(24-29 December 2013)

Well, this is not PR for Kunming.

But it seems to me a nicer city to stay, compared to the one I visited 15 years ago.

No, I’m not talking about the new airport 25 km out of the main city, boasted by my friend as the third biggest in the country, next to those in Beijing and Shanghai. Neither am I talking about new skyscrapers and the city center where a walking road has been built, which is quite pleasant.

Actually, I’m talking about the Nationalities Museum I visited. There are 56 ethnic nationalities in China, 26 of them in Yunnan alone, which is bigger than the whole Republic of the Union of Myanmar, which trumpets an incredible 135 “national races”.

Despite the cold weather, it was quite interesting to stroll through the rooms each with different exhibitions: Clothing and ornaments, Folk art, Musical instruments, Handicraft, and Written languages, etc. Also noted was that Dehong (Taikhong to Shan) and Xixuangbanna (Sibsawngpanna to Shan) were designated Dai (Tai/Shan) autonomous prefectures in 1953, 60 years ago.

I however was sorry to miss seeing the museum on Zheng He, the eunuch who voyaged around the world long before Columbus. I remember Chinese literature calling court dwellers like him Kung Kung (“manly man”).

It was closed on weekends. So was the Hinhua (not to be confused with Huahin), the biggest bookstore in Kunming. Why do they do that? Don’t they know there are more visitors to museums and bookstores on Saturdays and Sundays?

That reminded me of my visit to Vientiane in 1997. At lunch and siesta time, both the national museum and even the Thard Luang pagoda’s visitors were shooed out of the premises.

There was one thing that I like — and everyone would like — though. Each year, tens of thousands of Siberian seagulls flew to the Green Lake outside the city and make it their winter home for 5 months, October to February.

Adults and children alike were found enjoying themselves immensely playing with and feeding the birds, who just plucked the food out of your hands while flying. Everyone was having a big time on the day I was there.

Kunming has a wonderful weather, three seasons all year round: Cold, Hot and Spring. Never too hot or too cold. Its cold season can be compared to Hamburg’s spring where I visited in 1993.

Unlike tropical countries like Burma and Thailand, it doesn’t have a rainy season. It rains the whole year round and not much. The water used by the citizens all come from artisan wells, according to my cousins.

But the lake is nice and well kept. They spent millions of dollars to save it from wasting away. I hope our government does the same for Inlay in Shan State before it dries up.
So it’s time for me to leave to be back in Chiangmai where there’s no heating system to pull yourself through the cold season. But there is at least my family and it’s closer to home.
I just hope I have been recharged enough to face the music throughout the upcoming 2014.

Happy New Year!