77 Days in China: Day 9: Kunming (昆明)

We arrived in Kunming at around noon today, Kunming is the 24th largest city in China, approximately 3 million (size of Chicago the 3rd largest city in the US). As was my reaction entering Guilin (760,000 people or the size of Memphis), I again was amazed at how modern and western everything was. Especially when we got to our hostel called "The Hump" which was in the center of the city and also the center of a large pedestrian promenade which I will get into later. After we dropped off our bags for the day we went to a mountain overlooking the city where there were Taoist shrines built into the mountain. On our way there though I started really feeling the pollution as we have yet to see a sunny sky, which is bad for pictures and our lungs. However just as Charlotte and I were complaining about it a girl seated behind us on the bus was talking into her cell phone about how clean the air is in Kunming compared to where she lived...guess I still have a lot to look forward to.

Our Hostel Room

Anyway we got to the mountain and found some meat on a stick, luckily this was also at a nice restaurant so we felt safe eating it, a chinese friend warned us that the meat might not be the animal they said it is and could be anything down to a cat, but since its a nice restaurant we tried it and are pretty sure it was lamb.

Meat on a stick, one of my favorite foods

Then we found what has turned into a reoccurring theme this trip, all the prices of tourist attractions has gone up at least $5 in the last year when our books and blogs we followed were written. We first got to a Gondola that would take us halfway up the mountain. From here we saw our first scary sight, the water below us was bright green supposedly do to pollution...and people were fishing in it.

Charlotte getting on the gondola

Nothing like fishing in green water

To show the contrast, on the other side of the road it was normal colored water

Once we took a 2nd chair lift costing more money to the top of the mountain, where only then do they tell you that it costs more money to get into the park. China has really figured out the art of screwing tourists out of their money when its too late for them to turn back. So we paid and went in and took lots of pictures. These temples were carved into the rocks over 500 years ago, then repainted very bright colors by China probably 10 years ago. This is where a funny part of China started happening too; there are tons of chinese tourists everywhere we go and something they see less than tourists sights are white people. So it is not uncommon for them to ask me to pose with them in pictures so they can go home and say they met a white person (Charlotte takes some of the pictures too).

Entering the mountain path

Up close picture of the door

Charlotte and the view from the top

Each of the temples were carved into the rocks

Climbing down to the next level of temples

Incense being burned outside the temple

A good look at the green water, with very western looking houses along the coast

Charlotte looking over Kunming, somewhere out there in the smog

Charlotte reaching to touch the dragon ball on a dragon gate that is supposed to give you success in your career

Yes she actually reached it!

Standing in the doorway

I am a star in China!

Statue overlooking the water

You can see the walkway carved out of the wall of the mountain

At the bottom with the green water

As we were leaving I saw one of my favorite sights, I have seen a lot of funny English spelling from countries but in China a lot of time they seem to get it right 1 place and then a foot away spell it wrong

After a day of hiking we walked around the promenade and saw all the huge city buildings mixed in with markets selling traditional food. Again a group of Chinese girls on vacation came up to me while I was watching Charlotte shop and asked to be in a group photo with them (this normally happens when they don't know I am with Charlotte, I think they are too embarrassed when she is around). We ended our walk on the promenade after seeing the worst Michael Jackson impersonator I have ever seen, he looked fine, but his dancing was running backward and throwing his arms all over the place. We then went out for some Across the Bridge noodles which is famous in Kunming. They bring you steaming hot broth and raw food and you dump it in and it cooks at your table.