Ruili July 2015 (moved from old blog)

 Weekend in RuiLi

RuiLi River

 
With all my students on holiday and all my classes cancelled, I was looking at a full three weeks in Kunming with nothing to do. The threat of insanity looming; I started looking at my options. Like a bolt of lightning it hit me, Lora (the better half of David and Lora) was back in RuiLi her home town and I had been given an open invite to just turn up. I was supposed to be going there for the water splashing festival back in April but a really nasty stomach bug hit and I couldn't move.

So, permission to turn up granted, I went and bought a bus ticket to RuiLi. Reports varied on how long the bus journey would take, I had been told everything from 7 hours to a shiver inducing 14 but as it was a sleeper bus how bad could it be, right?

WRONG! I was lucky to get a bottom bunk as then at least the lights didn't bother me, but unlucky as anyone on the top bunk would immediately turn off the air blower and we one the bottom would boil. It took a total of 16 hours, 5 hours of which were parked in a rest stop, and 30 minutes at a police passport check where everyone got very confused by my passport. Apparently not many tourists travel to this part let alone on a bus. The Chinese on the bus were getting angry and were shouting to just throw the troublesome foreigner off, when my knight in shining bus driver uniform came to my rescue. I have told a few people this story and no-one has ever heard of a bus driver defending the tourist and telling the locals to wind their necks in. He told the shouting grumpy people to be quiet as it wasn't my fault that China has such strict foreigner VISA and passport laws. He told them that they could expect the same problems if they are ever in someone elses country. At that he huffed and went back to sit at the front. My mouth  must have been hanging open in shock as suddenly everyone was in a very giggly mood. 

 


one tree

 I finally arrived at the bus station where Lora met me, we pretty much flew to her house and then got back in the car to go to a beach BBQ that she had planned with some of her friends. After about a half hour journey and an about turn to pick up a forgotten friend, we arrived at a small beach on the side of RuiLi River. Her friends were already there cooking stupid amounts of food (we were 15 people and cold have fed 40 easily) so we jumped in the river to cool off. We had no swimming costumes but it didn't matter, we dried off very quickly in the sun. RuiLi in on the Burmese border and shares a tropical humid climate. We all got sun burnt to varying degrees and were covered in sand from the river. Her friends were all patient with my Chinese and actually remembered not to speak the local dialect (some confusing mix of Chinese and Burmese) which helped. 


After the beach and on the way home Lora and I stopped at "one tree forest". Given the name I was expecting a very quick stop. Its a certain type of tree, whose name I haven't been able to work out, which grown what looks like lots of individual trunks in a close formation. It is actually one tree but it looks like anything from twenty up. Shattered after my not so relaxing bus journey we went home and called it a night stopping on the way for a Burmese beer and some tea leaf salad. It sounds wrong but it might be one of the best bar snacks ever conceived. It is basically tea leaves mixed with peanuts, carrots, spice, soy sauce and some lime served cold with beer. delicious! 

The next day Lora took me to "one town two countries" which is a Burmese/Chinese village. It is all staged and is centred around a small lake across which you can get a zip line into Burma and back, with a stage for the mandatory minority dance show. It was the same as every other dance show I have seen, the performers look bored out of their minds having to perform for the third time that day. The finale was a dance of the long-neck women, which involves the local tradition of stretching women's necks with metal bands/necklaces in the pursuit of beauty. 
We went from there to look at the border crossing and the Jade market where Lora works. The actual border crossing is a huge gate but with only a metal fence on either side stretching on for miles. Frequent police wagons rolled past but there were children on the other side pointing out large gaps in the fences where people would easily pass through. Fruit was being sold cross borers and just passed over the top of the fence. It was bizarre and amazing all at the same time.

The jade markets near the border are huge and packed to busting point with stands selling jade in every colour, shape size and design imaginable. That night we went to to a local bar for some beers and to watch the music. Early night as I was having to fly back to Kunming the next morning to sort some paperwork issues. 

 

We got up early and jumped into a taxi back to the border, Lora took me to see the largest Jade market in town. This place is huge, massive, insane. We walked around half of the outside and it took about 15 minutes. On the outside of the market they sell uncut Jade. Lora explained that it is often called stone gambling as you cant tell the quality of the Jade inside it could be anything. Apparently 
loosing several thousands of quai like this is not uncommon. 

Inside was everything from huge partially cut stones to ready made jewellery, available in every colour jade has to offer. Lora thought I was hilarious as I really couldn't take in just how much Jade was surrounding me. 
Sadly my trip was cut short but I think I had seen everything RuiLi has to offer a tourist. It was a speedy hour and a half drive to the airport in MengShi and a 45 minute flight back.