Franz in Catalca

Hallo Ihr Lieben,

vom 7.10. -15.10. flog ich mit meinem Freund Hellmut Lutz nach Istanbul, um im Kinderheim der Stiftung Vakfi in Catalca bei Aufbauarbeiten nach der Flutkatastrophe zu helfen.

2 Tage bei der Aufbauarbeit.

Zur Stiftung Vakfi und Aziz Nesin könnt ihr einiges im Internet nachlesen:
http://www.ibka.org/artikel/rundbriefe05/nesin.html

Nun bin ich für eine Woche mit Hellmut in Catalca westlich von Istanbul.
Ihr habt alle von dem katastrophalen Hochwasser im Großraum Istanbul gehört.
Das Wohnheim für Waisen und Kinder aus problematischen Elternhäusern der Aziz Nesin (berühmter türkischer Schriftsteller)Stiftung hat es besonders heftig erwischt. Aziz Nesin hast hier ein Paradies für Kinder geschaffen. Zur Schule gehen sie in staatliche Schulen in Catalca, die großen in weiterführende Schulen oder an Unis in Ancara oder Istanbul. Dann wohnen sie nur in Ferienzeiten oder an Wochenenden hier.

Wir sind also mit 40kg Handwerksmaschinen und voller Handwerksausrüstung nach Istanbul geflogen, die persönlichen Sachen im Handgepäck.

Was hat uns erwartet?
Gott sei Dank ist der Schlamm bereits weggeschafft. An Möbeln und Wänden kann man noch den Wasserstand sehen. Die Küche und die Wirtschaftsräume standen voll unter Wasser. Die Waschmaschinen sind schon entsorgt und vom Küchenherd gehen nur noch 2 Gasflammen. Die Bibliothek und der Nachlass von Aziz Nesin ist teilweise zerstört und bereits entsorgt.
Mehr will ich gar nicht von den Schäden erzählen.
Jeden Tag kommen Delegationen (wegen der Bedeutung der Stiftung in der Türkei und nach den Berichten der Presse über die Katastrophe). Gestern war Mercedes aus Istanbul hier. Sie wollen neue Möbel für die Bibliothek stiften und ein neues Solardach.

Was machen wir hier? Wie kommen wir überhaupt hierher?

Klaus, der Spiritus Rektor des Heimes hatte eine Professur an der Uni Bremen für Türkologie und Deutsch als zweite Sprache. Hellmuts Frau Nevin war seine Studentin im ersten Durchgang. Klaus lebt die meiste Zeit hier und ist das Herz des Heimes in Catalca. Nevin und Hellmut sind Mitglieder der Stiftung und haben schon im Sommer 3 Wochen hier alles repariert, was zu reparieren war.

Das machen wir jetzt auch. Nur dass zum Reparaturstau (Türken reparieren scheinbar nicht gerne, da improvisiert man lieber) noch der aktuelle Wasserschaden dazukommt. Die Wunschliste der Betreuer ist lang.
Heute haben wir Türen gerichtet, die nicht mehr zu schließen waren. Seit der Überschwemmung geht die Eingangstür z.B. nicht mehr zu schließen. Ob Wasserschaden oder schon fast immer so, vermag ich nicht zu entscheiden. Mein Elektrohobel war auf jeden Fall Gold Wert. Heute Abend gingen alle Türen wieder.
Morgen besorgen wir Ersatzfliesen Kleider- und Handtuchhaken für die Waschräume der Kinder und bringen sie an. Ganz konkret verwenden wir dazu die Geldspende von Christine und Eddy, die sie mir an meinem Geburtstag mitgegeben haben.

Daneben genieße ich die herrlich warmen und wolkenlosen Herbsttage hier. Die Äpfel im Garten und die Walnüsse schmecken vorzüglich und Ibrahim der Koch zaubert ein Essen nach dem anderen aus Gemüse des eigenen Bauernhofes, der höher liegt und nicht in Mitleidenschaft gezogen wurde. Heute Abend gab es auch Bratkartoffel mit gedünsteten Blumenkohlröschen und kleingeschnippeltem Gemüse - vorzüglich. Ibrahim verriet mir, dass er gerne Indisch kocht, allerdings wäre das für die Kinder zu scharf. Bei ihm gibt es auch immer Caj und heißes Wasser für Kaffee und ein Schwätzchen in der Kellerküche. Und dies nachdem gerade vor vier Wochen das Wasser bis zur Decke und Kühlschränke und Essen unter der Decke schwammen.
Mert, der hier ständig alles sauber macht und zu Hilfe geht, habe ich mit Hellmuts Dreiecksschleifgerät die Eingangstüre anschleifen lassen. Nach mehrfacher Einweisung in die Handhabung war er ganz stolz auf den Erfolg. Seitdem muss ich nicht mehr in den Keller zu Ibrahim. Mert fragt nach ob er mir noch einen Caj oder Kaffee holen soll.
Jetzt werde ich trotz Caj müde.

Ein weiterer Tag:

Jetzt ist es 22 Uhr und ich komme endlich zum Schreiben. Wir, Hellmut, Andreas (als erfahrener Käser soll er hier im Bauernhof dem lokalen Käser einige Rezepte beibringen. Er müht sich, aber hier verhält sich die Milch anders als zu Hause) und ich sind bei der Leiterin Nuran und sehen uns die Katastrophenbilder auf ihrem PC an.
Die Bilder von der Flutkatastrophe waren interessant, da wir jetzt eine Vorstellung davon haben wie alles aussah - unglaublich - und was sich alles schon mit übermenschlichem Einsatz geändert hat.
Also von vorne. Heute früh um 7:30 bin ich aufgestanden. Köstliches Frühstück mit reifen Tomaten vom 5-Sterne Koch Ibrahim.
Danach fuhren wir zum Marmorladen, ein Freund von Abbas, der uns die fehlenden Marmorfliesen für unser Gästebadprojekt natürlich kostenlos zurechtschnitt. Die Fliesen wurden heute Abend wirklich ohne Berechnung angeliefert. Das Maß der erforderlichen Fliesen maß ich gestern abends aus.
Nun war die Vorbereitung des Untergrunds dran (mühsam mit Hammer und Meisse).
Katri der Busfahrer und angeblich Spezialist für Maurerarbeiten haben wir das Prozedere des Marmoranbringens versucht verständlich zu machen. Aber er wollte nicht verstehen und sagte, dass die Marmorlieferanten das Bad auch gefliest hätten. Ich falle vom Glauben ab.
Dafür nimmt Kadri Hellmut und mich beim Abholen der Schulkinder mit dem Bus mit nach Catalca.
Eineinhalb Stunden verbrachten wir im Sanitärladen um alles nötige auszuwählen. Es geht natürlich mit Tee los. Auf dem Rückweg zum verabredeten Abholplatz kaufe ich noch einige Mitbringsel ein, alles vegetarisch. Katri ist nicht mehr da. Dann nehmen wir halt den Dolmus zurück nach Hause. Es kostet 75Ct umgerechnet für jeden von uns.
In der Küche gibt es noch leckeres Essen, Tomatensalat mit Rukola, eine super Mischung, frittierte panierte Hähnchenstücke und Makkaroni mit Tomatensoße.
Hellmut wühlt gleich wieder weiter und ich mach erst mal ein Mittagspäuschen. Danach kommen die Türen aus der Küche und dem Keller an die Reihe die im Wasser standen.
Dann wurden die Marmorfliesen angeliefert und Gott sei Dank haben sie Kadri erklärt wie er sie anbringen sollte.
Für die Kinder geht das Leben seinen gewohnten Gang.

Aus Istanbul kehrten Abbas und die Zivildienstleistenden aus einer Wohnungsauflösung (aus dem 10. Stock) erschöpft, aber mit reicher Beute inclusive Klavier zurück.

In dieser Woche ist schon so viel passiert!

Zu den beiden Zivildienstleistenden aus Deutschland kamen gestern noch vier 19 bis 20-jährige Mädchen in ihrem freiwilligen sozialen Jahr dazu. Sie kommen aus Stuttgart, Straßburg, Spanien und der Griechenland.

Sie alle starten mit Enthusiasmus.

Nach dem Essen war ein Meeting aller Kinder mit den Gästen und Mitarbeitern.
Wir alle wurde kurz von Klaus vorgestellt und dann durften die Kinder auf Englisch fragen, was sie über uns wissen wollten. Es war sehr lustig.

Bis Übermorgen in Bremen

Franz

last day in Kunming

Today I got up early and put all my belongings on my bed in a structured way, so I can get ready pretty soon. After going to Süli´s office I got my leather jacket (which was helpful in Shangri-La) back from the shoe maker in the block. He sew a new zipper on my jacket (the old one was broken and my German shoe maker refused to repair it). He charged me 15Yuan and I gave him 20Yuan since he broke 3 needels and it was a hard work. That´s why my shoe maker refused to repair it. How many jackets would I have to get repaired her to get the flight for free?
8,9yuan=1EURO and 6,7yuan=1US$.
We were on the way to visit a Tibetan Buddhist Monc in his apartment who lives in Beijing and part of time in Kunming. He is the master of one of Süli´s friends. It was interesting to talk to him. Süli translated, so I got most of the conversation.
Afterwards we had lunch in Xiao Wei´s restaurant with her. On her first day off she enjoyed to talk to her friends there in a very friendly manner.
In the picture you see them lining up which they do several times a day to get instructions.
I wonder if she really will start to work for Süli. First of all she did not get her salary, you never know what kind of pressure the Chinese boss can put on her.
Then she called with her mother and Süli told me that her mother does not want her to work in a household.
The taxi driver (woman) mentioned that she is lucky with her new boss and the only thing that counts is to do the work as well as possible. That´s what Xiao Wei answered too, the most important thing is to do the work as well as possible. And that she is very happy with us because Süli and me we are so happy people. And that she had to suffer so much.
Will she work for Süli, what do you think?
After coming home I packed because it was not possible to have a nap before.
Now it is 7:00 and Süli will say soon: " Franz, I am hungry, let´s get out for dinner."

So I will end my time online in China by now and leave Kunming tomorrow morning by 8:05am.
A summary I will write from Germany after a few days.
Good bye China (especially Kunming and Xishangbanna), I will come again.
I met so many friendly people, great countryside, enjoyed wonderful food, gained a lot of experience and made new Chinese friends including Süli.

West Hill of Kunming

Today we wanted to walk up the West Hills of Kunming. Xiao Lin stayed home to do the housework. Maybe she knew that the walk will be long and exhausting. So we just picked up Xiao Wei who brought a boy from the restaurant where she worked with her. We took a bus and I had the opportunity to photograph interesting people.
We had to switch the bus. But the second one did not show up so we took the taxi to the entrance of West Hills. The bus was 2Yuan for each of us and the Taxi 30Yuan. Of course Süli and me payed for all of us since the boy and Xiao Wei only earn 400-500Yuan a month. And Xiao Wei did not get the money for the last working period. Besides most of the money she sends home to support the family.
At the entrance we first had lunch. My inspection of the kitchen was successful and the lunch turned out to be delicious. By 1pm we finally walked up the winding road. The special thing about the West Hills is the vegetation with fir trees, the temples and the Dragon Gate on top towards the east rim of the hills which is very steep. In former time they carved paths and tunnels into the almost perpendicular rock to connect temples and pavillons.
On the way up we visited a temple with a wonderful garden, which you can see on the3rd picture.
Finally by 4pm after 10 kilometers we reached the visitor center and took the cabin lift to the very top of the hill. It was sunny and very warm, but the shade of the trees helped us to survive.
For the next time I suggest to start at the visitor center and enjoy the narrow paths along the steep rocks and visit all the temples.
In the 4th picture you can get a feeling how steep it is. On the left side is a temple carved into the rock and in the center you see the Dragon Gate. I touched the dragon´s eye like all the Chinese people did. That will bring a lot of happiness to me.
Besides we had a wonderful view over Kunming from these sites.
Back to the visitor center we bargained to get a taxi ride all the way till the center of Kunming for finally 55Yuan. It took the taxi driver more than an hour to get there.
Of course a big Chinese dinner followed in a nice restaurant. It is always fun to eat with Chinese people. With the chopsticks you just eat from all the dishes on the table which were ordered, you share your food. After the long walk the Dali Beer was delicious.
Now it is almost 11pm and the blog for today is about to be finished.

Still 3 days in Kunming left

Today I got up late by 9am, took a shower and walked to Süli´s office. Usually you find him in this typical working position.
Out for breakfast and back to the office, I checked my e-mails (You can write to me, I am online everyday). I enjoyed to look at my pictures and videos, I did so far. By 12 Su Lu came to the office to our date. We talked about Xishuangbanna and I showed her my pictures and videos, I took there. I was interested how she got along with her tourist group, which she accompanied as guide for 4 days. It was an Italian group of photographers who wanted to visit Yuanyangs rice terrace fields. Photographers go there in the hope to catch fantastic photos of sunrise and sunset there. So Su Lu was still a little tired. With the Italians she got along well, I am sure. And her English improves every day.
Then we strolled through the Cuihu Park where people relax, dance, play music and games or just sit and listen to one of the many performances. I can stay there for hours, listening and take photographs of the actors of this wonderful park.
In a teahouse, me and Süli we ordered icecream and Mango juice. Süli did not like his ice cream so I finished two, no problem for me.
Su Lu, aware of her weight like most of the girls all over the world just ordered a mineral water with lemon juice. May be we had too much of this wonderful chocolate in Süli´s office. Su Lu, please do not loose any more weight!
In the evening we went to the restaurant to visit Xiao Wei who will do Süli´s household together with Xiao Lin. This was her last working day in the restaurant and Süli insisted that she can eat with us. So Süli, Xiao Wei, Xiao Lin and me, we had a wonderful dinner in a VIP room, just the 4 of us. I just realized, that I took only videos from the dinner.
Xiao Wei was told by an employee, that the boss will be back in a few days and then he will calculate her salary.
As a girl from the countryside she had to start to work for the family (mainly to support her brother who is the best in school). She had to leave school in the 11th grade without finishing highschool and go to work into the next town, which is 7 hours away from home. She talked about the pain and suffer she had to endure. For example she worked in a cool house to freeze vegetables, from 5am to 6pm with only a little break for lunch.
besides lunch she only could leave the cold to unload vegetables from the cars. Salary was 500Yuan for women and 2500Yuan for men. Since she had to give up after 15 days after getting frozen fingers she did not get any salary and spent her last money (a few Yuan) to get to Kunming to search for her girl friend......
Now heaven will come, when she will start to work for Süli this Friday.
Tomorrow we 4 will make a big family tour to the west mountain of Kunming.
Now it is time to go to bed.

Day with Xiao Ying in Jinghong

Still to Monday: After pool and rest from the heat I went back to the Tai restaurant from the first day and then followed the fireworks to Mekong River. The fireworks lasted at least for 1 hour. Never the less I arrived too late since I had to swim against the stream of people returning downtown from the festival. But after the fireworks hundreds of lantern disappeared into the sky. That was a silent and a wonderful view. To see it better I walked up the bridge. Standing on the reeling of the bridge two English students in the 1st semester started to asked me questions. What´s the festivals program for tomorrow was my question. Xiao Ying and her friend invited me for tomorrow to come to Man Ting Park with them.
Next day by 10 Lian and me were on the way to the place we wanted to meet, but no way. From all the side streets groups of beautifully dressed dancers were on the way for a big gathering.
It took us almost till 12 to make it to the place where we wanted to meet, thanks to the communication with handy phone.
On the way I could not stop taking many pictures and videos from the groups.
No taxis around, so we took one of the small carriers with 3 wheels, well we had to share 2 of them. It´s fun to get a ride and the wind makes you forget about the heat for a short time. Man Ting Park is very beautiful with a lake and many flowers and trees. Today there were people everywhere and various chances to eat food.
In the picture you see Xiao Ying on my left side with 3 of her friends. Lian took the picture and she enjoyed to be with Chinese girls and not just with me and hardly no conversation. We all had fun. I enjoyed the atmosphere of the park and the accompany of these cheering girls very much. By 3:30 I went back to the hotel with Liane to pick up my luggage and changed cloth to swim in the pool. How wonderful after the heat or this day. In the airport I had to wait for an extra hour since the plane was delayed for more than an hour. So I got some food outside the airport building and drank coconut juice out of a coconut, very delicious I can tell you. Arriving in Süli´s office by 10 we went out for dinner. We ended up in an Italian style restaurant. I tried Spaghetti Bolognese. Besides one not definable Chinese spice it tasted well.
Now it is half past twelf and I am ready for bed.
Jinghong was just hot but Kunming has a warm breeze even in the night.

dragon boat race in Jinghong

Today it is terribly hot and I am amazed how well i do with the heat.
11am I took the taxi downtown with Lian. We strolled towards the Mekong River. Everybody must have been on the way to the dragon boat race. The race seems to be just a vehicle to sell all kind of things from toys to cloth to live animals and to have a fair with food supply, games, gambling and all kind of things and even more you can think of.
The paddling on the boat was done by women in wonderful cloth, men were standing on both ends of the boats to give commands. To get close was almost impossible with that many people and the heat. Once a while there was a little breeze from the Mekong River.
Of course we had lunch in one of these many tents where they offer food.That was a good chance to sit down and relax in the shade. By two we decided to go back to enjoy the swimming pool of my hotel.
In the third picture you see just some wonderful dressed women and children to have food in the shade, too. Everybody was dressed up, especially the women and girls with colorful and shining dresses. Well this seems to be the most important festival of the year.
After resting and writing this block. I will go out again to get the feeling of the festival in hopefully less heat. It cools down slowly at night.

Wild Elephant Valley in Xishuangbanna

Surprise! When we wanted to start Lian got nervous. She phoned with Süli and after a while I knew that I was right. The taxi driver just wanted more money. Instead of 200Yuen he demanded 500Yuen for both ways because of the traffic jam. Well, there was no jam at all. So Lian worked hard to find out how to get there by bus. Well there is no bus to the park just to Simao north of the park. So you have to take this bus and get out at then Park entrance. So she finally managed tom find the right bus as you can see on the picture. It only took us 1 hour to get there driving on the expressway (freeway) and the cost was only 15Yuan one way.
First of all we visited the butterfly and birdcages and then we walked along the path in the Wild Elephant Valley along a winding brown (probably from the heavy rain we had yesterday) creek, where elephants only show up in the early morning.
The noise in the rain forest was permanent and just like in the movies I saw. The humidity is high and intensifies the smell of the soil and the trees. All the trees host other trees and plants. I enjoyed just to walk, smell and admire the trees around me. It was worth while coming to Xishuangbanna just to see this.
>>Outside there is a big firework going on as part of the opening ceremony of the festival.< For the way back we took the cable car to be above the trees. That gives you a great view over the forest and the flower hedges along parts of the path where they had to cut down the trees for the cable car.
An old bus just stopped outside the park when we left the park. The bus driver assured that he is on the way to Jinghong and there were exactly 2 places left. So we entered the bus full of farmers and boxes. The box next to me started to shake and made me step back. Of course everybody in the bus laughed at me. I opened the box a little and besides a terrible smell I saw a big duck on the way to Jinghong.
At the several stops the driver opened the door with a long rope and my job was to close it since I sat next to the door.
After a shower and a nap I went out for dinner, roasted octobus and 2 roasted frogs tasted delicious. Then I got a haircut (perfect job) and a hair wash with head massage, including ears neck and every spot of the head. I thought it is just a hair wash, but it was a whole body Thai massage. I enjoyed it and with a sudden she was on my back with her knees and massaged my back with her knees. She was light enough that it did not hurt at all. The massage was wonderful and I will sleep heavenly by soon.

welcome to Jinghong in Xishuangbanna

From the coldest point in Yunnan I flew after a one day break in Kunming to Jinghong. For the first time with an Airbus 319 from Szichuan Air. In Jinghong heat with high humidity waited for me. At the Airport a hostess from the hotel Dai Garden Hotel lined up with many others to wait for me. There was just one problem, all the names of the guests expected were written in Chinese characters. I said my name to the most beautiful girl but she did not speak English and did not understand my pronounciation of my Chinese name. So I called Süli to talk to her. Yes I was right. The driver of the hotel together with this beautiful hostess drove me in a well air conditioned car to the hotel.
I did not find anybody who spoke English including my guide Lian, Süli organized for me. So whenever we had serious problems in understanding we just called Süli and he translated and talked to both of us. This way worked out fine, China Mobile sure likes us as clients.
Today we visited the Botanical garden. This garden with all the tropical plants is worth will visiting. Of course I could have chosen a tropical plant for the picture, but I have never seen such a fancy Bougainvillea before, which is my favorite flower. There was little warm rain in between, no problem. When a tropical rain started we luckily found shelter. There we waited for almost an hour. The way back with taxi I ordered to stop at Wei Wei Coffee. In my guide for China this coffee is recommended as expert for organizing tours from Jinghong. I had a hard time to communicate. So I decided to hire a taxi to bring us to the Sachale rainforest with the wild elefant valley. Süli did most of the work in coordination with Lian. It worked out fine. By the way, Lian has long hair down till her legs. They start black and turn to dark brown, she knows their hair is pretty.
We had dinner in a Thai restaurant. My fish was outstanding and the fresh mango juice was delicious. With 2 more dishes I just had to pay 45 Yuan, about 5 Euro.
The way back to the hotel I stopped downtown. The evening was just like a warm summer night in the Mediterranean. Everybody was on the street, the shops were open and there were several events going on. How will it be tomorrow, when the festival will start in the evening and last for 3 days with dragon boat race on the Mekong River, big fair and water spilling. The more wet you get the more lucy you will have.

back in Kunming

I had to wake up early to get the flight to Kunming. After reading the results and the report about the UEFA Cup game Werder Bremen versus Calcio Udine 3:1 the cold weather could not bother me anymore. Today I tried the tea with yak milk and roasted barley which the hotel manager Lily recommended to me. Sorry, but today I preferred the western food which you offer.
Warm weather and sun welcomed me in Kunming. Süli waiting at the exit. We took the taxi to his place.
Today our main business was to get a hotel in Jinghong and a flight for tomorrow. Wei did not book the flight because he needed a hotel reservation for Jinghong. I tried Chinese booking machines, but all the hotels were booked out, so Wei was right. With Google I finally found the 4 star Tai Garden Hotel offered. Now Süli´s work started. He called the hotel and booked for 3 nights. All the nights have different prize because of the water spilling festival starting April 12. The hotel needed the booking number of the flight. So I asked Wei to buy a flight ticket for me. He could not believe how I could get a Hotel in Jinghong, well by using German internet! We took the taxi to Wei´s office of Comfort Travel in Kunming. On the way we stopped at Walmart to buy a bathing trouser for me. The hotel has a swimming pool and Jinghong is very hot.
After lunch we got the tickets and called back to the hotel to make everything perfect. Somebody from the hotel will wait for me and bring me to the hotel.
Soon I will go out for dinner with Süli and then get everything ready for tomorrow

Shangri-La

At 8:15 I had to leave my wonderful hotel room for breakfast. Today only tea, banana and some delicious cookies for me. This morning my driver Leun brought me to the visitor center of Puda Tso National Park. The setup is just like in the National Parks of the USA. Just the lodges are missing. I took the shuttle bus to the lake and took the 2.5 km walk along the lake with Prima. I walked slowly and used all the toilets along the way. Besides the altitude of 3500m slows down. Then we used the shuttle bus to see the view spots and skipped the additional walks. I took pictures from yak meadow, lake with fantastical view of snow mountains and huge fir trees. Lunch we had in old town Shangri-La. Well, I had just a delicious fruit salad with yak yogurt (I little more sour than yogurt from cow milk). Two Tibetan children just looked very interested through the window next to our table. Leun drove me to my hotel to rest for one and half of an hour. The guide as well as the driver just realized, that I need some rest. In general the guides are very busy to fulfill all the wishes of their clients and even to discover their possible wishes. To the driver and guides I give good tips. They deserve it. Besides I have to fill out evaluation sheets for all the local guides and drivers. After the nap we started on the way to Songzanlin Monastery also called Little Potala. You can see the whole Monastery on the picture. The Temple and the praying house are from 1679 ( 2 left of the top buildings) and restored after the cultural revolution. The right building of the top three was just built last year. Rich people donate money and the tourists help too with their entrance fees.
To climb ut the steps to the top needed some rest in between. There you feel the 3400 meters in altitude. This evening I asked the Hotel Manager for her advice about the different massages they offer. Her recommendation was the Angsana massage, a very good advice. After 2 hours of massage with well smelling oil I feel like new born. The 490 Yuan was worth evry Yuan. To help me over the time I had to wait for the massage the Hotel Manager invited me to ginger tea. This delicious tea cured me. You want the recipe? Crushed old ginger (keeps longer in the soil and thus is stronger than the ginger we buy in store) cook together with Chinese black tea and then add some honey.
The Hotel Manager asked me for the recipe of Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte.
Now it is 11 o´clock and I am not tired anymore. I´ll try if the bar is open to drink a local Dali beer. You see, I am fine again.

on the way to Shangri-La Mittwoch, 8.April 2009

Today we are on the way to Shangri-La. The weather is sunny and warm. The first stop is in Shigu, a village at the 1st bend of the Yangtse River. At the first bend Mao crossed the Yangtse on his long march. It took him 7 days with his 18000 solders. We stroled around in Shigu which is a picturesce village.
At Zhongdian county border I switched guides. Now Prima, a young tibetan man is my guide. His favorite guide work is trecking. So we went down the Yangtse Tiger Leaping Gorge on save stairways. You can see me in the picture.
On the way to Shangri-La, officially called Zhongdian it got colder and colder. In a Tibetan village I stroled arround to take a few pictures. I took a picture of a Tibetan man with his two boys. He invited me to his huge house. It is built from wood and the two side walls are thick claw walls.
He heated the oven with firewood in a very relaxed manner. Tibetan are very peaceful and relaxed people. Prima showed up to translate. His wife is still in the fields and after returning she will do the cooking. He earns his monney with yak, pork and grops from the fields. In former time he made his monney by wood cutting work. There were plenty of up to 500 years old firtrees. After international companied cut the trees on a large scale, there were few left until the state forbid any more cutting. Only the Tibetans can get a license when they built a traditional house, well it is a Tibetan county.
I stay in Holyplace Hotel. My room was dammned cold and it took quite a time to make it cosy.
I managed to eat a hot pot and then a diarea showed up. The time I write this blog on Thursday evening I already feel better, for a Chinese dinner it is still too early.

Yak meadow at Jade Dragon Snow Mountaim

up to yak meadow

I just return to my room from a nice dinner, dumplings with hot sauce and beef, mushrooms and green beans chopped into small pieces. I sat in the open air next to the creek watching the fish.
The morning started with sunshine and it stayed like this all day long. In the first picture you see the Dragon Snow Mountain heading the new town of Lijiang. The new town of Lijiang was destroyed in 1996 by earthquake and rebuilt with 4 floor buildings in general. The old town was not destroyed much, since it is built mostly of wood.
I have to correct myself. The Snow Mountain has many peaks with 13 above 5000 meter. Well we did not get up that high, but 3400 meter is enough for me. That´s about the hight of Shangri-La my next place.
The driver stopped at a parking place, where "Disneyland" started. Leun waited at the parking place for 4 hours and I proceeded with Lily. We skipped the drum show and took the shuttle bus uphill for half an hour. I saw Azaleas and yellow primula (Schlüsselblumen) which I have in my garden, too. Besides the grass was brown from the snow. From the bus stop we took a lift up to the yak meadow. Where we only could walk on wooden paths just like in Yellowstone National Park.
The view was fantastic as well as the air. I just walked a little slower. Halfway we had a break and I enjoyed the coffee I brought from the hotel in my thermos.
We stopped in Yuhu village to have lunch there. This time I insisted, that the driver shares lunch with us.
Yuhu is a Naxi Minority village. People live there with own primary school where kids learn Mandarin Chinese as well as Naxi language. We could see the farm life, buildings under construction, busy people and nice houses, all with a yard. In J.F. Rock´s house is a museum showing the pictures he took around 1930 to document the life of the Naxi people. A very old man was watching the pictures, too. It seemed he knew some people on the pictures.
Lily let me try Spirulina, a natural nutrition food locally made from plants in a lake near by. I asked my nephew and expert Christian about Spirulina by mail and he answered right away with a long essay about Spirulina and how to find out if it is natural. Well Lily will buy it for me to make sure it is natural and i am not cheated. The one I tried from her just fulfills all the criteria for natural one Christian told me. The prize is one fourth of the prize in Germany.
Have to get up early tomorrow morning to leave for the Tiger Leaping Gorge of Yangtse River. I will hike down together with Lily and up for about two hours. Lily is tough since she eats Spirulina three times a day. Then I will proceed with Leun to Shangri-La and Lily takes the bus back ti Lijiang to manage her next group from Taiwan.

Welcome to Lijiang

9:30 my guide Jieqiong and my driver Leun picked me up at the hotel. Till 2:00 Jieqiong had a tough program for me for Dali area. In Xishou we visited a farmer´s market. From an old lady I got a nice copy of a book with Chinese characters and drawings offered. Jieqiong warned me not to start to bargain. Well I payed to much, but what was worse, the other old ladies didn´t give up to offer me other things till we left the market. "Well I told you, you will be in trouble."
After a show with the 3 tea ceremony the Bai Minority usually welcomed guests and dances we stopped for lunch in a restaurant where we sat in the yard. Sorry Jieqiong, but the picture of our lunch did not turn out fine. You enjoyed to eat with me since I share the food from the plates with chopsticks just like the Chinese do.
Good bye Jieqiong, but I am on the way to Lijiang. Do not forget will cook Chinese dishes together when you are married and will have a big house, children and big kitchen.
Mr. Leung drove me carefully and safe to Lijiang. He honked whenever he saw a pedestrian or bicyclist or a vague situation with an other car. That means, hey I saw you, but please make sure you see me too and be carefully with me. This way both pay attention and give the right of we to each other. In case of accident both are guilty after Chinese law. That makes both care for each other no matter who has the right of way.
On the way to Lijiang I saw wheat fields and fields with beans already harvested and closer to Lijiang the fields were still green, since Lijiang is at the hight of 2400 meters. But there it was sunny and above 20 °C today.
On the way to Lijiang I had the feeling not to be in a foreign country anymore, although I do not speak the language. I start to understand the thinking and way of living of the Chinese people. And I admire the beauty of that part of Yunnan where I am right now. All the people I met so far were so friendly to me and gave me a warm welcome.Thanks!
My new guide Lili showed me the Lijiang Dayan ancient town and we climbed up Lion Hill and Wangulou Pavillon on top. The marvelous view over the old town you see in the second picture. The third picture shows a picturesque place at one of the seven creeks running through the old town. There I had dinner with Lili.
The Jiannanchun Hotel in the center of old town is just like heaven, full of flowers, nice yards for peaceful rest and wonderful architecture.
Lijiang is protected as world heritage by Unesco, now I understand why.

Welcome to Dali

By the way, if you do not want to write comments on my blog, just send me an e-mail.
With Lucky Air I took the 35 minutes flight from Kunming to Dali. I arrived at Kunming Airport just in time to catch the flight starting at 7:45. So I could practice for my flight back to Germany from Kunming at 8:05 April 18 which I should not miss.
My guide, a pretty girl from the Bai Minority, could not believe that I am German, they usually are formal and stiff, not me! Around Dali there live about 1 Million Bai with their special tradition.
She told me that the driver wants to have time off to walk up the
mountain to see his ancestors for the yearly celebration. Well I changed my plans and went up the mountain with them. Dali is already 2000 meter high and we walked up for one hour together with many other people. At the grave they did some prayers, gave food to the ancestors and then Mrs. Yuang prepared cold noodles with some additional spices, vegetables and chicken, meat and claws. I just took the meat. Nevin, the claws were for you. My driver and his family were very friendly to me and even invited me to dinner in their house. I refused, that would have been too much expectation from their friendliness and I wanted to discover the old town of Dali.
After getting down to Dali by 1 pm my new driver from Lijang waited for us. He drives a comfortable Pachero, a Tojota I guess. He will be my driver for the rest of the time.
Miss Yuang, my guide leaded me through the Buddha Temple Area with the 3 Pagodas you can see on the picture. The Pagodas survived all the earthquakes and the cultural revolution. The temples are rebuilt with two new ones built for honor of getting Hongkong and Macao back to China. The area is so huge that we took some electrical bus uphill to the highest stage of Buddhism and walked down getting through the lower stages.
After a nap back in the hotel, which is built in a traditional style with calla flowers everywhere I strolled through the old town of Dali. I had dinner in a restaurant where they only make and serve wong tons. I hope I got the right spelling. The small pieces of dough stuffed with meat were delicious. You see the two cook with the steaming device. They are so fast, I know how difficult it is to make them.
Old Dali is the most exotic place I have ever seen so far. Modern shops just next to all kind of restaurants. Well most of them you would not call restaurants and better do not eat the food there.
After writing the blog, I will go out again to see old Dali by night.

German lunch - Chinese Dinner

Today is the cooking day. Well, first of all I want to show my bedroom to you. Bed and "Kleiderständer" for my cloth. The shower is hot. What else do I expect from a stay over night. After shower we went downtown by Taxi to have breakfast. All the employes (about 40) had to line up to get instructions from the boss. That is quite unusual for us. The food for the German lunch we bought at Metro. Yes the German Metro, where the commercial clients buy their food in Germany.
So we bought Penne and Grained Swiss Cheese to make my world famous "Käsespätzle" with Salad and white reddish.
Of course we want to serve German beer and there we found several German beers. Believe it or not, we found Kaiserdom beer from Bamberg, made by my friend and schoolmate who owns the brewery. Please let Schorschi know, that we enjoyed his beer. You can see the beer can on the second picture. Well Süli does not have plates, so we ate the Käsespätzle with chopsticks. Su Lu and her boyfriend Wei liked it a lot.
For desert we had Prosecco with Mango, which are smaller than the ones we know, but much tastier. Süli cooks pancakes with lots of cinnemon and small bananas. Just perfect.
Later on we will have lunch at Wei´s grandmother´s home. I hope to learn how to cook some Chinese dishes from her.

All the dishes were already prepared, I could watch just one.
Heat oil in the wok, fry chicken cut like worms for about 2 minutes stirring it all the time and then put it to the side in the wok and fry the green of garlic (cut into short parts about the length of the chicken) for 1 minute, put it to the chicken aside and fry red pepper (not a hot one, same length of garlic) for 1 minute, too. Then mix everything and fry it together for about 2 minutes, but do not forget to stir. Add some salt and sugar (they added glutamat MSR, too. I think that is not necessary)
Sorry I forgot to put the storage card into my camera, so I couldn´t take any pictures.
It was a big family gathering, which they have every Saturday in grandma´s apartment. There was Wei´s mother and father and two uncles and ants. Family is very important for Chinese.
Only Wei lives with his grandma in this apartment.

Su Lu kindly translated for me and always made sure I understood everything and made everything right.
Oh, back in Süli´s office the electricity went off in the whole apartment blocks around. So I have to save the text some place else and load it later.
We will go down the street, since it is Saturday and all the shops are open and out of the trunk sellers are around.
Good night. I have to get up by 5:45 to catch the plane to Dali.

After half an hour electricity is back.

Downtown Kunming










Kunming, view from Golden Temple









Cooks eat after work altogether