Happy Chinese New Year everyone! Bring on the year of the Dragon and ten days off from teaching!
I am over the moon excited to admit that in less than 24 hours i will be in another new city starting another crazy road tripping adventure! This time however i'm trading in the huge RV and camper van (fit for two but slept 3) for planes, buses, and trains. In that order. Traveling China will definitely be a completely different experience than trekking it across the scarcely populated outback of Australia. Plus, I'm bringing along one of my favorite British boys solely for entrainment purposes due to his accent. Um, and these pictures... oh, and he is also much better versed in the language than I am.
Okay, starting off we have a flight from Xi'an to Kunming that will land us in the capital of Yunnan Province which respectively boarders Laos, Burma, and Vietnam. We're breezing through this city and only spending time to catch up on some sleep and figure out a train ticket back to Xi'an for later on in the week. Tom has the idea that "flying isn't really traveling, but a 35 hour train journey is". As usual, up for most anything I agreed and with our fingers crossed we will get a bed on this train ride and not just a seat. You see, when Chinese New Year (in China) hits there have been reports of over 2 BILLION people traveling during this time. As I said, we're crossing our fingers for beds.
After making our way around Kunming for the morning we will be catching a bus that will wind along strange and alien roads for around 6 hours before dropping us off to see the Yuanyang Hani Rice Terraces. At this time of year, these famous terraces are flooded so that at sunrise and sunset, they are one of the most sought after sights in all of China. Bundling up with our cameras charged, we'll be getting up early for a couple days to witness what so many people rave about. I wasn't sure what we'd be doing hanging out where rice grows at 4am until I saw these photos...
After zipping up our coats and pulling down our hats for months now, we are pretty excited that our final destination is at the southern most part of China, Xishuangbanna. Although the name is a mouthful, in English it means "twelve thousand rice fields". Which makes sense considering what we are stopping to see previously in this trip. Known as the "Thailand or Jamaica of China" it's reputation is a bit of a hippie oasis full of jungles and elephant treks. Being a huge melting pot of many cultures, only a third of which speak Chinese, I'm pretty interested to see the variations of food and the day-to-day lifestyles of it's inhabitants. Plus, I'm not going to lie... I'm hoping to kick off my boots, slip back into my flip flops and get some sun on my face. After living in Australia for a year, the lack of sunlight is killer over here. And although Chinese women relish pale complexions it's definitely not the best look for me.
What will I be doing on Chinese New Year's Day? I have no idea... but I know where I will be and I know who I will be with, which is the most important part. I've dusted (literally dusted, it's been under my bed) off my hiking backpack and have packed and repacked a couple times now. My Chinese - English dictionary is out and ready and my passport is back in it's case. Relatively, Tom and I have a pretty secure plan on getting to our destination... it's getting back that's the tricky part. If you don't hear from me for a while, have a fantastic rest of January!
xīnnián kuàilè everyone! And HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my little brother John, who is 22 today. There will be a position over here open once you graduate. Think about it.
Check for updates in two weeks!
xoxo
Em
Ps - Yes, Mom and Dad I have packed my epipen and inhaler.
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