Home » China » From Russia to India (part VIII: Travel Notes on China)

This is a long postponed note on China. I postponed them because my impressions from China were quite conflicting and not good for well organized logical presentation. I arrived at Kunming Aug 24, 2005. The city pleasantly surprised me with its cleanness and especially with hygienic food service. It was such a contrast with India. Kunming is quite "Disneyalized" as well as other popular China tourist destinations. However because Kunming is a large industrial city, the disneyalization was not as annoying as with other places which I visited later in my China trip.

From Russia to India (part VIII: Travel Notes on China)

Alex Mumzhiu
2006-03-22 19:43:56

Displayed times (last time: )

The district of Xishuangbanna in South Eastern corner of China, on the border with Burma and Laos always seems to me one of the most exotic place in the world. It has about 25 funny looking minorities, who live in strange houses. It has jungles with wild elephants and tigers and there are some volcanoes there.

Vladimir Dinets visited this place 13 years ago, and his remarkable diaries "On a Wild Ass Trail" added to this impression.

In reality it was a little bit disappointing. China with lighting speed is moving out of third world country status. They built state of the art infrastructure. I traveled to the South of Yunnan province along an American style freeway, indistinguishable from America's freeways.

Little town of Jinghong, capitol of the district Xishuangbanna has become a center of tourist industry. Thirteen years ago, the hotel owner offered to Vladimir, to spend a night with one of his daughters, according to the local tradition. Vladimir wrote that he refused for political reasons, see his: http://dinets.travel.ru/panda.htm.

In my hotel, at the reception desk, they offered me free tea. Like in every touristy place, there are several recommended sites here which see constant traffic of tourist buses. I went to Mengyang Jingle Park with wild elephants one hour North from Jinghong. On a path through jungle every two minutes I met groups of Chinese tourists following guide with megaphone.

Another day I traveled by bike and have seen off the main road some exotic villages of Dai people with traditional style houses and strange dressed local people. It was really interesting. I also visited famous Sunday market at Menghui and Menghun towns. All town names here seem very similar. This is the reason: Meng means town. So, Jamestown, Georgetown and Provincetown would be called here Townjames, Towngeorge and Townprovince. As for Sunday market, it was really interesting: All these different tribes wore their distinct clothes. It was a very colorful picture. I have seen hill tribes at Golden Triangle in Thailand. It was a sorrowful picture. Here, these tribes managed to preserve their national culture and their villages and they look really very exotic, like illustrations from children's books on exotic countries.

Alex Mumzhiu
McLean Va USA
Jan 12 2006