Yunnan Minorities Village
So, after surviving our “Homeless 77” incident, we safely awoke in Kunming the following morning, faced with the harsh reality that we would need to come up with a new plan of what to do in the area.
We grabbed breakfast and looked online to find the top things to do in the area, which isn’t an easy task in China. After a few Google searches, we found ourselves at the Yunnan Minorities Village, hoping for the best. The Yunnan province, in which Kunming is located, is close to the border of Vietnam and is home to 90% of China’s minorities. There are people from other neighboring countries, remnants of small villages, old Muslim refugees, etc., and somehow, they all found themselves in this same area. Now, knowing China, there’s a distinct possibility that this wasn’t just a happy coincidence, and that they all were transplanted there. Regardless, lots of minorities, which I think is cool.
The Yunnan Minorities Village has a museum and lots of other attractions that display the local Yunnan styles and traditions. The area ended up being large enough and picturesque enough that we went two days in a row.
Now, this isn’t to say that the village didn’t have its flaws, because frankly, there were a lot of problematic aspects of the village. The first day, we didn’t have any problems with it, which is why we went a second day. The second day, we paid to access deeper into the village, where we discovered that there were some animal cruelty issues and some other poor treatments of ethnic groups. Those aspects kind of unraveled the day for us. We all found ourselves really frustrated and bummed most of the day. Perhaps, if this had happened on its own, and wasn’t so close to our “Homeless 77” situation, it wouldn’t have been as painful. Still, regardless of the reason, it was a challenging day. We saw some really cool things and some really crappy things.
Yuantong Temple
The following day, we opted to try something new, so we visited the Yuantong Temple. It is nestled in the middle of the city, but once inside, you’d never know it. Yuantong is an old Buddhist temple built in a depression in the middle of the city. Because of its sunken location, the sounds of the bustling city go over the temple, leaving it a serene haven. The grounds were completely silent, save for the sounds of wind chimes and local worshippers.
The grounds were deceptively large and they kept our attention for a long time. It was one of the most peaceful places we had ever visited, and it was a much-needed respite after our other disappointments of the trip.
While there, we bought some beautiful Buddhist books, written in Chinese. I’m excited to add those to my book collection.
Final Thoughts
Overall, I think we all had a good time in Kunming. Were there some frustrations and disappointments? Sure. Were there also some really great moments? Absolutely.
It didn’t turn out at all the way we thought it would, but that’s okay. We still saw some really cool things, and I’m proud of the way we all adapted to our situation and made the best of a weird circumstance.
Travel isn’t always pretty. It isn’t always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts. It even breaks your heart. But that’s okay. The journey changes you; it should change you. It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your heart, and on your body. You take something with you. Hopefully you leave something good behind.
Anthony Bourdain
Luckily, we have another couple of fun trips planned in the near future, so we will catch you then!
Until next time,
Madison and Jordan
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