Friday, June 16, 2006
The Road Goes Higher
It has been a few days since I have had a chance to check in. We have been busy seeing and doing things and intenet access has been slow and intermitant. We are currently in Lijiang, Kumming, a small, pretty village that is an important centre for the wonderful Naxi people (got to be careful spelling that one!)
Three days ago we met some cool Dutch people at our hostel in Dali. We were chilling by the pool having a few beers when some drunk 50 year old Chinese people arrived to celebrate a birthday party. Within minutes they were wanting us to dance. I have some excellent video of 50 year old Chinese mothers busting some drunken moves.
The next morning we were hung over as we got into the van that we rented to take us around the lake. We stopped in a village and drank tea in the house of some local Dai residents. Then, of course, they tried to sell us some useless trinkets, but Alison felt so honoured by their hospitality that she bought one. We also visited some local temples, which were so stunningly beautiful. Not many people who visit this vast country have the opportunity that we have had to see such a site. Afterwards, we wanted to take a boat across the lake to visit an scenic (and highly touristic) island. This plan was thwarted by the boat captain who decided to drop us off on the other side, much to the anger of our van driver. Later along the road we came across some stranded Chinese students who asked, in flawless English, if we could give them a lift. We agreed, which led to a cacophany of swears from our driver, as he had to figure out how to attach their bikes to the roof of our van.
Yesterday, we came up to Lijiang. We nearly got stranded half way here. At the top of the highest pass our motor started to make some weird noises. We pulled into a conveniently located mechanics shack. 15 minutes, and loads of swearing and ingenuity later, the engine was sounding normal again thanks to loads of water and some expertly applied wire. We arrived in Lijiang in one piece. Our first impressions were not that good. It is very touristic and in fact it could easily be ruined by an influx of tourism. Luckily after a little wandering around we found the authentic backstreets.
We also noticed how high up we are: 2300 meters. At that height you begin to feel the thin air. Today we caught a Chinese bus to Snow Mountain, passing the world's highest altitude golf course (which is way too expensive for me) on the way. We took a chair lift to this splendid and quiet meadow, where we gasped for air at 3300 meters. We relaxed and watched the horses roam and took photos of the towering mountains in the background. Then we were innundated with requests for photos from Chinese and Japanese tourists. They spotted us and we had no chance to get away. As usual, I thanked them for visiting my country and told them that I hope they have a wonderful time here!!!!
Tomorrow we are thinking about going up to Shangri-La, which is where the tibetan world starts. We want to visit a couple of monastaries that are nearby. We will stay there a couple of days and then make our way back to Kumming for our respective flights. Mine for Bangkok, Alison for Beijing and then Montreal.
Three days ago we met some cool Dutch people at our hostel in Dali. We were chilling by the pool having a few beers when some drunk 50 year old Chinese people arrived to celebrate a birthday party. Within minutes they were wanting us to dance. I have some excellent video of 50 year old Chinese mothers busting some drunken moves.
The next morning we were hung over as we got into the van that we rented to take us around the lake. We stopped in a village and drank tea in the house of some local Dai residents. Then, of course, they tried to sell us some useless trinkets, but Alison felt so honoured by their hospitality that she bought one. We also visited some local temples, which were so stunningly beautiful. Not many people who visit this vast country have the opportunity that we have had to see such a site. Afterwards, we wanted to take a boat across the lake to visit an scenic (and highly touristic) island. This plan was thwarted by the boat captain who decided to drop us off on the other side, much to the anger of our van driver. Later along the road we came across some stranded Chinese students who asked, in flawless English, if we could give them a lift. We agreed, which led to a cacophany of swears from our driver, as he had to figure out how to attach their bikes to the roof of our van.
Yesterday, we came up to Lijiang. We nearly got stranded half way here. At the top of the highest pass our motor started to make some weird noises. We pulled into a conveniently located mechanics shack. 15 minutes, and loads of swearing and ingenuity later, the engine was sounding normal again thanks to loads of water and some expertly applied wire. We arrived in Lijiang in one piece. Our first impressions were not that good. It is very touristic and in fact it could easily be ruined by an influx of tourism. Luckily after a little wandering around we found the authentic backstreets.
We also noticed how high up we are: 2300 meters. At that height you begin to feel the thin air. Today we caught a Chinese bus to Snow Mountain, passing the world's highest altitude golf course (which is way too expensive for me) on the way. We took a chair lift to this splendid and quiet meadow, where we gasped for air at 3300 meters. We relaxed and watched the horses roam and took photos of the towering mountains in the background. Then we were innundated with requests for photos from Chinese and Japanese tourists. They spotted us and we had no chance to get away. As usual, I thanked them for visiting my country and told them that I hope they have a wonderful time here!!!!
Tomorrow we are thinking about going up to Shangri-La, which is where the tibetan world starts. We want to visit a couple of monastaries that are nearby. We will stay there a couple of days and then make our way back to Kumming for our respective flights. Mine for Bangkok, Alison for Beijing and then Montreal.
