I woke up at about 7 AM. After that, I went downstairs to the lobby and started writing updates for this blog. I had a lot to catch up on because I had been very sick over the past few days.
It took a while to finish writing, and during that time, I also decided that my next destination would be Kunming.
The other day, I asked ChatGPT where I should go after Beijing, and it suggested Kunming because of its nature, famous hot springs, local food, and the possibility of finding a judo dojo there.
I have not practiced judo since training in Mongolia, so the idea sounded perfect to me.
After researching Kunming, I realized that not only did it match my interests, but the location was also ideal. Since the city is far south of Beijing, it would make traveling to Vietnam much easier afterward. According to several websites, it only takes about 4–5 hours to get from Kunming to Vietnam by train.
That is why I decided to buy a direct ticket from Beijing to Kunming.
There were many train options. Some took more than 30 hours, but after my terrible long-distance train experience in Mongolia, I decided to pay extra for a faster direct train that would take only about 10 hours.
Although the ticket was expensive — around $150 — I thought it was worth it considering the distance between Beijing and Kunming.
After finishing all of that, I went to the gym and trained legs. However, after doing Bulgarian split squats, I suddenly felt terrible. It became difficult to breathe and even walk properly, so I stopped training immediately.
I am not sure why it happened because I had never experienced that feeling before.
After resting for a while, I felt better, so I headed to the hot spring I wanted to visit.
I took a taxi there, but the first driver dropped me off at the wrong location, so I had to take another taxi.
When I finally arrived, the place was completely different from what I had expected.
I had heard that the hot spring had become more like a resort, but the place I arrived at was extremely local and very old. At first, I was not even sure if I had come to the correct place.
There were many small local restaurants nearby, so I entered a random one that looked good.
Inside, there were two young women and an older couple. It seemed like they had just finished serving the lunch crowd and were eating their own meal after the shift.
One of the young women, who looked to be in her late 20s or early 30s, took my order.
Using Google Translate, I said, “I would like to have the most popular dish here.”
She understood and immediately started cooking.
Only a few minutes later, my food arrived.
It was a soup called Luzhu Huoshao, filled with pork intestines, lungs, tofu, and pieces of wheat bread soaked in broth. It also had a strong garlic flavor.
It was delicious.
The meal only cost about $5.
I paid using Alipay, which I have finally gotten used to using, and then left the restaurant.
There were only two other customers inside, both of whom looked to be in their 40s. I think it was simply because I had come after lunchtime.
After that, I entered the hot spring facility.
The moment I walked in, I immediately realized again that this was definitely not a resort.
At the front desk, there were two elderly women who looked over 60 years old, and nearby sat a man on an old chair staring at me like I was a complete stranger.
Using Google Translate once again, I asked, “I would like to take a bath here. How much is it?”
It took a little time for one of the women to understand how the translation app worked, but eventually I understood that the entrance fee was 35 yuan (about $5), and I would get 10 yuan back after returning the locker wristband key.
I walked through an old hallway and finally reached the bath area.
It was packed with elderly men, most of whom looked over 60 years old.
As soon as I entered, everyone stared at me as if they were thinking, “Who is this guy?”
It was honestly very uncomfortable, so I quickly got undressed and entered the bath.
There were two tubs: one square and one circular.
Again, I felt like a complete outsider. Almost everyone continued staring at me.
I stayed there for about 20 minutes.
The water temperature was perfect, but everything about the place felt old — the building, the equipment, and even the atmosphere itself.
At one point, I became thirsty and tried to get some water from a large pot nearby.
Then I realized it was hot water.
When I lived in the United States, I had heard that many older Chinese people prefer drinking hot water. That experience confirmed it for me.
After leaving the bath, I returned the locker key and received my 10 yuan deposit back from the same elderly woman at the front desk.
I knew by then that this was not the famous resort-style hot spring I had originally planned to visit.
Still, it turned into a very memorable experience, even if it was not exactly the most comfortable one.
I took another taxi back to the hotel.
For the rest of the day, I edited and uploaded a YouTube video, then had dinner at a nearby restaurant.
The food here in China has been amazing.
Everything feels unique, flavorful, and surprisingly cheap.
That was how yesterday went.
As I mentioned earlier, I am moving to Kunming today. It is going to be another long journey, but hopefully I can get there without any problems.
