Mimo Khair Creative

  [caption id="attachment_4656" align="aligncenter" width="788"] the wagon ride[/caption] After about a 4 hour flight from Shanghai to Kunming in Yunnan and sorting out the small inevitable complications like changing cars, drivers, lunch and settling everyone to a journey of unexpected events, we set off to our first stop on the workshop, the town of Shiping. After a first night not short of adventure and discovery in the streets of the old town, we set off in the morning with the freedom one gets after leaving a questionable hotel without having to look back. [caption id="attachment_4653" align="aligncenter" width="788"] girl in wagon[/caption] All packed, cameras charged, armed with snacks and water bottles we set off only to discover that our bus (that we grew to love) had a flat tire. We were informed that the repairs will take longer than expected. When asked why, the answer was "people in these parts are just not efficient enough". I swallowed the answered and decided to make the best of a bad situation. I invited everyone to use the 2 hours to explore and we found ourselves in an unforgettable market! Photo opportunities everywhere, people, children, faces, color, it was wonderful. [caption id="attachment_4655" align="aligncenter" width="788"] on a scale of old to new[/caption] During the time there, I was utterly charmed by a group of children who followed me around jumping, giggling, acting silly, jumping into every frame I tried to create. It then dawned in me that the best thing to do would be to just stop trying and instead of capture life, just live it. I played with them and my students photographed them and the whole affair was effervescent and a special gift to start the journey with. [caption id="attachment_4654" align="aligncenter" width="788"] how they stole the show and my heart[/caption] [caption id="attachment_4657" align="aligncenter" width="788"] Saima and Petra with the children[/caption] [caption id="attachment_4658" align="aligncenter" width="788"] Photo of me taken by Saima with the children at the market.[/caption] It is wonderful to be reliving the adventure in Honghe through the stories and images as I busily plan the next one in Dali this coming June.