Flying away to Li Jiang

Flight to Li Jiang:

Cullen escorted me downstairs to catch a taxi at about 5:40am. The air was a damp coldness that bit through our clothes. The temperature was below freezing, and the quiet of the street only emphasized the chill. It only took a few moments to catch a cab, which is typical. As I pointed to the airport terminal that I wanted to go to on the map, Cullen closed the taxi door, and I was off for my first adventure without him in China.

The taxi ride took about an hour. It was quiet on the streets so early in the morning. I was looking forward to sleeping in the plane. I had only gotten about 3 hours rest the night before, and really wanted some sleep now. I struggled to stay awake in the taxi, but once we arrived at the airport, I slung my backpack on and went into the huge airport awake and excited. Fan suggested we meet at about 7:20am since our flight was to leave at 8:35am. I arrived at the airport extremely early and was ready to wait. Fan arrived at 7:00am and we checked in. I didn't have any baggage to check, but had a large rolling bag that was currently about 1/2 empty. When she arrived, the airport was just starting to liven a bit. We made through security and back to the gate with no trouble. The waiting area was starting to get pack, but still had available seating for us. It wasn't an unpleasant wait for the plane. The announcements in the airport were in Chinese and in English, so there was no trouble knowing what was going on once we were in the waiting area.

We boarded the plane on time, and the flight was pretty uneventful. They do tend to cry wolf about turbulence though. It appears that all Chinese flights are this way, since no one even paid any attention to fact that you shouldn't use the lavatory during turbulence. There was a constant stream of people back to them during the 3 hour flight.

They served us breakfast on the flight wich consisted of hot noodles, 2 types of bread (a bun and a muffin), as well as fruit and some processed meat product cut into rounds on top of some veggies. I was surprised at the amount of food they serve on the flight, even though it is just small portions of each. There is lots of flavor and nutrition in the food as well, compared to the microwaved dishes I am used to on flights.

The flight landed in Kunming on time, and we collected Fan's checked baggage then headed to KFC for lunch. Our flight to Li Jiang wasn't until 3pm and we arrived around noon, so we had plenty of time to relax in the airport's KFC. We stayed in KFC until around 1:50 then went to check in again and head to the gate for our flight to Li Jiang. The wait was again, not unpleasant, and there were enough seats for us to not feel rushed. We were taken out to the plane on a bus. The flight was again, uneventful. The flight time from Kunming to Li Jiang was only 45 min., so it was mostly just an ascent then a decent. There wasn't much time between the two. On the flight, Fan started a conversation with the passenger that was sitting on the aisle seat beside her. The woman was a resident of Li Jiang, and a freelance journalist/photographer. She invited us to her home while we were in Li Jiang. She didn't speak much English, but she did say hello to me and show me a picture of her lovely little poodle named 'Happy'.

We arrived, once again, on time. We weren't greeted with a bus this time, we were just expected to walk into the airport arrival terminal. It wasn't too far, but was an interesting experience. The airport only has 4 terminals. All on ground level. This was my first experience with such a small airport.

Fan had arrange for us to have a mini-van come and pick us up at the airport for 60 RMB (10 USD) which was a fair price, considering the distance the airport is from 'Old Town' Li Jiang, where our inn was located. The ride was interesting. We passed several black smoke clouds that contained trucks, and the view of the mountain range was spectacular.

Dogs of Paradise:

After arriving at the Inn, I realized why it is considered an 'inn' and not a hotel. I believe there were a total of 8 rooms available for booking. There were five up-stairs rooms and 2 down-stairs rooms. All of the rooms were similarly equipped with a modern bathroom, TV and beds. They were all beautifully furnished and completely constructed of wood. I soon came to find that Li Jiang and the surrounding areas had no shortage of wood. The windows were all equipped with beautifully ornamental shudders. The carvings were mostly the likeness of animals and trees. There were loads of colors and beautiful fabrics used in the decorating of the rooms. The sheets smelled of fresh bleach, and the bathroom was clean and furnished with modern facilities (this is not always the case in China). The bathroom was only furnished with complimentary shampoo, conditioner, and hand soap. It was suggested by Fan, prior to our leaving, that I bring anything I might need to bathe with me. I had forgotten to bring a towel, so had to borrow one from the inn, but other than that, we were set.

The inn had about 4 resident dogs. One, obviously having had at least one litter, and 3 males. The largest of the dogs was a chow. His temperament was not what I normally expect from these dogs. His name was 'Happy' in Chinese. He appeared to be the dominant dog. The other 2 males were relatively passive. The black and white little male was very attention hungry, and the orange and white was missing an eye from a fight with the dog next door. They were all very sweet and loving. They didn't skitter about like frightened dogs, nor did they hop around like puppies. It was truly pleasant to have such company in the hotel while we stayed. I dearly miss the girls.

After dropping off our luggage in the room, we headed out to have some dinner and a look around in Li Jiang. We found a few really popular restaurants, and opted for a more quite location for our first dinner in this popular Chinese tourist town. We found a nice place away from most of the nightlife. The dinner was a nice pan-fried dish with yak meat and a veggie plate with potatoes to top our bowl of rice.

While eating our meal, two western tourists requested a peak at our map. I speculate, from their accent, that they were either French or Spanish. They looked more Spanish but Europe is so small, there really is no telling. They didn't speak much, just enoughs to get their bearings and were on their way. A mangy dog visited us while we ate as well. She was apparently a nursing mother, but looked so very gaunt. I had to restrain myself from feeding her some of our food. She could have fared far better at another restaurant, where there were more customers.

Inside the restaurant, there were many bottles of fermenting wine. Fan explained that it was Chinese medicine in the bottles. The contents ranged from Fruits and berries to chopped up Bull testicles. Though amazed, I was not surprised. The stories of Chinese medicine are not unfounded. It truly is a very interesting, and unscientific practice that is extremely prevalent in China.It appears to be far more prevalent outside the big cities.

The sun had fallen by the time we finished our meal, and so we started to wander the streets of 'Old Town' Li Jiang. The stone streets are not designed for driving. As a matter of fact, it is forbidden to drive a car on the streets of Old Town. They even ask that bicycles be walked through the streets and not ridden. Despite these rules, we had to move out of the way of a few cars and motorcycles several times.

Equipped with a map, we headed to the Square. Li Jiang's night life is famous in China. There is a beautiful stream running through the center of 'Old Town' and near the square, the stream is linned with bars and restaraunts. It was near 9pm by the time we made our way to the square. We had stopped to take a quick look at the different and interesting items in the small shops.

The noise from the square reached us long before we even saw the beautiful waterway. There were a few Styrofoam lotus flowers floating in the river with candles in the center. You could pay an amount to make a wish and float the candle on the stream. There were also coy fish you could buy to release into the stream to make your life long and peaceful. The warm glow of the red Chinese lanterns illuminated all the streets. People sat around fires in some of the bars and sang very loud songs to each other. In other bars there were dancing areas. The bar waitresses and waiters were dressed in traditional local clothes. The area was loud and full of energy. There were a few hotels higher up on the side of the hill that contained 'Old Town' and we decided to have a look. Circling in the air above the hotel, in the night lights, we could see swarming bats. Their cries were so very distinctly bat cries. I asked Fan if she knew anything about bats, but she said there weren't bats in China. Despite her lack of faith in my observation skills, I was certain they had to be bats. The night was too dark for them to have been birds, and much less, birds that would sing at night.

The view from the top of the hill was amazing. All the red and yellow lights from the town were glowing in a sea of corrugated Chinese roofing. As we sat and sipped our drinks, my hot chocolate and her hot milk, we relaxed and breathed the fresh mountain air. The sky had been clear and beautiful during the day, and the night was proving just as clear and lovely as the stars punctured the black of the sky with their white light. We conspired to head to Lasha lake the next day and then headed back to the inn.