New Tim!
Hey everyone,
This week has been a very busy week for me. We arrived in Kunming on Monday evening. I can’t say that I am a big fan of the city. It has some upgrades when compared to Xi’an, but I like Xi’an a little more compared to Kunming. It’s one of many factors, but I’m trying not to let them effect me. I mean, I’m in a city I’ll probably never visit again. I need to let this surrealism soak in as much as I can.
The Yunnan Normal University hostel that we are staying at is superior compared to the last one we stayed at. There is no AC, but the weather in Kunming stays at a reasonable enough temperature that there is no need for an AC. The security guard who is on duty is very nice. We washed our clothes for the first time in forever on Wednesday, and when we had to go upstairs, he would lock the laundry mat for us so that no one would steal our clothes. It made me feel a little safe.
Speaking of safe, a major pro about Kunming are the amount of police on duty during all times during the day. However, the reason for some many cops is because of such high crime. I keep my wallet in my front pocket and I keep my guard up. I would easily get my stuff stolen.
We’ve been following the same format that is similar to Xi’an, but we’ve had more field trips to various places. So far, we visited the Yunnan Nationalities Museum, the Flower and Bird Market, the Monument of Hump Flying, the Bamboo Temple, a Dynamic Yunnan performance ( which is completely hollywoodized. Wasn’t terribly impressed ), and the Stone Forest. I enjoyed the Stone Forest the most. I never knew how much I enjoyed hiking. I mean, I always like to go hiking, but I can never find anyone to hike with, so I am left along doing what I do, which is nothing.
Friday, we flew into Lijiang, which is where we are still at this very moment. I could be a little early when I say this, but when I am ready to retire, this is the place I would like to live. It has elements of my old stomping grounds of Redding, CA but with more mountains and cooler weather. All the shops are in walking distance, which makes it convienant instead of going into the new city area to a grocery store. I also experienced my first chinese pizza. It was really good. I plan on having another one before we head back to Kunming on Monday.
Well, wish I could write more, but I have a headache. We’ve had to wake up around 5am the past few days, and our tour guide in Lijiang is adding a lot of things for us to do. Not that I’m complaining, but I am rather sleep deprived at the moment.
Sincerely,
Tim
