the k146

Heading north into Sìchuān province, I rode the hard sleeper from Kūnmíng to Xīchāng. What a pleasure Chinese trains are. The worst trains I've ever ridden were in Bolivia and Myanmar. Bolivia takes last place because one of my trains actually derailed, but Burmese trains are equally poor otherwise. The best trains of course are in Japan, and nothing tops the shinkansen. China takes second place – they're smooth, professionally staffed, and clean as a whistle. Classical music chimes away in the background – the opening song after we pulled out of Kunming, to my amazement, was a rendition of the United States national anthem, if I've ever heard it. A public execution will likely be held in the near future concerning this not insignificant oversight on the part of a railway employee.

Smoke & Phlegm

What puzzled me initially about the Chinese and their phlegm throwing was why such voluminous quantities of phlegm were manufactured in the first place. The explanation of course is chain smoking. The Chinese are passionate tobacco smokers, and society imposes little impediment on its connoisseurs. In fact, few men don't smoke, and everyone smokes second-hand, for no place is exempt – not the office, not restaurants, not even an aircon bus with inoperable windows. A few years ago I recall reading a funny article about smoking in China, the gist of which was that if you live in China, you may as well take up smoking, and the good stuff at that, because there's no escaping it. Now I get the point. (As pictured above, Hani men are commonly seen clutching their water bong, a clever innovation for enhancing the smoking experience.)

Yuányáng, Yúnnán

The Hani of Yuányáng have carved vast networks of terraces into their hillsides in southern Yúnnán province, converting entire mountains into shimmering labyrinths. The terrace berms are just wide enough to walk across, and as tall as 15 feet on the downhill side. Their primary use is for rice cultivation, but they also stock fish, and some are filled in for buffalo grazing. At work in the maze are mostly Hani women, adorned with elaborate traditional dress despite their men sporting western wear.

Kūnmíng, Yúnnán

To begin the China chapter I took a circuitous flight from Calcutta to Kūnmíng, via Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur, which saved me money but certainly not time. Kūnmíng is very much a first world city with its state-of-the-art infrastructure: elevated expressways, landscaped medians, glass curtain wall office and apartment towers, and sprawling suburban master-plans. (Who cares how many people died building the stuff; what's important is that it was completed ahead of schedule and below budget!) Despite the phlegm-throwing, Kūnmíng's streets are immaculate - an enormous relief following three months in India. In its progressive urban ambiance, Kūnmíng bears resemblance to Tokyo, or at least a blossoming version thereof. And the cool, overcast weather hinted at what awaits in western Sìchuān, but first a visit to Yuányáng in southern Yúnnán for some obligatory rice terrace scenery.

It's funny, in advance of coming to China, people continually inquired of my language skills, suggesting it may present an issue. No problem! Fulfilling your basic needs as a traveler is not rocket surgery. That being said... the few days I spent in Kūnmíng were terribly frustrating. Virtually nobody speaks English. What's more, there's typically no recognition of even the most elementary English words like 'bus' or 'yes'. Elsewhere in the world, people who "don't speak English" understand some English that they've absorbed through media or schooling. If Kūnmíng is any indication, getting along in China sans Mandarin proficiency will be a steep uphill battle.

Southwest China

(see more pics)
My short trip to China was phenomenal and far exceeded expectations - the warm people, stunning landscapes, and depth of culture. Being my maiden trip to China, it was also an introduction to several Chinese staples (some unique to the region): rice noodles for breakfast; rice noodles for lunch; spitting; Chenglish; tour group megaphones; ubiquitous, blaring folk music; traffic laws (there are none); the hard sleeper train; and the morning tai chi / shouting routine.

Guângxī Province
The misty Li River winds its way through Guilin and Yangshuo amongst endless limestone cliffs and rice fields, offering otherworldly topography that trumps Rio de Janeiro's vistas on a meager day. Meandering through the surrounding villages on bicycle feels more like an interactive painting than planet Earth. Generally I was received by village folks with mixed reviews - some expressing curiosity while others impatience.

Guilin is a fun town with many markets, but is most useful as a jumping point to other places. Locals eagerly befriend Westerners to practice their English, and pitch any number of services offered by their cousin's friend's brother: "authentic" Chinese tea; massages (a loosely used term as elsewhere in Asia); river cruises; trips to Dragon's Back. The river cruise from Guilin to Yangshuo exposes awesome views of the myriad cliffs stacked on one another. I travelled here with four Chinese tourists from Kunming which was a rewarding insight into Chinese culture, albeit not the local one.

Yúnnán Province
Next we boarded a sleeper train from Guilin to Kunming, which was meant to be an 18-hour journey but, due to flooding from a rain storm, slowly grew to 22.5 hours. Luckily, TsingTao beers were sold on the train for 5 yuan, or about 75 cents. My Chinese friends were not keen to much drinking, but an Austrian fellow and a British couple were conveniently in company. In Kunming I joined Tony's wife and family for dinner, and some enjoyable bar-hopping ensued with Sky, Ray, Victor, and their respective wives.

From Kunming I flew to Lijiang and whiled away about a week. The thousand-year-old "old town", a World Heritage site, is home to the NaXi people (aka Nakhi), a Chinese ethnic group that originated in Tibet. Their native language (today the only living pictographic script), dress, and food were fun to discover. Water canals maze the city which once supplied drinking water and are utilized to flood and clean the city's cobblestone walkways. Towering above Lijiang is the 5,596-meter Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, regarded as one of the premier scenic sites in all of China. Its reflection in Black Dragon Pool is extraordinary.