I buy train tickets, then ride the tricycle to a village, a couple of miles north of Lijang. The thing has only one gear, but works well. It is tough to ride uphill, wind from the front, Yeon in the back, but also great fun. In the village, we can’t find anyone in need of a trike, and decide to wheel back into town.
Back in town, we donate our vehicle to a merchant who has come to sell berries with only a wreckages of a little bicycle. This gift will make her happy, we think, and as these things go, our own happiness is instantaneous when I hand over the keys to the merchant to the amazement – and amusement – of the bystanders.
The sleeper train between Lijang and Kunming is a new model and gives us a good night’s rest. Just before bording something funny happens. We have forgotten our snacks in the taxi and Yeon runs the reclaim the peanuts that are ours. She did, however, overlook the low iron chain separating parking lots and stumbled over it. Her tumble was so cartoon-like funny that she laughed for hours after the fact. I love her for that.
