A Yunnan Secret

The Fact

China is 9,596,960 sq km, has 1,306,313,812 people, and borders 14 countries. It stayed hidden to most of the world until the early 1200s. When the first Europeans found the mountainous path now called the Silk Road they slowly made there way into a whole new world. Once in China they wrote of things that baffled the rest of the world. Paper money, gunpowder, foot binding, and even tea were things that other civilizations had never imagined. This was only the beginning of the unraveling of secrets that this colossal country possesses.
After the world realized what China really was foreigners came and went like seasons, but in the 1950s all the foreigners were kicked out and China closed its doors to the rest of the world.
A thousand years past, a hundred wars were fought; since then China has grown, developed, and united.

Communication complications

I started my journey by heading east of Kunming.
I had no plan when I left. A hazy pumpkin orange sun called me east where it was slowly emerging from the mountains. I jumped on what some people would call a bus. The cheapest of transportation is always the worst. The peasants or workmen that slouched in every seat eyed me up lazily as I tried to find somewhere to sit. At last I found a place on a bag of rice, next to a chicken in a bag and a man smoking a large bamboo bong.
Various problems come across every traveler’s plate as they venture into foreign lands. My main problem in China is communication. There is a strong dialect and people tend to use it all the time. Peasants, farmers, and workmen are very friendly but I think even the famous ‘Da Shan’ would have difficulty understanding them. I explained to the bamboo bong man that I was in search of adventure, and asked him if he knew any secrets. After minutes of deep thought, a couple more smokes from the bong, and a spit on the floor, that man grunted something that sounded like, “Go to the Golden Cock.”
Well I’ve never seen a gold chicken before so I enquired more into the whereabouts of this cock. After an hour I understood I should get off the bus, get on a train, and go to a nearby city.

Lou Ping

Conveniently enough, a train station was in the next city and within another hour I was off. As the train putted through the countryside I couldn’t help but notice the color of the fields. Lemon Yellow sprouts replaced all the previous watermelon green grass. A local minority woman gave me a large toothless smile when she noticed me admiring the fields. She pointed towards the fields and mentioned something about a mountain. Since she had no teeth I thought I misunderstood her and went about gazing at the gorgeous sparkling fields.
I caught the slowest possible train; it stopped at every station in Yunnan. I arrived in Lou Ping very late at night. A taxi driver waiting outside the station brought me to a cheap hotel. I slept well that night and dreamt of what the golden chicken would look like.

The locals

I woke up early and asked my hotel receptionist where I could find the Golden Cock. She gave me a very strange look and told me the restaurant across the street had chicken soup. Occasionally when I try speaking to Chinese people they will not listen, and a certain blank look will come across their face. They see only my white face and blue eyes and instantly think that I am a foreigner who is not from China, and therefore couldn't be speaking Chinese. The receptionist had this blank look now so I decided I would go across the street and try the soup.
The shop owner was incredible friendly and happy to see a foreign face. I asked her again about the Golden Cock. She also could not understand but seemed a little more open minded. I stood up and tried acting like a chicken. As I flapped my arms at my sides a crowd slowly began to form. I tried everything I could think of when suddenly someone yelled, “GOLDEN COCK HILLS!

Golden Cock Hills

The locals were happy to write down some directions for me. It turned out there was no golden chicken. Although it was disappointing to hear, I still had an open mind. Apparently there were some hills in the near countryside that were gold in color. It now made sense what the minority woman was talking about. I walked through the dirty city towards the bus station. There were more men on horses then cars and the city stunk of manure and garbage. The wind blew dust into my eyes and I struggled to find the bus. It took me over an hour to find the station but once I showed the driver the paper he knew where I wanted to go. I collapsed into my seat and fell asleep instantly.
After about thirty minutes someone nudged me. The bus was stopped and everybody was looking at me. I grabbed my bag and sleepily jumped off the bus. As the bus left I rubbed my eyes and tried to get my bearings. My vision cleared and my mouth dropped. Before me was something I have never seen. A luxurious carpet of dazzling yellow flowers flowed towards the horizon. Giant golden fat dome mountains rested everywhere. I had difficulty distinguishing the difference between the flickering fragrant flowers that filled every field and the sizzling sun that sat solitary in the sky. I climbed up on of the hills to a temple to get a better look. A local man in the temple was happy to answer any questions I had. I learned that the yellow flower is called rapeseed. It’s used for making cooking oil. It grew in every field, up every mountain and among all gardens. The beautiful flower comes and goes quickly and I had come just before harvesting.
Before my skin burned I took my leave in search of water. I jumped on a passing bus and headed back into the city.

Yudai Lake

During the heat of the day Lou Ping felt like a desert. The light breeze that blew through the city whipped dirt into my eyes. Horses strapped to rigid wooden wagons trotted around the city center. Locals not bothered by the weather, nor by the smell, lined the street selling different types of vegetables. The non-stop noise was annoying and I craved the countryside's quietness. I again went to the locals and tried to explain myself. A man on a large motorcycle told me he knew a nice place to swim. It sounded like a perfect way to escape from the day’s heat. I jumped on the back of the bike and we were out of the town in minutes. Along the way we passed various peasants doing odd jobs. The strangest I saw was a group of 6 women working along the road. Each had a pickaxe and showed no sign of weakness while working. I couldn't believe my eyes as I watched them pound their tool into the roadside.
After sometime we turned off the main road and headed up towards the mountains. As we reached the top of the hill I got my first glimpse of Yudai Lake. Its emerald green waters blew gently in the wind. A mix of green, yellow, purple and orange trees danced along the lake's edges. An old gray tower stood flaking in the middle of the water. Beige and burgundy broad hills bordered the far beach. It was my perfect paradise. As the driver washed I set out to conquer the tallest thing in sight. I swam to the tower and climbed atop it. To get a bird's eye view of the lake was priceless. It extended much further than I imagined and the only things in sight were cows grazing lazily in the fields. After taking the scenery in I jumped off the tower and swam back to find the driver patiently waiting for me.
I arrived back at the hotel tired. I had a feeling there was more to see so I retired for the night. The next day would be another adventure.

9 Dragons

There were more secrets in the countryside. The locals told me about a waterfall that was a nice place to have lunch. Since there was no bus going that way the locals advised me to stand on the road and hail passing trucks. The first truck that passed picked me up. Apparently there are many people who do this as a living. We picked up and dropped off several other people on our long trip. After an hour the truck stopped and the man pointed to a ticket booth. The admission to the waterfall was an outrageous 60 RMB! Before I could approach the gate three women came running towards me. They told me that if I paid them a small fee, they would bring me in a secret entrance. I am a big supporter of the locals so we agreed upon a price and set out for the mountain. They brought me through fields of purple flowers, over mountains and hills, and through a small village. Finally we arrive at a large banana tree farm. Although I couldn't see the waterfall I could hear its thunder. The locals left and I walked alone through the banana tree jungle. I followed the sound of the crashing water and within minutes emerged onto a path. Eager to get a glimpse of the waterfall, I rushed towards the waters edge. The waterfall was terraced and resembled stairs of jade. Every step had beautiful trickles of water splashing into pools full of small islands and playful ducks. The massive waterfall that stood as the backdrop was over 200 meters wide. As the water plunged towards the large pool it collected together to form what looked like a giant icicle. I walked towards the waterfall along a stone path. Every once in a while water would push through the earth and leak through cracks creating small streams. As I climbed higher along the side of the mountain I found another waterfall named “Lovers falls”. The glimmering lime green water was soft on my skin and cool on my body. I continued walking to find another 6 waterfalls. All were different sizes, all different shapes, all stunning. I took a horse ride back to the gate passing a small stone forest slowly beginning to protrude from the ground. I found the same trucker and traveled with him back to the city.

There are more secrets in Luo Ping, places that I had not enough time nor money to find. I will leave them for you to discover. Our earth is a playground of sights, sounds, and smells, all waiting to be admired. Go and play, they're waiting for you.