Yunnan, a beautiful part of the "Old China"

Ken and I took our first trip to China together and we visited a small part of the Yunnan province. Beautiful landscapes with mountains, rivers and lakes. We first landed in Kunming and stayed in the City one night. We visited Yuantong Temple which was under renovation. We stayed at the Green Lake Hotel which was fabulous! The next morning we took an early flight to Dali, home of more than fifty minorities.  We went to Erhai lake and went to
see the cormorants fish. This was an amazing sight to see how these birds catch the fish. We also went to see the Three Pagodas that has a history of over 1,800 years. It so happened that we were there on Buddhas birthday and I was able to join the procession and had the privilege of bathing the Buddha with all of the worshipers.  I was overwhelmed by this experience, I was overcome with emotion and I had to fight to contain myself. The Old town of Dali is lovely, the Bai ethnic group  paint their houses white and then paint the corners or center with beautiful Chinese brush paintings. The next day we drove three and a half hours to Lijiang. Another beautiful town, the difference being that this town suffered a major earthquake in 2006 and the Chinese government decided to rebuild the city and it looks as if it were hundreds of years old. We stayed at the Crown Plaza hotel where EVERYTHING in this hotel was perfect!

The only thing wrong with Lijiang is that it is a tourist trap and sells the same thing over and over again and at inflated prices!  The best part of our trip was visiting the Yak Meadow of Jade Dragon where I met a 78 widow. This lady was from the Yi ethnic minority and we had a wonderful time, so much so that we were scheduled for a show and missed the show to visit with her. The lady had asked Ken for one wish, to paint her so that her grand daughter would have a memory of her when she passed.  The next day we went to Baisha and I walked the streets after lunch and Ken sat and sketched. I was walking down one of the streets when this old lady grabbed my arm and pulled me in to her home. There she offered me a tangerine, tea and sun flowers, and we chatted via sign language. I then decided I need an interpreter so I called my guide to come and help me. I had the best time visiting with this old lady. I believe these simple encounters with these folks are the most enriching part of my life here in Hong Kong.