Today we set off early for our six hour bus ride back to Kunming, where we were to catch our evening flight to Guilin. On the way we stopped at a petrol station for a quick break and discovered some delicious corn cobs. We were getting better at inventing ways to entertain ourselves on the long bus trips, but we were very glad that this was our last big one.
The bus trip gave us plenty of time to reflect on the past couple of days. Dali was vastly different from the other cities we have visited in China so far. Dali has felt a lot more laid back and less modern than Beijing and Xi’an. The scenery there was beautiful and picturesque as you could see the mountains in the background and the sky was always bright blue instead of grey and cloudy because of the smog. The weather in Dali has been very nice even though it was quite cold during the night and heats up during the day. Some of the women in Dali wore traditional Bai head dresses and sometimes complete costumes. We even saw women with the triangles on the headdress our local guide Norman told us about: four triangles mean the woman is single, two mean she is married and one stands for a widow. Contrary to Beijing, we didn’t see anyone begging for money on the streets.
We also reflected on our service activities. Yesterday we completed our second and last community service project. It was eye opening to see the people whose lifestyles were completely different from ours and to understand how privileged we are. It was interesting to see how much we could do with so little money and how much it was worth to them. We now understand that community service is far more effective with the knowledge of the people and of their situations. For example, when we visited the Sun Village orphanage in Xi’an, we were very surprised to see brand new air conditioners and flatscreen TVs.
Our first impression was that the children weren’t that poor because they could afford such luxuries that we have in our own homes, too. But we soon discovered they didn’t ever use these appliances as they were too expensive to run and maintain. Even though someone probably thought this was a good idea to donate, it isn’t necessary for the orphanage and can even hurt them. It could mean they could get fewer donations as it looks like they already have enough. It is a better idea to actually research the communities and organisations in detail and think carefully about what they really need and donate something useful. That’s why it was a good idea that XJ, our tour guide, bought 1.5 tons of flour, which was something that they needed and could use immediately. Likewise, the village school had recently been rebuilt and had lots of stationary, but many of the students were still in need due to limited services in the village, the poverty of their parents and their isolated location.
Our day ended by taking a short flight from Kunming to Guilin for a one-night stay before heading to Longshen for another two nights. We’ve already experienced so much and we’re only halfway. We are all looking forward to what is to come.
By Inga Steenblock and Simon Love.
There aren’t many pictures from today as bus trips and airports, while necessary, don’t lend themselves to exciting photo opportunities. However, the next few days should be spectacular. Unfortunately wifi access may be difficult to come by in the mountains around Longshen, but we will upload when we can.
