Summer Plans

*All pictures have been taken from Lonely Planet.

Dear friends and family,

I am officially on my summer holidays!

My plans are to travel through the south-west province of Yunnan and then fly to Kathmandu to visit some family while exploring the ever-beautiful Nepal.

 

I'll be doing a lot of traveling within Yunnan as it has been described by some as having some of the most "magical and diverse scenery in all of China; there are endless trekking opportunities in the south's tropical rainforests, and in the north, snow-capped Tibetan peaks hide dozens of tiny villages and temples rarely visited by tourists."

 

Yúnnán is also home to a third of all China's ethnic minorities (nearly 50% of the province is non-Han) and despite the best government efforts, numerous pockets of the province have successfully resisted Han influence and exhibit strong local identities, which means I'll definitely have a good taste of what else China has to offer other than skyscrapers and neon lights! 

 

Here are the cities I'll be visiting in Yunnan:

 

Jinghong:  My first stop will be to soak up the Southeast Asian atmosphere in the capital of tropical Xīshuāngbănnà.  I was originally planning on reserving a lovely tree-house type hotel room in the middle of an elephant reserve but they were closed this season due to renovations so I'll have to content myself with a trek instead. (I'll be spending approx 3 days here)

 

Yuányáng: I've heard of this magical place through coworkers and can't wait to watch the sun rise and set on the magnificent Yuányáng rice terraces. It's the middle of the season so the terraces will be a lovely shade of green but in the fall when the terraces are filled with water the sun rises and sets while leaving a rainbow of colours that stretch for acres on the waters in the paddies.  Do a Google image search for "Yuányáng rice terraces". You won't be disappointed. (I'll be spending approx 2 days here)

 

Kūnmíng: Kunming is the capital of Yunnan and has become a thoroughly modern Chinese city with wide, palm-lined roads and sky-scraping modern buildings. There are a few interesting markets and temples there that should keep me busy for a few days. (Will probably stay here 3 days)

 

Dàlǐ: Dali is known as a backpacker's paradise but the title is quickly being placed on Lijiang instead.  Where Dàlǐ does come out ahead, however, is with its stunning location sandwiched between mountains and Erhai Lake (Ěrhǎi Hú). There's fascinating possibilities for exploring and getting to know the region's Bai culture. I'm hoping to get my hands on a rented bike and get out of town where all the beauty still lies. (I'll be spending approx 4 days here)

 

Lìjiāng: Lìjiāng will be my final destination before flying out to Nepal. The maze of cobbled streets, rickety old wooden buildings and gushing canals makes it one of the most visited sites in northern Yúnnán. But, apparently its popularity has grown faster than its ability to absorb the microphone-toting tour groups.

 

There is a debate amongst travelers between Lijiang and Dali as to which is more authentic. I find that it's a shame that people have to debate whether a city in China is deemed authentic enough. But to be honest I have seen how tourism has turned cities into mega money machines and it is becoming harder and harder to see what is still real anymore.  In any case I'm in China and I can't deny that it's all still authentic to me. (I'll be spending about 4 days here)

 

As for Nepal, I'll be visiting Jason's lovely family for 3 weeks who have generously accepted to take me in and show me an insider's guide to Nepal. Nepal has been said to be a real shopping heaven and I've already made a little shopping list of things I need to bring back home – Silver, Paintings, Fabrics, Prints.   Along with shopping I'm hoping to get around to seeing the historic downtown Thamel area and Old Town.

 

Nepal is a mystery to me; I have come to learn much from Jason and his family but until I actually step foot in Kathmandu's busy streets I don't think I could ever come close to understanding.

 

"Draped along the greatest heights of the Himalaya, Nepal is where the ice-cold of the mountains meets the steamy heat of the Indian plains. It's a land of yaks and yetis, stupas and Sherpas and some of the best trekking on earth. The Himalaya's most sophisticated urban cultures took shape here, in the three great minikingdoms of the Kathmandu Valley - Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur - home to a world-class artistic and architectural heritage."

Here's more information on Nepal: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/nepal/kathmandu

 

Well, I will leave you with this for now. I'll try and keep you all updated but I'm at the mercy of old computers and wonky internet connections in hostels.

 

Much love and Happy Summer!

Fashion in Shanghai

I have finally found a blog dedicated to the fashion scene in Shanghai. Shanghai is known for many things but unfortunately its Fashion Scene is not one of them.

Beleive me it was hard to find this blog but for those of you interested, click on here: http://thestreetaholic.blogspot.com

Enjoy!

Summer Fruit

The start of summer means an introduction to a many new fruit here in Qing-pu. You can always tell what is in season by what the street carts are selling.  For about two weeks now, along with a light green peaches, watermelons, and lychee there was an interesting - if not bizarre, looking fruit that seemed to be a real crowd pleaser.  I can only describe it as a round raspberry with really small drupelets. Unlike a raspberry it isn't hollow on he inside but does have a pit, much like a cherry.

They are used here to sweeten wines or are eaten dried, but I was introduced to them plain and simple - washed and eaten whole.  One of the grade 1 teachers brought them into the office on Friday and gave me a bag full along with simple instructions if I were to purchase some myself: Wash them and soak them in salt water for about 10minutes.

They are hard to describe, but perhaps the raspberry analogy is fitting enough, although they are a little fleshier and not so soft. They come in shades of dark red to a deep purple and I can say with confidence that they are my new favourite summer fruit. 

The name for them in Chinese is yángmé but in English I've come into two different translations: The Bayberry or the Waxberry. Since the fruit is a little waxy on the outside (not so much that you taste it) I have adopted the Wax version.

here's some more information on the fruit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myrica_rubra

If you ever come across these interesting berries, purchase a few, wash them, and soak them in salt water for around 10 minutes. You won't be disappointed!

Blossoms in Shanghai 2

I bought a couple of bouquets for some of the Chinese teachers on my last day before the summer holidays.  Flower bouquets are a huge industry here in China and flower shops dot every street in a ratio of about 2/10.

Each shop opens at around 7:30-8am and I've caught a few of them receiving some of their flowers in the "rough" and getting them ready for bouquets. Roses seem to be the most labour intensive since the stems have to have their leaves and thorns stripped before they are used for anything else. Thankfully shop owners have a special tool that looks like something you would use on wiring to remove plastic coating and thorns and leaves are removed in one swipe.

The average price for each bouquet is between 40-100rmb depending on the flowers used and I picked up a beautiful lily bouquet for 80rmb and a purple flower bouquet for 50rmb.  Popular choices for are roses, lilies, carnations, and mini plush toys (yup... imagine a bouquet but instead of flowers are little stuffed cows!)  Generally you can just walk up to a shop and the bouquets are placed on one side of the shop but you can also pick from an array of flowers and pay a little more for a custom piece.

It's also custom to wrap every major stem in coloured gauze or tissue as filler instead of using foliage, which honestly I've found to be a little tacky, but heck, that's just how it's done here!  Every bouquet is then finished off by wrapping it completely in coloured tissue. Bouquets are quite the serious matter here!

Enjoy!

Xitang Old Town

A couple of the local teachers took me to Xitang Old Town about an hour out of Qingpu.

Xitang is known for its bridges, lanes, and ceilinged corridors. There are 104 bridges of varied structure; some of them looking like rainbows over the river, and others like long flutes.The lanes are paved with stone planks, polished by the feet of pedestrians as well as hundreds of years of weathering.

Here are a few pictures.

Enjoy! xox