Tchye

March 29th

Yuxi big City-stayed in a Chinese hotel

We slept in Yuxi last night in a chinese hotel. Chinese hotels are different than hotels for Westerners or Hostels/Guesthouses. The chinese call it a sleeping place. They're cheaper for starters, pretty simple places and actually I would rather stay there than at a hostel for foreigners because you're more immersed in the culture. There were no showers but somewhere to wash our face in the communal centre of the rooms, an outdoor courtyard. Actually, this place reminded me of where I stayed in Pingyao when I first met Anna but so freezing cold. Alex was so hyper, high off of our stop to the bike shop maybe he said 'what a luxe!'. This morning Tchye got lost. We looked for her for 45 mins, I was screaming the whole time and now my throat is sore. We left Yuxi and just outside of the city centre we stopped to rest. I went to a Chinese bakery and it reminded me of when Serenne took me to the Chinese bakery in Vancouver in China town for my first time. I always think of Serenne when I go to the bakery here in China...I remember eating these gooey things that looked so gross last year, now I drool even thinking of a Chinese bakery and everything looks so delicious.

Bike Shop

We found another bike shop and I bought new tires for my bike and new shiny metal pedals. It's cute how excited Alex gets when we go to a bike shop. He usually says of cities 'shit place, shit people' but bike shops are his serenity. §§§It reminds me of my first few days in Hong Kong, when I went to Kowlook Mong Kok and was so overwhelmed by all of the people. I found a music store though, with pianos, violins and this chinese man played me a traditional violin song. I felt so peaceful even though outside the doors were hectic streets full of busy, strange, strangers. ha.§§§

Meat tonight!!! Wow!

We biked a bit out of Yuxi and then found a spot where there were blooming trees of pink and white. We cooked dinner and it turned out so good! I think it's because today we had a big piece of meat to put in our soup. We made carrot, tomato, potato, tomato, ginger, onion, garlic, chive, cauliflower and meat soup. I have been cooking this whole time in a big black charcoaled pot that I bought second hand in Jinghong and using the small pocket knife that Anna gave me for Christmas toc cut up and peel all of our vegetables. Alex lays down the fly and it becomes our kitchen. My cutting board is his plastic took box.