Jamison’s Misadventures In Asia

I’d like start with a general apology for falling off of the blog planet for the past six months.  Things got busy.

Things I have experienced but have failed to share with you folks:  An epic trip to Malaysia that involved world-class diving and a big mountain, a visit from my parents that included a trip to Angkor Wat, a trip with RoomNate to some of Thailand’s most beautiful beaches, the conclusion of my Peace Corps service. 

So I’ve been out of the Peace Corps for 10 days now. As soon as I was finished, I hopped on an overnight bus to Chiang Mai, made some noise with Ryan, and then made my way to Chiang Saen, where I would be catching a boat to China the following morning.

The boat ride up the Mekong was pleasant, with some nice views and plenty of room. The duration was 13 hours, as advertised. At about 8pm (there was a one hour time change upon entering China*), we arrived at the Chinese port.

As I mentioned earlier, the boat trip lasted 13 hours, exactly as the woman had told me when I was making my arrangements. What she failed to mention was that the trip would be followed by a five hour bus ride.

After clearing customs, we set off and were given a quick five minute stop to grab some street food. I did not have any Chinese yuan, so I skipped dinner.

The bus was small. And cramped. Around midnight, I was nodding and swaying in a half-sleep when the bus came to a stop. I opened my eyes as the driver turned off the engine. There were all sorts of vehicles lined up ahead of us.

We sat still for the next three hours, stealing naps as best we could despite the cold and discomfort. A broken-down truck blocked the small country road and was finally cleared in the middle of the night. We rolled into Jinghong at 4:30 in the morning. Nearly 23 hours later, we had arrived.

My week in Yunnan has been magical. I’ve had a chance to catch up with my old friend Herman, who is living in a town called Yuxi. We set out for an adventure on Tuesday morning that took us through the town of Dali, on a spectacular two-day hike through Tiger Leaping Gorge, and to Lijiang, where I am now.