travel tales, gustatory delights and beyond
On the road, we randomly stopped for lunch. The driver calls me into the kitchen, there we ordered, without a menu but rather from what they have in the kitchen, apparently fresh from the fields. He tries to explain the unfamiliar items while I struggle to decipher what he is telling me. But all is … Continue reading Yunnan Eats: Cheese, Cured Pork and Fresh Vegetables
And this is perhaps THE reason to go. It was ours. Staged outdoors beneath the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain at an incredible elevation of 3,100 meters, Impression Lijiang managed to keep us in awe all throughout its performance. A cultural show two years in the making, it is the second of nine series of highly … Continue reading There’s more to Lijiang…
Nestled at the foot of the Jade Dragon Mountain, Lijiang is blessed with gorgeous natural surroundings. Infused with cultural flavors owing to the profound ethnic heritage of the region, which consequently has lured both the domestic and foreign tourist for perhaps a decade now. A UNESCO World Heritage Site with Dayan Old Town being the … Continue reading Lijiang
This must be the quaintest of quaint towns I’ve set foot on in quite a while if not in all of my travels. Found halfway between Dali and Lijiang, Shaxi is home to beautifully preserved adobe courtyard mansions that offer a glimpse into a forgotten era. It was the most intact trading center for centuries … Continue reading Shaxi: Quaintest of Quaint
Credits: Quick page created by elseepe (Creative Team Member for JessicaSprague.com) using the “You Are Awesome” collaborative kit created for JessicaSprague.com’s birthday bloghop 2010 by the designers at JessicaSprague.com. Rising above the city of Dali, standing east to Erhai Lake and facing west to the Black Hui River is the Cangshan Mountain. It has 19 peaks with the … Continue reading On the Cangshan
When asked where she would recommend we go besides the old town, Ling told us to go to Xizhou. “It may not appeal to everyone,” she said, “but many appreciate it for its cultural heritage.” And with that, Ling arranged for a car to bring us there. A side note on how sweet she is. … Continue reading Xizhou: The Other Old Town of Dali
From Yuanyang, we went back to Kunming so we can take the overnight train to Dali. We traveled northwest to Dali on a soft sleeper train that left around midnight. It was still dark when we were picked up at the Dali train station in Xiaguan, the new city. Driving to the old town, we … Continue reading Hip Old Town Dali
