Chinese New Year- Kunming, Day 1

So this Chinese New Year was quite an experience. We had a week off from school. Many people tried leaving elsewhere the Friday or Saturday when we got out, but it had been snowing so much that many flights were canceled or delayed. Luckily Laura arrived from the United States on Tuesday and our flight to Kunming left on Wednesday morning. I was a bit worried about traveling first thing on Wednesday morning (2/6) because that was the beginning of the Chinese New Year for almost everyone else in China.

For Chinese New Year many Chinese return to their homes, or usually visit their parents or other family members. Last year was the year of the Pig, and it was a golden year which made last year especially lucky. Many women tried to have children during the Golden Year of the Pig because the pig is known not to work that hard, so being born in a golden year makes it easier for Pigs to be more successful. Now it is the year of the Rat. Next year is the year of the Ox. I was born during the year of the Ox. Ox are known for being loyal and stubborn. I think these descriptions fit me to a t.

I spent Saturday through Tuesday simply relaxing, cleaning up my house, and getting ready for Laura’s arrival. Those four days were the longest amount of time I’ve had to myself in Shanghai while in my apartment, so it was /REALLY/ nice to relax in my own place without the constant everyday worries from work. I tried going biking on Sunday (2/3) but there was ice on the ground. I hit black ice within less than 5 minutes of leaving, crashed, and messed up the brake and gears on my bike, so I couldn’t ride.

Back to Wednesday… we caught a taxi but originally we worried we wouldn’t get one. We left at around 5:15am to catch a 7:45am flight. We walked to the gate but there were no taxis there. Another man (who lived in the neighborhood) had called a taxi and when he learned when our flight was leaving, he gave us his cab. I gave him my card and hopefully he’ll contact me. Both Laura and I really appreciated the kind gesture on his part.

The plane flight was comfortable. We arrived around 11:30am. We got out luggage and took a cab to purchase the overnight bus on Thursday night to Lijiang. Afterwards we checked into our hostel. We then wandered around Kunming and ate some lunch. We had wanted to go to a place called the Bamboo temple but we couldn’t find the bus stop/station to get there. Instead we walked through the Bird and Flower market. At the market I bought a few touristy things. Afterwards we just explored other areas of the city. Because Chinese New Year had just begun, most places were closed. We wandered to a local park where we just walked around and saw the beautiful scenery. We tried finding a restaurant in our guidebook but it had shut down. We ate elsewhere and then saw many fireworks to start off the beginning of Chinese New Year. Since Laura was jetlagged and I was tired, we tried going to sleep early, but it was a bit difficult with the blasting of fireworks throughout the night.