1km down the road from our hotel in Jinghong is Manting Gongyuan. We didn't have high hopes but it turned out that this is a fantastic place to visit. Much quieter than other 'theme parks' in the area, the paths are surrounded by dense tropical plants and birdsong. We stumbled upon a Buddhist temple which took us completely by surprise. Isaac loved whacking the giant drums. Whilst enjoying the scenery we bumped into a chatty elderly chinese gentleman ...

Visited the tropical plant garden here in Jinghong. Absolutely beautiful. A wonderful array of plants all in full bloom for the spring. We've managed to barter down some super decorations for the yurt. Souvenirs are no where near as cheap as they used to be but still gorgeous. Bill's happy as we managed to get takeaway rice and a choice of dishes for 6rmb each. You just pick what you like the look of. Unfortunately it's quite difficult to spot pig int...

On Easter Day we flew from Kunming to Jinghong. It was Bill's Dad's first time on a plane. he is travelling with us (and slowly driving me insane despite never speaking a word to me!) Jinghong (the region capital) is charming. I love it! Here I can still find all the things I love about China:BBQ (shao kao) stalls everywhere all night long.Beer for 30pMilk tea (nai cha) stallsAvailable taxisBig squares for dancing and gathering at nightFruit sellersTraffi...

Note to self: if chinese people fussing over your baby and telling you are doing everything wrong are driving you crazy, do not confine yourself in a train carriage with them for 18hrs! Isaac had a great time whereas I wanted to throw everybody out of the window! Funnily nobody told us Isaac wasn't wearing enough despite the effective air conditioning that made it significantly colder than anywhere else we'd been! This time, we were just terrible parents ...

Isaac celebrated his 6 month birthday visiting his Daddy's village for the first time. It is such a breathtakingly beautiful place. I always feel really privileged to have had the opportunity to experience such a place. In the spring, the lush bamboo and pine forests are scattered with flowers making it even more stunning looking across the rice paddies. Bill's Grandparents' house has changed quite a bit since I last saw it. The road is now finished a...