Ni Haio from China

Ni Haio or Hello from China!

Well I was wrong about Lijiang, we do have internet. It’s been soo nice to be able to talk to Brett and email pictures home. I think I’ve said this with every blog, but so far Lijiang is my favorite. Lijiang is a much smaller town (around 70,000 – small for China) located in the foothills of the Himalayas. I woke up in Himalayas this morning….how cool is that!! Definitely, a dream come true. The altitude got to me the first day, and I had a horrendous headache!!! I’m feeling better now, but tomorrow we take a 5-hour bus ride to a smaller city higher in the mountains. We will be going an additional 7-8,000 feet to arrive at about 15,000 feet. For an Arkansas girl, this is tough. I don’t do altitude well, so say a prayer for me.

While we’ve been in Lijiang, we have gotten to see hundreds of people in their traditional Chinese dress. The majority of the people living in China are the Han people, everyday Chinese. However, there are also around 53-57 minority groups that are very distinct in their dress, customs, and religion. It has been fascinating to see at least 23 of the different minorities in this area. I’m very excited about going to the Tibetan region tomorrow and seeing their dress and traditions as well. We have mainly focused on the Na Xi (nashi) people while in Lijiang. Their food is by far the best I’ve had in China, and I have enjoyed every meal unbelievably!!! With that said, they say the food in our next town is not so great!! Lijiang is also known as a Chinese tourist area, and we have been shopping like crazy!! I have bought so much stuff it’s ridiculous!! Now I’m trying to figure out how to get all back home!!

I can’t even begin to describe the beauty of Lijiang. The mountains, the different minority groups in their traditional dress, the ornate buildings…when you think of China, this is what pops in mind. The pictures don’t do this place any justice whatsoever!! The tour guides say Zhongdian, our next town, is even more beautiful. Zhongdian is more commonly known as Shangri La. Apparently there was a popular book/movie made about this place in the 60’s. I had never heard of the place, so I bought the book to read. Several of the older group members were ecstatic when they found out we were going to Shangri La, so I guess that’s good.

On a different not the people here love me. I’ve had several people stop me in the streets to have their pictures made with me. An older woman kept patting her cheeks and just smiling, so these big ol’ cheeks of mine are making me a rock star. Another woman kept pointing to my curly hair – very unusual for this part of the world. Then another girl today kept making gestures to her eyes and then to my eyes and kept giving me thumbs up sign and smiling, so I’m pretty sure she liked my eyes. It’s been so funny. Then when I pass these people on the street again, they just think we’re old friends. We smile, wave, laugh, and move on! Too cute!! I’m a rock star! :0)

This time I really don’t think I’ll have email because where we are going is very remote and way up in the Himalayas, but I’ve been wrong before. On Tuesday, we fly to Beijing and then home on Sunday. The time has flown by, and yet it seems like we’ve been here forever. I know that’s an oxymoron, but it is the way I feel. This trip has truly been a dream come true. I never thought I would ever be able to see and visit these places in a million years. Brett and I are definitely coming back to Lijiang!!! More to come soon!