background: students had done there homework
Sometimes I wish I could sleep better, but I hope my body takes what it needs, because I don’t try to sleep short and badly and wake up early. This morning, I used some of the “gained” time for a very cautious run. I had noticed earlier that a few stairs might leave me out of breath, but I thought it was because I became unfit, spent too much time on trains, and am 60. But then I also learned that we’re at an altitude of about 2000 meters.
Anyway reasonable to be careful.
There were several runners out in the calm, fresh morning air. As I ran, again I got a sense of the size of the campus.
I found my rhythm and pace, but when I stopped because of a bird sitting motionless on the road, I was briefly out of breath again. Later, I thought that skiing in the Austrian mountains is also a matter of similar altitudes, and I’ve never heard of anyone having problems with that. And in Armenia and Iran, I cycled at similar altitudes, only to experience the expected exhaustion. Whatever it is now, I’ll try to respect it when we go hiking at 3000-4000m!
Tony and I went to the canteen, and the choice was a little easier since some shops were still closed. He helped me get a delicious soup, but this time I was sure I hadn’t simply overlooked the milliseconds needed to pay—there weren’t any. Tony explained that they’d already seen me on Friday, and it was some kind of freebie. (Unfortunately, we didn’t come back there on this trip).
He took several dumplings and ordered soy milk for both of us. I’m not sure if describing this now will avoid the topic of plastic bags later, otherwise there will be repetition:
So everything goes into individual plastic bags, and those plastic bags go into a larger plastic bag so you can take them to a table five meters away.
Tony is a very nice and attentive guy, and he saw that I’d told the clerk that I could have the drink without a bag and straw, and we chatted a bit about it. Then he brought the large bag, which was still as good as new after the 5-meter journey, back to the seller.
In the afternoon, Ludo, Leo’s brother, the Austrians Kathi, Reini, and Michi, as well as Mari from Finland, arrived.
First, we experienced a very interesting tea ceremony with many explanations translated by Efan. We dressed up and learned about the history, culture, and variations of the tea ceremony, but then the difficult part began:
Basically, it involves stirring ground tea leaves with water and then creating a white foam that you can write on.
Some in the group were not only skilled at stirring, but also creatively used foam writing, as if they had always done it.
Just FYI:
I was in the other subgroup, which consisted of only one person. 😉
Efan put it like this: there is the greatest growth potential…
For dinner, we went to a beautiful place and met Efan’s mother, her aunt, another cousin, and his girlfriend. We had a nice introduction, and Efan’s mother remembered a lot about each of us.
There was a wide selection of delicious food, from delicious tofu and a sturgeon (the highlight) to insects.
Along with a delicious lemonade, we also had a creamy walnut and peanut drink, and just one glass of it was as nutritious as a full dinner.
Everyone seemed to regret not being able to take more and having some leftovers.
As befits a professional tour, Efan had also organized transportation for the entire group from the dormitory to the places visited and back.
I don’t think anything can compare to this tour.
Efan did not only connect us to a circle of friends, but was also eager to show us things we might not otherwise see. She, Tony, and Zhouzhou easily handled things that are challenging for people who don’t speak Chinese (not to mention reading!). Furthermore, Leo is a calm and relaxed supporter.
A stay in Kunming alone would have been enjoyable given these positive aspects, but that was just the beginning of the adventure!