Kunming West Mountains

We parked at this beautiful temple and then walked a good hour up the mountain side into the local villages

Linda on the left and Zoe on the right




Leaving the temple grounds

Walking up the mountain side trails


It is not uncommon to see the local farmers carrying large loads to take to market


If we haven't already mentioned it, Yunnan is famous for it's mushrooms. Yunnan ships it's mushrooms all around the world. They are sought after buy some of the top restaurants. Our family love the mushrooms here! The Chinese are not put off by poisonous mushrooms; they know how to prepare them so they are safe to eat.

Walking into one of the local organic farms
The garden

There are many vegetables all scrambled together. There is not necessarily any rhyme or reason to the planting.

White carrots!

The restaurant

She is preparing the vegetables we picked for our dinner

We played a little ping pong......
and sang a few songs!


Lexi and I have two very good friends who are mother and daughter; Linda and Zoe, who also happen to be our neighbors. They are so sweet and so fun to spend time with. Not long ago they took us hiking up into the West Mountains. It was beautiful and wonderful to be out in nature. One of my favorite things is hiking, but I don't get to much in China.
Many Chinese are very concerned about the quality of Chinese food. There have been several reports about the products such as oil, soya sauce etc, that have unthinkable ingredients to lower the cost of production. Fertilizer and other treatments are also in question. I have heard from several of my Chinese friends how distressed they are, and scared to eat! It gives you a whole new perspective on the food and drug administration.
One of Zoe's favorite things to do is to hike up into the mountains and pick her own food at local farms and villages who then cook it up for you right there! It is the Chinese "organic" experience. They feel it is much healthier and safer. Yet, the whole trip takes about 5 hours to get a meal!