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Articles Tagged ‘Yunnan’

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Not finding Shangri-la

Tuesday, June 19th, 2007

Sun-Wed, 10-13 June 2007

I never thought I’d miss Vietnamese men in any way. But I was wrong. On the bus to Zhongdian I fervently longed for their compact, small frames. In comparison, Chinese blokes match their country when it comes to taking up space, firmly lodging themselves with the same puny disregard for their neighbours’ right of space.
Call me petty or fastidious, but a stranger’s arm rubbing up against mine drives me to rabid distraction.
So my 5 hour journey to Zhongdian started with a silent but critical elbow wrestling match with the over-expansive body mass next to me. I tried desperate tactics: I positioned the rough edges of my bracelet in such a way that it would dig into his skin. But he clearly had enough blubber on him not to be bothered. I knew it was a hopeless battle, and in the end I had to resign myself to entertaining sick thoughts about amputating his arm.

I opened my window and tried to concentrate on the magnificent scenery. My appreciation of the surroundings was short-lived. The guy in front of me was leaning out the window and spitting at the trees, like a pissing dog marking its territory. I prudently closed my window.
I looked round the rest of the bus. The vinyl on the side panels and ceiling was peeled off, exposing the loose and rusty rivets like decaying teeth. The curtains had died long ago and been reborn in the lower caste of kitchen rags, tied in a knot and hanging lifelessly from 1 or 2 hooks. With every death rattle this sickly carcass was begging for scrap yard euthanasia. [read on]

Lugu Lake: the last outpost of matriarchy?

Wednesday, June 13th, 2007

Sun-Thur, 3-7 June 2007

I decided to go to Lugu Lake on a whim. I was paging through a book in a tiny bookshop in Lijiang, and saw a picture of the lake. It seemed like the ideal place to get away when you’re already away. I needed some quiet time to reflect (what you say to justify doing nothing…) and catch up on the blog (a lot more time-consuming than I thought).

The morning I left Lijiang, Mama stuffed a bunch of babanas in my hand and sent me off with a kiss on the cheek and a lucky charm round my neck. Maybe she thought I needed it. Spontaneous kindness always cracks me up, probably because it’s such a rare phenomenon.

The road to Lugu Lake was truly spectacular. We followed the course of the Yangzi River for a while and then ascended up a a rough, pebbly road through zigzaging passes. The landscape reminded me of pictures in books I used to pore over as a child, that of the ‘wild America’, the unconquered wilderness of the trappers and fur traders.
When we arrived at Lugu Lake I felt I was on the set of ‘Dances with Wolves”. Everywhere were fierce looking ‘yakboys’, wearing stetson hats, goat skin waistcoats and with a strut that would make Clint Eastwood jealous. Their dark faces spoke of Tibetan ancestry, and with their high cheekbones and shoulder length hair, one can see that they’re related to the North American Indians who originally migrated from this part of the world. [read on]

Tiger Leaping Gorge: The fleeting scent of happiness

Friday, June 8th, 2007
Fri-Sat, 1-2 June 2007 I heard about the Tiger Leaping Gorge before even setting foot in China. So has everyone else it seems. It's one of the deepest gorges in the world, measuring 3900m from the waters of the Yangzi River ... [Continue reading this entry]

Lijiang: A storm in a buttered tea cup

Friday, June 8th, 2007
Wed-Thurs, May 30-31 2007 I left Dali under a cloud of controversy. During my stay at the "Friends Guesthouse", I had been setting two cats free. I found them chained up to their 'cat houses' with a chain so short they ... [Continue reading this entry]

Dali: Ancient city of dreadlocks and pancakes

Wednesday, May 30th, 2007
[caption id="attachment_42" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="a hybrid religious building, Dali. A chemple?"][/caption]Sat-Tues, May 26-29 2007 A frightening thing is happening...I'm beginning to sound more and more like a reborn Christian. The amount of times ... [Continue reading this entry]

Kunming: City of Bling

Tuesday, May 29th, 2007
Gateway to the new Gateway to the new Thurs-Friday (24-25 May 2007) The smutty “guesthouse” (frankly, it would make a crack den look stylish) where I crashed for my first night in Kunming, overlooked one of the busiest roads. Strangely, ... [Continue reading this entry]