It took this one, China trip number 5, to make me grasp what over a billion
people really means. I'm used to a lot of personal space, and thought
the southwest provinces of Yunnan and Guiyang would provide plenty
of that. After all, Yunnan is nestled at the bottom of the Tibetan
plateau, far from the frenetic commercial and industrial centers
of Beijing and Shanghai. Unlike 20 years
ago, the Chinese are traveling, and Yunnan seems to be one of their
favorite destinations.
It is an area of spectacular mountain
scenery and beautiful lakes. Here is the real city of Shangri-La,
near the border with Tibet, spectacular Tiger Leaping Gorge, ancient
Dali with equally ancient shops, and mountainous Lijiang. This is
where minority tribes have been encouraged to flourish. Members of
the Naxi, the Bai and the Dong still dress in traditional costumes,
even if only for the tourists.
If the places we went were crowded, the hotels were not. Arrival at our
first hotel, the Royal Garden in Guilin, was more like walking into
a marble cave than into a hotel lobby. Mega resorts in the Caribbean
have a more intimate reception area. Huge ceilings and almost no
lighting made for a rather gloomy welcome. (We later found
dim lighting to be a standard in these huge hotels.) At least the
room was equipped with standard amenities, and morning light
brightened the breakfast area considerably. I was relieved to see breakfast
buffets have much improved over the years.
Visiting Guilin always means a boat trip up the Lijiang River to
Yangshuo. Twenty years ago that meant a hot, slow journey on a very
basic boat under rather non-hygienic circumstances. Now the boats are
relatively modern, with enclosed areas. Lunch is still cooked on
the back, in giant pots and skillets, but served to honored foreign
guests in a separate room with tea and beer, replacing the long buffet
lines with flies swarming around communal dishes.
Old fashioned snake liquor is offered for the adventurous, and we
had a few takers.
Yangshuo has also changed, from a sleepy little village and a few
vendors selling cheap trinkets, to a bustling and prosperous city.
There are restaurants serving everything from Guilin specialties
to pizza and ice cream. Local merchants in well-stocked stores sell
everything from Chinese silks to Tibetan silver, and bargain in
excellent English.
That night were honored foreign guests at a banquet, our first
of several, but definitely the most elaborate. This was a general
meeting of hundreds of invitees, held in a very large hall. We even
had badges for admission. Chinese banquets have their own
special protocol, and it can be hard to follow. Special toasting
glasses, as well as special Chinese firewater, were placed on the
table and swiftly removed. Wine was doled out in thimblefuls... just
as well, considering the quality of Great Wall vintages. The meal
was delicious, one of the best of the whole trip. The later outdoor
performance was colorful and fun, plenty of bright lights and costumes.
Too bad we had no idea what the performance was all about.
Guilin has a number of famous sights, and our guides were determined
we see them all. One is Reed Flute Cave, one of the largest caves in the
world. Over the years the cave has been transformed into a garish
spectacle of tacky light shows with tour group leaders shouting
into bullhorns. Travel in China is not compete without shopping
stops for local goods, and in the case of Guilin that means South
China Sea pearls. Dealing with Chinese shopkeepers is exhausting
work, so then we are off to the Hotel Universal Guilin for enough nourishment
to sustain us on an afternoon hike up FuBo Hill with its many
Buddha scuptures, up Elephant Hill for lovely vistas, and through
a mis-named experience called Chinese massage.
as Chinese torture would be a more appropriate term.
Anxious to please, our hosts were determined to expose us to a dinner of regional specialties -- snake and bee larvae. From the comments of hardy souls willing to experiment, those of us who developed sudden allergies did not miss much. Unfortunately, there was no way around another experience -- domestic China flights. Ours had the usual crowds, delays, pushing and shouting. My suggestion is to always carry earphones, and be prepared to fight for your seat.
Our next destination, reached via the flight to Kunming, a few hours
rest in a hotel, then a long bus drive, was ancient Dali. This city
is probably the most charming and unique of all on my
too-rushed itinerary. The drive there is through beautiful scenery, an
area called Dinosaur Valley. There are clusters of whitewashed
houses, many with painted circular dioramas. This is a mainly
agricultural area, and not very prosperous, and people were often bent
over using hand hoes on steep hillsides.
Our hotel in Dali, like so many, is huge. The "lobby" looks more like an unoccupied shopping mall. Corridors go on and on. We hardly saw anyone else, yet instead of being close to the lobby, our rooms are a long hike from the elevator, as if accommodations were at a premium. After retrieving our bags and making sure everything (a.k.a. plumbing) works, it is off for another meal. Thankfully there are no more special treat surprises: our lunch at a local restaurant is tasty fish soup and the usual meat and chicken dishes. The surprise, a wonderful one, is Michael, our local guide. His understanding of English and his ability to communicate was fantastic and made an instant hit with a very tired and stressed group.
Dali is unique, still rather laid-back and charming, with very few
tourists. It must be one of the few remaining places in China without
frenetic hordes of sightseers or aggressive vendors. This is the heart
of Bai country, one of the major minority groups in Yunnan. Here,
the shopkeepers are quiet and polite, if firm in negotiations. It
is pleasant just to stroll, to watch the local people in sidewalk
teashops, the little girl struggling with homework. The highlight
of the street was probably the mushroom seller. None of us had ever
seen such an amazing variety of mushrooms, all beautifully displayed
in large baskets on the street.
The scenic highlight of Dali is Erhai Lake. It is a spiritual center
for the Bai and the subject of poetry and painting for the rest of
China. Erhai is one of the largest fresh-water lakes in China, part
of the Mekong River system, its waters originating in the Tibetan
plateau to the north. Heavy rain prior to our arrival meant the
usual landing places were under water. Our boat excursion took us
to a landing site where we walked on planks over the flood waters
past stalls selling tourist trinkets to the stairs leading up to
the multiply-rebuilt Luoyuan Temple.
The restoration is obviously
new, but the combination of Buddhist and Taoist paintings is still
impressive. The temple has many stories, stairways going in all
directions, many balconies overlooking the calming expanse of Erhai
Lake. In retrospect, despite the climb, this was one of our most
relaxing afternoons. Too bad we couldn't preserve the atmosphere.
The evening was another "honored guest banquet", with Chinese toasts
and multiple barely edible dishes. I hope someone enjoyed it. Thank
goodness for Gary, a member of our group. His appropriately phrased
and timed toasts undoubtedly saved a little face for everyone.
Another early morning departure (that is anything before 10 am)
continued the journey into the high plateau that makes this region
so special and unique. The altitude at Dali, several thousand feet,
began a day more suited to mountain goats than sea level junkies.
First it was the large Changshan temple
complex and three famous pagodas before continuing on to Lijiang
at about 7500 feet. The scenery is beautiful, the air thin, and our
hotel cavernous. This is Naxi territory, another minority tribe.
One would think, from the emphasis given by the locals, that the
Naxi claim to fame is their marriage practices. Or lack of. Apparently
formal ceremonies have little meaning. Cohabitation is the culmination
of a series of orchestrated signals as to whether or not the young
woman is available for a nighttime visit.
Lijiang's old town center is a maze of old cobblestone streets lined
with restaurants and tourist pharaphenialia. As always, it is
important to remember that this is China, a country of over a billion
people, and no quiet little cities. The canals and bridges could
be a little reminiscent of Venice, and so could the crowds. Venice,
however, is at sea level, not 7500 feet, and the cool evening air
is penetrating. The afternoon walk around Black Dragon Lake Park
had been delightful, the stories of the Naxi people entertaining,
and the evening performance of the Naxi "orchestra" (old men playing
old music on old instruments in a cold, unheated and very old
building) culturally interesting for about five minutes. It had
reached the point when this tired American tourist just dreams of
a hot shower and fluffy pillows. Besides, even after arriving back
at the Treasure Harbor Hotel there is be the long hike along the
elegantly decorated, cold and dimly lit corridors. I just kept
hoping the heat was on and the shower wording. And that my newly
acquired scroll fit in the suitcase.
The next day was a reminder that southwest China, Yunnan province
in particular, is special and unique. This is not smoggy, smelly
Beijing, or crowded Shanghai with 14 lanes of traffic. At this
altitude the morning air is crisp and the intense sun enough to
quickly turn our faces pomegranate red. It is another beautiful
drive to Baisha and 500 year old frescoes, followed by a visit to
the village where the devoted Dr. Rock house lived and practiced.
In the 1920's and 1930's Rock was instrumental in providing medical
care to the local Naxi population, introducing their culture and
customs to the West through National Geographic , and collecting
and categorizing numerous species of indigenous plants. The morning,
while interesting, later seemed a time-filler for the day's main
event. The spectacular outdoor Yunnan show was choreographed by the
same artist who designed the opening of the Beijing Olympics. The
open rows of seats must hold several hundred spectators, and the
number of performers even greater. Lines and lines of dancers
and singers, dressed in beautiful native costumes, weave up and
down the surrounding mountain. Mounted horsemen gallop around and
behind the seats. The backdrop is not a stage setting, but the high
peaks of the Tibetan plateau to the north.
The exit from the theater is, like everywhere, through the shops.
This is not a shopping excursion for Americans -- the many counters
are filled with unrecognizable dried plants and herbs and all signs
are in Chinese. Until the end, with a counter of chocolate! Dove
bars and Kit Kat wafers -- manna from heaven. Or at least fortification
for the second thrill of the afternoon. If 7500 feet wasn't high
enough, the cable car up to the 10,000 foot Yak Peak is. The
experience is breath-taking, but not necessarily relaxing for anyone
concerned about open heights. On the other hand, how often does one
have the chance to use a bathroom with spectacular mountain vistas?
After a second night in Lijiang's spacious, if deserted, Treasure
Harbor Hotel, it was back to Kunming and then onto Guiyang Province.
Kunming had been my primary reason for dreaming of a trip to Yunnan.
It probably was a charming quaint city bordering the magnificent
and vast Stone Forest -- years ago. Kunming now is modern, busy,
gridlocked by cars and buses and largely non-descript. The city
could be any number of places. The Stone Forest is the largest karst
landscape in the world, and probably has more tourists on a cold
winter day than Cedar Point on a blistering summer weekend. It was
interesting, but not the highlight I had anticipated. It was our
next and final destination that turned out to be surprisingly
wonderful.
Arrival in Guiyang may be the end of the Long March for Western Tourists. We've taken two uncomfortable flights with characteristic Chinese delays and over-crowding (US flights are a piece of cake by comparison), and bus rides hours longer than expected. Everyone, myself included, was more than happy to collapse at a hotel -- any hotel. But this is China, so first we must eat. Or rather drink. We were now in Dong territory. Their culinary claim to fame seems to be pouring a semi-sweet, almost port-like brew down the throat of any would-be diner from a communal horn by lovely costumed singing girls singing a Dong drinking song.
Guiyang is the site of China's, in fact all Asia's, largest waterfall
with the unpronounceable name Huangguoshu. Our charming little
guide, Ivy, did not adequately communicate the miserable 2-hour bus
ride to get there, nor the hike we were in for around the falls.
The route was along stone paths, up and down stairs, over a suspension
bridge, through soaking mists for an hour and a half. The views
were amazing. Our reward for all this effort was a delicious lunch
at the nearby Grand Valley Hotel. Special dishes included Waterfall
Fish and slices of huge mushrooms. Unusual appetizers were pickled
root, a pumpkin-squash cake, and tea eggs.
Every waterfall has a beginning, and after lunch we drove to what
is called the "Stone Bridge", a series of flat stones over the
headwaters of the falls that represent each day of the year. When
you find your birthday stone, you jump up and down three times and
try not to fall into the water. Typically Chinese, it is all for
good luck. Another good luck place is a bend in the water where all
the bad luck is washed away by just washing your hands. Unfortunately
all I got washing my hands at the appointed spot was watching my
sunglasses float away downsteam.
We had one last long ride and hike in store, an exhausting trip up
Another long bus ride, another long hike up what must be hundreds
of steps, and into rusty old boats to access Dragon's Palace, a
huge water cave rather garishly lit. More spectacular is the view
down the gorge. More fun was watching the Dong girls dress Lori in
their costumes, for a fee, of course. The only saving grace of the
2-hour ride back was one of our best meals, dinner at a lovely Sheraton.
Steamed fish, crispy dried beans, and five-star bathrooms.
Too bad we were almost too exhausted to properly appreciate it.
The last day of any intense trip has a wind-down time, and this one
was no different. Probably no one needed the overlong drive to an
"authentic" village, with a mediocre lunch and disappointing park
visit. It was all to fill time until we flew to Guanzhou and a
comfy, familiar Marriott. A final late evening complete with piano
bar and farewell drinks with new friends was the perfect end to my
long anticipated Yunnan adventure.
Questions? Comments? For more information, email us at dz@dreammaker.org.
Copyright 2009 Donna Zabel.
