Kunming is still China but cooler than Guilin

  Kunming, China
Sunday, August 26, 2007

China but Cooler now

We have just moved to a city of just over 3 million called Kunming, what a difference. Whereas the previous town Yangshou was real HOT, hot muggy and humid, here in Kunming it is called the city of eternal spring, and not for nothing. In Kunming in the evenings people will often be going around wearing jackets and it rains here more often but the major reason for the mild weather is because of the altitude of 1850 meters. In Yangshuo we slept every night with the air condioner on all night here we have no air condioner and have no need.
Toda the second day of our stay in the city we have come up against Chinese bureucracy at its most stiflling whilst trying to renew our visa and we were givin the grand runaround but unbeaten we succeeded in the end.
Today we travelled to a very large lake to the south of the city called Dianchi Lake, and to west of the lake there is a large hilly area overlooking the lake, we went up by cable car almost to the top of the hill and had a grand view of the lake and the surrounding area. The first part of the journey on the cable car doesn't go upwards but goes over a small part of the lake then it does goes up in an almost verticle climb. Going up takes you past small feilds clinging pecariously to the hillside, small pagodas and on mass of jungle like vegetation.
In the towns and cities enormous amounts of people get around on very efficient electric Vespa like vehichles obviously Chinese made. The roads are choked up with whole rivers of people who have definate suicidal intentions when on there motor bike or even just walking across the roads here. For us it was difficult to get used to the way people drive and their recklesness.

Karst, Seven Elders

We took a bus south east of the city which is very touristy and for a good reason (I forgot the name of the area) where there is a whole region they call 'The Stone Forest'and it is literally one mass of Karst outcrops like giant termite hills or a stone forest. Getting in is quite expensive but definitely worthwhile, it was both fascinating and beautiful.

Karst outcrops

Saturday we will be going to new place called Dali which is a part of the Tibetan Plateu and surrounded by not so high 5000 meter mountains and much larger mountains going up to over 7000 meters, Dali is only 50 meters higher than here in Kunming.

We will be glad when August comes to an end then all of the billions of Chinese tourists go back home.
P.S. Again I have to apologise, these pictures are not mine only from Dali on will I be able to present my own photoghaphs.