If you've ever wanted to get a Bob Marley or smooth and relaxed feel in China, you ought to visit Dali, well at least the old town. It is littered with merchants selling all kinds of goodies, along with slews of western restaurants. After not being able to get items such as pizza, hamburgers, let alone bread I assure you this is a nice (although more expensive) perk. The city was quite relaxing to spend time in, and having spent a day at Erhai Lake I must say it is gorgeous.
A strange thing happened- I was approached to model for a foreign company, turning down the offer because I already had a ticket to Kunming. I later found out that it was a small little gig, however day or two jobs like this, being a side in a movie and so forth are quite common in places such as Dali and Kunming. I decided to look a little more into it and made some contacts, ultimately leading to nothing at this point due to the short amount of time I have been staying in each location.
Catching the train to Kunming was early, but we did it! I was supposed to stay with a friend, but her mother had a fight with the father and she needed to stay with the friend. So, I thought I would find somewhere else to stay, but a beautifully furnished single-bedroom apartment with a private bathroom and shower on the 27th floor of an exquisite building with a view overlooking the city was already looking for me and paid for due to my "inconvenience". I was instructed not to put forth a penny. Needless to say I was shocked and gracious of the offer. I spent these days exploring the city, visiting the University district which is quite nice and has many late night snack shops and bars.
Jinbi Street has even more bars and several clubs, however just a short walk from Jinbi Street, into an area called Kundu is where you want to end up for your nighttime festivities. There are probably 8-10 clubs all with no entrance fee (or no way of me knowing I need to pay), so I hopped around there for a few of the nights. Certain clubs were just as crowded on a Sunday and Tuesday evening as they were on a Saturday! My thought process here is: a) Kunming is a city full of party animals. b) even when only a few people decide to go out on a given night, that "few" people is "A LOT" of people according to my standards, due largely to the overwhelming amount of people living in China.
My train to Kaili is tomorrow morning, WAY too early but I will get up and sleep on the train! Kaili is located in the eastern part of the Guizhou province and is a great base for visiting some minority ethnic group villages such as those of the Miao and Dong people. I am excited to explore China's intricate and diverse culture more. Another update when internet access permits!
A strange thing happened- I was approached to model for a foreign company, turning down the offer because I already had a ticket to Kunming. I later found out that it was a small little gig, however day or two jobs like this, being a side in a movie and so forth are quite common in places such as Dali and Kunming. I decided to look a little more into it and made some contacts, ultimately leading to nothing at this point due to the short amount of time I have been staying in each location.
Catching the train to Kunming was early, but we did it! I was supposed to stay with a friend, but her mother had a fight with the father and she needed to stay with the friend. So, I thought I would find somewhere else to stay, but a beautifully furnished single-bedroom apartment with a private bathroom and shower on the 27th floor of an exquisite building with a view overlooking the city was already looking for me and paid for due to my "inconvenience". I was instructed not to put forth a penny. Needless to say I was shocked and gracious of the offer. I spent these days exploring the city, visiting the University district which is quite nice and has many late night snack shops and bars.
Jinbi Street has even more bars and several clubs, however just a short walk from Jinbi Street, into an area called Kundu is where you want to end up for your nighttime festivities. There are probably 8-10 clubs all with no entrance fee (or no way of me knowing I need to pay), so I hopped around there for a few of the nights. Certain clubs were just as crowded on a Sunday and Tuesday evening as they were on a Saturday! My thought process here is: a) Kunming is a city full of party animals. b) even when only a few people decide to go out on a given night, that "few" people is "A LOT" of people according to my standards, due largely to the overwhelming amount of people living in China.
My train to Kaili is tomorrow morning, WAY too early but I will get up and sleep on the train! Kaili is located in the eastern part of the Guizhou province and is a great base for visiting some minority ethnic group villages such as those of the Miao and Dong people. I am excited to explore China's intricate and diverse culture more. Another update when internet access permits!
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