Mapping China crudely onto the US, Yunnan is approximately Texas. It feels rather more like Colorado, with beautiful mountains, a very chill atmosphere, and a cooler, drier climate due to the elevation.
The Kunming airport is where I encountered (experienced?) my first squat toilet. I'll delicately say that there's a bit of a learning curve, and I'm glad I read some of the how-to's on the internet beforehand (it's an awkward conversation to have with friends...). Western toilets have joined the list of things I didn't know I was taking for granted.
Queueing at the Kunming train station
From the airport, we found our way to a local bus to the train station. That's where we met Matt*. Matt was traveling to Lijiang -- our destination in Yunnan -- with his girlfriend and her sister. He spoke no English; I spoke virtually no Mandarin. With B. as an intermediary, we all communicated... with a certain amount of confusion. Matt helped us buy the appropriate train tickets and we joined him and the girls for dinner. With soft sleeper berths (small bunk beds stacked two or three high), we slept for most of the 9 hour trip, waking up to sunrise over the mountains and invigorating Chinese "good morning" music.
Lijiang Old Town
On the other end, we followed Matt to his recommended guest house in Lijiang Old Town (his father's place, we later learned). The Old Town is a UNESCO World Heritage site with winding cobblestoned streets, historic architecture, glimpses of Naxi culture (one of the Chinese minority groups), and hundreds of shops which all sell the same five things. It is, to put it succinctly, a tourist mart. But it is a tourist mart well worth visiting.
Making traditional Chinese tea
We spent our time in Lijiang enjoying the slower pace of life. We drank lots of good tea, wandered the streets, sampled the plentiful unknown foods, and shared dinner with Matt and co.** We shivered through the chilly nights and mornings and enjoyed the midday sunshine. (Pro tip: when staying in an unheated guesthouse, look for a heating pad on the bed. The nights were significantly more comfortable thereafter.) We also went on two day trips, which I'll post about soon.
* His real name was Miao Lu. He wanted us to give him an English name; we decided that his name sounded like "Matthew".
** Birthday noodles (symbolizing longevity) on the first night to celebrate my birthday! Hot pot on the following nights, to B.'s delight and my dismay.
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