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Published: July 11th 2010
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I slept in a bit this morning since my bed at Garden Inn is so comfy, then I headed straight for N's Kitchen for coffee (sad to say, it is overpriced for a small cup and not really worth 35RMB for a very small large) and American style pancakes smothered with bananas and honey. Yum! They were good, and not too sweet. Lovely. The couple that works there is so nice and their English is excellent.
After breakfast I made the short walk to Black Dragon Pool and could not avoid the 80RMB Preserve Old Lijiang town fee anymore. I think if I hadn't gone there, I wouldn't have had to pay it, but that is the entry fee to the pool unless you've already paid during your stay in Lijiang, then you just show the receipt. I understand the reason for this fee and I don't disagree with it. They use the money to preserve the Old Town, which is quite a big task, and offset the negative effects of tourism. I must say, Old Town Lijiang gets and A+ for its public toilets. They are clean, don't smell bad, and they are frequent and free, but there is
Firestation
This is the coolest fire house I've ever seen. It is smack in the middle of the Lijiang Old Town. no toilet paper and no paper towels, so carry your own TP, but be sure to never put TP in the toilet. It is too hard on the septic systems throughout China. Remember, this is a very old country! They have also installed attractive wooden rubbish bins divided into recyclable material and nonrecyclable material. I don't think the Chinese pay any attention to be honest, but I do, and the stuff does get recycled.
Dragon Pool is beautiful and has a lot to offer. I spent about an hour in the Dongba history museum and they've done a great job showcasing the history of these people. I also visited the Five Phoenix Pavilion where a fake Buddhist alter and a fake monk are installed. I couldn't believe it. He tried to extort 100RMB out of me for giving me three sticks of incense and some blessing. He showed me a book where other tourists, all western of course, had signed their names and donated 100 RMB. I didn't care. It's their problem they were stupid enough to fall for his nonsense. I gave him 10 for the incense and left. I've been to many temples in different countries, and
a monk has never asked me for anything. It is only polite to give a small donation for upkeep of the temple, and incense if you take it, although many in Vietnam had thousands of sticks of incense out front for the taking and no proper place to even donate money. But don't let this stop you from going. It is a beautiful place and the museums and exhibits and walks through the woods are great.
After spending the morning there I walked around the streets of the Old Town and got lost. I went in search of the Mu Family Mansion, but when I finally found it, it was 60RMB to get in and I didn't go. I've seen enough Chinese dwellings to last me a lifetime. Forbidden City is only 50 RMB to enter, so I thought this was a big ole rip off and just kept walking, then I got hopelessly lost for over an hour. Then I finally found Well Bistro and had another good pizza, but not as good as N's, and a Dali beer. Just as I left to come back to the hotel, it started pouring rain. I had an umbrella but
Mu Family Residence Entrance
I didn't go in. Too expensive. This was taken from the cafe across the street where I went when it started raining. thought about waiting in a shop till it stopped, but then I was afraid I would spend more money shopping, so I just kept walking back.
The lovely gal at Garden Inn did my laundry today for 10RMB per load. I only had one load, but this has to be the cheapest laundry service anywhere. Fantastic. I bought my bus ticket to Shangri La for 63 RMB with the help of Giin at the reception desk and it was delivered to my hotel an hour later. Also fantastic.
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