What makes Yunnan special? An introduction to the origin of tea.

Yunnan has a special in my heart. Blessed by a mountainous geography, incredible bio-diversity, and a couple dozen ethnic groups, visiting Yunnan is always a thrill.  

Speaking about ethnic groups:  all of them speak a native language (apart from Mandarin) and many of them have a distinct writing system. You would expect each of them to have unique culinary traditions... and they do!

This is a street market in Lincang, where you can buy the freshest (often organic) veggies; you can also buy a wide assortment of insects and most likely some dog meat if it's up your alley.

This beautiful, crunchy and tasty deep fried cicada was part of the menu at our friend Er Tu's (pronounced R2) house in New Banzhang.

These tasty (spicy) peppers were also found in New Banzhang. Somehow, the people and food in Yunnan make me feel at home.

If you go to Menghai, we highly recommend this noodle shop.

A good meal needs a drink to match it.  This is how you brew fresh Pu Er tea leaves in bamboo.