like coffee grounds when it’s done I mean just look at these beautiful leaves they speak for themselves and this place has been a pit stop for traveling teas and merchants for over 1000 years and it’s not too hard to imagine what life must have been like back in the day I mean it feels like an ancient city when you’re here but now it’s a UNESCO World Heritage site and a bustling tourist destination and once you get beyond all of the shops around the main Square and start exploring some of these Old Streets you find some real gems there was a very small but very beautiful Naxi Art museum here in the city and some of the artists take their traditional Naxi art skills and add their modern twist which I love to see we’ve also met some lovely people like one of Lijiang’s last living grandmas 89 years old I believe she was one of six and she’s down to two left and four out of her five siblings were Japanese we’ve really gotten to know some of the community here it’s been a wonderful and inspiring place to be and we haven’t even begun to scratch the surface yet there’s so much more to see and do here so will definitely be back soon we’re understanding how life flows from that natural spring to the canal to the cin and how it Endlessly cycles giving life to the people in the area and we left feeling so inspired with so much history and culture under our belts that we’ve had our imaginations filled with daydreams for weeks it’s just been a strong reminder of how much we have left to explore in China and how much of this vast country we’ve yet to traverse no two minutes are the same here and it just has my mind reeling at what’s next Wonders what’s next (available in the video as a voiceover)
The video “AMERICANS IN CHINA (not what we expectedš¤Æ)” takes viewers on a captivating journey through Lijiang, an ancient town in the Yunnan province of China. The video features a modern-day documentarian couple, Jason and Nikki Wynn, as they explore the stunning natural and cultural landscape of Lijiang.
The video showcases the couple’s various experiences, including their adventures in hiking Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, exploring the coffee culture in Yunnan, and learning about the tea heritage and traditional art of the Naxi people. The couple also shares encounters with locals, such as meeting one of Lijiang’s last living grandmas and interacting with the friendly pets that are common in the city.
Throughout the video, the Wynns express their awe and fascination with Lijiang, emphasizing the beauty and history of the ancient city. They highlight the crystal-clear water that flows through the city, the breathtaking views from the mountain peaks, and the vibrant culture that permeates the streets.
Their exploration of Lijiang serves as a reminder of the couple’s curiosity and their passion for embracing the unknown. As they immerse themselves in the rich history and unique experiences of the city, they express their desire to continue discovering more of the wonders that China has to offer.
The video encapsulates the breathtaking beauty and cultural richness of Lijiang, leaving viewers with a sense of wonder and inspiration for their own future travels. It provides a captivating glimpse into the unexpected and awe-inspiring experiences that can be found when stepping outside of one’s comfort zone and cultivating curiosity.
Watch the video by Gone with the Wynns
Have you ever been somewhere so aesthetically Exquisite that it doesn’t seem real almost like a waking Dream well my friends this is one of those places and I would have pinched myself black and blue had it not been for the brutally Frozen wind whipping at my cheeks and
The dizzying heights reminding me this is very real welcome back to the unan province of China the last time we left you we boarded our first bullet train for a CrossCountry Adventure like we have never embarked on before and that’s because well normally our preferred mode
Of travel is by sailboat for those of you who have been around for a while then you know that we are building a boat here in China and it is almost ready but we had just a teeny bit more time and we thought we can’t be here and
Not go explore some of this mysterious country to us and hindsight being 2020 my only disappointment is not getting here sooner because this is the Glorious ancient town of Liang and Nomads have been coming here for a thousand years because it’s part of the ancient teahorse Road there are other entrances
To the city but this is the main entrance because of these water wheels and the intricate Canal system that it feeds that runs all through and is like the life force of this ancient city and what a life force it is this might be the most beautiful city I have ever
Been in it is stunningly breathtaking down every little cobblestone street and every little back way there’s just there is no ugly side to the city I don’t think I haven’t been able to find it yet and then of course all this lovely water feeding through this city comes from an
Equally beautiful pond called black Dragon Coffee Culture here in Yan is everywhere because most of the coffee beans that are grown in China are grown right here and this is a typica from the region and on the bag it has all the roasting information you want to know which is super awesome for us coffee
Nerds because you know the elevation you know the farmer you know the roast you know everything so we are here in yunan enjoying a Yan tipa and it’s delicious and the presentation it’s like everything you ever want out of a specialty coffee bar everything they do
Is n yeah and the Ambiance just can’t complain about all right sit down and enjoy this with me the water that runs to this ancient city is Crystal Clear it’s cool it’s so fresh and that’s because it comes from a glacier which you can hike to and we’re
All going to go there right now sun is starting to come I know we might get really lucky today I was worried it was going to be all shrouded and clouds we wouldn’t be able to see anything but so now we’re down at the base it was a 45
Minute ride to get here and uh yeah we’ll see what the day holds [Laughter] we are in the clouds We are we’re above the clouds it is beautiful it is just stunning and very cold very cold like instant frostbite if you are not properly dressed up here I don’t know what the temperature is I’ll figure it out and put it on the screen but it’s cold we’re at
4,056 M right now and we’re going to hike up to about 4,000 no no 5,000 no 4 ,600 something 5,000 is the Peak yay I don’t know how his fingers worked I have no idea he’s acclimated clearly wow very impressive quick time time lapse see what that looks like it’s a little shaky but the magnetic base comes in handy with all the rails how are your fingertip fingers are instantly chilly even though I’m wearing
Gloves beautiful though don’t look left Had to put away the expensive camera for Sure you can feel the uh the altitude you definitely feel restricted and breathing and everything just feels like I’ve been running and I have not been running oh they give you the uh oxygen cuz they’re so concerned about people having problems and even as we were coming up
There was a guy coming down not looking good so definitely take it serious going from zero over 4,000 m is quite a Change Getting up There last stret we made it Woo so we made it to the top of J Dragon snow mountain and this is the glacier behind me that funnels down into the black dragon pond with that beautiful Vista and from there it’s controlled through locks that then goes down into the city so that Old Town all the
Streams and all the waterways come from this Glacier in snow melt it’s absolutely beautiful up here and that’s why all the water down there so Crystal Clear and so beautiful it’s just beautiful should I say it one more time say one more time Beautiful I’d like to snuggle that so bad he’s got like a bow in his hair right here and then a little necklace with pearls on it a well-loved Angora oh my goodness they just love animals like they are so many pets all throughout this city all everywhere we go always
Dogs and cats and if there are cats out on the street like you see people feeding them all the time like they just love animals as much as we do you know just consistent all the time so busy very Busy For in The this place is probably most famously known for its tea they grow black tea they grow green tea and they even grow a red tea That’s then fermented and looks like black tea exactly and that’s definitely what they’re most famous for and it’s called puer tea tea in general
Is everywhere the culture is alive and it’s in everything they have every flavor of tea in an ice cream form or of course tea wine this is a p tea tree these are local mushrooms cooked with puer tea and served with pieces of fried puer tea
Leaves it’s so good this is wine made from tea specifically osan’s tea if I’m saying that right kind of like a Lor like a dessert Lor cuz they’re very sweet tasty apparently they use tea to make art as well very good Jasmine green tea yeah want to bite and that’s really
Why this town exists because of tea Once Upon a Time tea was more valuable than porcelain or silk and pack animals and tea Porters traversed thousands of miles across the harshest trails in Asia because Tibet wanted tea and China desperately needed horses and so the teahorse road and this town were
Born people would carry anywhere from 150 to 300 lb of tea on their backs because naturally the more you carried the more you were paid and in 1074 130 lb of tea would buy a horse so Le J Young and the tea Horse Road were a vital thoroughfare of commercial and
Cultural trade between China and Tibet for centuries I have spent hours walking around this city and I could spend another week doing that just because every street is so intriguing and every little Corridor and every little turn I mean it’s just like a maze of these cobblestone streets
And these wooden structures that are just they call you in I mean like a siren song every tea shop so beautiful oh my look at that tea setup don’t you want to have tea there every little Woodworking Shop which brings me to the point of they are known for more than
Just coffee and tea because there are Woodworkers and leathermen and else artist he’s like making carving oh he’s carving a piece of water right there holy C okay we’ll Start well I got distracted by Something Beautiful which is all of the Artistry that is in this tea shop and we’ve been learning all about it thanks to a couple of Chinese people here who speak very good English because they used to live in Michigan and been helping us out with
The translations but we’ve been learning all about how these teacups here you see that there’s a metal base here that then is hand painted so all these each one is unique and it’s actually a metal inside of it from fuan which is where our boat is being manufactured so it ties back to
Our vessel our home and this is going to go with us well not this one specifically she she wrapping up the ones that we’ve just purchased but very cool because he said there’s three unique types of metal that are only in the foodon province and that is what
Creates the look so it’s a very special process it’s all hand done so it is very much a a work of art a little tiny something that you can use every day I love it I’m so excited like a little symbiotic that will live with us forever
So those those are the kind of things we rarely purchase but when we do it’s like oh that’s just perfect it’s a perfect fit it’s kind of like a practical thing as well when you live on a boat that’s the only thing I feel like I can justify
Buying sh thank you very much bye-bye nice to meet you when we decided to come on this journey we knew that we were going to the unon province and that we were going to end up in an ancient city and get to see something really cool but
What we had no idea is that we would be walking into a whole new culture and that is the Nazi people and that is who started this [Applause] City one thing that really blows my mind though is the Nazi people have their own language and their own writing and they are the only people in the world who still use hieroglyphs and it is called the dongba Script we met this wonderful lady today at lunch and she stopped us and said hello in English her English was perfect she go I am n and introduced herself we told her that we went to Tiger leaping Gorge and she was like that’s my home well that’s that’s where my people
Originated from we were like oh wow that’s so cool yeah so it turns out that they’re from this amazingly beautiful Park well it’s a park now called tiger leaping Gorge can’t waste any time we don’t have any time put the camera away I got to I got to hurry up get down to the gorge Take My Photo and get back to the buso it is a beautiful day just cold enough down here
And warm as heck up top in the Sun and now we’re hiking through like this deserty scrub it is totally unique but it kind of feels like Arizona is you know in the mountains it is beautiful well you’re now entering kind of the more foresty regions just getting more
Green and leafy as to where up top it was all all the leaves were gone so maybe it’ll just get greener and greener as we get towards the bottom that would be nice I can imagine in spring or in summer that this would just be unbelievably
Gorgeous this is just not the kind of place you want to try to do in a day this this is something I would like to spend at least a week here at least to do it remotely Justice it’s uh bit painful just want to sit down and cry
Cuz you don’t have enough time to take it all in but it’s only because we have so many other fabulous things on the horizon that we just can’t stay so first world problems I gotta but man this kind of Grand Canyon meets like The Gorge in Washington meets I don’t even know what
Else very cool so you think we’ve reached the ladder huh I think I think this is the ladder and I’m not going to lie it looks a little sketchy not as Grand as I pictured no they said ladder and I was thinking like ladder like the North Carolina ones we did yeah
But oh with the m ver ladder that is something wow I really should have learned Chinese for um you are here which one is your here so we’re here down down coffe coffe uh the uh ladder so they give you a choice you can go up the ladder she says 40 m or you can take the path if
You don’t like the look at the ladder so we paid 15 for the first part and we could just go back and we wouldn’t pay anything else but if you want to continue this part they maintain this portion of the trail so basically what you’re doing is you’re paying the locals
Their fee for their portion of the trail and it’s 15 is very inexpensive it’s no big deal and so it’s nice CU you feel like you’re actually supporting the locals who made the trail I’m all right with that even here in the middle of the national park you pay by we
Chat on we go that is a powerful one those turn so we just scored lunch got a couple of uh roasted sweet potatoes it’s perfect and they’re still hot that’s great caramelly fantastic man it’s so sweet it’s so Sticky we are starting to check back up we only got an hour CU we get to the very tippy top so I put the camera away and hustle yeah woo I run Run Bye-bye bye-bye byebye almost there right we’re halfway no we are from where we were down at the very bottom strip down sunglasses and take a lay off time it is going to be toasty okay yeah baby all right I’m not going to lie living mostly at a sea level I’m feeling it uh-huh
Uh-huh uh-huh we are at the ladder and this is the kind of ladder that I was hoping for slightly scary definitely tall okay here we go what a day what a day what a life zero complaints this is good it’s pretty crazy that was legit scary thrilling not scary yeah really same
Thing yeah that was good yeah I like that that was a rush worth the tenue on oh my gosh I can’t i’ do it all over again if I had the time the son no throwing there’s someone down there it’s very practical advice especially when you’re the uh
Someone down there yeah that was awesome Hello it’s beautiful hi hi three two looks Young It’s The End woo woohoo made it we made it we do a celebration dance but we literally have 5 minutes to get to the bus so just a woohoo yeah yeah uh-huh yeah yeah Okay You look Beautiful it’s nuts cuz he’s just freehanding like there’s no template he’s just chipping away going to come one of These looks like a cotton ball oh my gosh I’m pretty sure the cat is like this big and the fur is this much oh that one’s interesting I see what that one is um yeah so we got sucked in by the cat and now we’re tasting all the wines we’ve already for
Sure gone for one of the ker cuz it was so good it’s just so I don’t know how to describe that tea but it is very kind of nutty and caramelly so look even Ted lasso would like porch true right so true I always figured that tea was just
Going to taste like hot brown water and you know what I was right yeah it’s horrible this one it’s a they’re all made here in L Jang but he’s saying that there’s a couple that are kind of like their signatures obviously the Pu is and then which which
One oh purple rice one that’s not what I thought that was it tastes fruity I don’t know they all taste fruity the nice thing is these are pretty low alcohol they’re like 7% for most of these so it’s more just a fun that’s like a beverage it the end of
The evening it’s a treat it’s like dessert here comes the trash [Applause] Man is It I don’t know what this place is called but we’ve been calling this old man coffee shop because every time we pass by we’re like oh that guy looks like he’s got the best coffee and he just looks cool in the shop with all of his little Machinery anyway Jason’s been
Dying to come here a see now I feel like I’m cheating you getting the first taste okay so he let me smell this one and it smells was like earthy and dark and roasty and then I was like oh no no no and then I tasted it and it’s like chocolate
In a glass it’s like not chocolate milk but like almost like a chocolate yeah like and I asked him if it’s flavor and he said no no no it’s natural of course it is it doesn’t look flavored it doesn’t smell flavored but wow it’s really good deeply baked nuts fruity Aroma
Yeah yeah 180 on for 350 G yeah of course Yan and Beans we told them we’re like CH cuz that means vegetarian he Food Vegetarian yes Food Vegetarian so now we are getting some tofu it’s all so good it’s 12 I can smell in that spice that he has it’s got that s F pepper in it which
Means it’s going to give you that slight numbing effect yummy yummy o that is piping hot I’m going to wait a Second I think I may be in trouble yeah it’s all so beautiful and they’re like in here stitching and working away and you just I don’t know know I’m a sucker for handmade anything I like handcrafted things small batch I like watching them work and I also don’t own a handbag
Anymore so what do you think everybody vote quick yeah oh I think I saw all them it’s like cocktail but they’re coming from the ceiling every street is just so stinking cool I love it I want to look at everything I want to watch everybody work what you think beautiful
Yes the same as the the one she’s leaving right now this one has the dung bu script on it yes y takes her two full days to make each one of these and she is like the last grandma left in the village cuz she’s actually
Nasi so she grew up here she’s been here since she was a little girl I almost forgot when I first started to try to talk to her using my translator it didn’t work because she spoke NY and so it was just giberish coming through my app so she had to call
Her granddaughter over and she was the one speaking Chinese into her translator anyway communication but we still made it work it was very cool but yeah totally different language she didn’t speak Chinese I feel like this place completely comes alive at night it’s like a totally different place equally as beautiful
Equally as interesting but completely different the vibe is different the scenery looks totally different all the lighting all the water all the people oh my gosh it’s like a whole different world around here and then of course the shopping that we’ve been doing I don’t think we’ve shopped this much in years
No it’s normally just a chore to shop and now it’s like you look left you look right and you’re like I want to go there I want to go there I want to buy that so beautiful and we’re going to get this we’re going get that right
Okay so we’ve gotten way more from this trip than we ever expected we got our nature we had some Solitude hiking all alone in the middle of the beautiful Gorge we’ve gotten a little bit of culture we’ve learned about something completely new loved that we have gotten
Scenery I don’t know I feel like we’ve kind of hit it on all fronts on this one so Yan has not disappointed disappointed no not at all oh in this little town look I get it it’s touristy they said the moment it became a UNESCO world heritage site it like boomed so that’s
Been what 18 years something yeah anyway good and bad but it’s still the buildings the streets a lot of it is still the same still a lot of Nazi people here that you get to meet and interact with and it’s just so unique yeah so unique yeah so some things are
Touristy for a reason and I feel like this is is one of those things so if you find yourself in China it’s totally worth it if you just happen to find yourself here and it’s oh God it’s such a wonderful place it’ll changes perspective on everything
Yeah yeah and I think we’ll leave you on that so uh next is we’re hopping on a plane and we’re going to Hong Kong to buy boat parts cuz we can’t get the certain boat parts in China Noe there are downsides there are so we’ll be
There and then uh and then we’re moving aard oh yeah that’s it it’s time people it’s happening so this was the last two raw before I big hurah the big hurah okay thanks so much for watching thanks for the support thanks for being here guys yeah and we will see you next week
Bye bye
Video “AMERICANS IN CHINA (not what we expectedš¤Æ)” was uploaded on 01/14/2024. Watch all the latest Videos by Gone with the Wynns on Gretopia