Tengchong to Ruili: The road that time nearly forgot

Quite frankly, the most quality dirt road on which I've ever had the pleasure to travel!

I spent the better half of today traveling from Tengchong to Ruili, two towns in the further reaches of already far-reaching Yunnan Province. How can I tell that these two towns are a bit off the beaten path? Both lack a KFC.

Paddies...crop fields...repeat scenery for several hours.

Anyhoo, the trip took little more than 6 hours by bus, half of which was on a dirt road crossing through some countryside that China's modernization had apparently not yet reached (save the occasional power line or two). Locals still trotted along the road herding their water buffalo and the occasional donkey, and the countryside was lush with rice paddies and farms. Unlike much of the rest of China, it seems that time had stood still for decades (maybe centuries?) in this little stretch of the country. I sat in the front seat of the bus (right next to the driver!), trying not to get freaked out by the fact that I had no seatbelt and could be thrown from the vehicle if any of the bus driver's crazy attempts at passing vehicles on the curvy mountain roads went awry. The voyage was very scenic, and I really enjoyed it. I barely noticed that my I-Pod finally died...but at least I was expecting this (unlike with my camera!), as it has been acting funny for weeks.

Mmm...dog meat restaurant! (Yes, they do eat dog in certain parts of China, but the Chinese also love to keep doggies - really cute ones! - as their pets, too. It seems that man's best friend for man's best friend sake is particularly popular in Yunnan Province, where pampered pups roam the streets!)

Ruili is the (seedy?) town on the border with Myanmar (it's the only place in China where I've stumbled across an open sex shop), and I will be crossing over tomorrow. The town itself has an interesting mix of people - there are Chinese, Burmese, Uighurs, Thai, and even some South Asians. At dinner, my waiter was actually Burmese (his longyi - the wrap-around sarong "skirt" that both Burmese men and women wear - gave it away). He spoke no Chinese, but did speak English, so he gave me some tips on where to eat when I was in Mandalay (his hometown). The little kids in the restaurant were also Burmese, but spoke Chinese, so I had a nice chat with them. So cute!

Around these parts, it doesn't seem so much like China anymore, but I guess it will make the transition to Myanmar easier!

RIP "Poddy" (November 2004-June 2006) "Oh, we knew ye all too well."