Dali

I am now back in Arizona.  For various reasons:  travel schedules, poor wifi, too many things going on, I have not been able to keep up with this blog while traveling.  However, I am glad I am back on track.

Our guide Winnie and her driver escorted the four of us to the Kunming Railway Station.  It was crowded.  We were all anxious to board the train.  In the moment I carried my suitcase onto the train.  After a few minutes I realized I had left my backpack on the platform.  All my valuables were in that backpack - passport, laptop, iPad, money, itinerary, etc.  I quickly ran to the door and yelled at the agent that I am looking for a blue backpack.  The train was getting ready to move.  I was ready to jump onto the platform to retrieve my backpack.  Luckily, she yelled back that she had given it to another agent who was just getting on board the train next door.  Whew!  That was a close call.  I got my backpack from the other agent and just felt a big big sigh of relief.

What is the lesson here?  Carry as few things as possible when you travel.  It's easy to forget something when you are in a hurry, focussed on something else.  Always be aware of the most important things - passport, phone, documents, money, computer, etc.  Are they with you?

Our guide, Hua, met us at the train station and immediately took us to Erhai Lake.  We took a stroll around the lake and admired the scenery.  This is one of the iconic areas of Dali.

Disembarking at Dali

Erhai Lake

The 3 Pagodas

Dali is a city located in the northwest part of Yunnan province.  It is at the crossroads of trade routes between Burma, Southeast Asia, Tibet and China.  It was settled by the Bai people about 3,000 years ago.  There is a new town about 10km south of the old town called Xiaguan  But Dali old town is where we spent our two days here.  

I first head of Dali as a place for young Americans to settle here, as a laid-back place.  Many Chinese from big cities have also settled here to escape the high-pressure environment in those other places.  This article in the New York Times in explained why Dali became an attraction for many young Chinese:  Welcome to Dalifornia - an Oasis for China's Drifters and Dreamers.

Located just behind the pagodas is Chongsheng Temple, a beautiful Taoist temple.  Taoism is a religion or philosophy that is the main religion for many parts of China.  You see similar religious idols in most of the temples we visited on this China trip.

Chongsheng Temple

Kwan Yin, Goddess of Mercy

Other religious idols

Another part of the temple

After the temple we went to Dali Ancient Town.  Like many old towns in China this one also caters to tourists, local and foreign.

We first came across a Christian Church

The characters say "God is Love"

Typical shop in the Old City

A Pedestrian Walkway

More shops

The next morning we explored the Xizhou Morning Market.  Here the locals come to shop for their daily groceries.  It is similar to a farmers' market except that it is much bigger and more varieties of fruits, vegetables and meat are being sold.  

Different types of fruits sold

Chives and other vegetables

More variety of vegetable

Pig's Feet

Selling chilis and other vegetables

Grains

Noodles

Herbs

We next move to Xizhou Ancient Town, a settlement for the Bai people.  It is one of the best preserved towns for the ethnic Bai people.

A well-preserved building

Entrance to a house

Street is lined with Jacaranda trees

A senior citizen riding her tricycle

We walked through a beautiful rice field with a train running through the field.

Train running through rice field

Close-up of rice grain

A street vendor

We were treated to a local dance performance by a Bai dance troupe.

As we walked through town we passed a beautiful lake.

A Lotus flower

Bridge over Lake

We then moved on to Zhoucheng Village, nor far from Xizhou.  It is referred to as the "Hometown of Bai Embroidery."  The Bai tie-dye method has been used for generations.  We were given a lesson on how indigo is made into blue dye.  We tried our hands on tie-dying.  The patterns were already pre-made for us.

They all came out beautifully; something that we were able to take to remember Dali.

An Indigo plant

Pattern for tie-dyeing

Putting together the pattern

The end result

Kunming

The next part of my trip to China is a group tour of Yunnan.  It is located in the southwestern part of China, bordering Vietnam, Myanmar and Laos.  It is one of the least developed provinces in China.  The province is located in a mountainous region next to the Himalayas.  Part of the allure of Yunnan is that it is different front other parts of China because of its geography and diversity of ethnic groups in the province.

I've heard of its beauty and have always wanted to visit the province.  I almost did about 10 years ago but because of some medical issues with family members, I had to cancel the trip.  So with the help of Eileen at Asia Odyssey Travel I made sure I included Yunnan on the trip.  I will be visiting four cities:  Kunming, Dali, Shangri-la and Lejiang.  

I envisioned Kunming to be an idyllic city in the mountains.  But it is a modern city with a population of more than 8 million people.  I flew from Hangzhou to Kunming on a 3-hour flight on China Eastern Airlines.  I checked into the high-rise Weilong Hotel.  It was late afternoon and I was looking for something to eat.  I asked the receptionist at the front desk and she said there are many choices just across the street.  I did not realize that I was staying in the middle of the city, right across the street from a very big mall.

Big, beautiful Hangzhou airport

My first delicious meal in Kunming

Lots of choices at the food court in the mall

Right next to the food court is a supermarket and upstairs is a high-end mall.

Supermarket under the mall

High-end shops

Outside the mall is a lively pedestrian mall, lined with food stands.

The next morning I met the others in my group tour.  There are four of us:  a couple from Chile and a young lady from Switzerland.  Our guide is Winnie, who can barely speak English.  Luckily I was there to help her interpret many of the things she said. The highlight of Kunming is a visit to the Stone Forest. 

Our tour group.  Guide Winnie is on the left

The Chinese characters say "Stone Forest"

Other Rock formations

Following the visit to the Stone Forest we visited the Yuantong Temple and Cuihu Park.

Entrance to the temple

Kuanyin Statue

Beautiful lake

Another view of the temple

Cuihu Park

Cuihu Park

It looks like prosperity has come to Kunming.  There are high-rises everywhere I walked and beautiful expensive shops.  I wonder how many of the locals can afford to shop at these high-end stores.  However, walking around the neighborhood I still see remnants of the old days and small businesses.

Selling corn, peanuts and sweet potatoes

Old-style Locksmith

An Old Street

Traditional Street Food

I barely scratched the surface in Kunming.  It rained the 2 or 3 days I was there.  Like many cities in China, it is transforming from an old to a modern city.  Money always beat tradition.