Xishuangbanna - Tropical Yunnan Province

As a tour operator to China, I have some clients who can only get away for a Tour to China in the winter months or cooler months of the year. For those people I try to send them to southern China or in warmer areas. Xishuangbanna area and the city of Jinghong in the south just north of Viet Nam, Laos and Burma is one of those special areas. Wild elephants, fantastic tropical parks, rubber, pineapple, banana and other tropical fruit plantations abound in this area. Also over 26 minority nationalities are in Yunnan province with their different cultures, clothes and traditional ways. One culture, the Hani people, the woman do all the work and the man retires once they marry. My wife thinks that is a bad idea of course. Xishuangbanna is the area surrounded by jungle but has an airport to fly into from Kunming. The locals call their area "Banana" for short. The tractor shown above is the local transportation for the farmers bringing their produce to the many wonderful markets scattered through out the countryside. My guide shown above calls those tractors a "Banana Benz" A take off on the Mercedes Benz of course. A local joke! Few western tourists come here but it is a wonderful escape from the colder areas of China in the winter as well as so many western tourists. For more information on Tours to China check out web site at www.interlakechinatours.com