Mom and I got our exercise in Kunming. We spent the first day hanging out in Green Lake Park, along with the rest of the city. It was the most crowded park I’ve ever been to! We were stalked like celebrities because we were the only foreigners in the whole area. People wanted me to hold their babies, Mom and I had to pose for pictures, etc. It was hilarious! We found a quiet little outdoor tea house to enjoy some red tea. Mom almost choked, though, because the tea here is served with loose leaves!
We spent the next day on a 10 km (about 6 mile) hike to the Dragon Gate in the Western Hills of Kunming, above Dianchi Lake. It would have been a beautiful, peaceful hike if it weren’t for the thousands of other Chinese who were also hiking and driving (and honking!) their way up the mountain. The Dragon Gate is cut into the side of a mountain, with a small temple accompanying it. It would have been great to sit and soak in the views overlooking the city and largest lake in the Yunnan Province, but we were swept forward in a tide of people. It is wise to follow the travel book’s advice and NOT travel within China during their Spring Festival (basically, the entire month of February, aka the entire time Mom has been here!). Mom and I have experienced first hand the largest annual human migration on the planet! We think they all went to Kunming!
The next day we went to Stone Forest, formed over 270 million years ago when the area was underwater. It was a massive park, again very crowded, but there was enough space to crawl on, between and under the limestone forest! That night, we had our worst meal yet: fried minnows with peanuts and chilies and pancakes with sesame paste and mushrooms. I couldn’t read the menu or understand what the waitress was saying. My bad! Mom enjoyed the minnows, but they were too fishy for me!
After all that exercise, Mom and I took a day off from China and hung out in our hotel room reading, watching HBO and napping on Thursday. We did venture out for a fantastic Thai dinner and dessert at McDonald’s (I love the hot fudge sundaes!). It was a much needed break from the chaos and crowds!
Made it safely to Shanghai…more to come on the next post about Shanghai. It’s a massive (20 million people) city, the largest in China. Of what we have seen, it’s very modern and more Western than any other area of China I have seen. Unfortunately, Mom and I both have caught some sort of stomach bug. (It’s either that or our bodies are starting to physically reject being in China!). Therefore, Mom won’t be adding any commentary this time. She’ll be flying home on Tuesday. I think she’s looking forward to returning to the comforts of home. If I’m honest, part of me wishes I was heading home to those comforts too. It’s been great having her here. We had a great time together, have experienced some amazing things and have made some wonderful memories together.
We spent the next day on a 10 km (about 6 mile) hike to the Dragon Gate in the Western Hills of Kunming, above Dianchi Lake. It would have been a beautiful, peaceful hike if it weren’t for the thousands of other Chinese who were also hiking and driving (and honking!) their way up the mountain. The Dragon Gate is cut into the side of a mountain, with a small temple accompanying it. It would have been great to sit and soak in the views overlooking the city and largest lake in the Yunnan Province, but we were swept forward in a tide of people. It is wise to follow the travel book’s advice and NOT travel within China during their Spring Festival (basically, the entire month of February, aka the entire time Mom has been here!). Mom and I have experienced first hand the largest annual human migration on the planet! We think they all went to Kunming!
The next day we went to Stone Forest, formed over 270 million years ago when the area was underwater. It was a massive park, again very crowded, but there was enough space to crawl on, between and under the limestone forest! That night, we had our worst meal yet: fried minnows with peanuts and chilies and pancakes with sesame paste and mushrooms. I couldn’t read the menu or understand what the waitress was saying. My bad! Mom enjoyed the minnows, but they were too fishy for me!
After all that exercise, Mom and I took a day off from China and hung out in our hotel room reading, watching HBO and napping on Thursday. We did venture out for a fantastic Thai dinner and dessert at McDonald’s (I love the hot fudge sundaes!). It was a much needed break from the chaos and crowds!
Made it safely to Shanghai…more to come on the next post about Shanghai. It’s a massive (20 million people) city, the largest in China. Of what we have seen, it’s very modern and more Western than any other area of China I have seen. Unfortunately, Mom and I both have caught some sort of stomach bug. (It’s either that or our bodies are starting to physically reject being in China!). Therefore, Mom won’t be adding any commentary this time. She’ll be flying home on Tuesday. I think she’s looking forward to returning to the comforts of home. If I’m honest, part of me wishes I was heading home to those comforts too. It’s been great having her here. We had a great time together, have experienced some amazing things and have made some wonderful memories together.
Shanghai is the most populated city in the world! Should be awesome. And crowded ; )
ReplyDeleteTell your mom to have a safe trip home. Everything sounds so amazing (except the minnows). I'm glad you two got the opportunity to travel together!