Bye Bye China

Four days ago we rode a train then a tuk-tuk (a scooter converted into a mini taxi) to the border of China and Vietnam. In many ways, I was sad to leave. In one very important and overriding way, I was happy - happy to have discovered the country when and how we did. China has been the unparalleled pleasant surprise of this trip. Admittedly, I entered with only the vaguest notions of what was in store. Due to such vacancy, China had only its immediate predecessors to live up to. Being that the most recent of those had been the decidedly inhospitable Laos, the ground was fertile for an upside surprise.

Boom truck, decorative rocks and billboard outside Dali

China's natural beauty, comparative tidiness, ambition & industry but most of all her people, coalesced into an unfailingly pleasant place in which to spend time. Again, our visit here has to be qualified by the caveat that we visited only three provinces quite far from the political and population centers. Nevertheless, if New Mexico, Washington State or Missouri can be said to typify at least a few things American, our travels had to have touched on some of what is China in 2007.

Neon sign that covered the entire side of a building in Kunming. Check out the small blue symbol of an atom on top.

And if a country can have a collective mood, it's really 1960 for the people of the 'Middle Kingdom'. China is ebullient, genial and above all else, welcoming. For many Chinese, things are looking up for the first time in their lives. Kids are all going to school. People are (again...for better or worse for the planet) are buying things they could never buy before. Chinese are traveling in their own country, a place of which they are very proud. Folks are out trying to make money in all kinds of ways - and, from what we saw, there is money to be made....even if some of the ways are entry-level.
Tami and our bikes on a bamboo ferry - Cost for two: about a buck.

One-girl band at a big, outdoor night market in Yangshuo.

Very, very nasty looking truncheon carried by men guarding an armored truck. There were NO smiles when I took photos.

For those such as the Tibetans, Uighur or any other ethnic minorities out of favor with the ruling Hans, the same cannot be said. We didn't see any repression or talk to anyone who had but that might have been due to the language barriers and the short length of our stay. We certainly read enough about cultural hegemony, restrictions on freedom of speech, punitive economic treatment, among other curtailments of rights. I suspect plenty of that does go on. It just was not apparent. Some residents of New Orleans, former and present, might say something similar about their plight.


Post-Katrina New Orleans


Before leaving, we'd spent the prior few weeks cruising around areas that are, for the most part, barely touristed by non-Chinese. It's a bit of a mystery to me why hordes of Western travelers set their sights on the countries of Southeast Asia when China, just to the north, offers such an interesting and fun array of possibilities. Even more, China ain't gonna stay like it is for long. I know I've said it before but, from when we arrived to our last minutes in the country, you can see evidence of the gargantuan energy going into modernizing the country.

For my money, most of that modernization is a tragedy because what China is losing is rare and becoming harder and harder to find.

One-man sawmill carving a beam from a tree for a traditional style bridge. Check out that pipe.

So, that's it for China. If we're lucky, we'll be back. If you're lucky, you'll go.