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Yunnan Province; China

Mar
2004-09-14 15:37:29

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of all the water that runs cross and over the road, it wants to become a river itself. We can barely look at the

In the deep we spot the wild Mekong River for the first time, but the strong wind and drizzle prevents us to hear it.

After three days we take the only exit from this dirt path that leads to Weixi. Our planning is to take a sleeper bus back to Kunming, so we are in time out of China (visa expires). In Weixi we cannot find a 'Bank of China', the only bank that changes foreign currency or get money via traveler cheques or credit card. With our last cash we can only reach Dali, which is half way to Kuming (500km). So we buy a ticket to Dali hoping that we can persuade the bus driver to stop at a 'Bank of China' during one of the 'smoke' stops. The bus takes us over a spectacular mountain ridge and this time I can fully see every detail, while the road is as well a dirt road. I hear a window opening just behind me. What follows is not one of the Chinese ‘Gggggoink’ sounds, but three of my neighbors providing their lunch to nature, half of it being captured by the outside of the bus. Not more than 15 minutes later the same story repeats and another 15 minutes later again. Lunch must be over by now, is my thought, and I offer my spear mint chewing gum to the back of the bus.

In the middle of the evening after 10 hours driving, one hour before Dali and no 'Bank', Raymond bribes the bus driver during a 'petrol stop' with dollars. I think it is asking a bus driver in Amsterdam if he knows a bank on the way between Paris and Barcelona. Luckily the bus driver has never seen dollars and is quite enthusiastic. He gave us a "free" ride to Kunming.

Raining off to Laos

17/10/2003. It’s the third day in a row that it’s raining since we left Kunming. Not the explosive tropical rains, but continuous drizzling rain just hard enough to ...