Kunming and the Kreep - Day 18Oct 5, 2009
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Our Hostel
When we arrived in Kunming (Yunnan province) we were surprised to feel fresh and clean. Normally on public transport we (mainly Claire) get bitten to death, this was not the case on the sleepers. Kunming is laid back and although a city, probably the most laid back city so far. During the Cultural Revolution many Chinese people got exiled to this province and then when they were told that they could go back to their homes, they decided to stay in Yunnan as they loved it so much. Soon everyone realized that it might be quite a nice place to visit.
We arrived at the hostel and were given a free coffee while we waited to be checked in. Three hours later we approached the reception to see if they had forgotten about us, which they had. The hostel overlooked the city and a temple from the roof terrace and was very pretty at day and night time.
After freshening up we ventured out into town to explore. Kunming is a small city and from our 2005 Rough Guides book it suggests that it appeals to backpackers and expats, the whole province attracts and contains mostly Chinese ethnic minorities. There are suppose to be lots of cool streets and areas to explore, but unfortunately most of these have been knocked down and shopping complexes have been built in their place. This was slightly disappointing as we expected to see something different, however it appears most of the cities are now becoming over developed and modern.
We had a bit of a fright in town. We were followed by a strange man. He had his shirt unbuttoned, wore scabby trousers and had manky, crusty feet. Because the Chinese are such lovely, friendly people, this guy stood out like a sore thumb. He held a piece of paper and wrote un-recognisable characters on it, he then pressed the paper up to his face to cover his mouth and nose. We made a plan to head into the department store to double check whether he was in fact following us and in hope that he might not be allowed in. Whenever we stopped in the store to look at items he stood next to either one of us. Even the shop assistants gave him a funny look. Although you are followed by people sometimes when they are trying to sell you stuff, they soon leave you alone when they realize you aren’t interested. We knew the situation was getting silly so we headed to the Community Police tent outside the store to seek help. The strange man followed us and stood next to us while we TRIED to explain to the CP that he had been following us round (we used hand signals, gestures, pointed to the man and made walking actions with our fingers). We sat behind the CP and waited for some action, the man then sat across the way on a bench still looking at us. We were pleased with their response, the real police were called. The police crowded the man then indicated us to go, we ran through the shopping area back to the hostel hoping he did not see where we went. Although we have been reassured that China is a safe place, we didn’t fancy taking our chances with this Kreep (freak). We couldn’t believe that he didn’t even disappear once we had taken him over to the police. Anyway, he didn't do anything to us but better safe than sorry.
We camped out in the hostel for a while and relaxed with a few beers. Not wanting the ordeal to ruin our day we went out for dinner, but felt aware of who was out and about. We still do believe that China is a safe place however, you always have to be that extra one step ahead.
