Picture Post 6: Dali and Shibaoshan

Part two-ish of our province field trip-- a night in the backpacker haven of Dali and then a night in the only place I've ever stayed with no running water, a monastery on the mountain, Shibaoshan, where ancient grottoes in the cliffs house altars and I got pickpocketed by a monkey

A Dali street


Sunlight on the Dali mountains


The famous Dali pagodas


Temples tucked into the cliff and a waterfall at the Shibaoshan grottoes




An old altar in the grottoes of Shibaoshan


The Shibaoshan monkeys






The view across the valley from the monastery

Picture Post 3: My Yunnan Exploration Project-- Xishuangbanna

The third entry in my exhibition of pictures from this semester. I've decided I'm going to keep posting only picture posts until I catch up to Liuku, where I haven't written yet. Then I'll be able to write doing both. After, once I get to Nujiang again, well, we'll see from there. But meanwhile, I present to you my trip to Xishuangbanna on the Laos/Myanmar border during our Yunnan Exploration Project. You'd think a person couldn't take a lot of pictures in six days, but you'd be wrong.

Front porch of the Dai-style bungalow I stayed in in Jinghong, framed by banana leaves


Misty countryside outside Jinghong


Monk robes drying at a lamasery in Jinghong


Temples in a park in Jinghong


The countryside Buddhist temple we ran across on Diana's and my bike ride near Ganlanba


Images of the Xishuangbanna countryside, featuring lots of greenery, flowers, and traditional Dai-style houses






Images from the Menghun market






Diana in front of the enormous, beautifully wrought Burmese Pagoda we hiked up a mountain to find


At the Dai wedding to which Lee, Diana, and I were invited


The famous Jingzhen octagonal pagoda, the end of Diana's and my wild good chase through the Banna countryside


The treehouse where I spent my night at Banna Wild Elephant Valley


Sunrise in the Xishuangbanna Jungle






The big tree swings that go out over jungle streams. So much fun to ride!


I didnt' see any wild elephants, but I did see... elephants kneeling!


A wild monkey hanging out, so to speak


One of the Valley's tame monkeys and a baby bear! Snuggling! So cute!


The baby monkey that stole my glasses

Ring Around the Province, Part 2: Won't You Take Me To Monkey Town

Day Three of our trip around the province brought us to Dali, a small city that has been well-touristed for nigh on thirty years now, a very well-established backpacker stop. Four years ago when my family and I went to Lijiang (which is, incidentally, where I am now) the picture that was painted of Dali for me was pretty negative, and so I didn't have high expectations. Dali was indeed full of foreigners, but it gave off an air of being well-adjusted with its new identity as a sort of city-wide backpacker cafe. Very comfortable, very funky and colorful. There may be basically nothing left of the Bai culture that once reigned there, but the entity that has taken its place is tasteful and lacking the hoards of Chinese tourists I'm now finding in Lijiang.

Tania and I set out to see the famous Dali pagodas first. We took a taxi there but were informed that the fee for entrance was an exorbitant Y120, Y60 with our student IDs. Lu Laoshi had told us that it was pretty easy to get close to the pagodas without paying, and so we experimented, exploring the complex. It was fairly easy, indeed-- I went up to the ticket kiosks and pretended to look at a map while surreptiously taking pictures around the side of the divider. There was also a fair view of the pagodas from above the walls-- they are hundreds of feet tall and stand gorgeously formidable against a backdrop of dramatically lush mountains. It's strange to think that they've been standing that way for 1000 years. The view was powerful enough in the modernized valley. I can't imagine how they looked to travellers during the Nanzhao Kingdom era, when Dali was a major trading post. We spent the rest of the evening in Dali window/regular shopping (I got a fantastically Chinglished shirt), experimenting with Bai cuisine for dinner, and having dessert while a rain squall came through.

From Dali we drove about 5 hours to Jianchuan, through countryside dotted with lakes, traditional Bai settlements, and rolling hills. After a quick lunch, we set off up Shibaoshan, a Buddhist/Daoist mountain. The hike was only about a half an hour but it was pretty tough, as we were at yet higher elevation. The monastery was beautiful but very, very simple-- all the girls plus Mike and John slept in one room (much to the faux shock of Lu and Chen Laoshis) on simple cots and it was the first place I've ever been where people permanently live and there is no running water. There were two major distinguishing characteristics of Shibaoshan: 1) the grottos and 2) the monkeys. The entire temple complex is set on a set of cliffs, looking out on virgin-forested hills, and I spent some time with John and Tania exploring the grottos, filled with altars-- some of them very old and high up, some interestingly influenced with Indian iconography. The monkeys also added quite a bit of spice to the situation. Around dusk one showed up on the roof of the monastery and we were all very excited. Then another came, and then there was a veritable parade past the entrance to the monastery. We bought some feed for them and got quite up close and personal-- these are NOT shy monkeys. Case in point: on the way to dinner, I was walking down the stairs and suddenly felt something fly and land on the back of my thigh. My slowed-down brain registered that it was a monkey, interested in the contents of my pocket. I didn't have food in my pockets-- just a package of kleenex, but my pickpocket seemed happy to shred the contents, regardless. Lu Laoshi and John couldn't stop laughing at the face I had made when I realized there was a wild monkey hanging from my thigh.

The adventure with the monkeys went downhill from there. The monkeys got bolder and bolder-- when John, Keera, and Theresa hiked down the mountain to buy snacks they only came back with half of their purchase-- the rest had been looted by monkeys. We were all a little nervous about going to the bathroom, a small building past a path full of sleeping monkeys. John established himself as official Monkey Officer and carried a big stick and flashlight, leading group envoys to pee.

The next morning, after a very Chinese breakfast we drove to a separate part of the mountain to begin a long hike down to Shaxi valley. The hike was gorgeous, with incredible views of the verdant farmland and misty hills, but it was really hard. I fell twice, spraining one ankle, and had to go very slow-- my quads have never been so sore. But it was a very rewarding walk, regardless, and Lu Laoshi called me "Hen bang" (really excellent) for persevering, rather than giving up.

Next time: My "rural" homestay; I get flaming bai jiu (rice wine) rubbed on one body part-- guess which on!; an amazing Market

Banna Goes Wild, Part 2: Elephants and Monkeys

The culminating segment of my Xishuangbanna trip involved the most animals, which was pretty exciting.

As previously mentioned, I made a last-minute decision to set out for Banna Yexianggu (Banna Wild Elephant Valley) at around 6:30 PM, then found a cab to take me to the park's entrance. The woman at the backpacker cafe had told me that about Y200-250 would be an appropriate amount to pay the driver, and although that seemed exorbitant to me I decided I would be willing to pay. When the cost the driver quoted me was only 150, and I got him down to 140, I was thrilled. The driver and I chatted as we jettisoned out of the city and into the countryside, and he was so helpful with driving me around once we got inside the park that I was inspired to give him an extra Y20 (about $2.50.) Later I found out that he was grossly overcharging me and the ride should only have cost about Y100 and I felt kind of stupid and angry, but regardless, Y60 is about $8 and he definitely needed it more than I do. Being in China gives you that kind of perspective.

What followed when we got to the Yexianggu hotel lobby amounted to the most stressful part of my trip. I had to do in Chinese what I barely would be able to do in English-- establish all the technicalities of staying in a hotel, plus the complexities of getting a security guard to walk you 4 km into the jungle to your tree house. It was exhausting and I think I was probably trying their patience toward the end, but ultimately I got all the information I needed. I waited around with some random guys (who probably worked for the park, although it was hard to tell) and they were surprised to learn I spoke Chinese, proceeding to grill me about all things American, including the Iraq war (touchy.)

The security guard who was to accompany me showed up after awhile and we set off into the jungle, which was such a cool experience that I barely even minded having to trouble them with arriving after hours. We walked on the paths clearly delineated all around the park, but everything around was warm, black, humid, and close around us, the dark filled with chirping frogs and the occasional night bird. As we walked, the security guard continually looked out for elephants we might run across (the valley is home to a large family of them, although I sadly didn't see any while I was there) and I taught him some English ("run fast!" "let's go!" "You speak English very well.") Eventually our walk took us to the elevated walkway portion of the park, which traverses the canopy, and then we were there-- "Home sweet home" was the last phrase I taught him, and then I entered the tiny tree house that was to be my home for the night. Two beds and a very basic bathroom without a sink, but quite cozy and filled up with the night sounds of the jungle. I fell asleep with those sounds in my ears. It was damn close to magical.

I had heard that the Valley becomes very touristy once it's open for the day, so I got up very early and walked the paths alone, watching the sun come up through the trees to dapple jungle streams and filter through hanging vines. It was incredibly peaceful, and I had a strong feeling that at that moment the rainforest around me was all mine. I saw some beautiful flowers and a couple tiny hummingbirds. Visitors are not supposed to go off the paths, but because there was no one around I had a chance to wander a little. I didn't go to far because my sense of the rules and my sense of direction (or lack thereof) kept me obedient, but tramping through quiet jungle was fantastic.

Around 9 or 9:30 the tour groups started arriving, all of them giving quizzical looks to the foreigner wandering on her own and expressing shock when said foreigner greeted them in Chinese. I had breakfast then, treating myself to some tea biscuits and peanut butter that I had brought, plus coconut milk drank out of a straw from the coconut itself (they were selling them at a cafe in a clearing in the jungle.) It was a delicious breakfast, and I sat by a stream writing in my journal and enjoying the morning.

After eating my fill, I began the slow process of exiting the jungle. On one path, Jinuo kids my age worked at a "jungle swing" that allowed you to sail out over one of the many trickling jungle brooks. It was only Y10, so I did it-- how many times will I be able to swing in the jungle in my life? I also made friends with the Jinuo workers-- one of them called me unexpectedly last night, actually. And one of the Jinuo boys declared that he wanted to take me out on a date, but although I gave him my phone number, he never called. Next on my way I met some men on vacation from Qinghai, which is next to Tibet. We had a long conversation as we all rested from the midday heat, and they asked me all about America. One of them even sang me a Chinese song as we walked, and I sang back a few bars from "Lean on Me" (which is quickly becoming an easy fallback.)

I spent a little extra time in the park itself, which is much more Disneyfied. There was an elephant show (depressing) that I quickly skipped in favor of the animals section. There was a beautiful butterfly garden filled with huge, exotic, colorful flowers and butterflies, as well as a monkey house where lots of different kinds of monkeys hung around on an island in the middle of a lake. Some workers were holding baby monkeys, and they let me hold one (something I've always wanted to do.) It climbed all over me and then stole my glasses, which was hilarious but only because I was quick-witted and got them back before he broke them or worse. The best part, though, were the wild monkeys who were hanging around the Monkey House. They were playing and swinging through the trees (although it seemed sort of cruel to the monkeys who weren't allowed out.) I've always loved monkeys.

It was a suitable ending to a fantastic trip. I caught a bus back to Jinghong for the night, where I met up with Lee and we spent the evening at the Mekong Cafe with my Bulang friend and a Swiss traveller who was my roommate for the night. It was sad to say goodbye to my Bulang friend, actually, just like it was hard to say goodbye to Banna, but I didn't take 150 pictures in 5 days for nothing...

Next time: A Portrait of My Homestay