Yunnan Flavours and other detours. Posted on 4 Jan 2012

Yunnan Flavours and other detours. Posted on 4 Jan 2012

G and I left for our little getaway on 14 Dec. It was a treat to have G-time exclusively for myself, without the children. We booked Thai Airways to Kunming, which allowed for a short stop-over in Bangkok. T kindly let us have the use of his condo again at Thonglor, a hip, yuppy enclave peppered with swanky eateries, pubs and the de-riguer spas for creature comfort. Lunch was at Tadaima, this delightful Japanese joint at Eignt Thonglor - one of the best I've ever had. Yum! This time, we even got to meet up with T for yet another indulgent dinner, before he flew off to a different corner of the world to seal a mega-dollar deal. 

On 15 Dec, we were awakened very early in the day by a most unexpected phone call. D had missed his flight to the USA due to....well, it's a long story.... Hmm - we have a little situation on our hands. After being momentarily stunned by the news, our senses quickly took over. It spelt the end of the planned shopping...more pressing matters beckon. A quick assessment of the situation at hand, and G's military preparedness kicked into gear. He found a flight out of Singapore the very same day that would connect D to the Lohs and to be able to continue with his holiday plans with them . It was the craziest connection - Qatar Airways, transit in Doha, 8 hr layover.  No internet bookings were available so it had to be done through a travel agent in Singapore. Desperate people had to take desperate measures  - G resorted to the help of his sis, P, to buy the ticket, but since D is travelling alone as a minor, P also had to accompany D to clear the immigration channels at Changi Airport and to give the requisite undertakings on our behalf. Boy, we owe her big time, with hyper-compound interest, for life.

In the end, D made it on his own, and the boy continued on his way for his skiing trip. He was not aware of the extent of how much hassle and how many people were involved, one way or another, to make sure he made the trip. Kudos to Qatar Airways personnel for looking after D well and making sure he met with the proper immigration requirements when he touched down at Dulles Airport, DC. It was altogether more than a 30 hr flight connection for D - we have to say we are proud of him for his solo flight, albeit after a shaky start.

The next leg of our trip - Kunming. Based on Tripadvisor reviews, I'd booked New Era Hotel. It was a breeze getting there from the airport, in a taxi, which was metered. Our hotel was located smack in the middle of the Kunming main thoroughfare, roughly our equivalent of Orchard Road. Ground temperature - 0 degrees C or lower. Despite having four layers of clothing, I was still feeling cold. The double-lined North Face ski jacket was not good enough. It also didn't help that the down jacket I'd purchased from ebay, a size xs, was actually 3 sizes larger. " It will get progressively colder as we head towards Lijiang and Shangri-la" G cautioned. I tried on the 3 sizes-too-big jacket- it only needs a touch of white on it to complete the look of a fat penguin suit. A internal tussle was taking place - thrift or vanity? Can I bear to waddle like a penguin for the next 5 days? It was a no-brainer- vanity prevailed. I found another replacement for the fat suit in no time. Did wonders for my self-esteem. I've never been much of a winter person, but the new jacket kept me warm enough. I was ready to face the cold ( minus frumpy )

Stone Forest ( Shilin ) is a must-do in Kunming. This is a sprawling landscape of natural rock formations, known as "The First Wonder of the World" since the Ming Dynasty. It's also a UNESCO heritage site. The hotel concierge arranged for a tour for us, at a price agreed to after some haggling. Turned out we were the only ones and got picked up in a cab. 

The down-side was a uber chatty tour guide who was eager to download her knowledge of Chinese culture and minority groups on her captive audience, and the obligatory visits to tourist traps. At the end of the day, we still paid the market price, after topping up the agreed rate with tips. Both G and I have a bad habit of doing this, in most Asian cities.

Next stop - Lijiang. We got there after a short 1-hr domestic flight. From the time we stepped out of the airport, there was a steady stream of private minivan drivers calling out their prices, for a ride to the city. Our driver lost no time in recommending us a day trip to Lashihai lake, with mule riding and a boat-trip to watch migratory birds. He charged us a decent rate for the transport, and advised us to bargain with the tour operators on site for the best price. We knocked the price down from RMB 380 to RMB 260 per person and landed a deal with a guide who owns the two mules which would carry us and who also doubled up as the boatman. How resouceful!

The same driver got more business the next day to ferry us to watch Zhang Yimou's "impression", a spectacular display of sheer magnitude, in the highest open-air theatre in the world. En-route, we stopped at a shop to stock up on oxygen cylinders in case we need them, under the cloud of high altitude of 3000 m. The trip included a cable-car ride up Jade Dragon Mountain ( climbing up to 4000 m above sea level ). After the one-hour performance, I was sufficiently frozen to give the glacier a miss. No regrets and no love lost there.

Lijiang has quaint old towns,which also qualified as UNESCO sites. We spent a couple of days and some evenings exploring the different regions and drinking the total sensory experience. There is no escaping the perennial yak meat and its aroma enveloping the air. Picturesque inns and sidewalk cafes, lined with weeping willows peppered the streets - quinessential!

Our next stop was a one-night stopover in Shangri-la, a 5 hour bus ride to and from Lijiang. There is also an old town here, with a somewhat more rustic flavour. We were even brave enough to try the street side kebabs, cooked on make-shift grills, with a dash of chilli pepper. It was good enough for us to order seconds.

The reward for the rough ride was our stay at Songtsam Retreat, a gem of a resort, in the middle of no man's land. Sitting by the fireplace, soaking in the warmth of the crackling firewood, the atmosphere was there to wax lyrical. " It's a little strange, but I had three friends who got so upset with me, they tuned me out altogether. The irony is that I don't know exactly why, although I have a fuzzy idea, putting together some loose pieces..." G paused and said stoically " I think it's due to unmet expectations." Huh? I don't compute. After all, everybody is entitled to their own views, but I can decide for myself. Bingo! I answered the rhetorical - "Oh, the problem lies in the perception that my ex-friends had, that I could meet those expectations, but would not..." It's complicated. My hibernating brain begins to work again and a light-bulb came on. " So how did you put up with a character like me all these 20 odd years?" I cornered my long-suffering Other.

"...because I love you" G said casually. Wow, that packed a punch! 

For the rest of our trip, I was up in the clouds with a silly grin coming on every once in a while... It had been a very good vacation indeed.

( Postscript:)  D returned home from his trip in the USA on 1 Jan. Since he went under the unaccompanied minor programme, he got to hang out in the airlines lounge for the long layover, and didn't suffer much hardship. He spent a week skiing and the following week enjoying Christmas with the Lohs. I told him that the true test of whether he was a good guest would be a repeat invitation, or conversely, never again. With some trepidation, I called A to check on status. Turns out he had good chemistry with their whole family ( although he started off with a bit of attitude ) and yes, he passed the test.