Happy New Year from Kunming, China!

So I made it to Kunming for the New Year and celebrated playing Mahjong(麻将) with Li Jia's family and watching Jin Fei Bao on television. Fei Bao was part of a New Year's program on Yunnan TV focusing on protecting the incredible biodiversity of Yunnan. It is amazing how fast everything here is changing - at the cost, sadly, of the environment. Old parts of the city are being torn down everywhere to make way for new sky rises and commercial plazas. Since I was here last year there are numerous new roads and buildings, including a tunnel going under Lake Dianchi and another Walmart. By this time next year they are also expected to have completed a new airport and much needed subway system!

Check out these photos taken only a few days apart. Notice anything missing? The incredible part is that there are 50 men with sledge hammers to one machine doing all the work.

Cycling Southeast Asia

Departing Kunming： Sunday, January 9th

We have been working hard preparing everything for our trip and the newspaper has been giving us press everyday. Our departure date is now set for Sunday, January 9th, with a total of eight team members. Here's a shot of my bike decked out with stickers and all my bags. It's a bit heavy but strong, so hopefully it'll last the trip.