Postcard from Meng Run

Last stop in China: Meng Run, a village on the border with near (?) the Muang Sing area of Laos.* As a half-day side trip destination, somewhere to check out while waiting for the afternoon bus from Meng La to Luang Nam Tha, I wasn’t expecting much. And much there wasn’t–apart from an awesome game of “tops” 陀螺, joined by what must have been the best sandlot players this side of… China? Laos?

In Xiangjiaobanna (or is that Xishuangbanana?), Paradise Lost

The past few days, we’ve been (to use the parlance of backpackers up this way from SE Asia) “village-hopping through ‘Banna,” a tri-border area of Dai, Bulang, Hani and other minority group settlements. This was a much-anticipated stage of the trip, supposedly a rather remarkable part of China, and a bit of a tourist haven for Westerners who like relaxed homestays and the occasional coconut milkshake sipped from a hammock (okay, after this many weeks on the road, that would be us).