Xiamen and some time in the sun: Spring Festival 2023

After Yangshuo I took 2 short 4 hour high speed trains to Kunming for a few days to visit the old Kunming family and then
took a short break in the break to XiShunag Banna. Again, I have been there before but never on the train. I know that I hate the city but LOVE the food. Dai minority food is just the best in China and I actively crave it. It's all sour and spicy mixed with just the nicest meat and BBQ. Anyway, now I am hungry again so time for some food pictures. 

After a few days in Banna, I jumped on a flight to Xiamen, the goal of this trip was to explore another potential move to destination. 

Xiamen is another seaside city that has a reputation for being a very easy and comfortable place to live so time to investigate. 

I booked into a beautiful old building homestay thing in one of the commercial districts, everything was antique and unique so it looked beautiful but wow the noise. Even the cat wandering about in the lobby could be heard in all the rooms. 

On my first day, I wandered off in a vague direction of one of those factory art district areas. A lot of old factory areas in China are being repurposed as art and restaurant areas. They're usually small but well located and have all sorts of boutique shops, cafes and market stalls. This one was small but right on a small harbour so I found a coffee shop overlooking the water and sat with my book perfectly content. 

After the art district I found the most amazing over sea walkways under the highway. I had a wonderful time sitting and watching the world go by. People watching

really is the best way to get to know the feel of a place. Xiamen so far, pretty chilled but packed with tourists! Just packed! 

After the bridge walk I found one of the many beaches and sat the watch the

sunset. 

All in all, my first day in Xiamen was a very chilled exploration of a very pretty city. 

After a few days wandering about the city, I got a ferry to a small nearby island GuLangYu Island, which is a small tourist island with no cars and a lot of history. 

I had tried to be organised and get a get a ticket online but naturally that didn't work. I spent a few hours lost and confused in a ferry terminal but it all worked out in the end! 

Next stop, GuLangYu Island!