I was in the toilet one day and I walked past this man who was taking a piss at a urinal. He farted. Right into me. I jumped because the sound of the fart was so loud, and because I was genuinely horrified at having been the target of a fart jet.
I know this probably sounds disgusting but I have no other way of putting into words just how mortified I was. It was so bad that the two men beside him, who were his friends, immediately went "wah!" For two Chinese men to exclaim at bad toilet manners, it must have been bad.
While in China, I took many a bus ride through rundown villages, where cows grazed alongside humans working in the fields, and pretty yellow flowers would dot the landscape for miles around. I saw a vast field that was covered in white canvas tents, and only later did I realise that under each tent was a little watermelon greenhouse of sorts. And inside a shed next to the field I saw a mountain of watermelons, which was amazing because I'd never seen anything like it.
I also walked through many cities, some old and some new, some rural and some slightly more modern, and in every city there was a distinct and unique character. I would write more, but I prefer to let the pictures speak for themselves.
The Stone Forest (石林）, Kunming
Well, this place is exactly as its name suggests, a forest of stone. I would be more descriptive but my descriptions would probably go along the lines of "Okay there were stones, and more stones, and even more stones. Some of the stones looked like pigs, some like cows, and others just looked like stones." But still, absolutely worth the visit, simply because it is very spectacular.
Jiuxiang Caves. When you are in China and you decide to visit a cave, be prepared to climb lots and lots of stairs. The cave though was extremely cool inside and well lighted with all sorts of coloured lights to give an outerworldly fantasy feel. But yes, the stairs. Last I counted there was a flight of 80 stairs that you have to climb up at one shot if you ever want to get out of here. You have been warned.However, for 50 or so RMB you can get two Chinese "slaves" to carry you up the stairs. I don't envy their job, because the only people who would need them are likely to be overweight.
Cultural performance. I would put up more shots, but there were like 50 tribes all in different costumes. At least I got one of them mid jump.
Kunming and Yiliang, a small town outside Kunming. Despite being just an hour apart, they were really worlds apart in every sense. And China is full of such contrasts, cities developing rapidly alongside small towns left behind by the pace of development.
I've forgotten what this place was called, which is quite a waste. The pictures don't really do justice to the place. The photos were taken from the start of the river, before moving further downstream.
The Black Dragon Pool and a cute kid I found there. Don't ask me why I like to take pictures of cute looking kids. I know it's a recurring theme, but that's called style.
On the way to Dali. Check out the road. On the way there I got a two hour free massage on the tour bus. Better than OSIM.
Inside the movie city of Dali. Apparently all the Louis Cha novels are shot here, like Tian Long Ba Bu and so on, for all those who follow those novels.
The old city of Dali. The main product they sell here is silver, but if you're not familiar with silver, don't buy it. They will tell you that it can cure cancer and all sorts of shit.
And the old city of Lijiang. The standard tourist attraction shot. I replicated it according to just like how I saw it on websites. Search Lijiang on Google and you will find many like it.
The old city itself is quite charming, if a bit commercialised. There was a shopowner here who would really fierce. She would get angry if you didn't try her clothes. And there was another one who didn't seem to care if he made money or not, seemingly more interested in lottery results on the radio.
More cute little kids! :)
On the way to Shangri-La. Breathtaking scenery. Taken from the bus.
From the look of this dog you wouldn't think he was in Shangri-La, but he was.
Yet another old city, but this one was in Shangri-La, or Zhongdian. It was the ancient city with the most character, probably because it was the least touched by tourists.
I personally found this the nicest of the three old cities. There is a Singaporean run cafe here called the Compass, which was pretty strange to find. It's ideal for backpackers.
Shika Snow Mountain. 4500 metres above sea level. Summit. The highest point I've been to in my life, up to now. For a snow mountain, it certainly wasn't very snowy. But I thought I'd end on a high.