Really Wednesday, Everyone Smokes

Even the little kid seems to have gotten a cigarette somewhere.

I thought he would have been taught better but I guess not.

Back in the U.S.

So, for those of you who do not know, Matthew and I decided that financially we could not stay in China for longer than our two month visa. On the 31st of March at 4:20pm, in Beijing, we got on a plan for Seattle. We both have colds or some horrible respiratory thing which we got in Beijing. I was just hoping that I would not cough, sneeze, or have to blow my nose for long enough that the plane would take off and they would not kick us off because we were too sick and a danger to the other passengers. They did not kick us off. It was a 10 hour flight to Seattle, made longer by the fact that I could not sleep as the little girl in the row in front on me started crying and then puking which was so unpleasant that I watched a second movie. Then, when the movie was over I tried to get some sleep but couldn't. About the time I thought I was going to sleep the little girl started crying again so I started watching another movie. But I didn't have time to finish this one as we were about to land in Seattle. During the descent I thought that my head was going to explode from all of the congestion. I got a really sharp pain under my eye. It was a really long landing. We arrived in Seattle at 12:30pm on the 31st of March. It was strange to get someplace before I even left, but that is what happens when you cross the dateline. After China, U.S. customs was easy. The guy who questioned me about my trip asked me if the government treated me alright. I had to say yes because I didn't really have any interactions with the government. Our only interaction was with the police checking passports and visas in Shan Shi Ping and having to register with them to live at the apartment we rented. So I would say I had a neutral experience with the government as I didn't interact with them. After the questions, Matthew and I collected our bags and went through the second part of customs where they can search your bags if they want to. They didn't, and we rechecked our bags and went to find our next flight to Chicago.

In Seattle, I got a bagel. The most wonderful bagel I think I've ever had. This was mostly because I was really hungry and airplane food is just so bad. Hainan was no exception. The flight to Chicago was a nice short flight and I was able to sleep most of the way. In Chicago we had a short layover before our flight into Charlotte. I slept on the flight to Charlotte again. Matthew and I got off of the plane, got our bags, and headed out to wait for the Ramada Hotel shuttle to come and pick us up. My parents left us a car at the hotel so that we could get back to Bakersville the next morning. They are out of town, which is probably a good thing so that Matthew and I don't expose them to what ever nastiness we picked up in China.

When we got to the hotel it was about 12:30am and I was hungry, but nothing was really open. We went out and ended up eating at a Waffle House. Not the first place you want to eat when you get home but it was food.

The next morning I felt like I had just fallen asleep when the alarm went off to get us out of the hotel by checkout at 11. It was hard to get up and out. I couldn't breath through my nose most of the time and my cough makes it hard to move. We did get packed and out. Matthew was driving and we stopped at the grocery store and got cough syrup and breakfast for Matthew and Sprite for me. On the drive back I called and set up an appointment at the Bakersville Clinic just to make sure I didn't have anything that needed to be treated with anything other than time. Turns out the only appointment they had was at 2pm and we wouldn't have time to go to my house before. So we went straight to the clinic and I waited an hour to see the doctor. When I went in they weighed me. I lost 12 pounds when I was in China. I am going to be doing some serious eating now that the food won't upset my stomach. The doctor said that as I didn't have a fever anymore that I was on the healing side and that if I started running a fever again to call him and if I wasn't getting better by the weekend to call him. I have some kind of respiratory infection but as he doesn't think it is bacterial there isn't any treatment but time.

Back home we unloaded the car and tried to stay awake so we might get used to the time difference. It was really hard to stay awake until it got dark and then when it was dark I started to feel more awake. I watched one of the many movies Matthew and I brought back. When I went to bed I had a hard time sleeping and I woke up at 3 and was really wide awake but I made myself lay there until I fell back asleep. Matthew got up and didn't come back to bed until it was light.

Today was an amazingly beautiful day. Really hot compared to what I'm used to. I spent the day taking it easy and eating food. The daffodils and crocus are blooming and it feels so green here compared to China. Also, after the pollution in China, which I didn't think was that bad in Kunming, the sky looks so blue here.

Now that I am home and have internet access again I will update my blog for the rest of my trip. It may take me a little time, but the rest of my China adventure is coming.

Last Day in Kunming

Today was our last full day in Kunming. We went out and had one last meal at Prague cafe. On the way there we saw a family that had there dog up on a stool so that it could be at the table with them. It was pretty funny.

Our meal was good. It is strange but now that we will be leaving it seems like maybe we could have stayed longer. However I think we will both be happy to be home as well.

Jingpong took us to dinner. It was our last night together. We ate at a little northern place. The food was not my favorite but it was good. I think I'm not nearly as adventurous about food as I though before I left for China.

When we got back after dinner Matthew and I gave the vase we got as a gift to Jingpong. We were lucky that Phillum was home as sometimes he wasn't there. So we were able to get a picture with everyone.

New Volin

I know it is rather late in the trip for me to be getting a violin, but I wanted to get a violin that I would be comfortable traveling with. I don't want to take my Grandmother's as it would be devastating to have it stolen. I started looking to see if I could find a used violin back home but I couldn't find anything which was of a good quality for the value I wanted to spend.

Today, Matthew and I had originally planed on going to the Stone Forest but all the meat from last night's dinner upset Matthew's stomach and made mine grumble, so we decided to stay in Kunming and got tomorrow. In the afternoon when Matthew was feeling better we went out to the street with all of the musical instruments. Matthew came along so that I would not buy the first violin that I saw. At the first shop I asked if they spoke English and they kind of laughed at me. I went in anyway and started looking at the violins, there were some that were really nice and when I asked how much they were they said 20,000 quai. That is a lot even in dollars. My goal was to find a nice violin for under 1,500 quai. The owner then showed me the cheapest violin they had which was 700 quai. I played it a little but I didn't like it. The violin was too heavy and the sound was not what I was looking for. I also really wanted one that had a maple back. I had Jinpeng write it down for me so I could ask about that and when I showed the question he said no and got out the next violin which was 1,600 quai more than I wanted to spend. I played it and it was much lighter and the sound was better. I didn't know the maker of the violin I can't say that I know more than maybe three and they are German. The back of the violin was maple and very nice.

We couldn't find the word case but Matthew asked about a box and they got out a case and bow, and told us 1,200 quai. At which point I was thinking that I didn't want to pay that much for a case and bow plus the 1,600 for the violin. But that was what he was saying the violin, bow, case, and shoulder rest would cost. There were two violins at this price and I played both of them liking the second one more. They seemed about the same but I think the second was a little fuller than the first. Also the pattern in the wood was nicer. So Matthew who was supposed to keep me from buying the first violin told me to buy it. So much for looking more. However, I am happy with it. Now I just have to play some more. When we got back we looked it up and turns out that I got the violin for about 400 dollars less than I would pay for it in the US. Which makes me even happier.

After we got the violin we went and picked up my pants at the taylor's. Because of the time when we left the violin shop all of the buses were packed with people and we couldn't get on. It took us over an hour to get there and we could have probably walked faster. This pair of pants were longer and I think will be better for me. After getting the pants we went to get a bit to eat at the Hump Hostel. A slightly tipsy man wanted me to play him the fiddle. I think he would have been sorry in my choice of music. It isn't really something you would play in a bar. We walked through the back allies one last time to look at the jewelery and headed back to the apartment.

Western Mountain

Today we went to the Western Mountain. We got a little lost on the way there but were able to ask for directions to find out what bus would get us there. They had changed the bus routs just before we arrived in Kunming so sometimes the directions we get just aren't that good. However, today our problem was that we had to walk to a different station and get on a bus from there.

The bus dropped us at the bottom of the mountain. Instead of taking a ride up, Matthew and I decided to walk the 6km. On the way up we stopped and looked at a couple of Buddhist temples. As they were still being used they didn't want you to take pictures.  I worked really hard to get a picture of the warrior gods on the outside of the building I ended up taking pictures of through the incense smoke so they aren't as bright as they really were but they are still pretty impressive.

Inside one of the buildings there were all of the gods and they were made out of bronze or something that made them look gold. Some of them were slightly scary looking but others were really pretty. As it had been really hot outside it was nice to be inside with the metal gods as it was cold inside. I'm sure all the metal gods had something to do with it staying cold inside.

Matthew and I wandered around for quite some time and then head up the mountain again. I was getting pretty tired by the time we got to the next temple. This temple wasn't as big but it was nice as well. It had really nice views of lake Dian. They had really pretty pretty gardens. Matthew and realized that we weren't going to be able to get to the Dragon gate if we didn't start going faster. Our guide book told us that if we didn't go to the Western Mountain and see the Dragon gate we hadn't seen Kunming. So we didn't spend as much time at this temple as we might have. While it was smaller it seemed older.

We finally got to the top and walked up the road to the Dragon gate. The road leading up had lots of stalls set up. They had this one little thing that had a plastic bird in it and when it opened it played the same 6 or so notes over and over again. It was really annoying and not very pretty. I was pretty annoyed with it by the time we got to the top.

The actual Dragon Gate was the entrance to the long tunnels that let up the side of the cliff. A bunch of monks carved the tunnels in the the cliff face and built shrines. For someone like Matthew it was really not that fun. However the views of Dian Chi where beautiful as well as the views of the city. What was a little disappointing was that we didn't get to see as much of the city because it was slightly cloudy. The hike up the mountain was pretty long and the hike up after the dragon gate was even stepper. It was really pretty and there was even a tunnel through the rock at one point. I really don't think I would have had the nerve to be one of the monks that was cutting the rock.

In one of the areas there was the story of the making of the dragon gate. It was really very pretty. I will try and post the pictures of the story. On a different post. There were even more Buddhist temples and even a Buddha carved into the rock face about 20 feet up the cliff from where the path was. I have to say that the were right about needing to go to the Western mountain. It was really beautiful. It was a long and hot hike though.

When we got to the top we were going to take a cable car down but they had just closed so we walked down. We were meeting JuJu and Bravo for dinner so we had to take a taxi down into the city center. That took and while but the one good thing was we were able to stop at the Hump Hostel and wash our faces before we went.

We met them in the city center and went to a hot plate restaurant. They did the ordering so we ate a lot more meat than I would have liked. It wasn't bad, but I'm just not a big meat eater and as a result I didn't get as much food to eat as I would have liked.

When we went back to the apartment we were really worn out so we got ready for bed.

Dunan Flower Market Finally

Today Matthew and I finally made it to Dunan Flower Market. We tried to go yesterday but couldn't figure out the bus route and ended up walking around in a part of the city were everything is still being built. I'm just really glad that all of Kunming isn't like this. It was really dirty, dusty and just not as nice as the rest of Kunming. Yesterday we got up and got on the bus and headed out. We had two bus transfers and made the first transfer to 65 alright but then we could not figure out where to catch the 12. We ended up walking for a really long time on a big road with super highway, not finished yet, stretching up into the sky above us. We walked down to the end of the upper highway were it turned into a gravel road.

When we started walking back towards the bus stop we started seeing big semis with flat beds stacked high with boxes. We also saw big trees dug up and in put in the beds of trucks to be taken to be planted. They hadn't been painted white on the trunks yet which all of the trees in the city are.

The one thing I saw that I had been wanting to get a picture of was the little ponies pulling carts. Near our apartment they often pull carts full of watermelons or vegetables. Out here in the more industrial part of the city they seem to pull more parts for building, boxes, and pipes. The ponies seem really small to me compared to what they are pulling.

After walking for about an hour Matthew and I gave up on finding the right bus as we figured that if we got to the flower market after a certain time they wouldn't even be open or have any vendors. We had read something which said that they did most of their business at around 2 or 3 in the morning so that the flowers could get to the stalls for those early morning people. Matthew and I took it easy when we got back to the apartment. We had decided to take a plane to Guilin instead of a train. So we had to go and get money out so we could pay for the flight. Jinpeng booked it for us because we couldn't without a Chinese credit card. We got money and then walked over to the flower market near the apartment and got some Gerber daisies. We spent the rest of the day bemoaning the clouds and trying to plan out our trips the rest of the week.

Today we finally got to the flower market. We got on a bus and it took us all over the place. I thought I saw the airport but I'm not sure about that. We got stuck in traffic for a while and the woman standing in front of me looked like she really was uncomfortable. She kept clearing her throat and finally she took out a kleenex and spit in it and then she throw it out the window. I thought it was kind of strange but one does not keep a used kleenex for any reason. It must be discarded. So what I find repulsive, throwing it out the window, is just so that she doesn't have to do what she would find repulsive, keeping it.

Finally, after peering out the window and trying to read road signs to figure out where we were, we read the buses off the stop and there was 12. We got off the bus really fast. We stood there and waited and a C12 came. So we tried to ask if they were a 12 and the driver said no. So we waited some more. The bench at the stop was metal and was missing some of the bars. It only had two bars and was not very comfortable. But I was really tired of standing on the bus. I think we waited about 30 minutes for the bus to come then we were watching for the place we should have gotten on. When we found that we looked for where we should get off the bus to walk to the flower market. We rode past lots of greenhouse fields.

When we got off we started walking up a road. It had signs for the flower market so we hoped it was the right way. There were lots of greenhouses with all different kinds of plants. Some of them looked like a greenhouse but they had vases and really large pots. Matthew and I really stuck out here. I think we were probably the only white people and we really got some looks. We kept seeing people with big bundles of straw flowers but we still didn't see the big flower market. We were just thinking we should turn around because it looked like it was turning into a residential area.


We decided to walk up to the street a little bit farther and there it was. It was a not exactly what I had expected. I thought it would have been more like a large metal building, kind of like the tiny storage buildings that people put up in their yard. However, it was more like a big warehouse. By the time we got there around noon with all of the bus rides, waiting, and walking, there wasn't really much left. We did get to see the aftermath of the flower market. There were flowers strewn across the floor, and a big truck full of the discarded flowers and stems. There were a couple vendors left with flowers. They had everything in bulk. I don't think I could have gotten just one bird of paradise if that had been what I wanted. The carnations, straw flowers, and a flower I'm unfamiliar with, it looks a bit like a thistle, where bundled into huge groups.

The only thing that was really still there were the fake flowers and they had lots of fake flowers. More than I could have imagined. Many of them were not even that nice. They were very colorful and bright. There were orchids, daisies of all colors, and flowers that didn't look too much like flowers. I would rather have real flowers any day over the fake ones. We wandered through the building and then headed back to the bus. We didn't stay very long at the market because it was later and there wasn't really all that much to see.

I am glade we went as now I know were the flowers come from and it was interesting to see. It also took us to a new part of the city. I think that Dounan is a town and not part of Kunming even though there really isn't much that divides them.

While we were walking back to the bus stop we saw a police truck with trees in the back of it. Matthew wanted a picture of it so I took one. It turned out blurry, but one of the officers saw me do it. I thought for sure they would come over and ask us to delete it or worse, take the camera. They didn't do anything, though, so we got to keep our blurry picture and they camera.

Matthew and I ate a granola bar while we waited for the bus to come. It took a while for the bus but it was mostly empty so we were able to sit. We rode it to where we were supposed to catch the 1 bus which would take us back up to Green Lake and the part of the city we knew. We got on the bus and it stopped maybe once and they we were on the highway and Kunming was disappearing into the distance. We visited the Western bus station briefly and then got back on 1 and rode it back to the stop where we had gotten on. We didn't want to take a chance with it again so we walked until we found a stop with 5 which was a bus we knew would go where we wanted to go.

Getting to and from Dounan was quite an ordeal for us with the buses. If it hadn't been cloudy I think we would have ended up skipping it.

We had some lunch at Prague Cafe. A very late lunch. We went to the bird and flower market after lunch and I bartered for a Jade bracelet and looked for the tear drop jade earrings I really wanted. I didn't find them right away and when I did I probably paid more for them than I should have. We tried to find gifts to take back. For the most part China does not seem to have a really large dependence on tourism because it seems like there are not that many places that are really touristy. For Kunming the bird and flower market is really the place that caters to tourists the most.

We left the market and headed back to the apartment. I think we are going to try and get an early start tomorrow and go to the Western Mountain even it  it is cloudy as we are starting to run out of time in Kunming and they say that if you haven't visited the Western Mountain you haven't really been to Kunming.

Golden Temple

Today Matthew and I got directions for going to the Duonan Flower Market. By the time we were ready to go it was after lunch and we realized that to see the flowers we would have to really get there as early in the morning as possible. As a result we decided to go to the Golden Temple instead. This was not on our list of places to go and in someways wouldn't have been except for he weather. It has been cloudy and overcast. We want to go to the Western Mountain and the Stone Forest when it is sunny and clear. This may not be possible unless the weather changes.

We got to the Golden Temple late in the day. It was a long hike up into the gardens and then to the temple. The temple is made from bronze, one of the reasons it is so special. They tried to make it look like a dark wood and it is pretty impressive when one knows what it is made from. Just seeing the temple as a temple is not all that impressive. The walk up the mountain however, was quit a hike. There were so many stairs and people carrying double sided baskets. I would not have made it up if it was me carrying the basket. The gardens at the temple were also very pretty.

I have heard but am not positive that Yunnan is one of the only other place besides the Appalachian Mountains that have red pink rhododendrons. They also have the more common white rhododendrons which are also very pretty. I don't know if I have ever seen the white rhododendrons before even though they are the more common.

In the park there was also a bell tower. We walked to the bell tower and got there just as it was closing. As a result only one of the outdoor lookouts was open. The view was pretty amazing. We could see out over the city and gardens. We started making our way down to the cable car down the mountain after seeing the bell.

We walked around for quite some time finding that the orchid and cactus gardens had already closed. It looked really pretty so it is a little sad we couldn't go in. We walked through the Camellia garden but most of the flowers had already bloomed. The Camellia is the flower of Kunming.

We wandered our way to the cable care down the mountain only to find out that the price was much higher than we had originally thought. It was supposed to be something around 20RMB and it was double that. We decided it wasn't worth it and to just walk back down the mountain.

By the time we got down to the Western gate and were ready to leave on a bus my knees were wobbling from all the stairs. I wore my new pants and they are really comfortable so I decided to get another pair. This time I got a lighter color and a little longer. She says she can have them before we leave next Monday.

Matthew and I tried a new restaurant, The Box. It is a western style place but not one we have been to. We got a pizza which was pretty good and I got a fresh lime juice. It was sweetened. I think it may be the best juice I've had the entire trip. Well, the orange juice at the Prague is pretty good but I did like the lime.

After dinner we went to the Hump Hostel and the little markets near there. We started by walking through looking at the jade to see if they had any teardrop earrings. I saw some on a TV program Jinpeng was watching. They weren't being advertised, one of the characters was wearing them. I didn't find anything and all the vendors don't like it when you can't tell them what you want. Also, they don't like it when you know what you want and they don't have it.

After searching the market and not finding them we went up to the Hump to find out about tours to Shi Lin, the Stone Forest. They had a tour guide included but not the freedom that Matthew and I wanted so I think we will try and go by ourselves.

We took the 107 bus back and stopped at Wal Mart to pick up some last things we might need. Than back to the apartment and bed so we can try the flower market again tomorrow.

Travels to a Village

Matthew and I are leaving this morning to travel to a small village outside of Dali. It will be an all day bus ride according to Jinpeng who will be meeting us there. He thinks it is important that we experience the live of a small village before we leave China. I am a little worried about getting sick in the village from lack of proper cooking and new bacteria which I'm not used too. I won't eat anything now that isn't cooked. When I was sick last time I really got knocked out and couldn't do anything for a couple of days. Jinpeng has never been to this village so I'm not really sure what to expect. He wasn't able to answer many of my questions.

Things I do know about the village: they have a population of people who had leprosy, they have some running water, no hot water unless boiled, no showers, there is a river which is near the village, they have electricity, they don't have western toilets but what kind they have is a mystery. I could be venturing out to the woods had 3 in the morning when it is pitch black and I have to pee. Matthew and I will be staying at peoples houses so there will be female and male houses. Who am I going to talk with? I don't even speak enough Mandarin to talk to people here and Mandarin will not be the dialect there so I won't even understand numbers.

Even though Matthew and I don't know that much about where we are going or what to expect we are packing up and heading out to a village, a days bus ride away, to join in the celebration of March 11 day of dignity for those who have leprosy. We will be traveling to the village today and in the village on Friday and leaving Saturday. Matthew and I are planing on stopping in Dali for a couple of days on our way back to Kunming. We have heard wonderful things about Dali.

I will do my best to really update my blog when we get back. That means even the stuff before we left Kunming.

Carrefour

Matthew and I went out looking for shoes for him yesterday. I also saw a dress from the bus a couple days ago and liked it so we stopped and found it. I still liked it and even though it was an extra large, I tried it on. It fit me and so I got it. I think it was labeled wrong as it looked like it was the same size as the other dresses which were medium. Now I just need for it to get warm again so I can wear it.

We thought that maybe we would find shoes at Carrefour or in the area but everything was pretty expensive. Jade was 5000 yuan for a bracelet. They didn't have any shoes Matthew liked either. It is cold again here. I thought I was dressed appropriately but after we ate lunch it felt even colder outside. We went back to Carrefour, the grocery store part, and started looking for things we might take with us to the village. Jinpeng thinks we should pack some food to take with us in case we don't get enough to eat. I got a sweater and Matthew got some long underwear as it really cold. After we got out of Carrefour we were thinking of going to get my pants from the tailor but when I called her she said she was out and to come another day. Matthew was also wanting to get back so we got on a bus and came back to the apartment for an early night and a movie.

Today Matthew and I went and got lunch at Salvador's and picked up my pants. They fit well and I like them. I am hoping that they will still fit when I get back to the States and gain some weight back.Walking to the tailor's we saw a dog dressed in a leopard suit. It was pretty cute. A bunch of girls stopped to try and help Matthew take a picture of it. The dog would not look at him so the girls tried to get it's attention. Walking to the bus stop we saw a little shoe shop and Matthew found a pair of knock off Nike's. I saw some fake Converses I liked but my feet were too big. It was sad. The sun came out again and it started to get warm. Matthew and I decided that instead of going to Wal Mart to get some things we needed that we would go back to Carrefour and get them there just to get it over with.

We cooked some dinner and started getting ready for our trip to the village. Jinpeng says that it will be cold there at night so I am not sure how much to pack in the way of warm clothes. Also, Matthew and I have not decided whether or not we will stop in Dali on the way back so we are taking a duffel bag with a change of clothes.

Hiagang Park

Today Matthew and I went to look at the long distance train station. It was a mess. On the way there we saw a little kid pee on he sidewalk and his father pull him off as he was pooping. A nice introduction to the train station if you ask me. There were many people just sitting in the open space of the train station waiting for their train. It was overwhelming for me and we didn't see any English on any of the signs or train schedules.

When we left the bus station we went to Haigeng park on Dianchi. I liked this park more than Daguan, as it was on the lake and you could see views out across the lake. We strolled around the park along the lake shore. There was a fishing pier that went out onto the lake and we walked out. It could have used some repairs and when the waves came the would splash up through the broken parts. If there is a drought I don't know if the pier would have been above water if the lake came up anymore. Also along the pier there were old boats that had been rotting in the water. The strange thing about walking along the lake was that it smelled like salt water.

In the park the cherry trees were blooming and it was really beautiful. All of the natives were having their picture taken with the cherry trees.

The bus ride back was really hot and crowded. I had a little lady come and share a seat with me. She didn't smell very good. When Matthew and I got off the bus she took the seat and didn't share. The next bus was a long ride and it was very crowded. I finally got a seat and luckily had an open window as it was really hot. We drove by some construction and that slowed us down, but we did recognize the stop we wanted even though we hadn't been their before. It was good to get off the bus and back to the apartment to cook dinner.

Massage

Matthew and I finally got our massages today. It was nice. We had a room with two tables. We went to the Gingko Tree for our massages. They have a really nice facility and the massage was really relaxing. Unlike in Western massage they massaged my stomach. This would have been fine but it reminded my bladder of its function. Thus when the massage was over and I was very sleepy, my bladder didn't want me to lay there and relax.

The Gingko Tree also has a book exchange. As Matthew and I are planning on taking some long train rides it seems like a book would be a good thing to have so I picked out a book, Wild Grass. It is about change in China. We will see how it is. They also had DVD's for 3 kuai. They are used, but still a good deal. Matthew and I went through all of them and picked out way to many. Then we went through and put the ones we thought didn't look as good back.

When we finally left we went and walked at Green Lake. There were many many people playing music. Also a group was playing music with a choir and two people were dancing. It was very interesting to watch. We walked back up to Wenlin street and had dinner at the Vintage Cafe. It was not as good as some of the other places we have been but still it was food. Their menu was very hard to read as it was printed in type writer font all over the place.

After dinner we walked to the bus stop and since we were really on a roll buying DVD's we stopped in at a new place and went through their selection. We got so many that they gave us one free.

When we got on the 52 bus back, it was really crowded. It just kept getting more and more crowed too. So when we got to the government square we got off. The locals dance there for exercise at night. It was interesting to watch. If we had known the steps or gotten there when they were doing the easy dances we probably could have joined in. As it was we just walked around and watched. Even when we went to the next bus to get on it was still crowded. We took it back anyway and made it off without incidence.

Jinpeng and his cousin Kevin are helping Matthew and I with getting to Guillin and Beijing after we leave Kunming. Kevin is staying with Jinpeng until he moves into an apartment provided my his job. Jinpeng kept telling us what a good cook Kevin was before he arrived but so far we have not had a chance to try any of his cooking. Jinpeng has also invited us to go to a small village with him. His employer, HANDA, is having an event for Leprosy awareness. The village was a community for people with Leprosy when they were made to move away from the rest of the population.

Lights Optional, Horn Mandatory

There was a small earthquake at around 12:50pm today. Matthew thought I was pushing his couch but that doesn't explain why I felt it, too. The building seemed to move, which was strange. I felt like I could see it moving. At first I thought it was the washing machine but it wasn't. When we looked it up online it was about 60 miles north of Kunming and a 5 on the Richter scale.

Matthew and I went to Lake Dian today. We ended up going to the park called Daguang. It was more of an amusement park than a go-and-see-the-lake park. It was still nice to get out and walk around there. Matthew thought we should, or I should, ride the roller coaster as I've never been on one before. First he wanted me to go on the big one, then the baby one, then the baby baby one. I didn't go on any of them. I didn't really like the idea of being turned upside down. We saw a kite which had two strings so it could be directed and it was doing loops and diving and the going back up. It was really pretty amazing to watch and listen to as it was loud when it got going in loops. I think it was worth the 40 yuan we paid to get in. There were some nice walk ways along interior ponds and floating gardens.

When we got off the bus we went up to Wenlin street. We had read about Ginko Massage on Go Kunming and thought it might be fun to get one. We have an appointment for Sunday. I hope it is good. We also tried to find a new place called the Book Exchange where they have used English language books. I might like to try and find a book to read. There are a couple books about China I would like to read. We couldn't find it though so we spent a lot of time walking up and down trying to find it. We finally went and had dinner at the French Cafe. We are not very adventuresome. But it is hard when you can't read the menu at non-western restaraunts. After dinner we caught a bus back, but we had to transfer to another bus. Which, when we got to the stop, didn't come there. So we walked and walked some more. While we were walking we noticed that many cars do not use their lights even when it is dark. They are liberal with the horn, however. On the bus the driver flashed the lights and honked the horn every time he passed a bicycle or scooter, or when he thought that a car was too close or they weren't letting him in. I don't know why people here aren't deaf to the horn noise as it is so common. After walking about 30 minutes Matthew and I came to a stop that had our bus. We got on even though it was really crowded and we only had 2 stops to go before we got back to the apartment. It would have taken a long time to walk back the rest of the way, though.

Flower Sellers

A couple ofpeople have asked to know more about my roommates, so I thought that since I didn't really have anything that exciting to say about today that I would tell a little more about the two Chinese guys Matthew and I live with.

Jinpeng works for a non-governmental agency, called HANDA Rehabilitation and Welfare Association. The group works with individuals who have leprosy in Yunnan, China. They also do work in other countries. He has traveled in Africa and other parts of Southeast Asia while working for the group. Jinpeng graduated from high school but does not have a college education. He decided that to make himself more competitive he needed to learn English so he taught himself. He would go to English-only chat rooms and the library to learn. As a result his English is really very good as he learned to speak from native speakers. Jinpeng is not originally from Kunming but from a city in the north called Harbin. In Harbin he owned a coffee shop. He has only lived in Kunming for about 9 months. He is very involved in the couchsurfing community and is able to meet lots of people through it. Jinpeng seems to always being doing something, and he includes Matthew and I often which is nice since we are new here.

Philem works for Fed Ex. He is a manager here for the distributions. He has only been in Kunming since December. He has a wife who lives near the island of Macco. Matthew and I had no idea he had a wife to start with as there was nothing to indicate it. His wife is a teacher of biology and from what we could gather she does not want to move to Kunming. I had heard that it was common for spouses to live in different cities and only see each other over holidays but I didn't know that someone who was well off would be in the same situation. Philem works odd hours and often does not get back until after 10pm. He seems like a nice guy but Matthew and I have not spent as much time with him as he is not here in the evenings when we are here the most.

Okay, so that is about what I know about my roommates. Today Matthew and I went to the market and got some eggs. I really like shopping at the market as I can see all the fresh veggies. After we got eggs and a vegetable I like but don't know what it is named, we went to find some flowers. There is an area that has flowers which we finally found. I spent way to much time looking at flowers and then when I picked some out the guy had other customers so after watching them rejected about all of the dried flowers he had I decided with Matthew's encouragement to go to one of the other vendors. I did find some I liked. I was going to get tulips but the flowers still had the bulbs on them and I didn't know what to do with them and I didn't have a vase just a juice container so I thought it would be better to get cut flowers. I got some purple flowers. I'm not sure what they are. I'm including a picture of me with the flowers outside in the apartment complex.


Walking back from looking at the flowers we saw a puppy. It was attaching a mop. It wasn't growling or anything just biting the mop and shaking. It did such a good job killing the mop that it knocked it down from where it was hanging. The shop owner came out and hung the mop back up again. I think it was probably her dog. After she hung the mop the puppy went right back to killing it. I don't know how the Chinese can eat dog when they have puppies they watch play. Jinpeng says that dog is good. I'm not ready to try it yet, though.

I cooked a chicken, green onion, and red pepper stir fry and mashed potatoes. Mashing the potatoes was a bit more difficult than I had anticipated I used a ladle to squash them. then a fork to beat them smother. It was worth it though. Matthew and I watched Jeeves and Wooster while we ate and it was pretty funny.

More Trouble with Buses

Matthew and I have been having quite a bit of trouble with the buses recently. Normally Matthew and I look the address up and then put it into Google maps to see what buses will get us there. In the past we have not had any trouble doing this. We wanted to go to the post office because it is the only place to get postcards in Kunming as far as we can find. We made a list of the buses that were supposed to take us there and we got on A2 and it went right over the road we wanted to be on. Beijing Lu seems to be a bad place for Matthew and I to have as a destination. We ended up going to far on a different road and having to catch a different bus 26 to go back. We did get postcards, though, when we finally got to the post office. They are not the best by any means but they will work.

After the post office we went up to Wenlin Jie, by Green Lake and had lunch at a cafe called Prague. It was really pretty good. I had a pizza. They didn't have anything Chinese on the menu so I picked something that sounded good to me at the time. I have developed a taste for soda here. Sprite, to be exact. I like to get it when we go out. I think the main reason I get it is that I don't want to spend 15yuan on a juice or 20-30 on tea. Soda for some reason is cheap here.

Me at Prague Cafe in silhouette

Matthew has been wanting a haircut for a week now so we went to a barber. Part of the Chinese tradition of Spring Festival, the Chinese New Year, is that you don't wash or cut your hair for the first three days of the new year as it is considered to be like washing or cutting away your good luck. They also don't clean the house during this time. As a result of this tradition all of the barbers were closed and have only just opened again. We walked into the barber and even though we couldn't really communicate Matthew was able to say he wanted his hair cut and he wanted the 19yuan cut. There were about 4 options with 19 being the cheapest. However, we don't know what the other options were as we couldn't read the sign except for the price. While Matthew had his hair cut I went and walked around. When I was sick I lost some weight (not my goal and I hope to gain it back), and now my pants are loose. I thought I might see if I could find a pair of jeans I liked but after wandering down a street I found a bookstore. I went there when I didn't see any clothing stores I liked. The bookstore was two floors and the second floor was dedicated to English books. I really like going to bookstores and just touching the books. I know this is strange but it is nice to know they are there if I want to read them. I looked around and headed back so that Matthew wouldn't be waiting for me after his haircut. When I got there they were just finishing. He got it cut short, which is what he wanted.

When we walked back down the alley near the bookstore we found a place with DVDs. We looked in and saw Jeeves and Wooster. It was only 40yuan for seasons 3 and 4 and we couldn't help ourselves so we looked around a little more and discovered that single DVDs are only 10yuan. I picked out about five movies I wanted to see and Matthew had about five too. We only got one, The Hurt Locker. I hope it isn't too hard to watch.

We went to Paul's and got some food. I found bagels. I was really excited. I miss bagels in the morning.

I had my first experience with the public toilets. I don't want to have to repeat it unless absolutely necessary. They were really dirty and I had to pay 3jiao (0.3 yuan) to pee. It was a good thing I did though as we had another adventure on the bus. We got 101 and it looked like it was going the right way and then it just went in the wrong direction. We trusted that it would turn and head back int he right direction but no, it dropped us off at its terminating stop somewhere. I really don't know where. At the stop we saw the A2 which we got on as we knew it went back to our apartment. However, we still felt like we were going in the wrong direction and sure enough, "This is the terminating stop all passengers must depart" so Matthew and I get off and look for the stop where we can get back on. It is across the road so we walk over and get the bus.

It gets dark really fast in Kunming, and by the time we got back it was about that time when the sun just seems to drop out of the sky and it is suddenly dark. Matthew and I ventured to Wal Mart yet again for more peach nectar. I think we might need to find a new juice or buy more at once so we don't have to go to Wal Mart as often. When we got back to the apartment it was dark and almost 8pm.

In case you thought the fireworks had ended, I would like to inform you that I saw some really nice ones walking back. There are not as many of them now but they are still going off every once in awhile.

Bus 57 and other interesting events

So today Matthew and I were taken out to lunch by our roommate. His English name is Phillm, I'm still not sure exactly of his Chinese name. He took us to a place near where we live. Matthew and I have wandered around some in the area but mostly it has been in the city center so we had never been to this area. Kunming is a really big city so it would be hard to really get to know all of the city. The restaurant had these small stools and low tables, it was very different from what we are used too. Phillum, unlike Jinpeng, speaks only a little English. He said he was taking us to a local style restaurant. He said, "I don't know if you will like, but you should try." So we tried it. We had pea sprouts in a really good sauce. Pea greens, not the pea pod part but the vine, are eaten here. Nuts, and fried anchovies. I tried one anchovy, it was not my favorite. We also had a beef dish which tasted like something I've had before, maybe when I was in Dubai, I'm not really sure. Then there was a tofu dish, which was really good as well. And last there was a bacon dish, it was a little strange and I didn't like it as much as the other dishes. Over all it was a really good meal. After lunch Phillum went to work and Matthew and I back to the apartment to get ready to go out.

We decided to go to Metro, a food store which has a bigger selection of more Western food, butter in particular, which I've been missing. Matthew looked it up on the Go Kunming web sight and copied the address into google and got directions. It told us to take bus 57 which we did. We got off at the stop on Beijing Lu where it said we should and there was no Metro so we walked a little and asked some people but no one spoke English and and we didn't know the Chinese name for Metro. We finally called Jinpeng, who had suggested we go there, and he said he normally took bus 67. We got back on bus 57 and took it until it turned off of Beijing lu, and then we got off and were going to turn around. At the stop I saw a 67 bus so we got on. 67 quickly left Beijing lu and I was thinking where the hell is this bus taking us. Then I hear over the speaker that the next stop is Beijing something lu and I think, 'we had better get off as this is a road I know,' but we stop and this is not the Beijing lu which I know. Matthew says we should stay on so we stay on and the next stop sounds like Beijing lu again to me and there is the bright blue Metro and I'm wondering how did we miss that. I mean, really, how could we have missed it. This is a really big store. The bus turns and we stop and get off. Then I see a street sign and I understand were all the confusion was. We are not on Beijing lu but on Beichen lu, in Mandarin when people are talking fast Beijing and Beichen can sound a lot alike. This still does not tell us why Google and Go Kunming sent us to the wrong location.

Matthew and I get butter and some cookies and other good things. However, we had to check our backpack at the front so we don't have our shopping bags. I go back to get them and the person behind the counter won't give me my backpack. Finally, just to get me to go away they give me the bag. Matthew has shown up by this time and we need to have a card to check out. But the person by this point is really ignoring us. I go over to the guard and point at the sign which says "please present your card." The guard understands and tells the person, who gives us a card. Then we give back the backpack and take the piece of magic paper and go to the check out. By the time we leave the store it is dark. I think it is like 7:30 but it is really 8pm. I'm really hungry so I open the Oreos. Matthew says not to eat too many as we will have dinner when we get back to the apartment. I only have two. Then we walk to the bus stop. I have some confusion about which side the buses come to so we go to the wrong one and end up walking in a big circle and missing the bus we wanted, number 57, as we have walked back to Beijing lu. While we wait for the bus to come I eat another Oreo, and I see a really big truck full of bananas. I don't even like bananas, but it is really interesting. I've also seen trucks with oranges.

The bus finally comes but there is no place to sit so we stand. I am wearing the backpack which has all of the heavy food in it. It is about a 30 minute ride across town and I think there will be a seat soon. But one doesn't open and the bus just gets fuller and fuller. The backpack isn't as bad as I thought it would be. We finally get to the part of town which I recognize and I'm thinking just how nice it will be to get off of the really crowded bus. We stop at the stop before ours and pull back out into traffic. There is a red light and we stop. The windows in the bus are partly open and a car or truck near us has really bad diesel fumes. I think it will clear up soon and then I'll be fine. We start moving again and I'm starting to get really hot so I unzip my jacket. We go under the highway bridge and my hearing starts getting dim and I'm sweating. I know our stop is coming up and I think I'll be fine as soon as I get off the bus. Then my sight gets a little blurred. I think I just have to hold on. The bus stops and my knees get all wobbly, but I think the driver must have stopped slower as I didn't fall. I turn to go out and I can't see Matthew so I reach out and grab what I hope is his jacket. It feels like leather. He turns and I'm thinking I can't fall on the bus, I just have to get off and sit down. He asks if I'm okay and I say no. We get to the exit and the doors are closing. People yell and the doors open. I don't know how I get down the stairs as I think my legs aren't working that well. Somehow Matthew leads me over the bus stop and down across the bicycle lane. He says step down, I think I see a bicycle or scooter coming but he says it is okay so I follow him. I think I've told him I need to sit down as I'm dizzy and light headed but I don't really remember. We get to the side walk and there is a wall. He takes off the backpack and I sit down and lean against the wall. I'm feeling a little better already, but not up to walking to the apartment yet. So I sit on the dirty sidewalk, I thought it was 20 minutes but Matthew says it was more like 5 to 10 and my hearing comes back and my sight isn't blurred. I don't know what would have happened if I hadn't gotten off of the bus.

We walked back to the apartment, me holding on to Matthew as I still feel weak. When we got back I ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I felt much better, but I was pretty tired. It was funny how much I felt like I feel right after I've had blood drawn and I've seen my blood. I can't see my own blood, but if I don't look I'm fine. When I do look I pass out. This felt pretty close to what I've experienced when having blood drawn. After the sandwich I'm felt pretty much recovered. It was definitely something I don't care to repeat, even for some butter.

Observations of Different Norms

I have realized that many of the things which I am shocked by here are observations of different norms. For instance spitting. I don't mind it outside any more, but inside it's gross. When you look at the tradition of removing the phlegm from  the body as necessary, it makes since why China is so worried about H1N1 being introduced here. They would have a real problem if it became widespread here as the hygiene is very different. Because people spit in the street it would be hard to keep it from spreading really fast. Matthew and I asked Jinpeng about spitting and if they spit in the province he is from. We haven't seen him spit like the locals. He said that spiting is all over China, anywhere we go there would be spitting. He just doesn't like it so he doesn't do it. I find this interesting. He grew up with the tradition of removing the phlegm from the body yet he does not do so. It seems like many younger people in China do not spit but that it is mostly the population over 30 that spits. This is not to say that I haven't seen younger individuals spitting it is just the great majority of those that do spit are older.

Another thing I do a double take on is when I see is little kids being encourage by their parents to pee on the street. It seems rather common for kids under, I'd say, the age of 7 to just pull down their pants and go. At Green Lake I saw a mom take her daughter, pull down her pants, and tell her to pee right in the middle of the walkway. There was a little bit of dirt there but it was still on the sidewalk. Walking to the zoo I saw a little boy and girl peeing on one of the planted trees. They just whipped it out and went. Yesterday Matthew and I were reading in the gardens at our apartment complex. I thought it was really pretty clean here. I watched a mom take her daughter, probably a year or so old, who was still wearing the pants which are open crouched, and make peeing noises as she held her over a tree. The girl's sister, I assume, ran over pulled down her skirt and leggings and peed on the walkway, missing the dirt around the tree. I try to avoid stepping in puddles, but now I will definitely go out of my way to walk around them. Matthew and I seemed to be the only people fazed by it, although we pretended to not be. Everyone else acted as though it was normal.

I see little kids playing in the gravel around the trees on the sidewalks and I think "don't let your kid play there, please." Then the kid sticks some in their mouth. That always gets a reaction from the parents. Not only are these trees a place for kids to pee they are also a place where people who get motion sickness on the bus, drink too much, or get food poisoning are sick. I try not to look. But the number of trees around bus stops that get extra nutrients is pretty high. Matthew thinks that some of it may be spilled food. I think he is right sometimes. I wish he was right all the time.

For the most part Kunming is a clean city. There are lots and lots of workers with bamboo leaf brooms sweeping the streets and sidewalks. This keeps the city pretty clean. It is amazing the number of workers. They sweep up the leaves and the things people just throw on the street as they know it will be cleaned up. I don't think I would want to see the city if there weren't all the workers cleaning. It would be a huge mess as no one really seems to think about what they do with their trash. If it is large it goes in the trash receptacle but if it isn't and their isn't a receptacle close they don't go out of their way to get to one.

Shopping

This morning I looked at my leg and I have a really bright bruise from where I whacked myself bowling yesterday. Pictures just don't do it justice. It is really painful and I have to be careful. When walking today I was getting a cramp in my calf muscle which was part of whacking myself. I would strongly recommend caution when wielding a bowling ball.

Matthew and I went shopping at the market today. We wandered around and got veggies and eggs. Much of the market was closed for the new year. We couldn't get potatoes at the market as they didn't have any at the stalls that were open. Matthew and I try and speak mandarin with the people in the stalls but many of them speak a local dialect so it is hard for us to understand them. We do understand numbers but sometimes even that is hard to understand if they don't say it slowly enough. One of the venders got frustrated with us not understanding that it was 1 quai 3 jiao. She just took the money out of my hand when I was trying to figure out how much it was. I understood the 1 quia but I got confused when she said 3 after the 1. Jiao are a fraction of a yuan. 1 Jiao is like 1 1/2 pennies. We were able to get everything we needed. Oranges were really expensive so we didn't get them at the market but decided to get them at the store.

We took our eggs and vegetables back to the apartment. leg was all cramped by the time we got there so we rested a while. Then we walked to Wal Mart. By the time we got there I was ready to get in the cart and be pushed around the store. At Wal Mart we got stuff we couldn't get at the Market. I got a small notebook for other than journaling. I also got some really cheap pens. They had a pretty picture on them, well, more cute than pretty. My current pen is on its way out. Most importantly, we got some more peach nectar.

In the Wal Mart I watched a woman spit on the floor. I had previously thought that the Wal Mart was pretty clean. There is no smoking allowed, so it is pleasant to be inside. After the woman spit she walked right over it. I think if I spit I would at least not step in it right after I spit.

Jinpeng cooked dinner for us tonight. We had a tomato and cabbage dish with rice. It was really good. We ate all of it without any trouble. Our other roommate that went home over Spring Festival came back. I still don't know his name, neither does Matthew. He brought back some candy, and traditional food like chestnuts. He doesn't speak as much English as Jinpeng but he was nice to share with us. The candies were really good, and I thought China wasn't catering to my sweet tooth.