Fuxian Lake, part 5 of 5. All five notes.

The lake was the reason I stayed. The people were the reason it felt like home.

As I mentioned in the first note, my hosts were a couple from northeastern China who had fallen for the lake and turned a whole building into a guesthouse.

Shown around on my second day

On my second day, they took me around town and showed me where they liked to eat.

That was how it carried on. They often took the tenants out, and there were picnics and bike rides together. They were a very kind couple, and those ordinary days with them are some of my fondest memories of Fuxian Lake.

They also had a very cute cat, usually found by its food bowl or chasing a dangling blue ball.

My landlord’s cat beside its food bowl.
My landlord’s cat beside its food bowl.
My hosts’ cat playing with a toy (8 seconds).

In the second month, Xiaoman arrived

In my second month, a new tenant arrived with a little dog called Xiaoman (小满). Xiaoman was full of energy and impossible not to like, and I spent a lot of time playing with the dog.

Some of my favourite moments of the whole stay are of Xiaoman in a bright red harness, looking up at me, paws on my arm, chin resting on my hand.

Xiaoman looking up from the floor.
Xiaoman looking up from the floor.
Xiaoman watching a water bottle.
Xiaoman watching a water bottle.
Xiaoman wagging its tail beside a chair (4 seconds).

Xiaoman came along on sunny walks and rode in the footwell of the electric scooter. And when all that energy ran out, there were quieter moments too, stretched out on the floor or resting in the grass.

Xiaoman on a sunny walk.
Xiaoman on a sunny walk.
Xiaoman resting on the grass, with fields and hills beyond.
Xiaoman resting on the grass, with fields and hills beyond.
More photographs of Xiaoman
Xiaoman asleep on the floor.
Xiaoman asleep on the floor.
Xiaoman sitting in the footwell of a scooter.
Xiaoman sitting in the footwell of a scooter.
Two more short videos of Xiaoman
Xiaoman by the lake (4 seconds).
Xiaoman resting by the window (4 seconds).

A day out in Kunming

On 2 August, my landlord and I went into Kunming together and ended up at a motorcycle show: a line of green bikes, a blue-grey Honda, a grey bike with gold wheels, a red one with turquoise wheels.

After weeks of lakes and fields, it was a complete change of scene.

Green motorcycles on display at a motorcycle show in Kunming.
Green motorcycles on display at a motorcycle show in Kunming.
A red motorcycle with turquoise wheels at the show.
A red motorcycle with turquoise wheels at the show.
Two more motorcycles from the show
A blue-grey Honda motorcycle at the show.
A blue-grey Honda motorcycle at the show.
A grey motorcycle with gold wheels in the outdoor display.
A grey motorcycle with gold wheels in the outdoor display.

We also had a beer together, which came in a clear takeaway pouch with a handle.

And we met two very regal-looking dogs, one with long white hair and one with grey curls, both clearly well looked after. I couldn’t resist photographing them.

A long-haired white dog we came across in Kunming.
A long-haired white dog we came across in Kunming.
A grey curly-haired dog beside outdoor tables in Kunming.
A grey curly-haired dog beside outdoor tables in Kunming.
A takeaway pouch of beer on the table in Kunming.
A takeaway pouch of beer on the table in Kunming.

Xingkong Town before I left

A few days before I left, my hosts took me to Xingkong Town (星空小镇), across the lake from where I’d been living.

There was a broad blue bay, a hillside running down into the water, white clouds over the mountains, and a huge tree with a thick trunk and spreading branches. Xiaoman came too, and spent the time in the grass.

Looking across Fuxian Lake from Xingkong Town.
Looking across Fuxian Lake from Xingkong Town.
A large tree at Xingkong Town.
A large tree at Xingkong Town.
Another lake view and Xiaoman in the grass
The lake seen through branches at Xingkong Town.
The lake seen through branches at Xingkong Town.
Xiaoman on the grass during the visit to Xingkong Town.
Xiaoman on the grass during the visit to Xingkong Town.

I’d first come to Fuxian Lake just to see whether I wanted to live there. Two months later, I was leaving with far more than a view: a couple who had made me welcome, days out with the other tenants, and a little dog I’d grown very fond of.

What I would miss

When someone asked what I’d miss, my answer was simple: apart from the food, pretty much everything.

The only reason I left was a trip I’d already planned with friends: Inner Mongolia at the end of September, for the autumn colours. So I moved on, with another journey ahead, and a lake, a home and some very good company behind me.

Previous: Around Fuxian Lake: Luchong, Taiyangshan and the S-bend

About this note

This note draws on my own travels and photographs and videos.

Spotted a mistake? Let me know.