Arrived in Dali today around 330pm. Minibus from Lijiang. Only three hour journey through miles and miles of rice paddy fields. I have never seen so many farmers toiling in the fields before. These small paddocks take huge amounts of preparations, even prior to the backbreaking planting of the little bright green shoots in perfectly spaced rows. I saw it all from the bus, from start to finish - there is an unbelievable amount of work for plain old rice. And to think, this all goes on all over the third world to feed billions of mouths - hungry ones plenty of the time. My skin is now yellowy - not had much sun lately - my breath, I've noticed at times, is a bit dragony, my odour is not at all western like that off milk smell people outside of Europe complain of. It is, I think, becoming a Chinesey food smell. So much Chinese food; spicy, ricey, and chilli. As I travel south and west on the buses and trains I'm aware of stronger scents and I do believe that I too have that very same whiff. I carry dried green tea, I have my own tea flask - kinda like a personal stereo - take it on the train - fill up with the boiled water available in each and every carriage, a source of pleasure, a point of discussion, makes the journey more pleasant, and eases the boredom in the dull moments. My worry is, is all this green tea drinking, which I have suddenly grown accustomed too, and even absurdly addicted too, is causing the so-called in China, dragon breath.