10/28
The Adventure Begins
Wednesday, October 28

The flight to HongKong was long and quite uneventful. It was quite a treat to stay near the airport in a hotel with a good restaurant, a pool and sauna, all of which we took compete advantage of. After catching up on some sleep we flew into Kunming the next day, where we were met by David, who had been our guide in China previously, and Mr. Yang, our driver.

Hotel in Kunming

Kunming was first settled during the Tang Dynasty, then established as Yunnan's capital by the Mongols and Kubla Kahn over 800 years ago, however, today it is a pretty modern city of about 4 million people.

Sculpture on top of high rise

Many of the main streets are wide and lined with trees, some with medians planted with shrubs and flowers. The climate is mild year round and many trees and plants were still in bloom. Like many Chinese cities, Kunming has grown rapidly over the past twenty years as China has undergone a huge economic boon. High rise buildings in the downtown region tower above the 70's and 80's  Soviet style buildings from the sixties and seventies are now showing decay and are often abandoned or being torn down for modern buildings.

Old style (really modern) shops

Very few of the original buildings are left, unfortunately, as they have been replaced by shops and apartment buildings.  Lots of traffic, both cars and electric scooters, (very few bicycles now) weaving in and out made crossing the street a bit precarious. At night many of the taller buildings and bridges have colorful displays of lights outlining their silhouettes.

Ancient stupa 

Buddha in Stupa

The National Bird
As when we were in China's northwest two years ago construction is rampart. The joke here is that China's national bird is the crane - but not the bird kind! As we drove around the city we couldn't help but notice many empty new buildings, many half built.
 

Entrance to the Temple

The Buddha

A monk

Temple grounds

turtles sunning in the "moat"

As China's economy has slowed recently, the enormous building boon has also slowed, and apparently many cities are experiencing the same thing, Half built buildings, unfinished roads and bridges are a common sight.

The Yuántōng Temple
Our city tour today included a peaceful hour spent wandering around this vast temple system originally built over a thousand years ago, although parts of it have rebuilt and refurbished.

A steady flow of worshippers brought offerings of candles and incense before prostrating themselves before the several statues of extremely ornate Buddhas. Between the beautifully ornate buildings. and a man made waterway surrounding the temple hosting hundreds of sunbathing turtles and frogs. We were provided lots of great photo opportunities.

Elephant statues outside the hotel

The City
We visited the East and West Pagodas, built many years ago to protect the city and its inhabitants, and strolled around a small lake and park filled with many people, young and old, enjoying the balmy weather.

Retired folks playing cards in the park

Our place of residence was the Kunming Hotel, which once was the best lodging in town, built by the Chinese Government some 30-40 years ago. Similar to others we've stayed at, there is a grand, ornate, (often a little gaudy) lobby, with chandeliers, marble, gold stuff, etc.

The very retired also congregate in the parks

The rooms are small, but comfortable, with heavy, dated furniture, very hard beds and aging bathroom fixtures that often don't work quite right, and spotty Internet. Lavish breakfast buffets in the morning are quite a treat, though.

Statues
 In several public plaza/squares  there are beautiful bronze sculptures commemorating the common worker, or peasants, performing their daily work. I think it's the government's way of honoring the millions of people that struggled during China's past.