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Thread: In Kunming

  1. #31
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    And speaking of oasis...

    Here is the most scenic bar I've ever been in. It's in the 'Old Town' of Kunming (not Guandu, but city center), and has a great view too. Drinking here is like drinking on the set of a kung fu movie. :
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    And here's a rare treat. A quality imported beer. God I miss good beer.
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    More to come...

  2. #32
    Quote Originally Posted by ShaolinDan View Post
    Sort of...it's nothing like the Kung Fu TV series, though.
    I hear ya, but I would argue that the real experience is better than the TV version. Real is always better than make believe.

    I just mean it must be neat to see the places where all the legends are based etc etc...

    When I go to Asia I plan on seeing as much historical stuff as I can. Especially w/ architecture. I love old buildings, gardens, parks etc...

  3. #33
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    Quote Originally Posted by Syn7 View Post
    I hear ya, but I would argue that the real experience is better than the TV version. Real is always better than make believe.

    I just mean it must be neat to see the places where all the legends are based etc etc...

    When I go to Asia I plan on seeing as much historical stuff as I can. Especially w/ architecture. I love old buildings, gardens, parks etc...
    It's totally neat. Living in America, old buildings are a real treat, loved that about Europe also.

  4. #34
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    Bird and Flower Market

    The Bird and Flower Market is a great place to see old buildings. Unfortunately it's always getting less great. I can't blame them considering the state of the old structures, but old buildings are constantly being torn down and replaced with new old-looking buildings.
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    It's also a great place to buy birds and flowers:
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    And other stuff :
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  5. #35
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    Culture and Tourism Festival

    April 29 to May 1 was the Kunming International Culture and Tourism Festival. Here's some photos from the performances and the parade, enjoy:

  6. #36
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    Parade, cont.

    For videos of the Shaolin Performances see the Guandu Shaolin Temple thread:
    http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/...t=65758&page=2

  7. #37
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    Around Kunming

    Just bought my ticket to fly home from Beijing on Aug. 21. Pretty exciting. Only have a couple more weeks left in Kunming and then I'll spend the next two months or so traveling in China. Will be stopping by the Songshan Shaolin Temple of course...also hope to make it to Emei Shan. Even though I won't be in Kunming anymore, I'll post about all that stuff on this thread I guess.

    Anyway, here's a few pics of some of the special sites near Kunming, but outside the city.

    The Stone forest (shilin) is kind of a combination of tourist trap and pristine beauty...like any National Park I guess. Anyway, great place to hike if you get out of the main areas. About an hour and a half from Kunming:
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    XiShan (West Mountain) is just outside the city and is a great hike up to Longmen (dragon gate). Beautiful views and temples along the way:
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  8. #38
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    Spring Bloom

    The lilies and the lotus are in bloom.

  9. #39
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    Bummer

    Well, not the worst loss of my life, but after trying several different companies it appears to be impossible to ship the spear, staff, and broadsword that I bought here home. If I was leaving straight from Kunming, I think the airline would let me check them, but I am traveling first and then leaving from Beijing. From what I have been told, I cannot take them on the trains with me. So I have to leave them here. Not sure how long it will be until I am in China again (maybe months, maybe years), but I guess I will fly home from Kunming next time.
    Not the end of the world, but frustrating, as I chose some very heavy and traditional feeling practice weapons for myself that I think will be a challenge to replace in America...especially since I got all three for less than $40.
    Oh well, easy come, easy go...

  10. #40
    Can you ship them somewhere else first and then home?

    For example, do you know someone in Hong Kong or Taiwan or another Asian country you could ship them to and then have that person ship them home for you?

  11. #41
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    Quote Originally Posted by Scott R. Brown View Post
    Can you ship them somewhere else first and then home?

    For example, do you know someone in Hong Kong or Taiwan or another Asian country you could ship them to and then have that person ship them home for you?
    It's a good idea, Scott. Maybe the problem is with the US, not China...I don't know. Anyway, it's too late now, I left them behind. Maybe one day I can come back and get them. In the meantime they'll sit in my aunt's house...

  12. #42
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    Travel Update

    Ok, well, I meant to do this more often, but I've been busy running around and my hotel internet connections haven't been so good. I wanted to say more about the places I've been going, but I just can't keep up with myself. Anyway the following posts are a short summary of my travel so far.

  13. #43
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    In Yunnan

    Ok. First real stop in Yunnan was Dali. (Did stop at a chinese friend's town, but there really isn't anything worth saying about that place--yawn ).

    Dali was fantastic. It's a tourist trap, but there's good reason for it. It's absolutely beautiful. Endless streets of old/old style buildings surrounded by beautiful mountains to hike and right near China's seventh biggest lake. Clean air too. Kunming is clean for a city in China, but it's still pretty polluted--the difference was very noticeable. Also home to the most impressive temple complex I've been to so far. Very very cool. Even had a great big statue of Bodhidarma, and for some reason the guy next to him had no left arm.
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    The tourist thing isn't all bad either--it means the streets are clean, the food is good, and there's even a British owned bar there that brews its own beer. Just lovely. I spent a week there and was sorry to move on.

    Next stop was Lijiang, which was awful. Part of the problem was that I’d already spent too much time in the Old Town of Dali to appreciate the Old Town of Lijiang, but that wasn’t all. Aside from Disney World and Venice, I’ve never been anywhere more touristy in my life. Lijiang was really pretty, but just so fake. I felt like I was in a giant Epcot Center China exhibition—only made for Chinese people. Blech. None of the old buildings there are really even old—the place was demolished in an earthquake a couple decades ago and now it’s nothing but new ‘old’ buildings. Walking on the outskirts of the town I could see even more new-old buildings under construction. How this place manages to stay on the UNESCO World Heritage List is beyond me—but I guess the UN has bigger problems. Anyway, I only spent a day and a half there and then moved on to Tiger Leaping Gorge.

    Tiger Leaping Gorge was absolutely wonderful. I made it a two-day hike and despite the first day being pouring rain and cold, I still had a fantastic time. I’ve really been missing being able to take a walk in the woods. The second day cleared up for me anyway and the views were phenomenal. Misty mountains above me and a river below. Great variety of scenery from pine forest to bamboo groves to little farm villages…and lots of goats. I like goats. (I am one after all—1979). Highly recommend this to anyone traveling in Yunnan.
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  14. #44
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    Change of Plans

    After Tiger Leaping Gorge I made a change of plans. Originally I intended to continue on to Zhongdian (aka Shangrila) in Northwestern Yunnan for a taste of Tibet, then continue north to Chengdu in Sichuan—Close to Chengdu I really wanted to see Leshan (the world’s tallest Buddha, ever since the Taliban blew up the one in Afghanistan) and to climb Emei Shan (and see if I could hunt down any Emei gong fu). But I didn’t do any of that. One of the big attractions of Zhongdian is its old town and I was feeling totally burned out on old towns. Also I started to realize that going to a new place every few days for two months straight was just too much running around for me. So I decided to prioritize my travel.

    From Tiger Leaping Gorge I went back to Lijiang and caught a plane all the way to Xi’an in Shaanxi. Before the imperial capital was moved to Beijing, Xi’an was the Emperor’s home, so obviously there’s some serious history there. The really big thing of course is the Terracotta Warriors. The next biggest thing is the old city wall. To be honest, both of these were not terribly exciting for me. I’m glad I saw them, but I just didn’t get the ‘WOW’ I’d been expecting. Maybe it was just too hot—I do miss the weather in Yunnan. Still Xi’an is a pretty nice city. The air pollution is not great, but otherwise it seems very comfortable. Wide roads and sidewalks, polite drivers for Chinese standards—a very well organized city in my impression. Anyway, though not amazing, I did have a pleasant few days there. One thing that I found very interesting was the heavy Taoist presence. In Kunming almost all of the temples were Buddhist and I rarely saw a Taoist monk, but in Xi’an it seems to be about a 50/50 split, so that was something new and cool for me.
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    So, prioritizing my travel. This morning I caught a bus from Xi’an to Luoyang in Henan. Luoyang is a dump, but it’s on the way to Shaolin Temple and there’re some things I really want to see here. Long before Luoyang became an industrial wasteland it was a dynastic capital and so it’s got some history. The big draw is that right outside of Luoyang are the Longmen Caves—a collection of Buddhist caves full of ancient carvings (and another UNESCO site). Also nearby is the oldest surviving (though since rebuilt) Buddhist temple in China and another temple which is supposedly the burial place of General Guan—so i'll check those out in the next couple of days and then move on to Dengfeng where I intend to hang out for a couple of weeks.

  15. #45
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    If you are still in Luoyang, feeling extremely hungry, and have a friend who lives there, I recommend taking that friend out to lunch or dinner for Luoyang "Shui Xi" (water banquet). Luoyang's cuisine is very different from the typical Henan fare and is worth checking out.

    And if you visit Henan without eating any "hui mian", you will make Li Shimin cry.

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