Escape

Wednesday, October 12: Day X of “3 day” lockdown—Escape from Xishuangbanaa ESCAPE from the inside—accomplished! We have finally departed. It was 13:34.We first arrived in the neighborhood which would become our prison ( of sorts) around 20:00 on Sunday, October 2nd. We awakened the morning of October 3rd to find out our downtown Jinghong neighborhood…

Lockdown Day VII: Wandering Again Within Razor Wire Perimeter

Sunday, October 09–Day 7 of a “3 day” lockdown The doors have opened! We are freed! (Kind of) Transportation passes good for 48 hours are being distributed out front. Private cars began exiting this morning. But the grocery below is locked up. The fruit store would not allow me to buy. Virtually every business besides…

Padlocked Inside

Friday, October 07: Lockdown Inside Quarantine Zone Reaches More Horrific Point Beyond Anger. Breathing Fire It’s like they’re spitting in our faces, saying, “We don’t care if you die, so long as we save our jobs.” Look what we woke up to: Yes. Those are indeed padlocks on the entry-exit doors. Yes, we are indeed…

Walls Are Closing In

Thursday, Oct 06 —Lockdown inside quarantine zone Day IV Walls closing in now. It’s a true race against time. Soldiers are now sealing off every business Every single one, we believe. Government will provide meals but for a vegan it will be crap. White rice and one oily vegetable, more than likely. Preparing for the…

My Own Private Teahouse

Thursday, October 06–“3 Day” Lockdown Day IV, Xishuangbanaa, Yunnan, China Appreciate every moment. Who knows when your new lockdown neighbors will hand over the keys to their Pu’er teahouse? Now, I’m on the inside, drinking delectable “shen” Pu’er tea to my heart’s content.

Lockdown, Day III

Yes. It’s happened again Sunday night-Monday morning, October 02-03, 2022, Yunnan province, China—215 miles to the Laos border: Like so many experiences in China, it began as another exciting, culturally shocking, yet subdued night, before morphing as we slept into a wholly unexpected, startling phenomenon. Thrilled as I was to see the Cambodian (or Dai)…