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China   (5 Menghun) alt

 

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Countryside

Here is a typical Dai village in the middle of rice paddies near Mengzian on the flat bottomed valley between Jinghong and Menghun.

Ganlanba was interesting but it was almost exclusively Dai so I decided to spend a Saturday night in Menghun to see the various minorities in that flock in for the weekend market.


 

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Countryside

No, it is not a shrine, it's only a well built Dai water well.


 

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Mengxian

In most Dai villages, the beautiful wooden Dai houses that I love so much are being replaced by tile-faced brick houses, generally of the standard two-storied Chinese model. This new house has at least retained some of the typical Dai style!


 

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Mengxian

An American tourist I met complained that the new bathroom tiled Chinese style houses were a terrible eye sore ruining the beauty of the land but she did reluctantly agree that if she had to choose, she would prefer to live in a brick house with running water and modern toilet facilities than in one of the old drafty wooden houses.


 

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Menghun

Tractor taxis waiting for the crowd in front of the hotel where I stayed in Menghun. I paid only 13 Yuan (1.60US$) for a large clean room.


 

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Menghun

The wine and spirits shop next door was ready for business...


 

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Menghun

A little ways up the street, some  Dai ladies were bagging rice paddy on the Menghun rice drying platform.


 

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Menghun market

These two friendly  Dai ladies had fruit stands in front of my hotel. They did not understand a word of English but we somehow managed to communicate and they were most helpful in identifying the various nationalities of the people I discretely pointed to. I was also helped in this manner by a gentleman selling crispy fried pork rinds in the market who could speak a little English.

I hope that I understood their indications correctly and did not make too many mistakes in what follows on this page and the next.


 

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Menghun
market

 

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Three young  Dai novices resting.

 

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Dai monk shopping with with friend.

 


 

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Menghun
market

 

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Two  Dai girls.

 

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Two more  Dai girls.

 


 

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Menghun
market

 

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And another two  Dai girls.

 

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These  Dai girls are obviously not shopping.

 


 

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Menghun
market

 

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I think these  Dai girls are showing off their fine clothes and figure.

 

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And so are these two  Dai girls.

 


 

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Menghun
market

 

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These two  Dai sisters dressed the same for the mating parade.

 

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Maybe these  Dai girls were just out for a stroll!

 


 

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