Lijiang

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I arrived in Lijiang from Chengdu just before 1am. Thankfully the cook answered the door and showed me to my room, I even asked about deposit etc but he was more interested in me getting some rest. He showed me to my room, a 4 bed dorm which I had to myself. It was a nice change. in the morning I spoke to mamma, the owner of mamma Naxi’s (Na-shee), she explained I got that room for the same price as the 8 bed dorm I’d paid for so to avoid disturbing others. I enquired about the buses to Tiger Leaping Gorge, she told me to come to the family dinner that evening to meet others maybe headed the same way, and this was something id intended to do anyway due to recommendations made by people id meet. I walked around Lijiang old town appreciating the buildings and the quiet river running through it, 15 years ago it would have been amazing but nowadays every building is a shop selling the same tat to tourists, I’m amazed they stay in business. I walked for around 7 hours before going back for dinner and realising I had a mild case of sunburn. Dinner cost Y15, above average for most meals but it was an endless string of dishes where travellers could swap stories and discuss events in a homely atmosphere. As it turned I didn’t meet anyone going to the gorge, only those returning but it reassured me it would be worth the effort.

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