This is the post I wrote during my first trip outside of Kunming. How tenderly read some comments designed to warm. Perhaps hasty judgments, memories change and change over time. In Xishuangbanna
have been there three times, I loved that atmosphere, the food, the air we breathe. A corner of China is China. If ever you happen to go there, read some book Giorgio Bettinelli (I still have not done, but I have the wish list!)
Xishuangbanna ( 西双版纳 ) is the original name of the nearest Chinese Thai Sip Swang Cream, which literally means "the 12 districts where rice is grown." It is a region in southern Yunnan, which borders with Myanmar and Laos. The population consists of ethnic minorities from the third, one third from the Han and the remaining third from other ethnic minorities.
The first evidence regarding the date back about 2000 years ago. At one time, had settled in the valley of the Yangzi River, where they were forced to migrate because of the Mongol invasions. The state was annexed by the Xishuangbanna first by the Mongols and later by the Chinese. In the early years of this state were built many Buddhist temples but were desecrated and destroyed during the Cultural Revolution. It survived only those used as granaries. Currently some of these temples are rebuilt and are used as village schools for the religious education of children who become monks.
During the hike to the waterfalls we ran into one of these small temples and we had a chat with Monaco, who lived nearby. He told us that he was ordained at the age of 12 years monaco. He was orphaned of his mother in three years and his father did not ever see, so it was bred and raised in the temple by another Monaco. Now 22 years old. From what I read Driving on the field work period (July to October) is the feast of the closed door that marks a time of year when it is forbidden to celebrate weddings and festivals and this is also the period in which the monastic order. It was just to confirm that the Monaco for a while all the young monks are sorted by ethnicity and that the celebration would take place soon.
I was struck by the very history of this guy, reminded me of the film Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter and Spring. Be 'the movie was Korean, and then had some quite dramatic implications.
has been very open and helpful to us in telling the its history and let us enter the temple now falling. The last time we said goodbye as he went in motion somewhere.
Within this small temple we were struck by the writing on some leaves hanging near the statue of the Buddha. It was not Chinese, is very similar to Thai so we asked Monaco to write that it was. He explained that was the language from. I read the guide from that, from the linguistic point of view, are part of the Thai family and writing is a cross between the Lao and Burmese. Whenever I am always amazed by the variety of languages \u200b\u200bexisting at the world and this gives me much to think about the effects of the Chinese government on ethnic minorities. Of course, according to the Chinese government, minorities should have to thank them for being under the benevolent protection, but I think that this was a forced assimilation. For most of the time I got the impression of being in a human zoo: us tourists on the hunt for ethnic minorities for their character and their colorful folklore and to which no choice but to offer himself as a rare phenomenon. But this is a trial heat, maybe a little 'rushed? Or maybe not. I decided to do some research on ethnic minorities, and Yunnan is definitely the place to view the great variety.
The region of Xishuangbanna has a tropical climate and in fact we went for a walk in the rainforest. My friend said that apparently the rain forest of Xishuangbanna is unique because there are species of flora and fauna that are not in the rainforest proper. It is the only region in China where you can find elephants, tigers, lions and monkeys. Needless to point out that the mismanagement of the soil is threatening this part of the rainforest. The elephants were at risk of extinction because they were driven out by the farmers themselves because they were ruining the crops. Now, fortunately, the government reimburses the farmers whose crops are destroyed by elephants or who engage in works of nature protection.
I could not see any elephant, but we have witnessed the sad spectacle of lions, tigers and bears confined in cages without water and very tight. What, what?
The hike in the rainforest was spectacular, I had been in a place like Thailand, but this time I liked the most. I had time to look around, admire the shapes of trees and we did have time to bathe in torrential rain.
We also got lots of rain when we went to the bike ride along the Mekong River. We started from Jinghong (the capital of Xinshuangbanna) and we walked about thirty kilometers under the sun and rain to a village where I can not remember the name. We saw for the first time from the typical houses that are built on stilts, I guess to protect them from moisture. Under the houses to park cars or stacked wood or raise chickens.
We ate at a restaurant made of bamboo built over the water. We were served fish (fish directly into the water below, and I do not know who to thank if I did not take the hepatitis), chicken, pork and grilled eggplant. It is typical of this region cooking over coals.
We are tired a lot of cycling but this has not stopped us the next day to cross the paddy fields and grove of rubber to go in search of some waterfalls where you can swim. Unfortunately we were wrong road and we could not get there. Despite the mud, humidity and the scorching sun el'aver to fall down many times it was interesting. This is where we met the monaco.
After these two intense days we opted for a relaxing day at the Sunday market Menghun. We had to wake up at 6 am in order to reach the village and also because the market was open only from 7 to 12. It was a normal market of fruits and vegetables, were also selling clothes, shoes, animals. But to see women dressed in their traditional dress, to make buying and negotiating, talking among themselves, to live their daily lives it is worth it! At one point we were surrounded by the old woman who tried to sell us their handicrafts. Despite the insistence were nice and kind.
The last day we visited the tea plantations. The view is magnificent and the pictures do not do justice to the beauty of these places. Here too we chatted with the people of the village, have been much more kind and helpful than they are citizens of Kunming. For us tourists, it's all nice, but a lady kept saying "yes it is nice, but it is not easy to live here" if we knew a bit about 'best Chinese we might be able to understand a little more.
the bar where we found all the tourist information (Mei Mei Cafe) we met a English girl who had been traveling for four months alone without speaking a word of Chinese. He told us about his adventures and misadventures and a little 'I envied the same courage and adventure that was living. China a difficult place. Not so much with regard to personal safety, the most that can happen is that Ruby's personal effects, but is staying in contact with the Chinese themselves that it is sometimes difficult. Most of the time you get the impression that want to fuck just because you are a foreigner, most of the time I just do not understand them. If the woman in the kiosk that sells pancakes was beaten by the police because they do not have permission to put tables on the street I do not I start to laugh along the rice fields ... I do not throw bags of potato chips, empty bottles and empty packs of cigarettes to land. If I see a child crossing the street to tell him not to move the trumpets and clear the road, if risk two foreigners to invest not laugh behind ... These are not cultural differences, attitudes and even innate, it is just ignorance, also found in Italian. But I was not ever so often risking their lives to cross the street.
I have the impression, false hope, that most Chinese are not accustomed to thinking critically for themselves. All it says the government is right and good. If the television or the Internet are censored because the government is so generous to defend the population from the bad information and wrong. As long as the authorities did not say that you can do something or it is prohibited to anyone moves. Unfortunately I have not yet had occasion to speak seriously with some of these things Chinese. But it does not take a genius to realize that China is still far behind!
