Hello Folks

I am writing from China, precisely from the city of Kunming in Yunnan province.
My first trip in China only included Shanghai and Beijing, so "this" China is completely different. Shanghai is a city with more inhabitants than the entire Belgium, Kunming contains "only" 6 millions unhabitants... Less buildings, less traffic, less tourists. The city itself is not very interesting, a lot of houses have been destroyed to build new roads, but it looks like countryside compares to Shanghai or Beijing.

The Yunnan province has been open to tourists not so long ago so it's the place to go now, in one or two years it will be too late. Countryside is still a countryside, ricefields still are in exploitation and people don't care too much about tourists. Of course, they try to sell you some stuff like teacup or things with Mao Zedong on it, or "real" jade or sometimes cloths for the minorities people.

Our guide is very interesting because he thinks that tourism is a good thing for the province but in the same times, he is worried because more and more children ask for money to tourists instead of going to school, and worst they want you to make a picture of them with their traditional cloths with the complitcity of their parents. In exchange of the unique picture you are supposed to give five yuans, which is a lot of money for a people from the countryside. It means that, instead to work in the fields, more and more people refuse to work because it has no value compared to making picture for tourists... And it's only the beginning...

But this province is still a must-see, people are very nice, once they understand you won't take them in picture ! They don't speak english and we don't speak chinese but we can understand each others with hands, it's a lot of fun. Today we had lunch in a small Mongol village and the homeowner greeted us with all the kindness possible, and I don't even mention the food which is excellent.

The atmosphere, a simple life, no stress, no mad people, everyone is curious, simple... Happy they are to see occidental people, happy to hear some chinese words, shake your hand and return to their business ^^

See you soon !