Shopping at factories not in the intenary

26 October 2007
3rd day –Afternoon – Bai Yu Tang （白玉堂）

From my traveling experience in China, beside visiting the scenic spots, factories or places that introduce tourists to buy the products that cost thousands or hundreds of dollars are other major places where the local tour guides with bring you to. From the Stone Forest, we went back to Kunming city and having lunch at the same beautiful country side restaurant. On the way back, we visited the Medical Hall “Bai Yu Tang” （白玉堂）. Some of the tour members bought the expensive Chinese medicine but Chooi Tau and I did not buy anything.

After that we were brought to a crystal factory where Chooi Tau and many members bought the crystal sun glasses. I didn’t buy because I am short sighted and the sun glasses are without any power.


In the afternoon we went to the LuoSiWan Whole Sales Market (螺丝湾批发市场). We were given 1 ½ hours to shop but nothing was suitable for me to buy. We were offered to have a free foot massage, but believe me, there is no free lunch in the world, the main purpose of the free offer by them was to sell their products which cost hundreds of dollars. After dinner, we went for a famous stage cultural show in the theatre which cost about RMB200 per person.

Stone Forest (Shi Lin – 石林)

26 October 2007
3rd day – morning – Stone Forest

Today the morning call was at 7.15 am, breakfast at 8.00 am. The Stone Forest is just within walking distance from the hotel – about 15 minutes walk. To avoid the crowd, we started journey early at 9.00 am, immediately after the breakfast.


Along the way, we saw bundles of maize hanging outside almost every house for drying up for later consumption.


The Stone Forest is 120 km from Kunming. This forest of stone, formed by erosion over millions of years, is comprised of many stone peaks, pillars and stalagmites rising abruptly from the ground and extending as far as the eye can see. It is one of the world's natural wonders.




Here, massive pillars of gray rock have formed a gigantic forest of stone. Some of these natural stone formations have the appearance of animals such as snakes, elephants, birds, and dragons. The whole journey of walking and climbing up and down from the entrance to the exit took about 2 hours.

Journey to Stone Forest (Shi Lin – 石林), Kunming

25 October 2007
2nd day – Evening - Journey to Stone Forest (Shi Lin – 石林)

Our next scenic spot was Stone Forest (Shi Lin – 石林). Normally the journey from Alu Caves to Stone Forest will take only about 40 minutes but because of the heavy rain in the past few days that caused soil erosion, the road was closed for repair. We have an alternative road which is still under construction. The journey was terrible, we were like riding a rocky horse on a rocky mountain. It took us 2 ½ hours that we have our dinner at 9.00 pm and checked in at YunLin Hotel at Shi Lin at 10.15 pm.

Chooi Tau was having backache, so she called for a room service body massage. It was already 11.15 pm and I was very tired, but the girl sweet talked to have a foot massage. The foot massage was lousy and it cost RMB60.

Kunming – Army Officials School

25 October 2007
2nd day – morning – Army Officials School


The morning call was at 7.15 am, breakfast in the Hotel Cafeteria at 8.00 am and we started our 2nd journey at 8.15 am. The first place we went was the Army Officials School (姜武堂). It is one of the protected/reserved history units in China that founded in 1909 and is located at the west of the Green Lake (翠湖). A lot of famous generals were students of this school.


It was drizzling when we reached there. The local tour guide told us lots of interesting history and stories where even members of other tour groups were also attracted to listen and gave him a loud applause after he has finished. One of the stories is the “Du Du Siew Mai of General Tang Shi Roa” (唐饶将军的都督烧卖).

The bus stopped at the side of the Green Lake Park which it is at Kunming City center. Every year lots of seagull will fry from Siberia to Kunming during winter time and this Green Lake is their resting place. Many locals and tourists are attracted to enjoy the wonderful scene of the seagull.

ALu Ancient Cave （阿庐古洞）

25 October 2007
2nd day – Afternoon - ALu Ancient Cave


Alu Caves which is believed to be the early dwelling place of the ancestors of YI ethnic minority. The ancient Alu caves are found 169 km from Kunming. A 3,000-metre-long travel route threads through this group of colossal karst caves in which underground rivers and numerous stalaco-stalagmites and stalagmites form a natural wonder in its own right. The caverns and stalactite and stalagmite formations are spectacular, as they are enhanced by an underground river and lake, the cave tour includes a boat trip. After the boat trip we have to take cable cars downhill to go to another part of cave and have to walk quit a distance before we were out of the cave.

Yuantong Temple at Kunming, China

Before we proceeded to ALu Ancient Cave （阿庐古洞), we visited the Yuantong Temple where I was only at the outer court because it was very smoky inside. There are many beggars outside the temple and some were pretended to be paralytic.


Restaurant at Stone Forest - sweet corn



We have lunch on the way to ALu Ancient Cave. It is a beautiful country side restaurant where we have to sit around a low table cover with red check table cloth on low rattan chairs with red check cushion cover. The structure of the building is very unique and special, just like a country home.

Grand View Pavilion or Daguanlou Park (大观楼), Kunming

24 October 2007 - Evening


After the Western Hill, we proceeded to the Grand View Pavilion or Daguanlou Park(大观楼) which is on west side of the “500 miles” lake that is 6 times of the size of Singapore. It was built more than 300 years ago in 1682 during the Ching Dynasty. All the way from the entrance are planted with beautiful chrysanthemum. The water lilies in the lake were only left with dry leaves but without flowers. The Daguanlou is one of the four famous pavilions in China. At both sides of the door of the Daguanlou are written with the longest pair of poem （对联）in the world ever since ancient time. It has altogether 180 Chinese words. Our local tour guide was so good that he could recite them and told us the history without looking at them for more than half an hour.



Grand View Pavilion or Daguanlou Park (大观楼)





Chooi Tau bought a pair of red slippers that she likes very much for RMB20 at a stall on the way walking back to the bus. Many team members bought gloves for RMB5.00 per pair and some other things like scarf, socks and hats. The shopkeeper was very happy because he was having so good business before he called it a day.

We have dinner in a restaurant and seated with three tables. It was a 10 course dinner with 8 dishes of meat, 1 dish vegetable and a bowl of soup. We could not finish the dishes and it was very wasteful. We requested for more dishes of vegetable instead of meat for the next meal. We check-in at King World International Hotel （锦华国际酒店）at 9.30 pm. The hotel room is quite spacious and comfortable. “Xiao He” was providing such a good service that he went door to door to see whether all of us were “ok” or did we have any other needs. His service was excellent.

Kunming-"Western Hill Dragon Gate” (西山龙门

24 October 2007 - 1st day afternoon
1st Scenic Spot - “Western Hill Dragon Gate” (西山龙门)

The first place we visited in Kunming was the “Western Hill Dragon Gate” (西山龙门). For environmental protection, all the buses have to park outside the park and we have to take the little electric train which can be seated with six to eight persons from the bus stop to the foot of the hill. Along the ways, there are stalls selling souvenirs. We have to climb hundreds of stairs to reach the top tourist spot, the Dragon Gate. It was quite exhausted but luckily in between, there are tourist spots that we can stop and Xiao Hei would tell us story or the history. Many people touched the dragon ball at the Dragon Gate in hoping that their value will increase hundred times.


The Western Hill Dragon Gate is a huge hilly dense forest full of “old ancient trees”. Climbing along the stone staircase, on the right is the hilly stone forest, on the left is the whole view of the “500 miles” lake. The scenery is beautiful, looking down from high and far, the lake and sky are in one colour. The whole view of the “500 mile” lake was under our eyes.

8 days 7 nights trip to Yunnan - Kunming, Dali, Lijiang

24 October 2007
1st day – flying to Kunming with MAS

The taxi dropped by to pick me up at 6.15 am after picking Chooi Tau at 6.00 am. We reached KLIA at 7.00 am and the taxi fare was RM80.00. We have our breakfast at a café after checking in. The flight took off at 10.00 am, a delay of about half an hour due to heavy traffic and all the planes have to line up to take off. We have our lunch in the plane.

Our plane landed at Kunming Airport at 1.30 pm. The Chine tour guide is a tough young guy name Jiang He (姜河). He asked us to call him Xiao Hei (小黑) or "Little Black". In Kunming, instead of addressing a lady "miss", we have to call "Ashima" for women of any age, and "Ah Hei Ge" (black brother) for all men.

Our Kunming tour guide "Little Black" is a very knowledgeable, joyous, passion in his job and good story teller. It was the first in my life that I met such an excellent story teller who is so well verse in history, can be so lively and elicit in linking the story to a truth. He belongs to the “Yi” ethnic minority.

Vacation! Vacation! Enjoy Your Vacation in Yunnan, China

Yunnan





Yunnan (Beautiful Clouds in the South) Province is the most southwest region of China bordering the countries of Vietnam, Laos, and Burma. Yunnan Province borders Guizhou Province and Guangxi Zhang Autonomous Region to the east, Chongqing and Sichuan to the north, and Tibet Autonomous Region to the northwest. Yunnan encompasses 394,000 square kilometers (152,084 square miles) and has a population of more than 42 million people.

Within these borders, Yunnan has a diverse topography that ranges from alpine mountain ranges to tropical rainforests and the greatest number of plant species in China (more than 18,000) as well as an incredible array of animals, including the Asian elephant and the protected Yunnan golden monkey. That is the reason why Yunnan is also known as a 'Kingdom of Plants' and a 'Kingdom of Animals', which have enough to offer those who care to come on bio-tour trips.

There are 25 different ethnic minorities in Yunnan, making it the most culturally diverse province in China. This multiplicity of cultures has endowed the province with a rich heritage that it shares with all who come to visit.

Until recent times most of Yunnan was not easily reachable as it was cut off from communication with the outside world by precipitous mountains. Many believe that the Shangri-la referred to in James Milton's Lost Horizons, was in Yunnan. It now may be the last virgin land where one can observe cultures whose layers go back for thousands of years into the past.

Traditional foods in Yunnan include chicken stewed in an earthen steam pot, rice noodles, roast ducks of Yiliang, Yunnan style ham, Xuanwei ham, and the daily are of ethnic peoples.
(http://www.tefl.cc/Yunan/index.htm)

Weather & Climate In Yunnan
Yunnan has a diverse climate, embracing temperate, tropical and rigid zones in one province. Kunming, the capital city, is marked by a pleasant spring weather which prevails year round while it is also notable for the abrupt change into winter weather caused by rain.

The climate in Kunming, China is warm and comfortable throughout the year. Temperatures never get too hot, nor do they get too cold. The city has even been given the nickname “The Forever Spring City.” With all of this however, certain months can be more comfortable to visit during than others

Dali's climate is somewhat similar to that of Kunming. Lijiang has a rather cold climate whereas Xishuangbanna is rather hot for most of the year.
(info@odysseycycling.com)