Lijiang (27-29 Sep 13)

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Did somebody say "tourists"?

It was a 3.5h bus ride from Old Dali to Lijiang, another city with a distinctive ancient, labyrinthine portion in the centre. But if Dali is laid-back, hippie and bohemian, then Lijiang is its noisy, restored, main-stream counterpart. Arriving close to the country's national day holidays certainly didn't help, as the maze-like narrow streets of Old Lijiang were packed from dawn to dusk. A Unesco World Heritage site, with the imposing Jade Dragon Snow Mountain as backdrop, Lijiang has been more than discovered by domestic tourists. Its restored streets and traditional buildings are filled with cafes, restaurants, souvenir shops, bars, guesthouses, banks, tour agencies, you name it. And this weekend, it almost seemed like all of China must have been in Lijiang!

It's still a pretty place though, notwithstanding the crowd, which admittedly, quickly becomes wearisome. But there are just about enough blind corners and quiet alleys to get away from it all when you need to. And despite the hoardes, everyone still seems friendly enough, though there's still no getting away from the spitting!

Stayed at Shuian Guesthouse.

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Photos

White Dragon Pool
Apparently has a very long history of hundreds of years of being used for washing and drinking.

Mu Family Mansion
Too cheap to fork out the USD16 entrance fee, I had to satisfy myself with this shot from the outside.

LP is wrong! (surprise)
LP says that the days of women washing their vegetables in the pool are over. But look! That's some pretty cabbage being douched. And the boy's got a carrot too!

Black Dragon Pool Park
Entrance to this one required proof of payment of the Old City Protection Fee. I did not go in.

Lijiang Museum
Free admission!