Anning and Kunming- China

China is composed of a fair number of rural areas. It’s not all smog and pollution. If you travel to the right places, you’ll be rewarded with the clear countryside air, and a sense of serenity about the environment. I went to Anning (安宁市) a while ago with my family. It’s located in the Yunnan province (云南) which is far southwest in China. Past the busy city of Kunming, with its roads that stretch out as far as you can see, and nondescript, grim buildings, you’ll get to the main roads flanked by trees and fences. And you’ll see unusual things there. I saw a truck full of pigs. And another full of sheep.

Anning is known for its hot springs. The resort-esque hotel we stayed in had quite the selection of amenities, including a large spa, with natural hot springs. It was a beautiful place. Large and sprawling, made to resemble an area of nature, with the rooms arranged in small buildings scattered about. All interconnected with winding paths and bridges. It gave off a Thai vibe and an air of romance.

I went to walk around. It was wonderful.

Since they provided massage services there, we went to enjoy them, which means foot massages and facials.

I was awed when I walked into the room.

The facial felt okay. I can see how some people find it relaxing, since you’d be lying down with your eyes shut, while someone massages your face and spreads creams over it. Okay, maybe that doesn’t sound great. It wasn’t relaxing for me. Did you know that they don’t avoid your eyes? At least there they didn’t. They went over my eyelids with all the products, and when I opened them later, it burned a little. And why is it that your body randomly itches in some places when you can’t move? How inconvenient.

On the other hand, the foot massage was bliss. They also served some food after it. A small set of snacks.

 They served a porridge of grains, but I couldn’t identify what sort of grains. Rice, for sure. It was mildly salty. Although the flavour was mild, comprised of only grains and water, it was delicious. It was clean tasting and balanced. The saltiness made you want to eat more. We’ve been there a couple of times, so I’ve tried their other porridge variation, which was nearly the same but with beans. It was sweet instead of savoury. I preferred the sweet one. Inside the pot was some warm milk. On the small green plate, there’s a meat dumpling and a little purple sweet potato cake. The dumpling was okay. Nothing too special about it. But the cake… dense, velvety, sweet, but not too much. With notes of sweet potato.

We visited Kunming for a day. To be specific, a tea shop and a bakery. The bakery had some of the best baked goods I’ve ever eaten. The egg tarts they sold were phenomenal. Unfortunately, I don’t have a photo of the tarts.

Chinese is a very literal language.

It’s actually a Korean style beef toast. Close enough. I didn’t try it, though.

What an adorable name. It’s pretty accurate, since it’s a large loaf thing composed of little buns stuffed with cheese. So huge cheese. It’s soft, fluffy, savoury, and delicious.

We might be returning soon.