China…here we come!

I am so excited ~ a real vacation! It’s for sure because we BOUGHT the tickets! I know, I know…not like I haven’t taken one recently. WELL, it has been a while. I went to visit my sister and her twins Jan 2007. So it’s been almost ONE year. And visiting to me isn’t really vacation. Last real vacation was to Europe (Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Munich) June 2006. I was hoping for Spain this year but it’ll have to wait…we’ll probably go next Sept for MIL’s 60th birthday.

Anyways, on to gush about my vacation. We are heading to southern China, Yunnan province. Hubs family are from there and to hear him talk, that is his ‘motherland’ and proud of it. I mean seriously, every person we meet from China, he will ask: ‘What province are you from. I’m from Yunnan.’ AS IF…the dude’s never even been there! I’m glad he’s proud and I’m happy we’re finally visiting. It’s been a long time coming.

We will be flying in through Hong Kong and landing in Kunming. Kunming is the capital city of Yunnan province. It has a long history and was the ancient gateway of the famed silk rode. Today Kunming is the heartbeat of Yunnan province, enjoying a reputation as one of Chinas’ most picturesque cites as well as being the most popular tourist destination in southwestern China. Like other major cities in China, Kunming combines an ancient and proud tradition with the dynamism of being a modern metropolis. ~tripadvisor

The weather I heard is much like here. I guess the exact location across the globe will be about northern Mexico. There are about 25 ethnic minorities in Kunming, and the city is celebrated as ‘City of Eternal Spring.’ It’s well known for it’s diverse cultures and breath-taking natural scenery (hubs’ afraid it’s going to be like Yosemite). I’m hoping we get to see the major attractions like the Shilin (Stone Forest), Xishan (West Hill), Grand Park, Black Dragon Pool and much more! Kunming is also famous for it’s bit part in history. China’s lifeline to the outside world ~ Burma Road ~ had one of its terminals at Kunming.

Lugu Lake

Shilin (Stone Forest) is a maze of grey limestone towers. A walkway let you wander around the rock formations. Nearby villages are inhabited by the Sani tribes people who sell handcraft and act as tour guides. The location of Shilin has once been covered by the ocean. When the ocean pulled back erosion has been shaping the stones to the impressive “forest” it is now.

Tour guides dress in traditional Sani outfits at Shilin

I’m expecting to see lots of different ethnicity, clothing, traditions…

This is the canal that runs through the city

Huating Temple in the West Hills area

We’ll be in China for about 10 days and before heading back to US, we will stop in Taiwan for 5 days. Depending on if I’m still angry at my sister, I’ll go visit her. Arghhh…I can sure hold a grudge. BUT…I won’t let that damper my spirits. I’m going on VACATION!

Another lazy Sunday afternoon

It looked like rain.

I woke up and took the dogs out to do their business and notice the weather. It’s windy and gloomy. The sun comes and goes as the clouds shift. Hubs told me it actually sprinkled for a second. It’s Taiwan weather. Make both of us want to go back. =(

After high school…we rarely go back to Taiwan in the summer. It’s too hot and sticky. Fall and Winter are usually the best time, even though we are face with fierce winds and downpours, anything is better than the hot thick air you could barely breath in. We usually make a yearly trip to visit my sister and the in-laws. One distinct memory was the year my sister got married.

It was the 921 earthquake year. The quake was 7.3 on the Richter scale (Northridge earthquake was 6.7), 2415 people were killed and over 400,000 left homeless. Coming from California, we’re use to earthquakes. I wasn’t terribly scared when it started…but it last forever and we were up on the 6th floor. Hubs was stranded with me at my sister’s since it was only a couple days after the wedding. The aftershocks continue days after. I often use ‘old Christmas light’ to summarize electricity transmission in Asia ~ one light goes out and so does the rest of the string. We were without power for a couple days, follow by rolling blackout. My parents were down in Taichung with my aunts (much closer to the epicenter). My aunt’s home had floor to ceiling glass window that shattered. Everyone ran out with their slippers on and drove out to the baseball field of a nearby school. We also drove out (sis, BIL, hubs, and I) but felt it was safer to stay home since none of the traffic signals were working. It was into the next day when the telecommunication was up and we were able to check with friends and relatives. We ate dumplings by candlelight, took showers when it was our turn with power, and bonded. With no other source of entertainment, we only had each other. Days later as the reports came in; I realize how lucky we were. We had our homes and none of our family members were hurt.

The devastation to the rest of the country was a different story. Buildings collapsed taking hundreds of lives with them. Buildings remaining are crooked. Stories of bodies left on the street because there were not enough body bags. Sections of land were raised as much as 23 feet into the air. Bridges destroyed cutting off traffic for weeks. We were lucky.

Another lazy Sunday afternoon

It looked like rain.

I woke up and took the dogs out to do their business and notice the weather. It’s windy and gloomy. The sun comes and goes as the clouds shift. Hubs told me it actually sprinkled for a second. It’s Taiwan weather. Make both of us want to go back. =(

After high school…we rarely go back to Taiwan in the summer. It’s too hot and sticky. Fall and Winter are usually the best time, even though we are face with fierce winds and downpours, anything is better than the hot thick air you could barely breath in. We usually make a yearly trip to visit my sister and the in-laws. One distinct memory was the year my sister got married.

It was the 921 earthquake year. The quake was 7.3 on the Richter scale (Northridge earthquake was 6.7), 2415 people were killed and over 400,000 left homeless. Coming from California, we’re use to earthquakes. I wasn’t terribly scared when it started…but it last forever and we were up on the 6th floor. Hubs was stranded with me at my sister’s since it was only a couple days after the wedding. The aftershocks continue days after. I often use ‘old Christmas light’ to summarize electricity transmission in Asia ~ one light goes out and so does the rest of the string. We were without power for a couple days, follow by rolling blackout. My parents were down in Taichung with my aunts (much closer to the epicenter). My aunt’s home had floor to ceiling glass window that shattered. Everyone ran out with their slippers on and drove out to the baseball field of a nearby school. We also drove out (sis, BIL, hubs, and I) but felt it was safer to stay home since none of the traffic signals were working. It was into the next day when the telecommunication was up and we were able to check with friends and relatives. We ate dumplings by candlelight, took showers when it was our turn with power, and bonded. With no other source of entertainment, we only had each other. Days later as the reports came in; I realize how lucky we were. We had our homes and none of our family members were hurt.

The devastation to the rest of the country was a different story. Buildings collapsed taking hundreds of lives with them. Buildings remaining are crooked. Stories of bodies left on the street because there were not enough body bags. Sections of land were raised as much as 23 feet into the air. Bridges destroyed cutting off traffic for weeks. We were lucky.