Plans
This is my first (and presumably last) guest entry for the blog. First things first, I'm glad to report we are having a fantastic time. No illness (more or less), perfect weather, lots to see and do, great food, and we haven't killed each other yet (though up on that Tiger Leaping Gorge mountain I was about ready to jump, and I think Lillis the same, we felt so miserable - I'm not sure if she told that story, too much food right before the steepest part of the climb - thank god for mules...but I digress)
Bad plans:
- Going for a late-night massage at the Camellia Hotel in Kunming. Two ladies in short-skirted nurses outfits trying to get us to go for the "oil massage"....thank god we were together and these ladies understood the word "NO"!
- Carrying 30-lb. bags with us to the trek up Tiger Leaping Gorge, in preparation for cold weather and possibly sleeping outside. After nearly falling dead of heart attacks due to the elevation, heat, and aforemention overeating, we reluctantly (ok, gratefully) accepted the assistance of a mule and mule-owner. The mule took the bags. Until I fell ill and the mule took ME and the mule-man took the bags...what we couldn't handle separately, this man took together. At least 50-lbs. of unnecessary crap! Oh, and the place we stayed had nice, thick goose-down comforters...so almost everything we had was unnecessary.
- Did I mention the massage?
- Biking around Erhai Lake in Dali. Actually, the trip was very plesant and beautiful. Problems presented themselves, however, when we got to the other side of the lake (about 5 miles as the crow flies, about 30 miles by road) and we were exhausted, in need of a beer (which we found!), and a ride home. The promised boat ride didn't materialize (and thankfully, since there were gale-force winds blowing across the lake) so we were forced to stuff our bicycles in the back of a mini-bus and take the whimp-way home...
Good plans:
- Everything else, including staying away from all other westerners (as much as possible), eating at local "restaurants", renting bikes, staying in fabulous hotels, getting off the proverbial beaten path, laughing the bad ideas off so as to not breed travelers-resentment, solving problems with a shared beer or two, taking notice of the beautiful Chinese children (and elder-types), not buying hashish from whispering ladies, taking lots of pictures (and even a few videos), buying stuff from vendors that are friendly and smiling and unobtrusive, and 30-hour train rides fueled with wet-wipes and wet-toilet paper.........followed by a plane ride back...
- Mike
