Keeping with my plan to work one day and sight-see the next, I spent most of Monday in the hotel room.  I did make one foray to Walmart to see if I could find some salt for our travel salt shaker.  I spent a lot of time looking at various powders and finally selected one called “Gourmet Powder”, but alas I was wrong….REALLY wrong.   In retrospect, we think that it may have been MSG!!  We did return a couple of days later and finally found something that said “Salt” on it.

I had one laugh while in Walmart as I passed the fresh fish tank and saw that they had price tags attached to their fins!!!

Just to spend a bit more time out of the room, I walked down one of the side streets and ran into the US Embassy.  I was expecting to see Marines guarding the facility and was surprised that there were Chinese guards instead.  As Michael and I talked about it we wondered if they were there to keep people from getting into the Embassy with the idea of defecting?

Interestingly, all of the shops across the street from the Embassy were for buying Visas and making travel plans!!

As I was walking, I heard a pounding sound and looked all around to figure out where it was coming from.  I found a street vendor who was making noodles….probably rice noodles and found the process to be so interesting…

Noodle making video…

I continued my walk, seeing many street vendors and one shop advertising “Liver Noodles”.   I am not sure what “Cake on Effort” means…..

….although they did have some gorgeous pastries on display.

This restaurant had a very cool entrance……

… this Doorway design caught my eye……

….and this young woman certainly had a load on her bike…..

As I mentioned in an earlier post, the hotel is very posh and this is the decoration in each of the six elevators…..

The lobby is a gorgeous (and much photographed) scene……

….and if you look you can see the live musician perched under the tree!

I particularly liked the chandelier (if that is what you all it) in the lobby…

 

Monday night we were taken to a full Hot Pot restaurant, something that Sichuan  Province is known for and something that we had really been looking forward to!!!!

Max and Ping were both with us and studiously selected the ingredients to be included in the spicy soup…..

The cooking pot soon arrived, looking VERY red and dangerous…..

We were each given a small can……

and were surprised to find that it contained vegetable oil!!!   This was poured into individual bowls and minced garlic and various herbs was added to it…..

The mixture was completed with a splash of vinegar from this cute vessel…..

After I had finished my witches brew, I asked exactly what it was going to be used for.  I was surprised to find out that the hotpot items will be dipped into the oil & vinegar mixture to cool them off for eating!!!  In most cases we have dipped things to add heat but never to cool  it off.

In another change, our beer was served in this shallow dish, making for some interesting toasts as we tried really hard not to slosh it everywhere as we clinked glasses….

Our food requests began to arrive…..

….and were added to the pot one at a time…..

As it cooked it looked so colorful and delicious…..

The only hard part of eating this was to avoid the tiny pepper corns (Sichuan pepper) that infested the soup.  Once you ate one of those, you might as well forget the rest of the night because you couldn’t taste anything else!!!

As you took each bit out of the hotpot (using your chopsticks) you would put it into your oil bowl and then eat it from there…..

It was super yummy but equally as messy and my shirt is still sporting dollops of oil!!

We asked about napkins, knowing that they would be a necessity and were told to look in the drawer on each side of the table…..

…..such a practical and ingenious idea!!!

Isn’t this a pretty bowl……

At the end of the meal, the table may have been messy…..

….but we were content…..

On Sunday, Michael had to spend the day teaching so Professor Liu had organized for one of his new students (Ping) to take me out to see the highlights of Chengdu.  She had only been in the city for about 2 weeks so she enlisted her boyfriend, Zhu Ran, to join us.  They met me outside of the hotel at the appointed time and we headed out on our adventure.

Ping suggested that we take the Metro so that I could experience the “real life” of Chengdu.   I had been dying to ride on a Chinese subway so was ecstatic for the opportunity.   I am not sure what I was expecting, but I was pleasantly surprised by the cleanliness and modern aspect of the entire event!!    Security was tight and our bags were put thru a scanner as we entered.  Everything had English subtitles and it was easy to see which train you were supposed to be on.  Zhu Ran bought our tickets…..

….and we were off on our adventure.

Initially there were no seats available and they apologized for making me stand.  When a seat became available they suggested that “we will be walking a lot today….why don’t you sit”.    I sat!!

The only issue that I had with any of the trips was that the people boarding the train don’t tend to let people disembark before they enter the cars so it becomes a bit of a shoving match.

Our first stop was the Manjushri Monastery, but first we had to stop for a selfie….my first using a selfie stick!!

 

The temple entrance was marked by this tall tower…..

Zhu Ran said that it symbolizes long life and that each person must circle it once (clockwise) to bring health and  good fortune to your family.

We stepped further into the temple area and found a large building that housed a huge Buddha.  The room was filled with tables full of women (mostly) chanting the Buddhist Holy Book (the Tripitaka).  They were accompanied by a high pitched beat emanating from a very small drum…..

The kids told me that, when you pray, you place your hands together in supplication, say something in your head, bow, touch your head to the pillow that you are kneeling on, and then open your hands to receive the blessing.

The next temple contained a multi-armed Buddha.  I commented that it reminded me of some of the Hindu gods and Zhu Ran said that this one did indeed come from the west (ie…India).

He also taught me that you enter each temple leading with your right foot and exit with your left foot first.  As well, you enter on the right side of the temple and exit on the left.

As we went deeper into the temple, the buildings got larger and the “no photograph” signs became more prominent….

They told me that the Buddha’s each had a special area of interest and I noticed that the Buddha of prosperity, wealth and career was particularly well attended.  Although Ping had told me that she was not religious, she stopped to pray before this Buddha.

The incense pits were doing a smoking business as people attempted to present a pleasing aroma to their god…..

There was a long line to have the opportunity to touch (or hug or kiss)  the Chinese character that means “Happiness”…..

The Hall of the Heavenly Kings was built in 1821 and the courtyard outside was filled with people doing their morning exercises.  Zhu Ran said that when people are “60 or so” they become less active and start coming to the exercise areas.  So, I guess I only have 10 more months before I have to join them!!!

As we were leaving the temple, Ping stopped to buy she and I a flower to pin to our clothes…..

When I asked her about the significance of the flower, she looked at me dumbfounded and said “it smells good”!!

Turtles are a symbol of long life and I  loved this little boy’s reaction to a bucket of turtles ready to be sold……

We boarded another train and got off at our next stop…..the area known as “Wide and Narrow Street”.  This was a huge shopping area but Zhu Ran (always trying to take care of me) told me several times that this was a place to look but not a place to buy!!!   He was right as it was a fairly touristy street mall area.  When I say touristy, I always think of “non-Chinese” tourists, but in this case, I was the only non-Chinese for miles around……

 

I loved this wall and am reminded of the VERY boring Bamboo quilt top that I have at home awaiting finishing……

Maybe I could overlay some designs like this onto it???

The kids had promised me lots of food to try and the first was this long, stringy, brushy looking stuff…..

When finished, they looked like this…..

The flavor was tasty, but it immediately sucked  every bit of moisture out of my mouth and I was desperate for something to drink.

We stopped at a juice stand and Zhu Ran asked if I wanted to drink their favorite drink.  Of course, I said yes and was presented with something that tastes a lot like a flat, watered down coke…..

….but it was cool and wet and I was VERY happy to have it!!

We stopped for lunch shortly after that and ordered four dishes…….

A cold noodle that was wonderful, a Bean curd dish that was also great and a spicy tofu that was ok.  I never got to taste the fourth item (balls on the bottom right) as Ping tried it first and said that it was NOT good!!!  I didn’t argue with her.

We continued strolling down the street with me being as interested in the old, historic buildings as I was the shops…..

They were determined that I try everything and paid for me to spin the wheel to win a prize…..

The pointer landed on the dragonfly and I was presented with a caramelized sugar dragonfly…..

….pretty and tasty too!!!

We stood and watched the sugar artist at work and I loved the detail that he put into each piece…..

Watch the video here

 

One of the things that I loved about the street were these three dimensional sculptures all along the road….

   They were almost always covered up with people taking photos.

This was one of my favorites and I really loved the mixture of photography and sculpture……

But my all-time favorite was of this horse “bursting” thru the wall…..

However, it was rivaled by this bicycle…..

I felt extremely well taken care of during our shopping expedition…..one “minder”  in front and one in back, always watching my purse and watching out for me!!

The next stop was to be Renmin Park.  I asked about the word “Renmin” because I have seen it everywhere and was told that it means “Of the people” or “For the people”

Zhu Ran took us down one particularly crowded street and then found out that he had taken us in exactly the wrong direction.  We laughed and turned around to retrace our steps.  When we got to the other side, he asked again where the park was.  I looked at him and laughed and said “let me guess….it really was the other way”!!  He assured me that was NOT the case!!

The park was beautiful and serene and a quiet and cool respite from the crowded streets…..

We were heading for a particular tea shop, found it easily and took our seats at a table near the park’s central lake.  He ordered lemon tea for us and then apologized as it was delivered, saying that he was expecting something else.  I, however, LOVED what we had.  It was served in a tall glass that had rocks of sugar in the bottom with two dried lemon slices perched on top.  Hot water was added and the most delicious warm lemonade was made……

The sugar melted very slowly so as more hot water was added, the taste just got better and better.

We sat at the table and enjoyed watching groups of people playing card games and other families in row boats on the lake.  We laughingly watched one father frantically try to row the boat with his wife and daughter sitting in the front, looking at their cell phones!!!

Zhu Ran said that he had two more stops planned for us but I asked him to pick one more and then we would call it a day.  He chose the Jinli Pedestrian Street (another shopping type area) and, at first, I was disappointed.  But, as we walked thru the area I realized that it was more of an artisan and food area and I enjoyed my time there immensely. 

One of the first booths that we passed was a calligrapher.  I am so enamored with the brushes that they use in their work…..

This artisan is making hand carved combs, painstakingly carving each tine of the comb…..

They were gorgeous……

There were various medical craftsmen on hand as well and this gentleman was getting his ears cleaned while waiting for his family……

The vendors selling ear cleaning would walk thru the crowd with their tools in their hands.  As they walked, they would slap a tuning fork (which is used in the cleaning process) to get people’s attention.  We entered into one of the largest food courts that I have ever seen and was amazed (and horrified) by some of the dishes served.  

I cant imagine what “Three In Mud” is…..

….but I can probably imagine what it tastes like!!!

I caught this man enjoying his grilled “octopus on a stick”…..

This was a “Beggar’s Chicken” stand where the whole chicken is wrapped in mud and then cooked……

The ones on the tables smelled delicious!!

This Octopus (or maybe Squid) hadn’t been cooked yet but made for a fun photo…..

 

We had two things to eat/drink while we were in this area.   The first was a drink made from fermented rice…..

It was refreshing but not a flavor that I was truly excited about.  However, the second food item was magnificent.   It was a plain yogurt, smooth and cold, and served in this cute container…..

Our final stop was to this “Lover’s area” which was adorned with red ribbons and amulets wishing for love……

Ping let me take this cute photo of her……

We caught a taxi and returned to the hotel, exhausted but happy about our day out and about.  I tried repeatedly to pay for parts of the day but they always said no and that I was their guest…I felt VERY pampered!!

That evening, Michael and I met Professor Liu and his student, Max (at least that was her English name) for yet another spicy, tasty dinner.  This was a type of hotpot but here you filled a bowl with all of the things that you wanted in the hot pot……

and then paid according to it’s weight.    It was delivered to our table in one large bowl…

And as we dipped further down, we found all sorts of delightful things…..

The walk back to the hotel signaled the end to a full, rich day!!!

On Saturday morning, we woke up to pack and head to the airport again.   Each time we have left Kunming, there have been different emotions….

– On the first trip, we were thinking that we might be moving to Kunming so were excited and  feeling sure that we would see it again.

– On the second trip, we had just told the Institute that we were not going to accept the position and felt sure that they were so unhappy with us that we would never be invited back.

  –  The third trip was an exceptionally difficult time and we were glad to have “Kunming in the rear view mirror” and were perfectly happy to NEVER return.

  –  On the fourth trip we took control of our environment and spent much time in our hotel….Michael working on a review article and me planning for our move into the new house.   When we left, we had been told that all of the money was gone so we would not be returning.

Now we come to this fifth trip…… we were surprised to hear that there was more money available for Michael to travel here and, once again, we took control of the trip with Michael organizing teaching gigs all over the country so that we wouldn’t need to be in Kunming for long.

But something happened on this trip and we have truly enjoyed our time in this city and were very sad to be leaving it again.  We know that we will have one night here while in transit next week, but we are both hoping that we will get to return for a longer visit in future years.

We got thru the baggage and security lines quickly and immediately started looking for some place to get coffee and breakfast. As if drawn by the Siren’s song, we missed the turn into our gate and walked straight into a Starbucks…..

One thing that I haven’t mentioned previously….before we left the US, we counted the number of airline legs that we would fly before returning home and were astounded to realize that we would take off (and hopefully land) NINETEEN times!!  This flight was number 5…only 14 to go!!!!

We were excited by this trip as it took us to a new city….Chengdu, and a new Province…..Sichuan, best known for it’s extremely spicy food.   We couldn’t wait!!!

We had an easy flight to Chengdu, were met by a student (Ping) and her boyfriend (Zhu Ran)  and arrived at our “University” accommodation.  Those two words have been known to strike fear into our hearts and minds as those accommodations have varied from an 18th century 3 bedroom house to a sixth floor walk-up apartment with no air conditioning, to a University hotel that had no hot water!!!   However, this time those fears disappeared as we arrived at a magnificent 5-star hotel just a few blocks from Sichuan University.

The carpet in our hall was a bit disappointing, however, taking the photo was fun.   The hall lights turn on and off automatically as you walk past so Michael had to run up and down the hall to keep the light on long enough for me to take the photo…..

We knew that we were out of our league when we opened the door and all of the lights turned on, the curtains opened and the TV turned on showing a screen that welcomed us by name!!!

We were also enamored by the toilet that had digital readouts and even a remote control….

The only control that I figured out how to use was the button that turned it OFF and back into a regular toilet, although the floor beneath the toilet was always heated and comfortable!!!

Michael had to immediately go to the University to start his meetings so I went for a walk to check out the surroundings.   I shouldn’t have  been surprised when I spied the local Walmart on one corner of my street….I guess that I am drawn to them like Michael is to Starbucks!!  I bought our usual needs for the week…..water, potato chips, Snickers, Peanut M&M’s, Listerine and Bar soap.

When I got back to the hotel, Michael sent a text saying that they would meet me downstairs at 6:00 and we would walk to dinner.   Little did I know how much fun this first Sichuan meal would be!!!

We walked to a small restaurant just a few blocks from the hotel.  The first thing that I loved about this place was the tile floor….

As we sat down Michael’s host, Jian Quan Liu  was handed a notebook with an order sheet on it……

  He handed it to us and told us to pick out what we wanted.  We were confused but managed to find a couple of things that looked good, made easier by the English translations……

Among other things, we could select from Chicken Skin, Beef Tallow, Small Intestine, Pig tongue,  “the waist piece” (whatever that is), Pork Tripe, Gristle, Chicken Leg Muscle, Squid, and Pig Brains.  Fortunately, there were other choices as well including Shrimp, Beef, Pork, Chicken Wings.  There was also a HUGE list of vegetables from potatoes, leeks, cucumbers, corn, beans and more.

Professor Liu overrode our list and placed a huge order and we patiently waited for our food to arrive.  They knew that we loved spicy food so the first thing on the table were two plates of chili pepper mix for us to dip our food in…..

When the food started to arrive, we understood why the order had been so seemingly huge.  Each item that had been ordered was a skewer holding a few pieces of the meat or vegetable.  They were all beautiful and SOOOO very tasty….

Some of my favorites included these gorgeous shrimp…..

….amazingly tasty cauliflower……

….magnificent Eggplant…..

….and skewers of super fun corn kernels…..

Each item was grilled to perfection and, as witnessed by the stack of empty skewers, we enjoyed a wonderful meal……

It was a great first day of our time in “spicy” Sichuan Province!!!

Up to now I haven’t talked about any food in Kunming, but we were treated to 3 banquets over the course of the week and spent the other four meals at our favorite “Western” restaurant…..Salvador’s!!  

We first met one of the owners of Salvador’s when we were in China in 2010.   Colin and his wife A-Ling quickly became some of our favorite people and eating at his restaurant was a wonderful, relaxing experience!!   On this trip we only got to see them for a short period of time and were excited to find out that they were expecting their first child in October.  We did, however,  get to spend some quality time in their restaurant.  During those times we noshed on Nachos, Quesadillas, Basil Chicken Sandwiches, Hamburgers and more.  My favorite desert was called the “Star Destroyer” and was a thick, rich chocolate cake with ice cream, whipped cream and a smattering of chocolate syrup.   After eating nothing but Chinese for 10 days, it was heaven!!!

One of the things that we love about Salvador’s is that they are committed to helping young women from rural areas to learn to live and prosper in a city environment.   Colin has recently written a book about their experiences of starting the restaurant and I would highly recommend  it.  It is called “Great Leaps” by Colin Flahive……..

….and when I just checked it on Amazon, it was free for Kindle.

One of our banquets was held on Sunday, and was hosted by Michael’s sponsor here, Wen Wang.  It took a long time to go thru the menu book and pick out which dishes to order……

I have never understood how they can order the food for the banquet so perfectly!!!  There is seldom much left over!!!

Our favorites for this evening were these chili infested mushrooms…..

They were so yummy.

This looked like a steamed bun but was actually a perfectly roasted potato…..

There was a wedding going on at the hotel where we ate and the Bride and Groom were greeting their guests outside of the front door…..

They were handing out cigarettes and hard candies to each of their guests.

As we were leaving the hotel we passed their car appropriately decorated for the event……

 

On Wednesday, I went out for a long walk, ending up in a downtown pedestrian mall.  It was lunch time and I was feeling a bit peckish, so I plucked up my courage and approached one of the outdoor stands…..

…. and purchased my lunch…..

These three delightful treats were well cooked pork (I think), sprinkled with a chili powder mixture.   The server “asked” me if I wanted the powder and I motioned yes.  Then he and the other servers had a good laugh, thinking that it was going to be way too hot for me.  After I had eaten two of the three sticks, I approached the stand again and motioned a thumbs up to let them know that I had enjoyed my lunch.  They all smiled!!!

I wasn’t able to finish all three of them, but didn’t want to throw the extra one away.  I offered it to a beggar checking out the trash can and he shook his head “NO”.   Maybe he knew something that I didn’t !!!!

I will say that I didn’t have anything to drink and my lips were burning so I stumbled into a McDonald’s ice cream stand and came away with a vanilla ice cream in a coffee flavored cone.  It was the only one that had a picture that I could point to!!!!

The ice cream was interesting as it had a slight tangy flavor to it, almost like a touch of lemon.  But whatever the flavor, it cooled my burning mouth.

As I walked back to the hotel, I passed a Catholic church….

….and several “Apple” stores.  We read once that there were only 2 REAL Apple stores in Kunming.   I wonder if it was this one……

….or maybe this one……

On Wednesday evening, we were taken for another meal, this time by Professor Lee (a different one than in Beijing) and his wife.  I had offered to take a taxi out to the University but he said that he would send a driver.  That “driver” ended up being his wife!!!  She was very sweet and we had a fun time talking as we made the 45 minute drive to meet the others. 

As we waited for everyone to arrive, she carefully looked thru the menu and ordered our banquet.  There were several favorites on the table this time including……

…..SPICY mushrooms served on a beautiful plate with words that wished for good fortune……

 

….tender lotus stems served in a beautifully shaped dish……

….yummy potato pancakes that were designed to be eaten with a soup, but we ate them by themselves…..

….and raw “Ice Plant” that was served on ice and with a salted soy dipping sauce and a spicy dipping sauce……

The empty dishes at the meal’s end looked very sad indeed…..

We had a laugh at this woman as we were leaving the restaurant.   She had found a very imaginative way to water the flower boxes on the other side of the water feature…..

Our final food outing in Kunming was on Friday night and was also hosted by Professor Lee and his wife.   This time his daughter and son-in-law joined us, as well as one of his students who was good friends with his daughter.   Yunnan Province is well known for its mushrooms and we drove about 45 minutes out of Kunming to a very famous Mushroom Hot-Pot restaurant.  As we walked in, we first noticed the huge trays of mushrooms being unloaded……

The colors and varieties of the mushrooms were amazing and very beautiful…..

There were groups of workers sitting around large baskets of mushrooms and using small knives and scrapers to clean the mushrooms…..

They all had a good laugh at me after I took this photo!!!  As Michael put it, we were DEFINITELY the center of attention!!!

We were led to an upstairs room and the hot-pot arrived…..

It looked so beautiful as it started to boil and cook the various mushrooms.   Just as she brought the pot in, the student said “you have to really know how to cook these or they can be poisonous”…..well, that’s encouraging!!!!

As the pot boiled, the mushrooms slowly turned wonderful colors and the aroma became increasingly  enticing…..

Our table setting was an indication of good things to come……

The bowl on the left has chili peppers and other herbs.  Cooking water from the hot-pot was added to it to make a delicious dipping sauce.  The tall cup contains tea, the shorter one has beer and the fruit in the back is called Longan (also known as “Eye of the Dragon”) which is a type of Lychee.  It was a great accompaniment to the rest of the meal.

We began the meal by eating the mushrooms and bits of meat that were already in the pot and then they slowly added other vegetables…..

….potatoes…..

…….melon…….

and greens…….

We left the restaurant happy, full and contented with our time in Kunming.  The drive back took us through a 2 mile tunnel and along a long highway with virtually no traffic.  It was the perfect end to our stay!!!

First of all, a few comments on the last post…..

I got tickled watching the groups of people doing their exercises at the lake.  In each group there were always stragglers who stood at the back of the pack and obviously didn’t know the routine very well.

Also, there was one group of people doing a very advanced dance with the ball balanced the racquet and then there were three ladies over to one side, dropping and chasing their balls as they tried to learn the technique.  Even if they were struggling with the exercise, they certainly seemed to be having a good time!!!

As I walked around the lake, I was struck by the number of small children (mostly pre-school age) who were there with their Grandparents.  One of our friends once said that, in China, the kids were meant to take care of the parents but she thought that it had changed and that now the parents took care of the kids and their grandkids.  I have been thinking a lot about this and I wonder how this will effect the future generations.  Will the kids grow up holding to their parent’s beliefs and morals or will they be influenced by their Grandparent’s (possibly more conservative) beliefs?  It will be interesting to see!!

I have also wondered about a country run by very spoiled single children.  I can see that there might be problems there.

In order to control their population, China instituted a “one child policy” in the late 1960’s.   Under the rules, a couple could only have one child with one exception…..two “only children” that married were allowed to have two children.  As I got online to look up information about this policy I found this image that I thought was poignant…..

 

This has caused a huge imbalance in the Chinese population.    First of all, because males are seen as more important, many Chinese girls were either aborted or killed.  This means that there are many more men than women which is causing issues for the men finding suitable mates.

Then, in 2015, they began to phase out this policy and we had wondered if we would notice a difference.  The answer is a resounding YES!!!  On previous trips we had talked about how few babies we saw but this time we have been inundated with smiling cuties in strollers or being carried by their parents and the number of pregnant women is astounding!!!

Speaking of baby things…..they had a very interesting carrier for their slightly older children.  Here is a photo of one from the web and it is close to the look of the ones that they used…..

The baby sits on a ledge that looks like a stuffed fanny pack and leans back into the Mother.  The ones that I saw didn’t have such a large protective harness, but the baby always looked secure.

 

Now….on  to the “more” part of this post……

One of my first jobs in any city is to find a grocery store to buy a gallon of water and some snacks for the hotel room.  In Kunming, I knew that there was a Walmart fairly close so I looked it up on the map, just to confirm what I remembered, and headed out.   It was amazing how easily I remembered the way to walk and I was there in just a few minutes.

It took me about an hour to buy what we needed but that was because I kept stopping to take photos!!! 

It was obviously a “stocking” day as almost every aisle had a pallet with boxes being unloaded…..

I always have to take at least one photo of chicken feet, …does it make you hungry?…..

I loved the colors in this rice and bean mix……

The candy area of the store is huge and you pick up little baskets and select your various candies from these bins…..

Then you take them to a scale and a worker separates them into the various price groups and weighs each bag of candy and assigns a price.   I had picked up 10 or so small candies based on some that I had remembered liking previously.  I was surprised when she took my bags away and came back with more candy than I had originally picked.  She would then weigh each bag and continued taking candies out until it reached a certain level.  I understood when I looked at each bag and saw that they both held 1/10th of kilo……obviously the minimum amount that the scale would weigh!!

This aisle smelled wonderful with a  mixture of the tangy and spicy flavors represented in the bowls……

To buy some of these relishes, you would take a plastic bag and fill it with as much of the item as you wanted. It was also weighed and a price assigned.

There was an abundance of helpers available on each aisle.  It was actually hard to shop because they kept pointing out other things to me as I was trying to pick up one particular item!!

The store was FULL of samples but I did notice that no one offered me one.  In the area where milk and yogurt was sold, the sample ladies were yelling to out-do their neighbor and encourage  people to buy their product.  It was crazy!

I did notice that there are very few canned vegetables of meats available.  This was brought home to me when the lady in front of me only bought FRESH stuff…..

We have noticed that Kunming (like much of China) has developed a coffee culture.   It is quite easy to find a “Starbucks” or “Costa Coffee” or some other small specialty shop.  Since black tea (my drink of choice) is very prevalent, it has been Michael who has appreciated this movement.

We have also felt that Kunming has changed since we first visited in 2010.  It is still more of a “country” town but we both felt that it has gained some sophistication and culture.  This is seen, not only in the restaurants that are around, but also in the clothing that is worn.  There are many expensive and classy stores available now.

Speaking of clothing, we have laughed at the number of people who are wearing shirts with English on them, but the English makes no sense!!   Sometimes we can get a bit of an idea about what they mean, but some are completely unintelligible!!

I will leave this wandering post with a quilting bit.  This week I have spent a lot of my time in the “Crystal Club” room at the hotel as it provided a place where I could easily work on my computer.  In that room, they have a large bookshelf that held books on many different subjects.   Amazingly, this set caught my eye…..

I have NO idea what these books are about, but I certainly like the bindings!!!!

I know that I photographed these windows many years ago, but I really like the line designs in them…..

 

And, our hotel carpet was disappointing…..

….but I guess that I can see a piano-key border in it!!!