Baishuitai

"White water terrace", so named for the only mildly remarkable limestone terraces that grace the hillside above this village, about a 2-hour bus ride away from Shangri-la. The different formations have been named for fairies, dragons, and goddesses among other things, but it was largely lost on us. In fact, from far away, they might even be mistaken for plastic tarp-covered crops. We did, however, meet on the terraces the man we would come to refer to as the incense cowboy.

Decked in the cowboy hat that is ever-popular around Yunnan, he invited us to his shrine on the terraces, handing each of us three sticks of incense, lighting a small fire and blessing the backs of our heads with a pine branch. He wished us peace, safety, good fortune and prosperity and instructed us to touch our heads, bowed, to the limestone. He asked us where we were from and for a token of appreciation, which we willingly gave -- to be repaid manifold only a short time later.

Our visit to the terraces was not long and soon we were wandering down the one street of the village, looking for a restaurant or place to sit. We noticed a finely decorated gateway, complete with tiled well-wishes and scenic pictures. We paused, wondering if it was a guesthouse or a restaurant, when a man at the doorway beckoned us inside. A courtyard, some chickens, a granny with a baby strapped to her back. "Ni hao."

He invited us in for some tea and I suddenly recognized that he was the one and the same, incense cowboy. He gestured us inside a dark doorway and we entered into a spacious room with sofas and cushions around a hearth -- fire, bursting through a wok with a heavy, black kettle, always ready for tea. He hung his hat and his necklace on their regular hook and together, we sat and chatted. Clad in his orange-yellow sweats, the three-year-old grandson wandered in and looked hesitantly at us strangers. Granny offered us tea and massive white steamed buns, of which the little boy would have none, despite YuppieNomad's efforts. He listened and looked as she showed him her pictures, though, and even posed for a shot himself. Meanwhile, we learned that the baby was not feeling well because she had just had a shot. We learned that the couple had four sons, one of whom lived down the street, while the others had flown the nest to work in the city (Shangri-la). Our cowboy asked us to invite others to come to Baishuitai and visit his shrine, but declined to give us his name. "Just tell them to come here. I'll be there. I'm there everyday."

So, as promised, I'm spreading the word. And, as he is too -- about the Vietnamese from America and the Chinese girl from Canada that he met. After all, he started telling his story about us before we even left. The incense cowboy has a cell phone too.