Friday, September 18, 2009

Yunnan

I'm getting my bags packed and I'm headed for Yunnan at 6:45 tomorrow morning. We hop on a bus to the airport northeast of town, and fly to the provincial capital, Kunming.(For some perspective, here's a map. Beijing is in the northwest, Kunming is in south-central China.)

The next morning, we'll be meeting some Chinese students who go to Yunnan University and hang with them for a while, and then we're off on a temple hike. That evening, we take a night train to Dali, which is due west of Kunming. We'll spend a few days in Dali, one of which is devoted towards hiking Tiger-Leaping Gorge. Very, very excited about this hike. Here's a more detailed map of Yunnan for further reference.

From Dali, we go to Zhongdian, up in the far northwest corner of Yunnan. This section shares a border with western Tibet, and so the population there is primarily Tibetan. This area, to give some background, has become internationally famous for taking on the name "Shangri-La," a reference to James Hilton's novel, Lost Horizon. Sichuan province tried to pull the same trick, but the bureaucrats in Yunnan got there first, and have been raking in the tourist dollars ever since.

But really, I'm told this area is beautiful, and I can absolutely not wait to get out of Beijing for a little bit. It's a great city, but even thinking about clean air sends shivers of anticipation down my spine.

We'll hang out in a village near Zhongdian, called Napa Village, where we'll be home-staying with Tibetan families for a few days, eating, hiking, and doing a bit of volunteer work on one of their roads.

Since I'm going to be out and about, expect infrequent updates from me. I will most likely be able to find an internet cafe around Kunming and Dali where I can post, but once I'm up in Napa Village, it's going to be all quiet on the northwestern front. However, expect fantastic pictures on the 1st of October, when I return to Beijing.

6 comments:

  1. Thanks for the preview! It is now easier to sense the flow of the trip. Have a blast!

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  2. I can see why you're excited about the hike. Wow, what beautiful scenery. Take lots of pics for us, eh?

    Still waiting for a photo of DingDing. ;)

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  3. 祝你一路顺风. 我前天晚上播放电影,经过你爸爸的办公室,想起你,

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  4. ^^ We're looking forwards to hearing more about the trip! We await with anticipation your awesome photos! I hope you're really enjoying yourself!!!

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  5. hi charlie! kim crowley here (your mom's friend from way back in the FC library days). I am loving your most informative and eloquent blog and all the great photos. can't wait to seeand hear about the trip south. love learning about china. take care!

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  6. I'm missing you!!!!!!!!! I can't wait until we hear from you again! Let me know when a time works for you and I'll hop on Skype and say Hi! :)

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