At long last... Kunming

We made it to Kunming. A very very long trip. We left on Monday at 10 pm on the sleeper train and arrived on Wednesday at 4pm in Kunming. 41 HOURS! By far that is the longest trip single trip I have taken in my life. The train stopped at EVERY single train stop between Xi'an and Kunming. For some reason I just can't sleep on the trains. I don't know what it is. Liu was able to sleep for 10 hours at a time. I could sleep maybe 4 hours and then would wake up.

About an hour outside of Kunming

Granite hills with some beautiful orange flowers in front

Tobacco fields/corn/soy

Village destroyed by the earthquake last year

The first night was terrible. When we got into the cabin, there was an older man and his 18 year old son already in there (4 to a cabin). The older man was checking his son's temperature and giving him medicine. Apparently the man thought it would be a good idea to take a sick son in a cramped cabin 41 hours down the line. I thought for sure that Liu and I would catch whatever the kid had since we were stuck in such a small area. I wasn't happy with the man. We tried to change cabins, but they were completely full. So were stuck. At about 1 in the morning the man proceded to take off his shoes and socks. His feet were full of dead skin. He started rubbing his feet and scratching all the dead skin off his feet onto the floor. One of the most disgusting things I have ever seen. Needless to say, I wore my shoes the entire 41 hours.

River with fishing nets

Some RPG (Rice Paddy Guy) picking his nose in the train next to us

Deep gorge and mountains

Onto more pleasant points. The trip went through some very beautiful country. Big mountains, rolling valleys, cloud shrouded mountains, etc.

Today I am enjoying an American breakfast with some good coffee at the Hump hostel in Kunming. We are hopefully going to go to Shilin where there is a natural rock garden.

Last night we just went walking around the neighborhood around the hostel. We had friendship noodles yesterday for lunch. It is a dish that is made with a lot of different ingredients. Friendship noodles are initially made when two villages would share the crops that they had grown to make a noodle dish.

Tomorrow we head deeper into the bush and go to Dali. An ancient city farther west in Yunan. After that we will head deeper and deeper northwest. When we get to Shangra La we should be at around 10,000 feet base elevation. the mountains around there soar up to 18,000 feet. Blowing away the tallest mountains in the States.

One last thing. The weather here is awesome. Soooo much cooler than Xi'an. Kunming is known as the spring city because the temperatures never get about 85 degrees. It is a nice retreat from the opressive heat of Xi'an.

And we are back... for now

Once again the Chinese government has struck. They shut down google's blogger website. In fact it is still shut down. Today I spent a few hours and found a way to get on here around the Chinese government. So for as long as this is working, I will try to post again.

Things the past few months have been great. I finished my spring term of teaching about 3 weeks ago. The school year was great. I feel like my students really improved the past 9 months.

I took the GMAT test in Xi'an last week. My application with Park Universities MBA program is pending. If all goes well, I will be back in school in a month.

Last month I signed a contract with Jiaotong University for next year. They are ranked as the 10th best school in the country by the ministry of education. I am moving up in the world. In fact they are having me teach graduate classes (I only have my BSB degree): American Literature, Theories of Literature, and a class on the Bible. Yeah I know. I guess that a few years of Catholic school turned me into a theological scholar in the eyes of the Chinese. Good times.

I am going to travel to Wuhan on the 21st to see the eclipse on the 22nd. It is supposed to last around 5 minutes in Wuhan (it is almost in the direct center of the eclipse). After that we are heading to either Shanghai or Wudangshan for a few more days. I have to be back in Xi'an on the 28th to move into my new apartment. Then I will leave again to head to Yunan province in the far southwestern corner of China for two weeks. If Nima ever gets up off his ass and books a ticket, I will then go to meet him in Hong Kong. Otherwise maybe up the three gorges.

That is about it for now. If I can logon during my travels, I will upload some more info.

Snail orgy

Or in China

Gotta love Chinese originality

The front of my school from my classroom (smoking spot everyday)

My Students (wish I had this kind of girl ratio when I went to school)

My other class

Li Shan. View from the front of the school.

Michael Landon?

Some Videos from the Farmers house

Lunch at the farmers house.

Big ole plate of deer.