June 30, 2006

Kunming - City of Eternal Spring

Yesterday, I flew from Kho Samui to Kunming. It was an exhausting trip, since I had to leave at six am, endure a six hour stopover in Bangkok, then another hour long stopover in Chiang Mai. But, I made it in one piece.

Kunming's weather is a welcome respite from thailand's sweltering heat. As we are at almost 2000m, it rarely gets above 25 degrees (celcius). Alas, it's rainy season, so I doubt I'll see much sun over the next two weeks.

Kunming is yet another large Chinese metropolis. 4M people call this modern city home. At first, I didn't like this place - the 10 lane roads teem with traffic, skyscrapers loom over the sidewalks, and people rarely make eye contact. I still can't get used to the constant spitting. In short, it's another Big City. Then, I explored. The city has several immaculate parks, some wonderful pedestrian areas, and an efficient bus system.

After an almost sleepless night (there were mosquitos in my room), I feasted on a huge buffet, and headed out to Xi Shan, which is the mountain range that towers in the hazy distance. It is supposed to have some great temples, stone carvings, and great views over Kunming. The good people at the hotel wanted to sell me a $10 tour package, so I did the natural thing and went by public bus for 25 cents. After an hour (and two busses) I finally arrived at the base of the hill. "This is it?" I thought to myself. I was the only westerner in site. But, there were hundreds of chinese tourists, milling around, taking pictures of random things (including me), and making lots of noise. I dutifully paid my $4 entrance fee and started walking. The views over the nearby filthy, polluted lake were uninspiring and I grumbled "I came all the way here for this?"

But, as I climbed higher, it became more and more impressive. In the 16th Century, a monk had decided that it would be a great idea to dedicate his life to carving statues, stairs, and grottos out of a sheer cliff. How he lived through it, I don't know, since the tunnels and stairs precariously gripped the side of a massive wall. Twice I asked myself why he didn't just train cats, the way the bored Burmese Monks did. Much safer, since after just one misstep you would plummet 500m to your death. Only as you looked over the side did you realize the magnitude of his accomplishment, the culmination of which was a beautiful gate (called Dragon Gate) hewn into the rock.

It looks like I'm going to be eating a lot of chicken while in China. I have yet to see Beef on the menu, and I'm not one to eat pork. Yesterday, I sampled the local specialty, "Across-the-bridge noodles" (with chicken). What a scam! They basically gave a fancy name to noodle soup and charged three times the price! For dinner, I had chilli chicken and once again had to get used to receiving the main dish ten minutes before the rice arrived.

Today, already sick of greasy chicken, I decided to go find my people. I somehow managed to navigate the bus system and got off at the right stop. I walked down a little alley, turned the corner, and there they were. Salaam A Laykum I exclaimed to the surprised Urghur Muslim. And so, to his family's amusement, I feasted on delicously spiced mutton and beef kebabs, accompanied by an Urghur noodle soup.

Tonight, I'm off to Dali, on the overnight train. Should be fun. It's great to be on the road again.

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