Kunming 030415

I underestimated China. I didn't really prepare or read anything about my next location Kunming, China. The South East Asia Indo China route was really backpacker’s heaven. I knew this once I arrived in China. I don't speak or read any Chinese or mandarin language or characters. And they certainly don't speak English. When I first arrived in Kunming at 12 noon – I was lost in translation. My host Anna is working and only available at 6pm. I had no Yuan money at all and was hungry. I tried to communicate with the Chinese but we end up being like a chicken and duck talking. I was happy to see a hijab Chinese woman and so I asked her that I was hungry and was looking for food. That didn't go well because she just doesn't understand me. So – my next step was looking for an ATM to withdraw some cash and I just took a taxi to go straight to the mosque at Zhengyi Road. It was far off form the south bus station and the taxi fare cost me 45 Yuan. Somehow – Kunming is a big city and I don't like big cities. I would prefer walk able distance city. Usually I would Google my way round whenever I get Wi-Fi but in China they seemed to blocked Google and Facebook. I used most of my stuff on Google and somehow all the blocking doesn't help.

It was only two nights in Kunming. Anna – a Housman ship doctor and her husband Dan – and engineer at the airport hosted me for the stay in Kunming. They were from the southern part of the Yunnan province and just got married last year. Anna made me dinner, once arrived at their home and they also helped me out for my train ticket to my next location Chengdu. I went alone to the train station before I met them but even after an hour there, I just could not figure out how to buy the tickets.  It was weird how tight the security was at the train station as it was as tight as the security that usually you get at the airport. Even entering the train station I had to put my bag through the scanner. Anna & Dan went with me to the train station again that night and I found out from Anna that there exactly last year there was a massacre targeted against civilians, left 29 civilians and 4 perpetrators dead with more than 140 others injured.

At around 9:20 pm local time, a group of eight knife-wielding men and women attacked passengers at the city's railway station. Both male and female attackers were seen to pull out long-bladed knives and proceed to stab and slash passengers. At the scene, police killed four assailants  and captured one injured female. In the afternoon of 3 March, police announced that the six-man two-woman group had been neutralized after the arrest of three remaining suspects.

It was going to be the Chinese holiday & Easter this coming weekend and there was just so many people getting the tickets. I was lucky to get a hard sleeper for 426-Yuan middle hard sleeper for 17hours train ride.

I went out as early 7.45am for the two mornings that I had in Kunming, as Anna & Dan had to work. My offline map was the best thing in China – I just needed to mark where I’m going and just take the bus that Anna/Dan recommended me to take an as soon as I’m nearby the marked places on my offline map – I would get off on the next stop. The bus drivers were all ladies and that is something new for me seeing them in the busses pushing their way through the traffic. To get around with busses and subway was about 2Yuan every ride and you just need to know which bus number to take.  I went for the Green Lake, which was established in the 17th century on the west side of the Wuhua Mountain and is sometimes described as a "Jade in Kunming". I was amazed by the different type of exercises they did just in this park – taici, racket dancing, fan dancing and other sorts of workout dancing. It was just nice to watch and see how they feel the dance & music. I spent half a day at Green Lake just discovering and wondering around the place. Anna said I just missed the Seagulls migration. The seagulls from Siberia would come to Kunming because of the weather. As soon as I’m done – I walk towards the Zhengyi Road. This is like the main business center – it was like a typical modern shopping complexes area. I was looking for food because the mosque was there. Nearby Zhengyi road you’ll discover a market where they sell puppies at the street. Kunming is a really clean place.

What I love about Kunming is that it was kinda easy to find food. I thought it was a country of pork-eating people but there was this Hui race – a Chinese Muslims from NiangXi and they are spreading around China. And the food was just great and almost similar to Malaysian food – rice and portions of food to choose from. The only problem I had was eating with chopsticks. I found three different mosques in the center of Kunming and certainly they have great food. They would have a food court and stalls just in front or below of the mosque and it was the cheap. There were even halal stalls if you look carefully around Kunming – and it was great fast food. I was even at the Friday prayers by coincidence and it was really cute seeing the Chinese Muslims majority praying – this is something really rare for me.

Kunming is a big city for a backpacker. This city I walked around the most just getting from one place to another – an average of 20kms per day and by the third day my feed were just tired and having blisters. The last day in Kunming – I spent at Daguan Park. Kunming was also known for the beautiful flowers that they have. The weather was just perfect for Seagulls and flowers. Daguan Park was more of Entertainment Park. There were so many primary school students from different schools at Daguan Park. The view here was simply beautiful as you can see the hills and the sea/lake. They even have a theme park with roller coaster, fair wheel and bumper cars but I just walked around.

I didn't get to see Dan before I leave as my train would depart 7.45 pm as he was stuck in the traffic getting back home. Anna sent me to the subway for me to get to the train station.  Thank you Anna & Dan for letting me stay. We had great conversations and it was one of the intellectual ones I had so far. Thank you again!