Ghost of Christmas past
Our trip started out with a day in Kunming, the capital city of Yunnan province. It was a really enjoyable day for me. I was reminded of my younger days when I was living in the Chicago suburbs and got to head into the city. It always had an aura of excitement: there were all the different buildings and people bustling around. Quite a variety of things to see. I felt that same thrill spending the day in Kunming. The energy of the city surrounded me as we ran our errands.But another odd thing about our day in Kunming was that it felt just like Christmas shopping. The weather was chilly, feeling just like winter.* We were out shopping for those foreign things that we just can't get back in town, so of course that lent a "holiday air". Most everything was festooned with New Year's decorations. But what really made it "Christmas-y" were the crowds. Carrefore's--Kunming's answer to Fred Meyer--was a zoo. Traffic was backed up onto the street as cars queued up to get into the parking lot. The aisles in the store were crowded with people and all those extra merchandise displays. And the store clerks, dressed in festive finery, all had that wearied look of one trying to maintain a semblance of order against the onslaught of chaos. All in all, when the day was over, I felt like I had just been out doing the seasonal shopping. And here I thought that I had dodged that bullet.
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*excursus: Having been born and raised in the midwest U.S., each season has its own feel that is embedded in my brain. Seattle uses the same words for its seasons, but they just don't feel the same. The town we're in here in Yunnan feels a bit closer to Chicago, but their "winter" actually feels closer to a midwest autumn. Anyway, our day in Kunming felt very much like "winter" to me.
posted by John @ 6:16 PM
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