About a month or so ago, Anna and I decided that we needed another trip in China before the end of the year. This was back when I thought that I would be leaving China at the end of the school year so I was trying to soak up the last couple holidays. I was in search of "Lost Heaven" so I set my sights on Shangri-La - an area of south-western China known for it's pure beauty. The area's claim to fame was that it was described in the book Lost Horizon by James Hilton as a mystical heaven on Earth. Unfortunately, that heaven on Earth burnt down just a couple days before our trip - literally just a couple days - and the majority of the ancient Tibetan village was destroyed in a dramatic fire (read about it here).
So a couple days before we rerouted our destination to a place called DaLi. Truthfully, neither of us had even heard of DaLi, but it came highly recommended by a couple of our Chinese friends, so we just went for it! About a week before, we were trying to book a tour (so we could see as much as possible), but it was insanely expensive for Chinese New Year, so we decided to brave the south and dive in on our own (it was better that way).
We left Friday afternoon following school and flew into Kunming for our first lay over. After just a couple hours sleep in a near by guesthouse, we were back to the airport boarding a 30 minute flight north to DaLi. Although it was a bit of a rocky flight, we could not have been more pleased! The beauty of this destination was that we had no expectations going into it. We knew next to nothing about the geography or sights of the location; we only knew that it rest just east of Tibet and was dominated by the Tibetan minority culture. Imagine our surprise as we were descending to the most beautiful region, a huge lake surrounded by mountains! We landed early and made our way to our guesthouse in the Old Town and set out to explore the village.
Our trip honestly would not have been as amazing if we were not staying in the Old Town. It was quant, quiet, clean, beautiful and full of character. The people were friendly and the cobblestone streets were lined with shops, cafes and street vendors. In any direction, there was a back drop of blue skies and mountains. The first day, we just explored. We drank Yunnan coffee, did a little shopping and rented bike to ride up and down the narrow streets of the ancient village.
The two people at our guesthouse were amazing - Lily and David. Both of whom spoke English and were more than willing to give us advice about restaurants, sights, and outdoor adventures. The second day, we decided on a hike into the Cangshan Mountains on the west coast of the giant Lake Erhai. After a hearty breakfast of butter eggs with goat cheese, butter potatoes and butter tea (yes, they really put butter in everything), we were headed into the mountains. The weather could not have been more perfect. The air was cool, but because we were at such high elevation, the sun was strong. Standing in the direct sun would feel like 70, but it was more like 50 in the shade - there was even snow at the top. The hike up was mostly stairs (which I hate), and it was challenging because of the high altitude, but it was only Anna and I on the trail and we took our time ascending the peaceful forest. Once at the [near] top, it leveled out to a path that followed the ridge around. It was beautiful from up there, overlooking the lake and the tiny villages below.
It also found a boulder sticking off the side of the path that was perfect for photos! Sure, it was a mere 100 meter plug to my death with one quick lose of balance, but you know no vacation is complete without a yoga pose, or two.
We followed along the trail and eventually began to head down a more rocky trail following an old cable car. When we ended the hike, we found ourselves in the middle of a construction zone, oddly enough.
On he first day, while walking around the village, I caught eye of an advertisement for Climb Dali, and immediately inquired to set up a climb for Anna and I. On the third morning, we set out for another short hike and rock climbing session on the other side of the lake near Shuanglong village with our instructor, Adam and one of his employees. The odd thing about Shuanglong was that even though it was just north-east of the lake, and a twenty minute drive from Dali, the climate was completely different. Instead of cold and breezy with lush green forests, it was hot and dry with desert and cactus.
After a short hike, we made it to the cliff, overlooking the villages and the lake - an absolutely beautiful sight. Either way, the trip would have been worth it just for the view! Adam was the climbing expert who set up over 20 courses on the face of the cliff and guided and encouraged us through 4 different routes. The first one was pretty easy - good enough to get us going. The second one was a bit more challenging and I ended up getting stuck on a ledge just before the top. The third one was really cool, but by the forth one, I was going into an extreme state of muscle fatigue. You don't really think about the different muscle groups that you are using during a climb - everything from toes balanced on a tiny ledges, to finger tips clinging on to sharp rocks for dear life. There were a couple times that I lost balance of slipped, but of course, my harness and rope were there to catch me. There were a couple times that I banged my knees and scratched my elbows, but all in all, I came out alive with just a couple well earned battle wounds. It was amazing!
The next day, we were ready for a little bit of R&R, so we decided to rent some motorcycles and set out to explore the different villages around the lake. I was pretty set on getting gas powered motorcycles instead of the electric, but somehow we ended up with electric, and Anna insisted that it would be ok (she doesn't drive an electric scooter). The drive around the lake was really beautiful. Again, the skies were perfectly clear, the air was cool, but the sun was hot.
It was peaceful, hugging the coast... until Anna's battery began to die. Based on my experiences with my own scooter in the last two years, once you hit the red zone, you are not getting back without a fight. To give the bikes some credit, we did drive about 50 kilometers. We decided to turn around and stop somewhere for lunch and hopefully get some juice into the bikes before continuing back to the Old Town. Somehow Anna spotted a small house washing cars and took a chance in asking them if we could plug in our bikes. Luckily enough, the house turned out to be a guesthouse of sorts, and we were also able to pick some fresh vegetables out of their fridge and they made us lunch - the best lunch we had eaten thus far! I knew that plugging out bikes in for only an hour was only going to buy us an extra 5 kilometers, max, but after an hour, we were back on the road. I was riding nice an steady as to not kill the battery while Anna was a bit ahead of me. We made it back around the south bend of the lake and Anna falling behind, clearly losing batter power. We barely made it through down town (10 kilometers short of Old Town) when Anna called me from the bottom of a hill to tell me that she was dead. I turned around and found her at a Suzuki dealership where she had convinced the people to let her plug her bike in again. By this time, my phone was nearly dead and I was exhausted, but I couldn't just leave Anna at the dealership alone, so we sat and waiting for another hour until they closed.
We jumped back on the bikes and continued again, Anna riding slightly behind at a pretty slow pace. As I crested another hill just before the entrance to Old Town, Anna called again and said that she could not make it up the hill and was finding an alternative route to get back to the rental place. I think I ended up with the shorter end of the stick. I really didn't know where I was going, and the entrance I chose had five steps that I had to get my heavy bike down, only to discover that another block would have been a perfectly safe entrance. I weaved through the pedestrian traffic and made it back.
Moral of the story: Never rent electric bikes!
That night we went to see the Bai Cultural Show. The guy at our guesthouse had joked that we would be the only people in the theater, but really, he was not joking! It was a huge outdoor water amphitheater, framed by the mountains in the distance, and we were literally two of ten people in attendance. The show (all in Chinese of course) told an ancient love story of a Princess and Prince through dancing, singing and props. There were lights and videos and people on all parts of the stage. It was interesting for sure, but incredibly cheesy!
Our final day in DaLi was a day of pure relaxation. We slept in late, got breakfast, sat at a coffee house. We did a little shopping, then found another cafe and sat down for some beers and pizza. Anna and I spent time talking and laughing, sharing memories and stories and reflecting upon some of the experiences we have been through together - there have been a lot. Later in the evening, we had a proper Yunnan dinner and drinks before calling it in early for our following day of traveling back to Shanghai.
DaLi really was a gem. The people were amazing, the culture was vibrant and the landscape, to die for. Since I have spent so much time in a big city, I have really come to appreciate the small things nature has to offer - the beauty and tranquility - and the ability to actually be outside and enjoy nature. I will definitely be visiting the Yunnan province again.
So a couple days before we rerouted our destination to a place called DaLi. Truthfully, neither of us had even heard of DaLi, but it came highly recommended by a couple of our Chinese friends, so we just went for it! About a week before, we were trying to book a tour (so we could see as much as possible), but it was insanely expensive for Chinese New Year, so we decided to brave the south and dive in on our own (it was better that way).
We left Friday afternoon following school and flew into Kunming for our first lay over. After just a couple hours sleep in a near by guesthouse, we were back to the airport boarding a 30 minute flight north to DaLi. Although it was a bit of a rocky flight, we could not have been more pleased! The beauty of this destination was that we had no expectations going into it. We knew next to nothing about the geography or sights of the location; we only knew that it rest just east of Tibet and was dominated by the Tibetan minority culture. Imagine our surprise as we were descending to the most beautiful region, a huge lake surrounded by mountains! We landed early and made our way to our guesthouse in the Old Town and set out to explore the village.
Our trip honestly would not have been as amazing if we were not staying in the Old Town. It was quant, quiet, clean, beautiful and full of character. The people were friendly and the cobblestone streets were lined with shops, cafes and street vendors. In any direction, there was a back drop of blue skies and mountains. The first day, we just explored. We drank Yunnan coffee, did a little shopping and rented bike to ride up and down the narrow streets of the ancient village.
It also found a boulder sticking off the side of the path that was perfect for photos! Sure, it was a mere 100 meter plug to my death with one quick lose of balance, but you know no vacation is complete without a yoga pose, or two.
We followed along the trail and eventually began to head down a more rocky trail following an old cable car. When we ended the hike, we found ourselves in the middle of a construction zone, oddly enough.
On he first day, while walking around the village, I caught eye of an advertisement for Climb Dali, and immediately inquired to set up a climb for Anna and I. On the third morning, we set out for another short hike and rock climbing session on the other side of the lake near Shuanglong village with our instructor, Adam and one of his employees. The odd thing about Shuanglong was that even though it was just north-east of the lake, and a twenty minute drive from Dali, the climate was completely different. Instead of cold and breezy with lush green forests, it was hot and dry with desert and cactus.
After a short hike, we made it to the cliff, overlooking the villages and the lake - an absolutely beautiful sight. Either way, the trip would have been worth it just for the view! Adam was the climbing expert who set up over 20 courses on the face of the cliff and guided and encouraged us through 4 different routes. The first one was pretty easy - good enough to get us going. The second one was a bit more challenging and I ended up getting stuck on a ledge just before the top. The third one was really cool, but by the forth one, I was going into an extreme state of muscle fatigue. You don't really think about the different muscle groups that you are using during a climb - everything from toes balanced on a tiny ledges, to finger tips clinging on to sharp rocks for dear life. There were a couple times that I lost balance of slipped, but of course, my harness and rope were there to catch me. There were a couple times that I banged my knees and scratched my elbows, but all in all, I came out alive with just a couple well earned battle wounds. It was amazing!
 |
| Adam getting the course set up |
There I go...
 |
| The view from our climb site |
It was peaceful, hugging the coast... until Anna's battery began to die. Based on my experiences with my own scooter in the last two years, once you hit the red zone, you are not getting back without a fight. To give the bikes some credit, we did drive about 50 kilometers. We decided to turn around and stop somewhere for lunch and hopefully get some juice into the bikes before continuing back to the Old Town. Somehow Anna spotted a small house washing cars and took a chance in asking them if we could plug in our bikes. Luckily enough, the house turned out to be a guesthouse of sorts, and we were also able to pick some fresh vegetables out of their fridge and they made us lunch - the best lunch we had eaten thus far! I knew that plugging out bikes in for only an hour was only going to buy us an extra 5 kilometers, max, but after an hour, we were back on the road. I was riding nice an steady as to not kill the battery while Anna was a bit ahead of me. We made it back around the south bend of the lake and Anna falling behind, clearly losing batter power. We barely made it through down town (10 kilometers short of Old Town) when Anna called me from the bottom of a hill to tell me that she was dead. I turned around and found her at a Suzuki dealership where she had convinced the people to let her plug her bike in again. By this time, my phone was nearly dead and I was exhausted, but I couldn't just leave Anna at the dealership alone, so we sat and waiting for another hour until they closed.
We jumped back on the bikes and continued again, Anna riding slightly behind at a pretty slow pace. As I crested another hill just before the entrance to Old Town, Anna called again and said that she could not make it up the hill and was finding an alternative route to get back to the rental place. I think I ended up with the shorter end of the stick. I really didn't know where I was going, and the entrance I chose had five steps that I had to get my heavy bike down, only to discover that another block would have been a perfectly safe entrance. I weaved through the pedestrian traffic and made it back.
Moral of the story: Never rent electric bikes!
That night we went to see the Bai Cultural Show. The guy at our guesthouse had joked that we would be the only people in the theater, but really, he was not joking! It was a huge outdoor water amphitheater, framed by the mountains in the distance, and we were literally two of ten people in attendance. The show (all in Chinese of course) told an ancient love story of a Princess and Prince through dancing, singing and props. There were lights and videos and people on all parts of the stage. It was interesting for sure, but incredibly cheesy!
 |
| Look at all those empty seats... |
Our final day in DaLi was a day of pure relaxation. We slept in late, got breakfast, sat at a coffee house. We did a little shopping, then found another cafe and sat down for some beers and pizza. Anna and I spent time talking and laughing, sharing memories and stories and reflecting upon some of the experiences we have been through together - there have been a lot. Later in the evening, we had a proper Yunnan dinner and drinks before calling it in early for our following day of traveling back to Shanghai.
DaLi really was a gem. The people were amazing, the culture was vibrant and the landscape, to die for. Since I have spent so much time in a big city, I have really come to appreciate the small things nature has to offer - the beauty and tranquility - and the ability to actually be outside and enjoy nature. I will definitely be visiting the Yunnan province again.
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