Xishuangbanna, Yunnan province

This was a trip I have wanted to do for some time but it either did not fit into my schedule or there were problems with travel due to COVID-19. Even though this trip is 12 hours after landing back in China after almost a month traveling, i felt it was the right time to go. I wasn’t ready to be back in my apartment and still have a bit over two weeks before school starts.

After arriving I went to the Gaozhuang night market. I but too crowded for me so I bought some food on the streets of the village and then wandered back to the hotel. This area is close to the Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand border with China.

We visited the Botanical garden which included jungle trails.

This is a very poisonous plant, the poison being in the spines on the leaves.
This is one fig tree that makes up most of this part of the forest. It grows downwards to make me roots.
Royal lotus.
These are so large that children can float on them.
The flowers of banana tree.

We visited a Dai village. This is one of the ethnic minorities here in China. They follow the Buddhist tradition and their housing styles are similar to Thai.

They weave many of their own textiles.
Naga is the highest transformation of awareness and holds the Earth’s wisdom and power.
Sticky rice that is pressed and dried then cooked over coals to puff up. Delicious.

Wild elephant valley is a preserve where the wild Asian elephants still roam. They actually travel between here and Laos and if lucky you can see one. I was glad we did. Here is a link to video as well: https://youtu.be/a2xod6R_N2E

Water lizards.
Of course they do have elephants for shows and feeding which I hate to see but it is random whether you see a wild elephant in the park.
Butterfly garden.
Dragon fruit plant which is a type of cactus.

We traveled to Manzhang village which is another Dai village.

Making mulberry paper.
Homemade Baiju which is quite strong.
Trail walking through a rubber tree forest. The marks at the top start the latex sap flowing.
This gentleman is a doctor of old Chinese medicine and he was collecting his medicines.
Dinner along the Mekong river.

Manting Park is the oldest styles of architecture and also history of the local royal family which ended rein in 1950’s. The oldest temple is here.

A Burmese style pavilion.
Washing your hands and face is said to take away your sins and bring goodness.
Stupa for holding religious artifacts after death.
Spotted this kitty at the base of one of the statues.
Delicious lunch. Omelet with a local fern like vegetable and fried little fish that were yummy.

Afterwards, our last stop was a hike through the Nannuo tea mountain forest and to try some tea. This village is the Hani people, another ethnic minority.

Two leaves and a tip are picked for tea. They must be young leaves from the top.
Wood is loaded underneath for a fire and the leaves are roasted at specific times after picking to make the different types of teas.

Another morning in China and I think I made the right decision to go elsewhere in the world. There are things I love about China and the people here but many I will not miss. Immigration coming back in was longer with more questions despite having four consecutive years of visas and proof of where I work. It wasn’t this difficult fine years ago. Some people will watch videos while in nature with the volume set to high, they are unaware of where they are in relation to others and unconcerned if they block paths, and there is just so many people when traveling. It sounds like I am just complaining but haber heard that from other nationalities when I travel. Of course, I am aware that I most likely do things that people don’t like when I travel, but this discussion is most likely best suited for a future post.

2 thoughts on “Xishuangbanna, Yunnan province”

  1. Your pictures are incredible. You are right that it is easy to see the connection between Thai and Dai architecture and religious icons. I knew nothing of this area. I need to look at a map….

    The vegetation is amazing! Love that you catch a kitty at the base of a statue!

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