Lights out in Lijiang

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A three hour bus ride north of Dali landed the four of us in Lijiang, a town which on the surface is frightening to us travelers. Imagine a Chinese-esque Disneyland-type town. Eveything looks fake including the cobblestone steets, the houses and even the people. We did manage to find a woman to put us up in her guesthouse which had an authentic Chinese feel. To add injury to insult, we bumped into EVERYONE we met in Dali (other isrealis, the austrian couple, the two American lawyers) which made me even more anxious to get out of town fast. And finally that night, adding to our frustrations, a massive rain and lightning storm knocked out power in the Old City. We made the best of it by chatting by candlelight untill we were sleepy.

The mountain scenery is the one saving grace of the village/town. I found it similar to that of Denver and surrounding areas of Yugoslavia when I went to school there back in 1989.

The treks to the outlining mountains (Leaping Tiger Gorge and Jade Dragon Snow Mountain) were prohibitively expensive due to gov't fees to enter parks. So we headed out of town to see the legendary Dr. Ho (http://www.globalcommunityx.com/asia/china/kunming2001/drho/) made famous by the author Bruce Chatwick. The Dr. was a real trip as, being something like 100 years old, immediately greeted us in our native languages (english, danish and hebrew). Then he proceeds to promote himself for 15 minutes putting numerous articles about himself in front of us to read. He gave us each special teas for our specific ailments and we headed back to the city feeling groovy.

Our plan is to head north the next two days, first to Zhongdian (5 hour bus ride) and then to Dequin (7 hour bus ride) in hopes of doing some trekking on the mountains that boarder Tibet.

Hope everyone is good......and sorry for any mis-spellings as I am usually very tired as I write these.......STEVE!!!!!!!!!!

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Photos

Not much leg room
As you see my knees up against the seat in front of me, I guess the Chinese did not have 6 feet 1 inch people in mind when designing.

First Down Mao
The bus dropped us off directly across the street from Mao Square. I could not resist this photo opp.

Walking path in Old Town
You can see the many tourists and the paths are lined with stores all hawking the same things. Pretty but touristy and frustrating.

Kermit's lost cousins
I found a lady hawking frogs on a chain...I decided on the vegetables for lunch instead.

Garbage Truck
Like the ice cream trucks back in America, the GARBAGE trucks here play music alerting people to its presence. Then the locals come running up to the truck and chuck their garbage into it.

China's dark side
Not all of the garbage makes it way to the garbage trucks. In fact, littering seems to be a national sport here in China. I have been on a one-man "no littering" teaching spree as I continually approach people who litter and make them pick up their litter and place it in a refuse can. My other travelers are a bit uneasy with my technique but hopefully it will produce a positive outcome

Military Presence
With gloom faces and perfect cadance, the military comes marching through the tourist-filled streets at night

The gang's all here
We bump into Andrew and Allison (the two American lawyers we met in Kunming & Dali) again! And people say China is big! Ha!

One Bull Power vehicle
We headed out to Baisha to consult with the famous Dr. Ho. On the main stretch in town, I almost got run over by this hi-tech vehicle.

Dancing days
We join in a local dance before we find Dr. Ho.

Doctor, Doctor
I snap a photo with Dr. Ho after he gave me special tea for my many ailments.

Waiting/Reading Room
My friends sit in the waiting area reading the many articles about Dr. Ho while I get my consultation.

Feeling Groovy
the group feels a bit light headed after leaving the good doctor and his special teas

Local sages
We ventured out of Baisha for a small hike and came across some old locals sitting around bags of sees. The old man with the white beard (on the left) tried to speak with us and showed us a group of foriegn money he had. I added a US dollar to his collection and next thing we know, he is guiding us to his home. Ahhh, the adventure!

Music Man
The old man turns out to be a musician. He wife puts some food out for us as the old man retrieves lots of instruments and we peform some rough songs.

Questionable eats
My friends look a bit uneasy at the food infront of them....

Flies....
I put my hand near the food and the 100 or so flies leap off the food! Ah, the cleanliness of china!

The old man's wife
she did not seem happy....as if he always brings people home and she has to serve them?

differing head gear
the three of us don different headgear to deal with the blazzing sun

Ahhh..the mountains
amazing sights from the streets of Lijian

Parting view
The view from the main street as we leave town and catch a bus to Zhonjian and then to Dequin.