting a friend in Kunming for the trip (she was flying in from Shanghai) and was the first to arrive in Kunming, so I went to the train station to buy tickets for the sleeper train to Dali, our next stop. The train ride was fine. Our car was mostly empty, except for the train attendant, who decided to sleep in the empty bottom bunk in our compartment. Goodness gracious, but that man could snore.
We arrived in Dali early in the morning and took the city bus to our hostel, the Jade Emu, where we showered, brushed our teeth, and ate some breakfast before heading back out to explore the old city.

Dali's Old City is quite pretty. I'm not sure how much is actually preserved and how much is recreated for the tourists, but it looks nice all the same. There is endless souvenir shopping, which I definitely indulged in, delicious local food to try (all delicious, especially the fried cheese), and some cultural points of interest, including a Daoist temple and a piece of the old city wall.

City Wall overlooking the Jade Mountains

fried cheese sprinkled with sugar

Our second day in the city, we were joined by another friend, arriving from Chengdu with a friend from France. We spent the morning exploring the Three Pagodas just north of the city. We didn't pay the 121 kuai entrance fee, but we did get some nice pictures from the little alleys and streets around the outside.

 

 

 

 

the third one is hiding

In the afternoon, we rented some bicycles and rode out toward Erhai Lake and poked around in some little villages. It was warm and pleasant and it made me realized how much living in the city drains the soul out of me. I miss blue skies and open views and seeing the stars at night. Ah, well. Absence makes the heart grow fonder?

Thursday morning I had to catch the bus back to Kunming and fly back to Guangzhou while my friends, who had more vacation time, continued on to the town of Lijiang and possibly Shangri-la. I sat next to a man from Israel during the five hour bus ride, and we shared a cab and lunch while we waited for our various flights. It was a lovely vacation. I met new people, saw beautiful countryside, ate delicious food, and enjoyed four days of not thinking about work. I can't wait for my next vacation. Happy NewYear, everyone.

also, I may have found a stargate