Volume 2 Issue 1 - Automobile Association Philippines

COVER STORY
CHINA BY BACKPACK
hotels in the Philippines. Yes, roughly 500 pesos a night.
Jian Shui has that more authentic Chinese flavor in the sense
that the city features preserved ancient Chinese architecture and
cobblestone streets. Sadly, though, even this charming town hasn’t
escaped commercialization, which is evident in the construction of
tall buildings.
We spent a lovely couple of hours hanging out with the locals
in the park right next to the Old City Gate (Chao Yang Lou). I dare
say this is the highlight of our stay in Jian Shui. The locals were so
friendly, and it was really relaxing to watch, chat and listen to the
retirees.
It was also here that we had one of the cheapest but yummiest
meals we’ve had in our trip!
For 200 pesos, we had two big bowls of steamed rice, one liter
of cold red iced tea, two sticks of clam meat, two sticks of stuffed
fish rolls, two ji rou chuan (seasoned chicken meat), one stick of
something seafood (I couldn’t understand what the lady said --
cuttlefish, I think -- but she assured me it was neither pork nor beef
since I don’t eat either) and two big slices of pork!
That spicy red powder-plus-soy sauce combo was HEAVEN! I
can still taste that fiery sauce!
The next morning we took a short bus ride and a tricycle
ride from Jianshui to Tuanshan Village. It is one of the very few
remaining medieval, fortified villages in southwest China. Hard to
believe that people still live here!
In 2006, this Ming Dynasty village was listed on the World
Monument Fund’s 100 Most Endangered Places.
The courtyard house here, Zhang Jia Hua Yuan (Zhang Family
Garden), is the grandest of all the courtyard houses in the village.
The building on the center is the main hall. The one on the right is
where the private quarters are, and the balcony on the left building
(where I stood when I took this picture) is where the women come
knit and read.
At first glance, Kunming is another Chinese economic miracle
city. We hang out for a couple of days in their restos and bars,
talking to the locals to get the vibe of the place. Compared to
Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and other big cities, it has that more
relaxed vibe. The expats call Kunming the Chicago of China.
We took different buses to explore the city, and by happy
accident, ended up in this theme park they call The Minority
Village. I say happy accident because we got into the wrong bus
returning to the city, ending up at the place close to 6 p.m. and paid
one-third of the ticket price. Lesser crowds, too!
The park is huge, and it is divided into small villages that
featured the minorities around Yunnan province, and their way of
life (marriage rituals, costumes, etc, etc.)
The entire park was beautifully built and definitely interesting.
I think it’s an excellent concept, but unfortunately, the place turned
out to be rather carnival-ish.
Of course, it would certainly take a lot more time and resources
if you were to go around Yunnan and visit the different villages.
All in all, it was an interesting experience. A must-do if you’re
in Yunnan for only a couple of days.
Another one of the nice places we stumbled upon during a
misadventure is the Jiuxiang Scenic Park
So my sister and I decided to get out of Kunming and explore
its outskirts. We decided to go to Jiuxiang instead of the famous
Shilin (Stone Forest), which a lot of people are saying is overpriced
and overrated. Plus, Jiuxiang was a lot closer, one and a half hours,
so the front desk manager at our hotel told us.
Thinking it was pretty close by, we set out before midday. Que
horror! It took us three bus changes and a little over three hours to
get to this place. We arrived a little after 3:30 p.m, and found out
the LAST BUS back to the city was around 5:30 p.m. That left us
less than two hours to explore the place.
We fervently hoped it was worth the trip and the 90 RMB
ticket.
And it was! The park was GORGEOUS, with its karstlimestone
caves, falls, rivers, forests.
One of the most beautiful scenes in the park was the Waterfall
Cave. After climbing down hundreds of slippery steps, you come to
this huge underground river and two waterfalls. They call it Male
and Female Waterfalls. Together, the two “give birth” to the river.
While spelunking through these caves, I was constantly
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