On my second day in Dali, feeling refreshed, I decided to climb a mountain. They recommend that you attempt climbing the mountains as a group because solo hikers are likely to be mugged, so I latched onto a group of American travellers who were staying at my guest house. They were such a lovely group of people. A father, who was an english teacher as well, his Chinese, non-English speaking girlfriend, his two grown up daughters, a boyfriend of one of them and an American guy who, like me, had latched onto the family in order to scale the mountain unmolested. It was hard work, but god it was great! I have to admitt that we cheated a bit, there is a chairlift that takes you half way up the mountain. But we climbed the rest
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