Spring was beginning and flowers were everywhere, and in the city of eternal Spring. In the actual springtime, is when Kunming shines the most, even on cloudy days. We started the day at the Kunming Botanical Garden, figuring we would see many flowers and trees and plants and get some steps in on a nice spring day. While we did see a few cool flowers, weird plants, and lots of trees,
all of the indoor greenhouses were closed (and they looked interesting as we peered through their foggy windows), overall, it was a bit of a letdown.
While we walked, however, we stopped and talked with a couple from Australia. It was quite nice to speak English with some native speakers. A policeman sitting on a nearby bench got a big kick out of the four of us talking. They told us if we wanted to see flowers and more natural beauty, we should visit the World Horti-Expo Garden, so we hopped in a car, and away we went.
We walked under the big gates, past the elephants made of plants, and saw all the beautiful flowers blooming. First we saw the poppies, bright orange, red, yellow and the bright magenta azaleas;
to the star of the show, the trees of pink cherry blossoms, so bright against the grey skies.
All leading up to the Peacock statue with its tail made of purple, yellow and orange flowers.
We chose Southern China to explore because the North is too cold in February/March and we wanted decent weather. We did not know that when we chose Southern China to explore that we would get to see Cherry Blossoms, which is a huge bonus, and the rest of the flowers made the mood better too.
We also saw these odd looking yellow plants, appearing to flower, that we had not seen before. We learned these are called a Golden Lotus Banana; it is a part of the banana family and resembles a lotus blossom (so the name makes sense).
There was also a large Bonsai Garden in the park which was a fee to enter; but it was well worth it, and we were even given bags of fish food to feed the Koi in the pond.
It was so cool and worth the admission price. There were also workers improving the grounds, so it felt that the entry fee was going to a good cause. Not to be outdone, after we left the garden there was a (closed) park restaurant that had its own bonsai.
After the Expo Park, we checked on the map and saw an Irish Bar not too far so we headed there, a bar/restaurant called O’Reilly’s Irish Pub, and since we have good times at Irish Pubs around the world in our travels, we thought it would be a good place to visit. It was, and while the sun did not join us that day, we had a few pints and split a pizza.
Still early, we went walking through the city, and
were headed for Uncle John Shushude Beer Church (or Uncle John’s), because with a name like that, how could we not? Beer culture is still growing in Kunming, and after nearly an hour, we found Uncle John’s, hidden on a side street of a side street. It was quiet and a bit creepy when we arrived, as we were expecting some kind of crowd and some music. After reviewing the menu board, we attempted to order.
The menu was not up-to-date though, and after a few requests, we eventually figured out what was available using the translator and pointing with the bartender. We set up at the pool table, and asked the bartender to play some music, and once we started playing our own music from my phone, he obliged. We had a couple rounds, and more patrons came to join us. There was a New Orleans vibe to the place, complete with open air bathrooms out back, and the smell of old beer.
We were still hungry, and saw a night market (the Wanhong Night Market) not too far, so made a beeline to it for late night snacks. I’ve mentioned the night markets at each of the cities we visited, and each city has so many, and they are all at least, a little different. This one was very bright and colorful, and we arrived toward the end of the night (usually they start to quiet down around 11pm and close around midnight, give-or-take), so there were some vendors already packed up, and we saw a few of the workers playing some street badminton and laughing as we ate.
We had seen a lot of pretty nature and had a fun night out, not too much more we could ask for, and it was only our second day in Kunming! More to come, including visiting some temples, more cherry blossoms, and live peacocks!
Phil's WayPastCool 