Dali, Yunnan｜Lijiang Free Travel Notes

At the end of 2016,

The Spring Festival is approaching.

Let’s take a trip on the go!

Carrying luggage,

Get on the plane,

Came to Dali, Yunnan.

 

Hello 2016

01-24(JAN)

 

//The itinerary record in picture is the scenic spot displayed by QQ photo album based on real-time mobile phone positioning

 

• On January 24, 2016, I took a flight from Changsha to Lijiang Airport.

• Take the bus from the bus station near the airport to the B&B, which takes about 40 minutes. It’s been so long that I can’t remember the bus line number. I spent about half a month in Lijiang, which is quite a long time. After all, visiting scenic spots is also a physical activity and requires proper physical adjustment. For example, if we are too tired from today’s itinerary, we will rest at the B&B for a day or two the next day, and then plan where to visit the next attraction. At the same time, for the convenience of traveling, I also changed to 2 or 3 B&Bs.

• I visited many places in Lijiang, but I didn’t follow the original route. Because winter in Lijiang is a rainy period and unpredictable, it is recommended that friends traveling to Yunnan choose to go in April or November.

   

  I still remember that we wanted to go out on the second day after arriving in Lijiang to get familiar with the surrounding environment. When we went out in the morning, the sky was blue and the sun was shining with white clouds. At noon, it started to rain lightly and snow began to drift. After a few minutes, the snow stopped and the sun came out again. Although it is already winter, the ultraviolet rays in Yunnan during the day are really no lower than those in summer. They are very strong, so you must take adequate precautions. The temperature difference between morning and evening is huge, so be prepared to keep warm when going out.

Have lunch at KFC

Day 1: The plane arrived in Dali and took a 40-minute ride from the airport to the B&B.

The next day: Visit the ancient city.

Day 3: Due to weather conditions, travel arrangements will be adjusted and rest in a B&B.

Day 4: Shuhe Ancient Town

Day 5: One day off

Day 6 : Horseback riding experience in Lashihai, and a trip to Lashihai in the afternoon.

Day 7: One day off

Day 8: Lugu Lake rental battery car for free travel

Day 9: Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, Blue Moon Valley

Day 10: One day off

… …

 

1

Dali ancient city

 

 

The ancient city of Dali is referred to as Yeyu, also known as Purple City . There are wonderful ethnic customs and entertainment activities in the ancient city, such as Naxi ancient music, Dongba rituals, and divination culture, which are unique.

 

 

In my memory, Yunnan is a mysterious multi-ethnic country with a leisurely, slow life, quiet... far away from the hustle and bustle of big cities. The local people are very enthusiastic and have simple folk customs. There are many intellectuals, artists, wandering entertainers, singers, etc. living in the ancient city of Dali. This is a great place for artists to find inspiration and create better works.

 

 

The most famous thing in the ancient city is the bar. There are many unique small bars, each with its own style and originality. It will be an unforgettable experience for tourists from all over the world.

 

 

At night, this is an entertainment place for young people, with tourists from all over the world. Gather at the bar, have a drink, make friends, chat, listen to music, and relax. No matter what you have experienced or what stories are behind you, you can feel relieved when you come here.

 

 

The ancient city is most lively after 8 pm. On the roadside at the city gate, local vendors will set up stalls to sell handicrafts and trinkets to earn extra money to make ends meet.

 

At night, the lights in the city are brightly lit, and small merchants are eager to attract customers. There is a wide range of food, handicrafts, silver jewelry, pearl jewelry, musical instruments, etc., all available. You will definitely come home with a full load of shopping.

 

I prefer the ancient buildings in the city, it feels like I have traveled to ancient times. I like to walk leisurely in the streets of different sizes at night, listening to shopkeepers sitting in front of the shops half holding tambourines and playing light music such as "Little Baby" and "In a Moment". It's very intoxicating and will make you stop and watch their performance unconsciously.

Music has a magical power that can make people forget their worries and enjoy the joyful feeling it brings you in the moment!

 

 

 

2

Shuhe Ancient Town

 

Shuhe Ancient Town is located about five kilometers northwest of Lijiang City. It is one of the earliest settlements of the Naxi ancestors in Lijiang Bazi. It has not yet been fully developed. Because of this, it has a more rural atmosphere than Dayan Ancient Town in Lijiang, maintaining the unique tranquility and simplicity of an ancient town.

 

 

The inns in Shuhe Ancient Town basically follow the Naxi The traditional architectural style has a strong ethnic flavor, and many inns have introduced waterscapes, which are unique. If you want to experience the life of the local Naxi people, the first choice must be in the ancient city. Highly recommended!!!

 

3

Lashihai

 

For the itinerary to Lashihai, the B&B store recommended us to contact the travel agency. We added WeChat and paid online. The next morning, a van driver will meet you near the B&B and take you to the racecourse.

 

After arriving at the racecourse, all tourists will get off the horse together. The leader of the group will give us a brief introduction to today's itinerary, and then the teams will get on the horses one by one. In addition to the tour guide, there are also two staff who can ride horses to follow along to prevent accidents caused by frightened horses on the way.

 

 

After we get on the horses, the horses will line up and follow us slowly. Because they were raised in captivity, their temperaments are relatively gentle. My sister and I were riding for the first time, so it was no problem at all. The horse is not very fast, just like our normal walking speed. There is a horse master holding the rope for you in front of you. As long as you hold on to the handrails, there is no danger at all.

 

Our entire horse journey has to go through a mountain. The mountain road is relatively steep. Going uphill is not very easy for the horses. After all, it just rained yesterday and there is a dirt road underfoot. The horses have to carry a person on their backs. Sometimes The soil will be loose when you step on it, and the horse will walk unsteadily.

 

 

 

 

The horses walked for about 20 minutes on the mountain road to reach the top of the mountain. At this time, everyone dismounted and had a rest. Looking down from the top of the mountain, you can see a panoramic view of the entire Lashi Sea. The scenery is very good.

 

My mount——"Heisha"

It’s been a hard journey. Let me feed you some whole grains to replenish your strength.

 

My horse was dedicated all the way and was stable throughout. I gave it the nickname "Heisha". Isn't it very domineering?

 

When we reached the top of the mountain, the temperature was close to 20 degrees Celsius, which is already high temperature in winter. I saw that my mount "Heisha" was a little tired and was panting all the time. So I bought a bowl of air-dried corn grains (15 yuan/bowl) from Master Ma. When I fed the horse, it was done with his mouth chirping in two or three strokes. It seemed that he was really hungry.

 

After the rest time, we mounted our horses and prepared to go back down the mountain to the racecourse for lunch. That would be almost half. After eating, we arrived at Lashihai around 2 pm to prepare for the next project of making a bamboo raft yacht. Take a lap on the sea and enjoy the sea view. Then it’s time for free travel and photography.

 

 

 

 

 

4

lugu lake

Lugu Lake was called Luku Haizi in ancient times, also known as Zuosuo Sea and commonly known as Lianghai . In the Mosuo language of the Naxi people, "Lu" means ravine, and "Gu" means li, which means a lake in the ravine.

 

The Lugu Lake tourist area is surrounded by mountains and ridges, with more than three months of snow cover in a year. Rich in forest resources, beautiful mountains and rivers, fresh air and charming scenery, Lugu Lake is regarded as the "Mother Lake" by the local Mosuo people. It is also known as "Penglai Wonderland".

 

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The reason why the natural landscape of Lugu Lake is so beautiful is inseparable from the local government's environmental protection. So in order to truly feel the beauty of Lugu Lake, my sister and I rented an electric car and drove the navigation along the road, admiring the local residents farming in the fields.

 

Let you leave the noisy city and let go of the pressure caused by busy work and life. At this moment, you put down everything and integrate into this slowed down pastoral life, experiencing the simple life and enthusiastic people in the countryside.

 

Pastoral scenery on the roadside

 

The humanities, life, and environment here will make you fall in love with it unconsciously and make you want to stay and live here. Even after leaving here, there is still the thought of going back again, which makes people linger.

 

 

 

Crossing the road, passing through the town, we came to the seaside of Lugu Lake. We rode a battery car along the seaside road, enjoying the cold wind, basking in the sun, and smelling the fragrance of the sea water. It's as if your soul has been baptized through the sea breeze and you are full of energy. Whenever we pass by a beautiful place, we will stop the battery car and stay for a while, sitting on the beach blowing the sea breeze, watching the seagulls coming and going eating food fed by tourists, and taking photos.

 

The lake of Lugu Lake runs slightly from northwest to southeast, with a length of 9.5 kilometers from north to south, a shoreline of about 44 kilometers, and a lake area of ​​50.1 square kilometers. And we started from the B&B and drove straight along the lake for almost 2 hours, and we only completed 1/3 of the lake. You can imagine how big its area is!

 

 

5

Jade Dragon Snow Mountain

 

 

 

Jade Dragon Snow Mountain is called "Oulu" in Naxi, which means "Tianshan". Its thirteen snow peaks are continuous and look like a "giant dragon" flying across the sky, so it is called "Jade Dragon".

 

And because its lithology is mainly limestone and basalt, with distinct black and white, it is also called "Black and White Snow Mountain". It is the sacred mountain of the Naxi people and is said to be the incarnation of the Naxi protector god "Sanduo".

The experience of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain this time was not very good. I felt like I was cheated by the travel agency. Here’s what happened: We placed the order with the travel agency recommended by the B&B owner, and lined up at the designated location to board the bus at 4:30 the next morning. It takes about an hour and a half to drive to the foot of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain.

The bus driver and tour guide drove to the entrance of a service center. The store was filled with oxygen bottles and down jackets. It should be a service point that cooperates with a travel agency, and the travel agency probably gets a kickback from here. After the tour guide loaded the oxygen bottles and down jackets for all passengers into the car, we all got on the car and drove to the destination.

After arriving at the mountain, it started to rain and snow, and the temperature was a few degrees lower than down the mountain. It was indeed quite cold. Then we collected the tickets from the tour guide, and waited in line for another half an hour before officially entering the station. After entering the scenic spot, the tour guide begins to count the number of people, and then arranges the following itinerary. The tour guide told us: "Everyone can walk freely in Blue Moon Valley for one and a half hours. With tickets, you can take a sightseeing bus parade and take photos for free."

We took the mountaineering cable car built in Baishuihe Villa. The cable car went down along the wooden boardwalk set up in the forest. After seven or eight minutes, we arrived at another beautiful scenery of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain - Blue Moon Valley. Here, you can see the snow-capped mountains towering into the clouds like jade screens; the spruce flats surrounding them are as lush as Dai City.

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The picture above is the scenery of Blue Moon Valley. The color of the water is naturally blue. The valley is crescent-shaped. From a distance, it looks like a blue moon embedded at the foot of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain , so it’s called Blue Moon Valley. ( The water in Blue Moon Valley contains copper ions, so it cannot be drunk. ) The name Baishui River comes from the fact that the mud at the bottom of the lake is white, and when it rains the water will It turns white, so it is also called Baishui River.

We took photos along the lower reaches of Blue Moon Valley. After finishing our free time in Blue Moon Valley, my sister and I took the cable car back to the mountain to meet the tour guide. The tour guide told us: "The top of the mountain (Jade Dragon Snow Mountain) It is snowing, and I have just been notified that due to the weather, for the safety of tourists, the relevant departments have closed the access to the mountain. "There is no other way, this attraction project has to be cancelled.

In the end, our group of tourists could only get on the bus with a look of helplessness. In fact, it is impossible to say that it is not a pity. After all, everyone has come to Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, and everyone also came here to see the beauty of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. It's really a pity to pass by in such a hurry.

Everyone got on the bus and prepared to return to the hotel. When the bus was about to arrive in the city, the tour guide said "We will not refund the oxygen bottles, only the cost of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain." Actually, I just want to say "The oxygen bottle (100 yuan/small bottle) in my hand was originally given to me by the tour guide, and now it is lying in my hand in this shape. Even the top I didn’t even take off the protective film!”Anyway, I threw it away as soon as I got out of the car, but the old lady picked it up and probably wanted to sell it back.

no way! When traveling in Lijiang, every popular attraction must have pitfalls waiting for you to jump in. After all, travel agencies also want to make money. A little more education can help avoid such losses in the future.

Finally, on the way back, the tour guide asked the driver to stop at the foot of the mountain in order to alleviate our regret of not actually going up to the snow-capped mountain. He parked the bus on the side of the road and gave us tourists a few minutes to take photos, and then looked at the beautiful scenery from a distance. Say goodbye to the majestic Jade Dragon Snow Mountain for the last time!

Although I left a little regret at the end of the trip, the mystery of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain does not affect people's desire to uncover its charming, noble and elegant appearance.

Four years later, I still look back on this experience with great fondness. The desire to visit again. Although this trip to Yunnan, I only briefly wrote about a few scenic spots in this article to introduce it. But in my heart, these experiences are the most profound memories! Okay, I’ll wrap up hastily here! If you want to know about Lijiang travel guide, you can leave me a message.