|
China was never at the top of my bucket list mainly because I am overly informed about its repressive government and pollution. I never appreciated the art I was exposed to, and I tend to consider feng shui less than scientifically proven. However, noticing a Sierra Club tour to Yunnan Province started me packing. Two weeks with a tour promised to show me the lay of the land with the expectation that I could get along on my own for two more weeks. As usual, a lot of stereotypes go bye the bye once you are there. I'll never forget the young people who spoke a little English (or just responded to finger-pointing on a map or translations via an iPad app). They often went considerably out of their way to help me when lost, which incidentally, I consider one of the best ways of getting to know a country. Language challenges aside, it was extremely gratifying to learn to navigate their system so I could go to two other nature-related places after the tour ended, then on to Beijing for a final week. |