We were on our way to the tea farm, and Kuming, the capital of Yunnan Province, was on the way. We were glad to get off the train in Kunming. Our taxi driver dropped us off at a tucked away street where we found the Lost Garden Motel, a hip, somewhat Western motel not far from the upscale Green Lake part of Kunming. We were relieved to stay at a place with some English. The food was fantastic, and the beds felt great.

We met Kathy and Tony the next day. Kathy is a lawyer and is friends with our friend Jack Tuholske, an environmental lawyer in Missoula. He goes to Kunming to teach environmental law at Yunnan University - that's how Kathy met him. Tony is a photographer, jewelry designer, and tea enthusiast. The couple took us to the largest tea market in Kunming.  The tea market took up the entire city block. There were stories of tea and teaware shops, mostly puerhs, for which the region is famous. You could lose yourself for days to make your way through the rows of tea shops. We drank copious cups of delicious puerh tea at Tony's friend's store. She owns the tea shop and the farm from where the tea comes from. While her puerh was delicious, it wasn't possible for her to export to the U.S.

The day continued with lunch and a visit to their apartment, and a great view of the city. We could not have navigated Kunming without Cathy and Tony's help and hospitality.