Spring Vacation 2009

On Jan. 24, 2009 I and my travel partners student Jhonatan Cano, and professors Ryan Parker and Suzanne Smatt set out on an unforgettable spring vacation. Our planned destinations were the southern city of flowers and capital of Yunnan Province, Kunming and the ancient and treasured former capital of China, Xi’an.

Kunming

Kunming, the city of eternal spring was an excellent and beautiful get-away for spring vacation. Unfortunately, the entire province fell under a late and unusual cold front but this did not hamper our time there. Upon our arrival in Kunming, we promptly checked into the Hump Hostel which was an excellent establishment that was well located and very accommodating. Wasting little time, we immediately set out to visit the Green Temple and the many sites that lay in its path. Barely making it back to the hostel before dark, we settled in and made friends in the Hump’s bar and lounge. The next day we lazily woke up and wandered through the city’s bussing system finally arriving at our desired destination, the Kunming Horticultural Exposition. The Expo was a slightly under-maintained but beautiful exhibition of gardens themed for the different provinces of China and foreign nations. Adjacent to the park is the Golden Temple (accessible by rail car) which is a very well preserved ancient Buddhist temple mount. Both were excellent experiences but shadow in comparison to Yunnan’s most famous site, the Stone Forest which we visited the next day.

Xi’an

After a leisurely morning and last minute shopping, the four of us departed for a short flight to Xi’an. The lodging establishment of choice was the Shuyuan Hostel which is situated adjacent to the south gate to Xi’an and a wonderful place to stay. We were told that there was a famous Muslim Quarter located near the city drum tower so we made our way there for dinner. The food market in Xi’an’s Muslim District was nothing short of fantastic and was filled with exotic and delicious foods. Early the next day we set out to the famed Terracotta Warriors on the public bus (609) but the return was mistakenly taken on a local independent bus which took the back roads back to the Xi’an train station. The next day the group split, half going to the sacred mountain Hua Shan and the other two visiting local museums and temples. Hua Shan is a difficult climb for most but if possible, the southern peak of the mountain offers the best views and photo opportunities. Tired and beaten I returned to the Hostel bar to relax for the night and rest in preparation for our flight the next day back to Tianjin.

By Derek DiGiacomo

2009-02-02