China Trip 2014 - Dragons and Warriors in the Wa Mountains

Sunday 21st September
Master Zhao Junhui and Dipen set off for their journey to China from London Heathrow, flying to Kunming via Hong Kong.

Monday 22nd September
Arrive in Kunming in the afternoon. After booking into their hotel and some time to refresh themselves, they head to a restaurant on the outskirts of Kunming where a small welcoming party of friends waited for them. It was good to catch up with old friends over a wonderful banquet…and this time with red wine rather than the customary rice wine.

Tuesday 23rd September
Had a lazy morning and then met up with the Doctor and his wife for a lovely lunch. Afterwards went shopping in a quaint shopping district. We were then picked up by Zhang Qing and had dinner at Kunming Lao Fangzi. After dinner, Zhang Qing took them to visit a small school set up for migrant children and which was run by his sister. The school is intended for migrant children who are unable to get into the local schools. The staff at the school who were very warm and welcoming, introduced the children to Dipen who then had the opportunity to speak in English with him.

Wednesday 24th September
This morning was a little wet and so we took the opportunity to go and visit the Army Museum in Kunming. Afterwards we had lunch at the famous Lao Fangzi which serves up Sichuan style cuisine which was followed by some more shopping. In the evening as we were passing by the small school for migrant children, we were invited to have dinner with the staff and children. This was another opportunity to sample the warm friendship that was extended to us by the school staff…it was pleasant to share dinner with them and the children who were really sweet. Later on, we had a foot massage before making our way to visit Master Zhao’s mother and his sister Li Ping.

Thursday 25th September
An early start this morning and made our way to a small village outside of Kunming which was home to the Yi people. We had been invited to an exclusive performance by the village choir that entered and also won many international competitions. The performance was attended by local government dignitaries, one of whom, Kai Long, was a former student of Master Zhao. Afterwards we visited a special restaurant that had a theme that matched the surroundings…natural forestry theme. We were invited to lunch with the high government officials of that area…which included a lot of toasting of rice wine with new friends…and a martial arts performance was requested, and Dipen duly obliged. The afternoon was spent relaxing in health spa which is always welcome.

Friday 26th September
This morning was the start of a long road trip that we had wanted to go on for a long time. Master Zhao and Dipen were joined on this road trip by long-time friend, Jianhua, and his wife, Xiao Qing. We drove through some of the most beautiful parts of Yunnan…through mountains and small villages…a very scenic drive…stopping along the way for lunch at mountain restaurant. In the evening we arrived at our first stop…Lincang. We were met by a young man who worked for Master Zhao’s friend and he took good care of us…taking use to dinner at a lovely outdoor Dai restaurant, followed by sampling an array of tea at a quaint tea shop.

Saturday 27th September
It was a very sunny, beautiful and warm morning in this lovely little city and we were met by Master Zhao’s friend this morning who took us for a lovely early morning stroll around the lake near our hotel. We were then taken to an exclusive tea house…where only the very wealthy residents of Lincang could become members…and we were give a guided tour of the grounds…it was a very beautiful place. After having some tea and relaxing, we made our way to the outskirts of Lincang where we met by other friends at a very unique restaurant that also had a museum dedicated to China’s early communist period. It really was beautiful and interesting restaurant…an unique experience…and the food was excellent too. After lunch we set off again on the next leg of road trip driving through the mountains to reach the city of Cang Yuan by nightfall. In Cang Yuan we were met by Master Zhao’s former army student and his family who then took us to a local ethnic restaurant…we were treated to some excellent food, pretty strong rice wine, and the most wonderful company. After dinner, we went to a local KTV to sing karaoke together which helped to bond us all even more.

Sunday 28th September
Another early start with breakfast at a local style restaurant…its always great to sample food with locals and the food is always very good. After breakfast we visited the Wa mountain village where we had the opportunity to meet the local Wa people and walk around their village to get more understanding of this unique culture and way of life. After leaving the village, we stopped over for lunch at a mountain restaurant before heading back into Cang Yuan city and walking through a special Wa people market. In the evening, we visited another Wa village where we had dinner in the unique traditional Wa people style…no chopsticks are used here.

Monday 29th September
After breakfast in our favourite little local restaurant, we head towards the border between China and Burma. After going through some fairly simple security checks…you hardly get any foreigners in this part of Yunnan hence the security check…we were allowed to visit the border and take photos too. In the afternoon we visited a scared mountain area for the Wa people…some of the earliest artwork can be found here painted on to the sides of the mountain by the early habitants of this area…the climb was quite strenuous especially with the altitude and heat…but we Dreaming Dragons are a hardened group. After returning back to the city and do some shopping for tea, we had dinner with Master Zhao’s friend and his family where we treated to some delicious home-cooked food. Afterwards, it was more time for karaoke at the local KTV.

Tuesday 30th September
After some breakfast, we said our goodbyes to Master Zhao’s friend and his family before beginning a scenic mountain route drive to the small city of Ximeng deep in the Wa mountainous regions. The scenery was breath-taking and we stopped over for lunch along the way at a small restaurant in the mountains. After a long drive, we arrived in the beautiful small city of Ximeng in the late afternoon where we were met by the local Army Commander of the region. After checking into our hotel, the Army Commander took us for a lovely dinner at a local restaurant where we were treated to some delicious local cuisine as well as the quite strong local rice wine. After dinner we took the opportunity to stroll around the city centre with to view the beautifully co-ordinated lit buildings…quite spectacular. We walked along the night market and sampled many unusual local fruits…a nice way to round off a beautiful day.

Wednesday 1st October
Today was Guo Qing Jie…which is the national day for China and it was the beginning of a week-long holiday for the majority of the population of China. We took a gentle strong to the Black Dragon Lake where we had the opportunity to watch…and indeed take part in…an ancient Wa people ceremony. We had the opportunity to watch the traditional dancing performed by the local Wa people. At another spot in the region, we watched another performance by younger members of the Wa people in this region, and as you don’t get any foreigners in this region, it was a surprise for them to see Dipen in this area…the youngsters took the opportunity to have their photos taken with Dipen…and had their first opportunity to converse with a foreigner…they were indeed a very sweet and pure of heart young people. After lunch at a local restaurant we said our goodbyes and thanks to the local Army Commander who had looked after us so well and headed off on another long drive to the city of Pu’er. We again took the scenic route through mountains via the city of Lancang before arriving in Pu’er in the early evening. Pu’er is famous for the black tea of the region which is considered to be beverage that is of great importance to one’s health and is one of the most expensive teas you can buy. It is a region surrounded by mountains of tea…quite a beautiful site. We were met by one of the Army Commander, Ko Bei, who was a former student of Jianhua. Ko Bei and a group of his officers took us to dinner and looked after our every needs during the evening…we felt like Royalty such was the consideration that these Officers showed us…it was really heart-warming considering this was the first time we had met. In all my years of travelling to China, I have to say with the beautiful scenery and rich history and culture, it is still the heart-warming hospitality of the Chinese people that is the most attractive quality of China. After dinner, when everyone else had retired to their rooms, the night was not over for Master Zhao and Dipen. Two local men who were friends of one Master Zhao’s students in Kunming came to the hotel to take us out again…but this time for some local night food…with copious amounts of rice wine which they cleverly managed to make Dipen drink…such is the hospitality of the local Chinese. New friendships were again forged and we had a great time…despite being so tired and having food twice that evening not to mention lots of alcohol. Was the night over after the night food? Nope…still time to go and get a late night foot massage…before heading off to bed around 3 A.M.!!!

Thursday 2nd October
The morning was visiting the a huge tea plantation in the mountains outside of the city…we were taken on guided tour to view how the famous Pu’er tea was made before having the opportunity to watch the local ethnic people give a performance of their traditional singing and dancing along with some tea, of course. After having lunch with Ko Bei at a local restaurant that specialised in a lot of fresh vegetarian dishes we began the journey back to Kunming. Along the way we had dinner in a special restaurant in the city of Yuxi which an hour’s drive away from Kunming. After dinner we headed back to our hotel and Kunming for a well-deserved rest and a chance to ponder on the magnificent 7 day road trip that we just experienced.

Friday 3rd October
A late start to our day as we need to have a lot of rest after our long journey. This afternoon was spent visiting some local art galleries and more shopping…followed by some much-needed foot massage to relax and then ending the day by having dinner at Dipen’s favourite restaurant, Kunming Lao Fangzi.

Saturday 4th October
More shopping today in the morning before a friend of Master Zhao’s met us and drove us to a large hotel outside of the city. This was a beautiful hotel and in one of the banquet halls we had waiting guests with whom we were to have lunch with. We were treated to more delicious and exquisite cuisine…and provided more opportunities for Dipen to converse and make more friends. After lunch we had a stroll around a shopping area where one of the host’s had a small business…they took the opportunity to turn Dipen into a “Male Model” to advertise some of their products…don’t quite the day-job Dipen!!! Dipen was also requested to give a martial arts performance and demonstrate the applications of some of the movements to the teenage children of our hosts…Dipen duly obliged.

Sunday 5th October
Today we met up with one of Master Zhao’s army friends, Chen Jun, who took us to a lovely Thai restaurant in the central Kunming. After which, we spent the day walking and shopping around various parts of Kunming before visiting another friend of Master Zhao for dinner at their home. It was lovely to have a family dinner Chinese-style…the food was great and the special Tibetan rice wine was very potent.

Monday 6th October
Today was another lazy day which included a drive to the Lake Dianchi area which had been newly re-built…it was a lovely drive to the scenic area. In the late afternoon we drove to the mountains outside of Kunming to have dinner with Kai Long and some high-level dignitaries (both government and army officials) at a mountain-top restaurant.

Tuesday 7th October
This morning was an early start as we began a new road trip heading to the South West corner of Yunnan. Instead of the modern freeway, we decided to take an old scenic route through the mountains, driving through some small, quaint villages…it was a beautiful drive. In the evening we arrived at our destination in the small city of Yuan Yang where we were met by a local friend who took us for a quick look at the famous terraced rice fields before moving on to a mountain-top restaurant. We then retired to our magnificent mountain-top hotel…where we promised a beautiful view at sunrise!

Wednesday 8th October
Very early start this morning…before sunrise. We walked out to the communal balcony areas overlooking the terraced rice field…along with other guests at the hotel in anticipation of the view as the sun peeped over the horizon. The view was spectacular!!! After spending the morning taking in the splendid sunrise over the terraced rice fields, we checked out of the hotel and went down the mountain for breakfast at a small local restaurant. After which, we drove to other parts of the mountain to view one of the most enormous areas where there were thousands of terraced rice fields…absolutely amazing…and the view is even more spectacular during the rainy season. After having lunch we began on our journey to the small city of Mengzi which is famous for the a particular type of noodle called “Guo Qiao Mian” (“Crossing the bridge noodles”). After a wonderful drive through the mountains, we arrived in Mengzi at nightfall, where we were met by a group of former army officers who served under our friend Jian Hua. They hadn’t seen each other for years and so there was plenty of banter, wonderful food…and an extremely strong bottles of rice wine that evening!!

Thursday 9th October
We visited some beautiful areas in the centre of Mengzi this morning…walking around the areas where the locals had gathered to spend the morning socializing. We walked around many splendid government areas where the architecture of the buildings were beautiful. After a wonderful lunch with our hosts, we set off on our long journey back to Kunming. It was nightfall by the time we arrived in Kunming and we were ready for good night's sleep after the long drive.

Friday 10th October
After another tiring but wonderful road trip, today was a much-needed rest day. Dipen and Master Zhao had lunch at a special restaurant with specialized in mushroom dishes…in fact the whole area had restaurants which catered to this part of the market. After lunch, Dipen went off a few hours at health spa for a much-needed massage before meeting up with Master Zhao, Zhang Qing and Chan Shen for dinner in the city centre. Chan Shen had brought a large…and very heavy, bottle made of bronze that contained the strongest rice wine that Dipen had ever tasted....the price tag for this bottle came as a very big shock…but in Chinese culture, it was a way for Chan Shen to show his respect to Master Zhao…and to his friends. After dinner, we had one more session of karoke at a local KTV where Dipen and Master Zhao belted out some tunes.

Saturday 11th October
A late morning today with plenty of packing to do...especially trying to squeeze in the all the goods that we bought whilst shopping in the last couple of days. We had lunch at a Kunming Lao Fangzi restaurant with Zhang Qing's sister. After lunch Zhang Qing's sister kindly drove Dipen to the airport for flight to London via Hong Kong.
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