Around and About Dali

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Dali is situated on Lake Erhai which is 2000 metres above sea level. Behind, the towering mountains set a magnificent backdrop with mount Cang Shan 4000 metres above sea level.
We have hired a car and driver for the day, non-English speaking of course. First stop – the famous Three Pagodas which are very beautiful, but during my life I have become church and pagoded out. Next stop is the local Bai market; anything and everything can be purchased from tobacco to pigs. We find every vegetable, herb, meat, cheese, clothes, jewellery, baskets and everything else necessary for day to day life. The local people seem completely indifferent to us, friendly but not staring like every else we go. Kathy has a go at the local tobacco, which was kindly offered to her by an old gentleman who doesn’t want any money for his generosity.
Our driver takes us to someone’s house, it is rough enough, but the paintings and wood carvings are exquisite. Kathy chats with an old man who seems to want his picture taken. He speaks about three words of English.
Tie dyeing next where Kathy purchases a beautiful scarf for 70 Yuan.
Lunch overlooking the lake; very nice.
We drive the circumference of the lake and end up back at Dali.
Right round the lake there is agriculture everywhere. Irrigated by giant aqueducts which pump the water straight up, than gravity feeds along the aqueduct to the ground about 500 meters further up the hill. This is repeated over and over again till it reaches the top of the slope. I know I have said this before but you can’t imagine how green it is!
Visited a couple more temples, one was magnificent and actually had monks doing prayers.
Back at hotel had a beer with Jim and the driver. Jim told me Chinese holidays start in ten days than everything is booked out for 1 and a half months straight. We will make it out of here just in time. He talks of Tibet and how poor the people are. Apparently, no Chinese tourist will visit Tibet because they see no beauty in the landscape. They want bars, restaurants and shops. Everything tidy and neat; no adventure in their soul, maybe they have enough adventure in life.

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