Lijiang

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Well, we made to Lijiang which was just as gorgeous as Dali. Cute little town (it's a World Heritage Site) with lots of eye candy. The town square was lined with shops, stores, crafts, restaurants, cafe's and bars. There were little streams of water going through with lots of greenery and cobblestone pedestrian streets, making it a very relaxing spot. The streets were difficult to manage because they winded up, down, and all around, but we managed to get the hang of it. We stayed at a quaint little hotel that had a beautiful courtyard with lots of rocking chairs and places to relax. It rained one afternoon and most of us just got our books out, leaned back in the rocker(s), and enjoyed a peaceful afternoon.

Lijiang appeared to be a tourist haven, so were were able to find some Westernized menu's and meals. The Naxi Minority group appeared to be living in the past; playing instruments, singing, wearing traditional costumes, and smoking pipes. One afternoon Liz and I went over to the park below the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. There were nice trails, pagodas, and beautiful natural scenery.

Lijiang was our home base for the Tiger Leaping Gorge trek!

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