We recently booked some cheap flights for a weekend trip to southern Yunnan Province. When we arrived at the airport, we found out why they were so cheap – our first plane was canceled:
While the above picture is an over-dramatization of our initial reaction, we were still a bit disappointed about the six hour delay. However, we were soon blessed with an opportunity to eat lunch with a former student who is now working at the airport:
And we had time to take photos with the floral display of our hometown name:
And to do some light reading:
When we finally got underway, we were treated to some beautiful views of the Chinese countryside:
We travelled to the town of Jinghong in Xishuangbanna, near the borders of Myanmar, Laos, and Thailand. Our friends own a hotel in a new section of town:
At an off-season price of 88RMB ($14), it’s a great deal for a nice room. From the 9th floor, we had a good view of the Mekong River:
Most of the buildings on this side of the river are less than two years old, part of a huge tourist town under construction by the government. That includes this giant temple – a required stop for all tour buses. Sadly, the tour guide will teach guests how to bow before the idols.
As the sun began to set, we drove to a local restaurant for dinner:
After ordering our food, we selected a table with an interesting view:
One of the local specialties is a noodle dish that bites back:
Back at the hotel, we enjoyed the night view of the city across the river:
On Sunday afternoon, we rode over to Manting park, a tropical jungle place with a few hundred years of history:
While there, we watched the elephants play soccer and basketball:
and frisk a naïve volunteer:
We also sat on one for a photo:
Since we were taking photos with local color, we also dressed up in the Dai minority clothing:
Of course, a large group of Chinese tourists came by at this time, many of whom wanted to take pictures with us.
We also went to see the bird show, but arrived too late. The birds were still hanging around, so Susan held a show of her own:
After a shower and brief rest, we headed over to the night market:
Some of our favorite shops are the ones that sell “name brand clothing,” like this familiar tee shirt logo:
Of course, we enjoyed the various types of food, including this “peace” of chicken foot:
Even if your time is limited,we’d recommend that you stop in at the Jinghong Nissi Garden Hotel the next time you’re in Southwest China.
Loved the pic of Susan being held by her guys. Amazing sights in your super trip!
Like the pic on the elephant! Really beautiful looking countryside, too… is there much in the way of whitewater rafting / kayaking around there? With all of those gorges and river valleys, imagine there must be some pretty cool trip options.
I don’t know if there are any formal outfitters in most of these places, probably just local guys who shoot the rapids standing barefoot on a log. But the scenery is truly amazing – we never realized the natural beauty of China until we moved here.