After that breakfast I was so enthusiastic about, we set off to scope out a bit more of our new surroundings.

We started with no particular goal except finding a supermarket. But we soon realized we were near Green Lake Park, and that became the objective. (The supermarket remained elusive...)

Many centuries ago, Green Lake was part of Dianchi Lake, the huge body of water that sits to the west of Kunming. As water levels dropped, however, it became a lake in its own right, and since the Ming Dynasty, local governors have been beautifying it with pavilions and gardens. Now it's a wonderfully convoluted and eye-catching arrangement of peninsulas, islands, and sub-lakes, which house all manner of ornamental buildings.

China's parks are always lovely. They're well cared for, and they're always full of people enjoying themselves.

Here in Green Lake Park, you can sit, walk, jog, sing, do tai chi, or position yourself in a weird plastic cylinder, and attempt to move it round the lake -- and no-one will bat an eyelid.

Here's some of what we saw:
















We walked home via a couple of monuments to glories past, and some interesting buildings, and felt it had been a morning well spent.





Impressions so far: Excellent.