China Daily Life Yunnan

Sunshine and live music in Kunming!

Last weekend we ventured far up north of Kunming for the 500KM Music Festival (五百里音乐节). The venue turned out to be this expansive botanical garden, with fields of flowers and bamboo forests. It was nice to see everyone enjoying the sunshine, away from the bustle of the city center. We ate lots of street snacks, drank some cold beers, and wandered from stage to stage.


$1 light-up bunny ears!

Towards the end of the night, Taurin found a stand with fancy dessert drinks. We got this delicious milky coconut tapioca bubble drink topped with sweetened condensed milk + shaved coconut bits. It was so good we got another one before heading out for the night.

P.S. Do you have a favorite music festival memory?

I was a radio DJ all through undergrad, so I used to go to the CMJ festival in NYC every year. But hands down, my favorite music festival experience is MtyMx 2010 in Monterrey, Mexico.

19 Comments

  • Reply
    Kelly
    September 16, 2011 at 8:42 am

    I don’t have a favourite music festival memory but one of my favourite concerts of all time was Jason Mraz here in Melbourne he is an awesome performer. Great photos Sewon!! I love the one of you in the field of flowers.

    • Reply
      Sewon
      September 16, 2011 at 3:59 pm

      Sounds like a solid concert! Thank you! I was really excited about the flowers. 🙂

  • Reply
    catarina
    September 16, 2011 at 1:02 pm

    ohh you’re so lucky!

    and your envelope is ready to ship, i hope you receive it by next week 🙂 xx

    • Reply
      Sewon
      September 16, 2011 at 3:59 pm

      Yay, I can’t wait to see your pretty photo in print!

  • Reply
    ZEOLITE
    September 16, 2011 at 1:32 pm

    aahhh those light up bunny ears! Remember that time we took a “walk” through Times Sq. one CMJ year? I was drunk and bought those fake glasses. That condensed milk drink sounds delicious, too, anytime you talk about a new drink discovery I get jealous.

    • Reply
      Sewon
      September 16, 2011 at 4:00 pm

      Haha, oh my gosh. That was such a silly night, and way too much fun. We have to do that again SOON!

  • Reply
    Jenny
    September 16, 2011 at 1:50 pm

    The first photo really reminds me of Charlie & the Chocolate Factory or something. So iconic!

    • Reply
      Sewon
      September 17, 2011 at 2:52 am

      Haha, thanks Jenny!

  • Reply
    Crystal
    September 16, 2011 at 8:08 pm

    I love your dress in the first photo and how it looks with the flowers in the background!

    The concert looks like fun and that drink sounds fantastic! I haven’t been to a music festival but I would like to go to one sometime soon. I don’t know why I haven’t been to one yet, because there are a lot in my area during the summer.

    • Reply
      Sewon
      September 17, 2011 at 3:05 am

      It sort of blends in! 🙂

      I might have enjoyed the drink more than the music, but it was overall a good night. I think it’s hard to make it out to neighborhood events sometimes, but it can be really fun. 🙂

  • Reply
    Emily, Ruby Slipper Journeys
    September 16, 2011 at 9:02 pm

    Eee, that drink sounds good. And may I say, that first picture is amaaaaazing!

    • Reply
      Sewon
      September 17, 2011 at 3:07 am

      That drink was soo good! xx

  • Reply
    anniken
    September 17, 2011 at 4:56 am

    It looks coooool!!

    My absolute favorite festival is Roskilde in Denmark, I love everything about it, but maybe the days before the main concerts begin is the best, when everybody is sort of waiting, chilling out, drinking beer, listening to new bands, and i remember stopping at this amazing concert, being so caught by the moment, it was the band Dresden Dolls playing, and it was just so great. Ah, festivals <3

    • Reply
      Sewon
      September 17, 2011 at 1:08 pm

      Ohh sounds like such an ideal festival! They should all be laid back with everyone hanging out, listening to music, and drinking beer. P.S. I’m loving your Thailand photos!

  • Reply
    vicky
    September 17, 2011 at 2:34 pm

    how psychedelic-geometrically fantastic is that first photo? i like how your expression is like ‘WOOAAA’ haha.
    missing life in asia so much when i look through these. i need those bunny years like now.

  • Reply
    Mijbil
    September 18, 2011 at 10:31 am

    Great pics!
    Ps: I remember a great punk rock festival when I was MUCH younger 😀
    Could you guess it now from my all-pink-and-girlish website? XD

  • Reply
    Amelia
    September 18, 2011 at 5:00 pm

    That sounds like such a cool event. I haven’t been to a lot of festivals, but my all-time favorite live music show was seeing Nightwish live when I was in high-school. It was my first ever concert.

  • Reply
    STARR
    September 18, 2011 at 7:11 pm

    I have amazingly still never been to a music festival; just concerts. That drink really does sound so good. I think I need to go to get some bubble tea right now.

  • Reply
    Johanna Tagada
    September 24, 2011 at 10:08 am

    I always have a good time reading you. 🙂

    For the festival, two summers ago in France with 2 good and old friends, 3 days a lot of rain + sun so rainbows. No showers or should I say showers made out of wood with stuff inside you don’t want to know, you were actually more dirty after the shower. But so good music, we laugh so so much, the sky was wonderful, there was a small river close to the camping place in which we jumped when it was to hot, so hot this three days even under the rain. How there is so much to tell, was really nice and when I look at the pictures of those days I sooner or later start to laugh so much that my stomach hurts, we are all 3 so ugly but so happy!

    I will write back to your mail on monday! Sorry for all the time I take.
    I wish you a nice weekend <3

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