So here’s what happened.
Another series of “accidents”?
After my flight from Bangkok to Helsinki, I take the bus to the downtown station and walk towards my hotel. I finally arrive at the proper street but do I turn right or left? I stop a man and ask directions and he points to the right. I notice he is wearing a Star of David so we chat a bit and he points out that the Helsinki Synagogue stands just down the street to the left. **
Stuck in the Mud!
Bingzhongluo
Gongshan County
Nu Jiang Liuku Autonomous Prefecture
Yunnan Province
China
June 13, 2014
Stuck in the mud! Is that ever a good thing?
Despite the gloomy weather and the potentially muddy country roads, my guide Ilian and I decide to visit a Tibet style temple and to explore the mountain villages above Bingzhongluo here in the upper and remote reaches of Yunnan Province. We hire a local man with a four-wheel drive vehicle.
Bingzhongluo
Gongshan County
Nu Jiang Liuku Autonomous Prefecture
Yunnan Province
China
June 11, 2014
My Dear Fellow Travelers, and anyone who yearns for adventure,
In the early morning hours, from my hotel window in Bingzhongluo, I gaze in amazement at the cloud-covered valley of “The Angry River.” “The Furious River.” “The River of Rage.” The Nu Jiang. 怒江
Amazed? Sure. I am feeling so fortunate to be here.
Pianma
Yunnan Province
China
June 9, 2014
At the height of the Japanese military power during World War II, their armed forces occupied large areas of China, blockaded the ports, and closed almost all of the roads. “The Burma Road” -the one open route that snaked through the mountains from India, through Burma to western China - was bombed by Japanese fighter planes. Eventually, trucks ceased to transport goods to the Chinese Nationalist Army fighting the Japanese.
“The Hump” became the vital lifeline.
Nuo Deng
Yun Long County
Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture
Yunnan Province
China
June 8, 2014
Now here’s a quote to remember:
"Jan, I am impressed!"
So proclaims my guide Ilian as we reach the top of the mountain.
Ilian may be impressed. But I am not sure whether to feel proud or to feel duped. An hour ago, after breakfast, Illian casually suggests, "Let's take a stroll to see the Confucius Temple." Was I impressed into this vigorous constitutional?
