A Traveller’s persective by Wulong Student Vicky H
Thirty four Wulong Tai Chi Kung Fu students recently spent fourteen days travelling in the Yunnan Province in China. The tour organised by Professor Lily, provided an amazing insight into a diverse and beautiful part of China.
From the magnificent mountains in Tibet to the sub tropical south east Asian border, the Yunnan Province scenery was breathtaking, vast and home to a number of ethnic minority groups who continue to practise their cultural traditions. The trip had so many highlights including the Leaping Tiger Gorge, the Stone Forest, Lugo Lake, temples, historical towns as well as nightlife for those with energy at the end of the day.
The tour also used local guides when travelling and this gave us a great insight into local life and customs and even taught us a Chinese song to sing on the bus! The other highlight was the FOOD! Every day Professor Lily and the local guides would select a local restaurant for a banquet meal that showcased the best of local cooking and ingredients.
It was a great experience trying so many different foods and Lily made sure that there was always ample food and that the traditional local dishes were provided. Fortunately to counter all the eating, we would start the day with an hour of Tai Chi usually in lovely outdoor settings, often providing some amusement for locals passing by.
Every day there was something new to see, do and talk about and that makes for a great trip filled with memories. Professor Lily did a magnificent job of organising everything and everyone and she was ably assisted by the team leaders who by the end of the trip had mastered “herding cats”! It was wonderful getting to know others in the group and sharing such a memorable experience that gave us a glimpse of China rarely travelled by western tourists.
Acknowledgement
Grateful thanks to Vicky for her excellent description of experiences in Yunnan with Wulong and Professor Lily. Our students were very privaleged to have the opportunity to join a bespoke tour organised by Professor Lily who is a keen traveller and loves to especially travel with Wulong students. Extra special thanks to students contributing their photos.
