Wengding village is located in Cangyuan Wa Autonomous Region in Yunnan, Chinna. It's a "primitive folk custom zone", where there remains a community that maintains it's traditional cultural lifestyle.  When I first arrived, after a two hour taxi ride and after buying a ticket for around 50kuai, we drove into a long driveway lined with ox heads on sticks or tied around the trees. We arrived at the gate and there were people at the gate playing drums to welcome us to the village. They were dressed in traditional clothes. I was lucky enough to simply sit back and enjoy some tea while the villagers were playing cards. While sitting there in the shop having tea, I people watched. There were several elders walking around in their traditional clothing. There were younger women arriving to do some weaving. A few people approached me to have tea and ask me some questions. After I had enough tea I began to venture into the main museum area, and luckily a 6 year old girl arrived to show me around. She played the drums for me and showed me pictures of her family that were in the museum. She was so friendly and sweet. Then we went into their main lodge and this little girl got dressed up and showed me around. Her grandfather arrived and we began chatting and having tea in the lodge. I wanted him to tell me a story, because I hear the Wa have incredible stories. At first he told me my Chinese wasn't good enough and I couldn't understand, which was true... so I told him I could make a video of it instead, and he said to come back another time when he had more energy... but I was leaving, so there probably wouldn't be another chance.There was a lot of magic to him,  his smoking, and the lodge. I have no idea what kind of ceremonies they hold in the lodge, or what kind of ceremonies may hold this community together. I asked him if he was the leader, and he said he was too old for that.

After chatting and shooting photos of him for a while, a few others arrived. Apparently, a little girl was making a music video. She was completely dressed up and dancing and singing... so I started following them around a bit. I wandered around the village and tried to find people who lived there. I wandered through the forest, through their water fountain area, through the trees with ox heads tied on them, and through the rows and rows of thatched houses. At the end of the day I found their main totem area, with a large white totem that was the same as the other areas of Cangyuan county I had seen. These types of altars the Wa people make offerings to, and sing and dance around.

They are mostly subsistence farmers in Menglai. We were visiting 6 or 7 villages where the wells that were installed by the county to place a paper sign on the well. Their second reason was to take photos of people using the water taps, and of the water canals. It was a bonus for me because I got a lot of really incredible experience. There were many women weaving traditional bags or clothes. The people life such simple lives, many times off the grid. The landscape was transformed into these mountain farms by their dedication.

At a small restaurant after a long day on the lake. The walls are made of rattan and the lamps are handmade paper. Most of the chairs and tables are wood. It's touching that they build their houses and make so many practical things. 

The day on the lake felt like a shopping excursion. First I bought 3 ilk longies. Then we went to the market and I photographed the traditional people. We went to a silversmith who was selling $330 star sapphire earrings.Then we went to a cigar shop, later long necked Thai women, weavers in an umbrella shop. We made it to an impressive pagoda. It was totally dilapidated in parts. Other parts were fully restored. Part of the restoration was still in progress and they were using concrete to do some of the styling features. I had a great day simply taking photos. We ride in a long boat. Most of the other boats were 4 or 5 people, but I had one all to myself. It kind of bobbed up and down in the water. The lake was angelic and blue in the morning sky and the water had the same hue. I'm having a romantic time by yourself. The sunset over the lake was equally as incredible. I went back and had fried rice and vegetable with a strawberry lassi and tea for dinner. I fell asleep in my quiet hotel and woke up around 5am with the monks chanting next door. I booked a trek yesterday that should be a nice Valentines Day treat. We hiked all day long, beginning with a boat ride. At the docks many women were coming home from the monastery with their offering baskets. It's a donation festival to the Buddha. I took many photos of women carrying their offering plates. The monastary was sweet, and I gave offering and respect to the Buddha. I had tea with one female monk and 3 Pa-O women who were eating sticky rice with caukry sugar. We continued on our trek uphill for another 2 hours and arrived at another Pa-O families house. I I took photos of the people and interesting plants. Then we arrived to the tour guides aunts house. We watched the sunset together and then went to the small monastery in the village for the festival. They started 7 fires around the monastery, one for each day of the week. They lit candles around the monastary. The girls were reciting in the temple. 

The next morning we ate a big breakfast and hiked for 5 hours to a village where we had tea with one woman who was given a $10 bill by some travelers. She was really happy and had never had American money before. We saw many villagers, and then reached a cave temple where one monk had stayed there for one year and became an arhat. What a powerful place to do meditation. It was so dark in the cave. I would have love to stay and do retreat there. I think I'll try to find more cave temples for meditation retreat. 

I arrived in Nyuang Nu  airport greeted by the $15 archeological fee. I instantly feel like this place is a dead tourist trap. I wished I had stayed in Yangon or Golden Rock and am filled disappointment, which is not the way to feel when you arrive to see Bagan, don't be fooled by this fee. I tell the driver of the taxi I want a good hotel, abd he takes me to a lower end hotel in a dusty part of town. I was thinking this would be a good hotel so I check in. I later come to find out there are more romantic and beautiful areas of Nyuang Nu, Bagan, or even Old Bagan  to stay with no traffic noise and less dust. After checking in, I walked around Nyuang Nu for a few hours, had a nice vegetarian dinner. I went into a really dusty jewelry store with no good finds. I got a traditional Myanmar massage, which ended up being some untrained person simply kneeding my legs with her bony hands. Nevertheless, after climbing around on Golden Rock I was completely exhausted, and my legs were so sore I could barely walk.

The next day, I woke up and had breakfast. I started my adventure on electric bicycle around Bagan, and circled the main loop. I was having an absolutely boring time due to exhaustion from the previous trek to Golden Rock, and I had just finished a 11 day detox cleanse where I basically hadn't eaten any solid foods for 7 days. So my energy wasn't high.  I'm so tired I just want to regenerate, but I don't want to miss the time here either. I want to go deeply into Bagan because it's so well preserved, but the magic also seems to be sold to tourists and I'm not impressed. I feel like waiting for sunset to get photos, or needing a tour guide to take me to the best places. My dream was to explore and get lost, wandering from temple to temple.  I felt overwhelmed and not knowing where to go. I had to just go slow. I had time if I want it. The e-bike was totally uncomfortable. I need rest and meditation but I'm drinking a latte. After riding around for several hours I became impressed. I pressed some gold leaf on the hearts of the buddha's in the Ananda temple. I rode around marveling at the brick temple construction. I walked through halls and halls of Buddhist temple art. I squeezed through cooridors and felt the nail polish of fingernails bigger than my head. I asked the locals which temples were the most beautiful and followed the map. The insides of the temples were even more beautiful than I had imagined.

I headed to MahaBodhi temple, and then to a small village and some of the more off the beaten path temples. It finally happened that I got lost wandering through the temples. I rode the e-bike through sand trails, fell over a few times, and discovered abandoned temples. Finally, I was lost in the dry zone of Myanmar exploring the temples of Bagan . I was completely childish driving on roads recklessly and falling over. I went to one temple for sunset. I stayed until no one was left and enjoyed the solitude. I headed back alone in the dark and passed a lake. The dusty sandy roads were mostly all mine, amist the creosote, acacias and cacti it's free alone... I went to a village and bought a few of the gongs that they're selling. I was also attracted to the star sapphires and star rubies that they have for sale, although I'm afraid they're all fakes.