3 to 2

We left the very next morning for our three day trek. I was a little scared to say the very least as the trek is labeled 'tough'... I haven't exercised in nearly 6 months! But I thought if Stella, the Chinese girl with us, could do it, so could I!

We had to take a couple of buses en route to our starting point. It was interesting to see some of the culture on the bus. There was a lot of smoking and food sharing. Stella was quite generous and past a lot of her snacks around... me and Wade on the other hand, were hording ours for the trek! She past out Mongolian cheese. It was packaged and wrapped in little bite sized pieces. I now know I do not like Mongolian cheese- it is a little sweet and dry. I think this is the only cheese I don't like, though I didn't try Yak cheese and I have heard that it is a must skip in the cheese world.

This trek was over huge mountains covered in jungle. Wait till you guys see the pictures. We walked 18k's the first day. We past through some minority villages which was cool, a lot of hemp fields and lots of lots of tea plants.

Some stand outs:

1) The bathrooms. Oh my God and Oh my God again. We used some public bathrooms that they have in the most obscure places. I walked in- no stalls just hip high barriers between the holes in the ground and they are all filled with poop. I failed. I cannot poop over someone elses poop that is just sitting there, stinking up the bathroom and covered in flies. Nope it scared it right back up in side me!

There was also the cleanest bathroom I had seen- it was in one of the villages (more to come) we stayed in. It was a wooden shack on a hill. The shack was on stilts so there was nothing beneath it. This allowed lots of big pigs to go underneath it waiting for the steamy deposits. Yep, I pooped while staring at pigs fight for my droppings! BUT again, it was the cleanest- but will I ever be able to eat pork again? I did that night in the very same village!

Then there was the no toilet available situation... I took my very first poop while squatting in the forest. Stella stood guard and complimented me on my speed. She was also impressed with my ability to use chopsticks... strange girl.

I think that is enough poop talk... back to the standouts.

2) We saw the most beautiful sunset that evening. It lit the sky up pink. To walk 18 k's and then see that over a mountain top was breathtaking.

3) We went to a temple in the middle of no where. It wasn't that spectacular but it was quite peaceful. It was decorated very oddly inside... with cut out paper animal streamers on the walls and there were a lot of fake flowers and fake gold. Not very pretty if you ask me, but interesting just the same!

4) The food. We stayed with two different families that made us delicious food. My favorite was the eggs and tomatoes... can't wait to make it. They also served Pour tea which I really enjoyed.

I fell an incredible amount on day 1. It wasn't when we were hiking uphill for an hour and a half straight... it was when we were going down hill. I was the source of entertainment for Andrew especially, but the others too. I was on my bum more than my feet... this caused a problem later!

Day 1 we stayed with our tour guides family. He is of the Bulong minority (PS this is all in the Yunnan province). The architecture is very simple. They live in wooden houses on stilts. Underneath the house are pigs, maybe a donkey or two and perhaps a car if the family has some money. The house is one room. Everyone sleeps in the same room on a very thin matt (as did we, but I can't lie I took an ambian the second day). There is also a stone floored area where they burn a fire for both heat and cooking, but there is no ventilation above it, so the place gets very smokey. I can't believe that the kids live like this, they must have the worst lungs. My chest hurt from staying there. But it was cool to see them cook in cast iron pots and pans. Unfortunately our water supply came from there for the following days- after being boiled... as our tour guide called it, we had bbq'ed water.

The houses also have a deck area where there is a sink to do the washing and that's about it. There is no shower and I am still not clear on where they shower- although I did see a woman showering on her deck she was covered by a short piece of wood on two sides. She got out and we all saw her saggy boobies. (why do I feel like an 8 year old is writing this entry?!).

The Bulong people look more Thai to me than Chinese- it was interesting. They also speak there own language... but it all makes no sense to me.

The second night we stayed in a different Bulong village which we found to be more interesting. Apparently they are known for their singing and we had the privilege of going to a neighbors house to hear her sing. She was in traditional clothing, as most women are and was accompanied by her two friends. One made beats by pouring beans from one metal bowl to the next- mind you she looked totally disinterested and was off beat and the other played something else... I can't remember. But the singing was unlike anything I have ever heard. Mom... you would have hated it. It was quite high pitched and nasaly... but beautiful in its own right. Her voice was very controlled and it was clear that it took great skill. She sang about welcoming us foreigners into her home and how happy she was to share her culture with us... or that we are dumb Americans... how are we really to know?! She asked us to sing and thank God Andrew was there as he was the only polite one out of us to sing.

That night we also went to a teenage girls house. We had asked our guide about how the teenagers date and he explained that at first a group of the teenage guys will visit different girls homes together for an hour or so at night time. Eventually one guy might be invited to visit alone... mind you with her whole family there. So we awkwardly sat in on one of these visits. It was uncomfortable for all and we called it a night! At our house that night the cat so thoughtfully paraded around with a mouse in its mouth... I have a great photo of it... but mind you I was sleeping on the floor in this place.

Earlier that night we went to talk with an old man, with our guide being the translator of course. Jeremy was interested in getting one of their traditional tattoos which they hit the ink into your skin with bamboo. Our guide looked at him as if he were crazy the many times he asked about it and told him it was unsanitary... if a Chinese tells you it's unsanitary you best believe them! But he still wanted one... I will say his persistence led us to talking with this man about them which was cool. He got his first when he was 8 and kids still get them today. P.S. they told Jeremy everyone who could do them died (after we saw some fresh ones). Jeremy wanted one because he felt like they were losing the culture and he wanted to keep it alive- I shit you not, he said that. I am so glad they lied to him!

Oh yeah..these houses have no bathrooms, there are a couple per town... so you have to walk quite a ways to use the restroom / hole in the ground. The funny thing is that each of these houses have satellite dishes for their TV's. But they just got electricity about 10 years ago and phone lines about 5 years ago. Still, no bathrooms.

Even earlier on the second night we got to learn about the tea process, how it was dried and almost steamed or heated. They have tea trees that are over 100 years old and it is quite pricey. Stella was explaining that the tea is matted into a disk or cake shape and often saved or used as stock (as in money not soup) that is how valuable it can be.

The second day was an easy trek- only 16 K and a lot of flat terrain. Though the last hour was all uphill and the worst part is that there was fresh cow patties all over- so as you are gasping for air you are inhaling cow stink.

I woke up the third day with a terribly swollen ankle. I sprained it the first day on one of my many falls... but I took a bunch of ibuprofen the second day so I could continue... but I knew I couldn't finish out the trek. I was disappointed, but when we met up with the gang back in Jinghong, it didn't sound like we missed anything other than each of them having Leeches on them and Stella having been bit by one... thank you ankle! Wade was a doll and went back with me, we spent the afternoon at our beloved pool.