Zhongdeyuan Holiday Hotel Kaili

... was on an 18 inch path with a shee drop at the side and bits of the path missing!! John just said no - so we went back to the main house. We did stay one night, but went back to town with 4 others the next day - felt a bit bad, but there was nothing to do and it was very strange.

We met up with the rest of the group the next day - we were fully refreshed, but they certainly were not!! Stories of rats etc yuc!!

So another ovenight train to Kunming!!

... lot of time trying to inspect how it is done. The Shidong market is a big deal, it seems. Market goers have walked down muddy paths from their hillside villages or even taken small boats along the river to come and make some money before the lunar new year later this week. On the main street, the action seems to center on the fruit sellers. Fruit is important at Chinese New Year, and people buy it in huge boxes and plastic net bags. We wander up and ...

... i also sat with the familt to peel corn off the cob which was cool. The only pity about the village is the amount of reconstruction going on, which is all for tourism where you will have to soon pay to enter so it is losing a little of authenticity(snob i know). the new bulkiding will be nice especially the detail of work going into it. During the day Xiao Mei gave me a couple of villages to visit of which I found two the other ...

... pole on her left shoulder, balanced by two reeking buckets that had recently held human feces. Holding our breaths we walked beside her down the dirt road, attempting conversation in Mandarin despite our clumsy phrasing and her thick rural accent. Did we want to see batiks? She wanted to know, her smile brightening her sun-worn cheeks. Sure, we said, dripping sweat. Maybe she'd take us to a nice shop with a breeze cooling it. Maybe she'd leave her stinky cargo behind. We ...

... What we found, however, far overshadowed whatever we later saw at the museum. We caught a taxi to the plaza in front of the museum and decided to look for some breakfast. Nothing makes our eyes glaze over faster than an empty stomach, we reasoned. We took a walk down a promising-looking corridor only to find some fabric and stationery stores. Yet, I could smell something sweet. We rounded a corner and noticed brown flanks of meat hanging up in deserted restaurant ...

... hao," she greets me. I say hello back and try out my Mandarin. "Ni xinku le," I say, a stab at telling her that she's working very hard. She repeats what I said, bemused. Then, adds something quick and unrecognizable that might be local dialect. She looks me full in the face, and grins. Despite the heavy baskets, she springs toward me like a tiger. She slaps my exposed white calf with her free left hand, squeezes it. Hoots laughter. Her hand is strong and warm ...

... silk-embroidered velvet tops, and piled their long black hair on top of their heads, adorned with a flower, comb, and decorative chopsticks. These women carried a wooden yolk balanced on one shoulder. Fastened to either end of this straight, flat stick is a basket, filled with grapes, peppers, silk, or other products that they are selling in the city. On their backs they are often seen carrying a child in an embroidered velvet backpack. Behind the outward appearance of the small ...

... s, je rencontre des Hollandais prêts à partager mais au dernier moment ils m'ont fait faux bon. Je erre dans la ville deKaili où un long nez se voit de loin, et me voilà assailli par des lycéens qui ont un devoir d'anglais demander à un étranger son nom, d'ou il vient ... Je réponds mais ils ne comprennent pas toujours, un attroupement se forme ( c'est très courant et sans conséquence en Chine) Un prof d'anglais se présente aide les étudiants à comprendre ...

... monde les hommes ont construit des rizieres, car il pleut souvent, ces rizieres d'altitude suivent les courbes de niveau et forment de fantastiques dessins, si le soleil s'y reflete vous avez la photo du siecle. Je n'ai pas eu le plaisir de la faire. Cependant jai pu admirer ce travail extraordinaire, leur maison sont en bois d'une tres belle factur,. ils vivent simplement la maison est ...

... Miao minority villages....and not only is our Chinese bad, but our Miao is even worse. Our guide turned out to be a very porky Chinese guy, Dylan (not his real name I am sure). He was also an English teacher, and that night he was teaching a class. As we could think of nothing better to do, we were convinced into providing some 'entertainment' for his English class. It was really funny experience - the level ...