Xishuangbanna, Yunnan 云南省，西双版纳
A cheap airline ticket led to an impulse buy, commonly referred to as "pulling a Griff," and I wound up in a beautiful tropical region just north of the China-Burma-Laos border. I stayed about four days and proceeded to meet amazing people, hang out at one of the best night markets, and lose my phone.
I spent two days exploring, napping in, and moseying around this fantastic garden 热带花卉园, just west of the town center in Jinghong 景洪. After the winter chills of Shangri-la and Deqin, Xishuangbanna provided a warm and comfortable climate.
Paul shots!
A free afternoon led me into the forest. I followed an abandoned path for about an hour and could hear nothing but birds, a small stream and the leaves of trees rustling in the breeze.
I spent about twenty minutes with this bird. I think I was in its habitat, or domain, as it was trying to mate. I hope I didn't bother it.
I found this spider, and in an effort to take a photo, I fell off a cliff. I leaned out, banking that I could grab a nearby tree, but the tree had rotted so it collapsed as soon as I grabbed it. Then I climbed back up and took a photo. Great story huh.
Xishuangbanna was great for a multitude of reasons, but I recall it was here where it hit me that I could actually speak Chinese. I was with two other travelers at one point and we got in a tight spot. My companions relied on me to communicate and get us out which, fortunately, I was able to.
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