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Yunnan Province; China

Mar
2004-09-14 15:37:29

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To the Lao border

We have settled down for one of our last ’Mekong Water’, a Chinese beer called ‘Lancang beer’ (Lancang is the name for the Mekong in China). And because it tastes so well we have another one, every time poured in those new glasses with still the sticker on it. Dali beer is also a good beer, but choose the red label. From the restaurant on the first floor I look down onto the street. On the left is a barber where Raymond just went in for a Chinese haircut. Next to the barber there are three mini supermarkets, or counters would describe it better. The long glass desk stretches from left to right facing the street. In all of these supermarkets you can buy the same, a large collection of cookies, candies, a small selection of toiletries (but difficult to find a raiser), water, instant noodle soup and some soft drinks. Some people pass by, a young mother carrying here baby on her back in one of those black velvet bags that are embroided colourful. We have seen them everywhere in China. The baby is probably wearing the pants with no stitches at the crotch so you don’t need dipers (all small children wear these). All Chinese children just use the big hole in their pants to pee and shit everywhere their parents like, heavily encouraged by the parents making peeing sounds.

Another pedestrian pushes a one-wheeled wooden car with two supports that stabilise it when the car is not pushed. A third person stops as he sees me. Tourists are still interesting. He looks up from the corner of his eyes, pretending he wants to buy something at the mini-supermarket. When I look back his eyes move to the middle, but when I look at my book he will look at me again. I have made it a habit to play this game for 2 minutes and then I start waving. Next to the mini supermarket is an old looking bamboo house that doesn’t really match with the surrounded concrete buildings.

We will miss China (almost) every bit of it, except for the spitting. We are leaving Yunnan just as we have got familiar with a lot of the Chinese written characters. It is a matter of comparing roofs ad stripes, and trying to find something familiar. The last character of a series that makes ‘guesthouse’ looks very much like a ‘cable car’.

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