Jade Snow Mountain Dragon
Trip Start
Sep 17, 2007
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123
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Trip End
Oct 08, 2008
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Lijiang,
China
Sunday, March 2, 2008
"We just came from Kunming.."
"There are four bus stations."
"The long-distance bus station?"
"Which one?"
"The one in the south of town?"
"Which bus station are you at?"
"Just try all of them and you'll find us eventually."
Eventually we got the ladies in the shop to shout out the Chinese name, which we both relayed. He seemed to understand. Sure enough, he arrived a couple minutes later. We would never have been able to find it. We were greeted by a man who turned out to be Baba. He showed us to a private room when we asked for a dorm but for $5 we couldn't complain. Erin wasn't feeling very well so I ventured out into town on my own.
Lijiang has a preserved old town surrounded by a new town. There was an earthquake that severely damaged the new town, but the old architecture held up so well that the town was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. However much you hate the throngs of tour groups, you can't deny that it's a beautiful town. Cobblestone streets lead past rows of stone buildings and red lanterns. Every so often the path crosses one of the canals, filled with clear water and schools of fish. The large central square has great views in all directions. But it is touristy. Most of the central "houses" are filled with stall after stall of Chinese goods. It's a town of shops. Even in the low season there were quite a few people crowded the narrow lanes. In spite of all this, I loved the old town and spent quite a lot of time simply wandering around.
Lijiang's other attraction is Dragon Pool Park. I visited this in the afternoon. One of the most photographed views in Southwest China, the park has a pond, pagoda and bridge with Jade Dragon Snow Mountain rising behind them. It is a pretty place. I took a couple pictures. It was a nice day to wander around the park.
I came back to take Erin to dinner at Mama's and then we and another couple we had met took a stroll through the old town after dark. The only thing more beautiful than the old town during the day is the old town at night. Hundreds of Chinese lanterns and tasteful red roof lighing make the whole place magical. The only thing that needs rethinking is the bright green radio tower that crowns the hill.
We decide to spend another day before heading off to Tiger Leaping Gorge to allow Erin to recover.
~Travis
