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Published: April 17th 2008
We arrived in Lijiang late last night after a short flight from Chendu. Lijiang is in southwest China, near Tibet, and the town has an elevation of 7800 ft. It is nestled in a bowl, surrounded by mountains. The highest peak nearby, Snow Jade Mountain, reaches well past 15,000 feet, and you can take a chair lift ride up to 14,00 feet. The travel guide says local vendors will sell you oxygen up there if you need it. I think Jim and I will be going up the mountain in a few days, but we may skip this highest elevations.
We were feeling pretty winded today climbing up the 7 stories to the top of the local pagoda. Doubling our elevation probably won't make our breathing easier!
LiJiang is the home of the Naxi (pronunced Na-shi) minority in China. They have lived here for at least a thousand of years, and we are staying in the "Old Town" of Lijiang, built in the 600's. It is a town of cobblestone streets, winding around and around each other, canals bringing the river water near every home, and mulit-roomed homes with central courtyards. The Naxi are very dark-skinned, and have a facial
structure that resembles native Americans, I think. We are staying in an Inn that was a former Naxi home. It has 10 sleeping rooms surrounding a courtyard which contains dining and cooking areas. We are lucky to be several alleys away from the town square, which is full of tourists enjoying themselves way in to the night. Meanwhile we are sleeping quietly in our small sleeping room.
It was pretty warm here today....probably upper 70's. The elevation makes the sun a real killer. The locals all use parasols for sun protection. I was stuck buying a really cheesy hat. Oh well, no one knows me here and you guys can't make fun of me from so far away. No comments on the hat please!
Our lunch today consisted of "fast food": a bottle of Yak Yogurt, and two rounds of fried bread...one salty and one sweet. Actually, Jim passed on the yak yogurt.....not quite as adventuresome as I in this regard. I thought it was quite yummy!
We will be up early tomorrow for a bike ride out in to the country side. .... Nighty, night!
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Catherine
non-member comment
the hat's kind of cute!
anything would look cute on you, Pat! Take care, Catherine