Welcome to China!

We have been in China for about 24 hours, and I have been so struck by the fact that so much is familiar, and simultaneously so much is different. Exhibit A: Yes, I can access the internet. But because of conflict between the Chinese Government and Google, I cannot directly access this blog, and the roundabout method I am using resulted in the photos-only version of this posting that I may have sent accidentally a few minutes ago! (Or maybe not .. it's hard to tell ...)

We are in Kunming, in Yunnan Province in southwestern China. The temple above is the Bamboo Temple, a Buddhist shrine built about 800 years ago and still in active use (monks and acolytes were steadily chanting as we walked through).

For lunch we had soup at a restaurant serving "Over Bridge Rice Noodle Soup," a regional specialty named for the characteristic of the soup that it stays hot when carried to farmers in the fields. We were each brought a huge bowl of steaming, delicious broth, along with raw meats and vegetables. Add the meat first, stir to cook, then add the vegetables and noodles. Delicious !

We proceeded to a museum documenting the cultures of the 26 different peoples living in the Yunnan region. Below, a percussion instrument made of bamboo; the strips supported by the bridge pieces are tuned like a xylophone. And then one of the many incredible woven garments on display.

On the street, below an advertisement, an open window to a small restaurant kitchen where a woman was putting the most recent fresh steamed dumplings into the stack.

In a public square, a vendor selling quail eggs, peanuts, and pickles.

At the temple shown at the beginning of this blog, I did not find a way to take a picture of the yellow-robed monk talking on his cell phone ... but I did get this shot of a group putting a fresh coat of paint on the door panels, in preparation for a festival in two days.

And finally, an incredible dinner at a local restaurant surprised to see foreignors; our guide "Tony" knew about it. Many delicious dishes, but I was so glad Amy had been intrigued enough by the woman in the front window making rice crepes and rolling them up with vegetables and meat to order a plate of them. We were told that they are a Vietnamese speciality (we are not too far from the border), and dipped in a spicy sauce these Vietnamese spring rolls were amazing !!