After leaving Kun Ming we headed home up a road that was supposed to be very good and fast. Unfortunately that road had been ripped up and has yet to be replaced. In 2 years when the highway is completed between Kun Ming and Chengdu I'm sure it will be a very pleasant journey. Until then, well I recommend that you wait until then. We drove the equivalent of LA to Salt Lake City and instead of taking 10-12 hours, it took us about 24 hours with a short sleep in the car. In some places we were forced to go not over 20 miles/hour either because we had to be in 4 wheel drive to get through or because there was oil purposely spilled all over making it almost impossible to stop. Poor James was totally exhausted- mentally and physically when we got home. Seeing the Chengdu smog was a relief- except that the cough I got rid of on the trip quickly returned.
After parking the car at home, we went to Zoe's BBQ Restaurant (see picture :))for a nice big meal..... then we went home and took a shower.
Grandmas, it is trips like this where your prayers really pay off.