We're at 7 of 8 weeks. Instead of 2 weeks in Tibet, I decided to spend one of those in Yunan province, in the south. The area is known for its ethnic minorities and also backpackers passing through. But before I headed down there, I had to visit the Panda reserve in Chengdu! Its astounding how cute these animals can be.
They charge $150 to have a giant panda sit in your lap for a few minutes, but only $6 for the less popular but still darn cute red panda.
The train ride from Chengdu(the middle of China) to Kunming (south) was gorgeous. I wasn't even anticipating that.
One of my stops in Yunan was the Stone Forest where funky looking rocks have congregated for the last few million years.
Dali is a classic backpaper hangout sitting at the base of tall green mountains. Its interesting how similar these places are country to country. All the restaurants go for the rustic tiki aesthetic, play Bob Marley or U2, and serve banana pancakes and fresh fruit juice. You can also expect cheap or free net access, book exchanges, and encouraged traveler graffiti on tables or walls. Another standard fare are dirt cheap but crap accomodations. I was starting to fear for my lungs as the smell of mold from my bathroom was potent. Not the kind of town you want to stay for too long, but it can be nice swapping stories with other westerners and relaxing for a bit.
These are the Bai folks. They always declined my photo requests, so I had to sneak this one on the fly.
Tomorrow morning I board an overpriced flight to Lhasa. I have read blogs and talked to people, but still not totally sure what to expect. I know the lives of the Tibetans are fairly awful and I have a feeling that the tourists see little or none of that. If it isn't already, my email will definately be monitored in Tibet, so expect whatever I say to be watered down.
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