Travel Notes｜Colorful Yunnan·Kunming&Dali

Sorry everyone, this travelogue is long overdue!

The plane from Qingdao to Kunming had just arrived at the airport in the early morning of May 14th, and my trip to Yunnan officially started. It has been more than a month since then. Although it has been a long time, the sky, "sea", wine and people in Yunnan have not yet arrived. It has not gone away from my heart. It was a beautiful place with simple folk customs and pure scenery. The blue sky, beautiful mountains, and delicate water all delicately impressed me as a foreigner.

Next, I will use time as a clue to count the mountains, rivers, flowers and plants in Yunnan. I talk less and show more pictures!

My flight was at 7pm on May 13th. I arrived at the airport early to wait for the flight, for fear of being late. This flight is Qingdao Airlines. It flies from Qingdao to Kunming and passes through Guilin. It will arrive in Kunming around one o'clock in the morning.

The plane landed at around 1 a.m. on May 14th. I waited for the hotel driver who came to pick me up. By the time I arrived at the airport hotel, it was already 1:41 a.m.

(Don’t get me wrong, airport hotels all have twin rooms, I live alone)

This hotel is not bad. It is included in the air ticket price. The total air ticket + hotel is only 301. The infrastructure is okay, but the location is a bit remote. After arriving at the hotel, I took a shower, looked at tomorrow's itinerary and then went to sleep.

Warm reminder: There are so many mosquitoes in Yunnan. When staying in a hotel, you must take anti-mosquito measures. Mosquito coils are a must!

At 7 o'clock in the morning, I took the bus from the airport hotel to the subway and then the bus to the B&B that I had booked before. I have to say that this B&B is great! The B&B I found on Airbnb was not expensive, had a great environment, and was in an excellent location. I was completely satisfied on the first day!

Because I had been on the train all morning, I immediately went out to find a noodle shop to eat noodles. For me who can’t eat spicy food, mild spicy is enough. The noodles were good and I wanted to eat them again, but I still had to save some space for a big lunch. meal!

First stop: Yunnan Ethnic Village

Of course, the first day was spent in Kunming. It is understood that Yunnan is the province with the largest number of ethnic minorities, and Yunnan Ethnic Village is a collection of many ethnic cultures. It accommodates the cultural characteristics, customs, and food techniques of different ethnic groups in this ethnic village. This is a must-see when visiting Kunming. One of the attractions.

It contains various items for eating, drinking and having fun! I first went to the door to take a picture of the overall layout, and then I looked at the small shops on both sides of the road one by one, including a jade shop and a bait shop. I happened to catch up with the blacksmiths filming a vlog, so I went to join in the fun. Because it was after the May Day holiday, there were not many people.

Without further ado, let’s just show the pictures!

I love the weather in Yunnan so much. The azure blue and clearness are very impressive! Walking in the ethnic village, experiencing the landscape and even immersing yourself in the culture, the sense of foreignness in your body is eroding away.

The costumes of the Miao, Hui, and Yao people, the totem cultural worship of the Lahu people, and the archery sport of the Mongolian people. Sometimes I thought about it and sometimes I paused. When I was so impressed, I went to experience it. It was wonderful!

Without further ado, I will continue with the pictures!

I am happy to pay for culture. If you have a lot of money, you can go and see the performance "Call of the Plateau" on the "Dianchi Lake Grand Stage". The ticket price is not expensive, 240 per ticket, and you can buy half-price tickets with your student ID card.

There are performances in the morning and afternoon, 11-12 am and 16-17 pm. You can follow the article on Yunnan Ethnic Village and check the information in the article.

There is also a unique ethnic restaurant in Yunnan Ethnic Village. I had lunch there. If you want to experience ethnic cuisine, you can go there and try it. The price is slightly higher.

Second stop: Dianchi Haigeng Park

Dianchi Haigeng Park is very close to Yunnan Nationalities Village, about a 20-minute walk away. Exit from the south gate and walk all the way south. If you feel tired, you can rent an electric car or bicycle on the way, which is very convenient.

Dianchi Lake is very big. We basically just walked in the Dianchi Lake Park, walked along the plank road, or took a boat ride, or took a few photos wearing Hanfu by the Dianchi Lake. These are all worth trying for first-time tourists in Yunnan.

But because I stay at the beach all year round, I wasn’t particularly impressed when I came to Dianchi Lake.

And because it is May, the seagulls have all flown away. There are no birds except the water, the sky and the mountains in the distance.

Let’s continue posting photos~

The third stop: Kunming Old Street

Kunming Old Street is not far from Nanping Pedestrian Street and Nanqiang Pedestrian Street. They are all very close to each other. I went directly to Kunming Old Street. You can see local snacks and handicraft shops everywhere here. A great place for a young experience (ideal for couples).

The main reason for coming here is to eat and drink. The Jiahua Flower Cake is a must-try. The freshly baked flower cake is super! class! good! eat! The variety is also very rich, but the price is a bit more expensive. If you just want to experience freshly baked flower cakes, you can go to Meituan for a classic set meal, which is reasonably priced.

There are also ice powder, local milk tea, etc. I will just post the pictures!

Because my friend has been there before, I secretly copied a copy from her guide and sent it to everyone. You can try it at your own discretion!

Snacks are mainly found near Nanping Pedestrian Street and Kunming Old Street. There are three favorite foods of Yunnan people: potatoes, potatoes, and potatoes. So when you go to Yangyao, you must eat Yunnan!

Fried potatoes, battered tofu and puff pastry buns are all very good!

There are several stores worth recommending:

Yunping Flavor Garden. The store is not big, and locals often come here to eat. It is right at the entrance of Nanqiang Pedestrian Street. At that time, they ordered fresh milk rice milk, ice porridge, and small cans of beef. Maybe they could try it.

Stop 4: Local BBQ Stall

Yunnan's specialty food is definitely not found in stores, but in rural alleys. On the second day after I went to Yunnan, I made an appointment with local friends in Yunnan and organized a barbecue near Wuhua District in the evening.

According to local friends in Yunnan, Yunnan has many ethnic groups, so the food is also diverse, and the same dish has different ways of making it. The usage and amount of seasonings, and the techniques are thick or thin, which make the streets, alleys, and corners It is filled with all kinds of unique delicacies.

What we experienced at the barbecue stall in the evening was the "Feast of Hundreds of Insects". To be honest, I couldn't accept it. Fried bamboo worms, water dragonflies, grasshoppers, etc., some of which were eaten for the first time. Paired with local Yunnan beer, it was unique. Flavor.

First stop Erhai Lake

In the morning, I took the high-speed train from Kunming Station to Dali Station. There are many buses so there is no need to buy one in advance. It took about two hours to arrive at Dali Station. There is a luggage storage office near the train station. I stored my luggage there for 10 yuan (cash only).

Erhai Lake is some distance away from Dali Station. You can take a taxi there, or you can scan a shared eDonkey and ride there. Erhai Lake is still very beautiful, with mountains and rivers, blue sky and white clouds. You can go on a cruise. There are fish in the water and children fishing for fish.

Second stop Dali Ancient Town

This is a must-visit place when visiting Dali. The keynote of Dali Ancient City is the ancient city area, which is a super big place! It houses a variety of traditional snacks and emerging entertainment activities. There are snack streets and bar streets. Tourists can be seen everywhere wearing ancient costumes to take photos or walking hand in hand in the ancient alleys. They have both the elegance of traditional ancient charm and the playfulness of contemporary culture. It is a place that accommodates diversity!

Before I came to the ancient city of Dali, I booked a B&B nearby. Although it was a B&B, it was similar to a hotel, and even had better configurations!

Speaking of which, I must boast that the owner of this B&B is from Shandong! So they were super enthusiastic and gave me a small gift (a hat) and a few bottles of water. Their service attitude was super good!

When I went to the ancient city in the evening, I bought some clothes at a tie-dye workshop. I thought they were pretty good. What do you think?

You must go to a bar when you come to the ancient city of Dali. In the alleys from south to north, there are several bar streets. The resident singers in the bars are singing, the shops are soliciting business at the door, and the tourists are watching from the audience. Playing, playing, and making trouble.

There are many types of bars. I went to several bars during the past few days in Dali. There are clear bars, music bars, and some lively ones. Let me introduce them respectively.

This was the first bar. It was evening when I went there, and there were not many people in the bar. The singer on the stage was singing soothing songs, and I sat there for a long time.

This should be a clear bar. The drinks are good but a bit expensive. The store owner is very enthusiastic and the interior of the bar is also very warm, like a habitat specially prepared for wandering wanderers.

ps is suitable for chance encounter~

This one is Hutaoli Music Bar. I went in, ordered a classic mojito, and sat down in the corner to listen to the music. Some of the songs are composed by the resident singers themselves, and some are pop music, classic old songs, etc. The characteristics of this bar are lively and high-energy, and the tone of the songs is exciting and enthusiastic. You can feel the enthusiasm of the locals at once.

Of course, you can order this song yourself, but you need to pay. For a while, friends from all over the world started to compete in this bar to request songs, and it was very lively. The singers also asked them to introduce themselves. I remember there were friends from Beijing, Hubei, and Shandong~

However, there is also a pair of men asking for a chance encounter in a bar, which may be a bit embarrassing. Fate is a wonderful thing and cannot be forced.

This is the third bar I went to on the last day. It’s called Love Wins, and the name is quite interesting.

I ordered a glass of "Brokeback Mountain". The wine was stronger and didn't have that smooth feeling in the mouth. The style of this wine is like "Heart of the Ocean"!

This one is relatively remote, with a small store and few people. The owner of the bar is from Northeast China. He quit his job in a state-owned enterprise and came to Yunnan to open his own bar. According to him, he feels that this is very free and his life is very interesting.

Next, there are all kinds of food to eat, including grilled durian, fried potatoes, fried bugs, and kebabs. However, snacks can never stop hunger. As a true northerner, "Northeast Dumpling Shop" can satisfy my appetite. !

Post the picture directly!

The third stop is Dali University (Gucheng Campus)

The place of this school is amazing, with Cangshan Mountain behind it, Erhai Lake in front of it, and the ancient city of Dali nearby. The entire university is built on the mountain, and the scenery is great!

Because it is during the epidemic, the school is closed and no one is allowed to enter (I only found out later that I showed the health code to the security guard at the time. I don’t know if he didn’t look carefully and then I went in. I thought that the school is now Has the lockdown been lifted? Then I almost couldn’t get out)~

There are mountains, water and lakes in the school. Because the altitude is relatively high, it is sunny. The sky is blue, the water is clear, and there are some strange plants. If the epidemic is over and universities are no longer under closed management, you can consider going to Dali University.

The fourth stop: Cangshan

Dali University is on the mountainside of Cangshan Mountain, but the entrance to Cangshan Mountain is not near Dali University. I bought a ticket for the Cangshan Cableway on Ctrip in advance and took a taxi from Dali University to the Cangshan Cableway ticket gate.

There are two points to note: 1) Tickets for the Cangshan Cableway need to be purchased in advance, and the ticket price is around 233. According to locals, they can get cheaper tickets. There are no student tickets for this ticket, only full tickets; 2) After buying the ticket, you need to You have to wait two hours before you can pick up your tickets, so it is recommended to buy your tickets in advance.

The Cangshan Cableway is also called the Ximatan Cableway because there is a Ximatan at the top of Cangshan Mountain. It is said that Kublai Khan passed by Dali when he went south and garrisoned the place where he washed his horses - but now there is no water.

You must take a cableway to go up the mountain. Cangshan Mountain is about 4km high and has ravines and crisscrosses. The cableway up the mountain is divided into two sections. The higher you go, the stronger the wind and the lower the temperature. It is recommended to prepare thick clothes in advance, otherwise it will be very cold at the top of the mountain.

If you don’t bring thick clothes, there will also be a thick clothes rental office on the mountain. You need to pay a deposit of 300 yuan, and then the price of renting a piece of clothes is 60 yuan. The deposit will be refunded when the clothes are returned.

Next is the photo of Cangshan~

As mentioned above, there is no water in Ximatan now, there is only a large empty pit. But it’s pretty good when there’s water, as follows~

When you go up the mountain, there is a place to take commemorative photos at the entrance of the ropeway. You can take photos before you go up the mountain and they will be taken for you when you go down the mountain.

If you don't want to pay you can get a simple souvenir photo back, or if you're willing to spend some money you can get a few souvenir photos with backgrounds.

The fifth stop: Tianlong Babu Cinema

Tianlong Babu Cinema is right under Cangshan Mountain, and the ticket for Ximatan Cableway is a pass. After visiting Cangshan Mountain, you can take the bus in the scenic area to the interior of Tianlong Babu Cinema.

Generally speaking, there is nothing to do in the scenic area, and there is very little food, drink, and entertainment. It is basically a place for filming movies, but there are no movies being filmed now, so it is relatively boring.

When I first arrived at the cinema, I met actors in the scenic area dancing in the square, and I took a few photos.

Dali, Yunnan, is a wonderful place in fairy tales. Mr. Jin Yong once mentioned Dali in "Eight Parts of the Sky". However, according to the tour guide of a certain tour group, Duan Yu is not only a character in the novel "Dragon and the Eight Parts", but also a real person who has been the King of Dali for more than ten or decades.

Post photos next~

Basically my trip to Yunnan ends here!

After playing for several days, I went back to the B&B in the evening. It happened that I could watch movies with a projector in the B&B. After taking a shower, I lay on the bed and watched the movie. I was indeed very tired from walking these past few days.

The next day, I took the high-speed train back to Kunming, contacted my friends in Kunming, and visited Kunming University Town.

Friendly hospitality! We ate Korean food together, drank local milk tea, and then went to Yunnan University for Nationalities for a walk.

That night I returned to the airport hotel and prepared to take the Kunming-Chengdu flight. This marked the end of my trip to Yunnan, and my trip to Chengdu began immediately!

Still the same sentence: life cannot be rough because of twists and turns!