We spent about 5 hours on a bus today, going to a traditional Bai minority city, Dali. We drove up through mountains and lots of tobacco farms, a major cash crop in the area. The Chinese government encourages the farmers to grow it at the same time they try to dissuade kids from using it. Kind of a challenge.
About an hour from Dali, we stopped at a village called Yunnanyi, which had a major role in WWII, as the home of one of the two Flying Tiger airports and the only one to elude detection. Just off the freeway, we stopped near some farmers' homes who Fiona knew, and were invited into the courtyards of their homes. Two of the ladies had never seen foreigners and were excited to have their photos taken with us. We were charged with sending a copy to Fiona to take to them later.
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| Jim and Lynn with 2 Chinese ladies |
We had lunch, then set out to explore. Not only was this a WWII location, it was also a hub of the Tea-Horse Road, another alternative to the Silk Road. The buildings in the main section of town are being rebuilt to recreate their traditional look. We visited two museums, one on each topic, then went to the home of a man who had worked to support the American troops during the war, starting at age 15 in a restaurant. He must have been well-liked, because the soldiers offered to bring him to the US after the war, but he stayed to help his parents.
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| The WWII worker |
One interesting aspect of our visit was the presence of a well-dressed youngish man who took a ton of photos of us! I guess turn-about is fair play.
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| Bathroom for VERY short people |
Our hotel in Dali is obviously not designed for people our height -- Jim bangs his knees on the bathroom vanity. Other than that, the hotel and the old town area are quite charming.
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