Dali Travel Notes: Before getting married, go on a long trip only for girls

Preface

In early December last year, Xiao Shi invited me to go to Jeju Island. Because at the end of December, both of us will be engaged, and both of us will become someone else’s fiancée. Therefore, she hopes: before we get married, we can go on a long trip that is only for girls.
But because I had already been to Jeju Island in the winter of 2016, and I was planning to go to Chiang Mai at that time. Therefore, that trip to Jeju Island failed to take place. But her sentence "Before getting married, go on a long trip that is only for girls", it was inadvertently included in my Bucket List. If you don't complete it, you will always feel that there will be a lack.
So, there was a trip to Yunnan after the epidemic. This is also the sixth time we have traveled together, and the destination is Dali, Yunnan.
After returning to China from Australia, I also traveled to several cities in China, but so far, I have only seen the blue sky and white clouds like Australia in Dali. Therefore, when I first arrived in Dali, although I was told countless times that Dali is very commercial, when I looked up and saw its blue sky and white clouds, I still felt so gentle.

1. Dali Ancient City

After coming to Dali, the first stop was Dali Ancient City.
▲The ancient city of Dali in the evening
In fact, there is really not much to write about the ancient city of Dali. Because of commercialization, there is no longer any charm of the ancient city, and the only ones are the same renovated shops. Especially the central streets, as you walk down the street, you will see all kinds of shops that want to drain your pockets. If you look around the ancient city, you can still see some older buildings in some small alleys.
In May, the bougainvillea trees in the ancient city are in full bloom. Although they don’t match the temperament of the ancient city, the sight of a large bougainvillea tree in full bloom is still very attractive.
▲What a big bougainvillea
There are street stalls everywhere in the ancient city, such as grilled milk fans, charcoal-grilled durians, grilled bait cubes, small twists, flower cakes... Before I came to Dali, I had never heard of what a milk fan was, so I bought a piece to try it. It's very fragrant, but too sweet. One piece is enough, but two pieces are too much.
Because the B&B I chose is right next to the ancient city, only a 10-minute walk away. So, during those few days in Dali, we went to the ancient city several times. Sometimes, after dinner, when we go out for a walk, we go for a walk in the ancient city together.
Or you can wait for dark in the ancient city; or you can find a small bar in the ancient city, have a drink and listen to the singers.
Suggestions for visiting the ancient city and taking photos:
1. The ancient city of Dali is laid out like a chessboard. It takes about half a day to walk around. Therefore, it is recommended to go in the afternoon, stroll around, take photos, and have dinner at a restaurant in the ancient city. Wait until it gets dark, then choose a bar you like, have a drink and listen to music.
2. When taking photos, it is recommended to choose plain-colored clothes, or just go for an ethnic-style red dress to create a contrast.

2. Erhai Lake

At the foot of Cangshan Mountain, you encounter Erhai Lake. In Dali, one of the most representative attractions is Erhai Lake. You must arrange a day to take a trip around Erhai Lake.
There are two main ways to travel around the Erhai Lake, one is chartering a car; the other is renting a car (renting a car or electric vehicle) . Because the full-day schedule is quite tight, we chose to charter a car for 300 yuan a day.
  • Yunshuihuatian
There are quite a lot of attractions to visit on the Erhai Lake Loop. Because we live near the ancient city, the first stop on our tour was a man-made Internet celebrity attraction called Yunshui Flower Field.
On a piece of green grass, there are some props that are particularly suitable for taking pictures, such as: white bus, sky realm, Internet celebrity glass ball, Hobbit hut, long bridge in the water, etc.
At first glance, these facilities seem very internet-famous and cliche, but because they are located in Dali, they come with their own filters and the photos they take are still very good. For girls, being able to take beautiful photos is a great joy during travel.
In this man-made Internet celebrity attraction, we actually "pretentious" for more than an hour, taking photos of each other, taking photos together, and making various concave shapes. But now that I think about it, I still feel so happy: The weather that day was very good, the people I traveled with were very harmonious, and I really liked the photos I took.
  • Xizhou Ancient Town
According to the route, the first stop should be Xizhou Ancient Town, but considering the weather and light (if we go at noon, the light will be too strong and the photos will be overexposed) , we went straight to the Yunshui Flower Field first. Then we turned back a little bit and went to Xizhou Ancient Town.
The degree of commercialization of Xizhou Ancient Town is slightly better than that of Dali Ancient Town, but it is still very commercial. I spent more than an hour wandering around the ancient town, and there were all shops selling jewelry, clothes, and flower cakes.
But when you come to Xizhou Ancient Town, you must try the local traditional snack: Xizhou Baba. Because we were afraid of stepping on the wrong side, we only bought one piece and shared it.
▲It tastes too much like scallion pancakes
Maybe it's because the one we chose is salty, or maybe it's just not that delicious. In short, after eating, we all agreed that this tasted the same as our homemade scallion pancakes, so luckily we only bought one piece.
But traveling is more of a process of exploration and experience. Therefore, if you go to Xizhou Ancient Town, I still recommend you to try it. If you like sweet cakes, please tell me after trying them.
  • Shuanglang Ancient Town
Shuanglang Ancient Town is an ancient town located on the edge of Erhai Lake. It is known as "the scenery of Dali is in Erhai, and the scenery of Erhai is in Shuanglang".
▲Double corridor panorama
When I first walked into Shuanglang Ancient Town, there were actually jacarandas in full bloom, which instantly brought all my memories back to Australia. When I first arrived in Australia, it was October, Australian spring, and the jacarandas were in full bloom.
▲Surprise! Jacaranda on the roadside~
Although the first impression of Shuanglang is very good, it cannot change the fact that Shuanglang has become a shooting base for Internet celebrities.
Along the way, we would meet salespeople who would hold "classic" photos of internet celebrities and say to us: Little girl, do you want to take a photo? For 10 yuan a person, you can take photos of internet celebrities.
Putting aside these commercialized routines, the double corridor is actually very beautiful. There is a sense of beauty like "at the foot of Cangshan Mountain, encountering the Erhai Lake".
If you can find a quiet B&B and stay here for a while, overlooking Cangshan Mountain in the distance and listening to Erhai Lake up close, it should be quite pleasant.
  • Xiaoputuo
Continuing our circuit along the Erhai Lake, our last stop was Little Putuo.
I just got off the car and walked to the Erhai Lake. When I saw this island, it looked like a miniature island. Legend has it that this island is the seal of Zhenhai left by Guanyin Master when he established Dali.
It was already evening when we arrived at Xiaoputuo, and as the weather turned overcast in the afternoon, the entire eastern part of Erhai Lake was covered by dark clouds. But there was a ray of light that passed through the dark clouds and projected on the sea, which was quite surprising.
After coming out of Little Putuo, we have been on the road along the Erhai Lake, blowing the wind, listening to songs, and running under the sunset. It is full of the romance of a road trip.
Suggestions for traveling around Erhai Lake and taking photos:
1. When going around Erhai Lake, you must plan a whole day to stroll around and take photos. Friends with good driving skills recommend renting a Beetle, which only costs about 300 per day. But it’s not recommended to rent an electric bike. Firstly, Dali’s ultraviolet rays are very strong and you can easily get sunburned. Secondly, electric bikes are not very stable. If you don’t ride them often, you may fall easily.
2. There are actually more scenic spots along the Erhai Lake Rim than those listed above. However, due to the special period, many of them were closed or undergoing maintenance and upgrades, so I was unable to go there. But in fact, the most essential ones are the above ones.
3. Taking suggestions: It is best for girls to wear more elegant skirts, but it is not recommended to wear completely pure white, because it is easy to blend with the white clouds and then be overexposed (well, many of my photos Such a problem arises).

3. Cangshan

Cangshan Mountain and Erhai Lake are full of wind, flowers, snow and moon. After talking about Erhai Lake, let’s take a look at Cangshan Mountain.
First, spread some common sense:

  • Cangshan Mountain is not just a mountain, but consists of 19 peaks with an average altitude of more than 3,500 meters. Some mountaintops have snow all year round, forming the beautiful scenery of "Cangshan Snow".

  • Erhai Lake is not a sea, but a freshwater lake shaped like an ear. Looking down at the Erhai Lake from the sky above Dali, the Erhai Lake looks like a crescent moon, so there is also the "Erhai Lake Moon".

  • The wind, flowers, snow and moon here refer to the four wonders of Dali: Xiaguan wind, Shangguan flowers, Cangshan snow, and Erhai moon.

Okay, let’s continue talking about Cangshan. There are several cableways on Shangcang Mountain, and it is said that the Ximatan cableway has the best scenery. Therefore, we also chose this ropeway. But unfortunately, the weather was not particularly good on the day we went up the mountain, and the Ximatan Ropeway was only open for half the journey, so we were unable to climb to the top of the mountain.
After riding the cable car for nearly 20 minutes, going uphill and downhill, the scenery was still very good. After reaching the middle of the mountain, there is no scenery to see at all, only the "Seven Dragon Girls Pond" to see. But from the ropeway station to the Seven Dragon Girl Pond Scenic Area, you need to walk 1,175 steps, which is 2,350 steps back and forth. But it’s come, bite the bullet and go.
As we walked along, we found that there were many small attractions on the way to the Seven Dragons Pond, such as the Erlong Pond, the Four Dragon Pond, the Five Dragon Pond, etc.
▲At first glance, this waterfall does look like Longha~
▲Using long exposure to capture Rusi Waterfall~
Finally, I climbed to the Seven Dragon Girls Pond, only to find that it was no different from other dragon ponds, and the small waterfall was not as good as the ones I had seen before. In short, there is nothing special about it. It is purely a mountaineering exercise.
Suggestions for visiting and taking photos in Cangshan Mountain:
1. It is recommended to purchase tickets online in advance, which will be dozens of dollars cheaper than on site. If you buy tickets online on the spot, you will need to wait two hours for the tickets to be issued.
2. When going up the mountain, it is best to bring a thicker jacket. When you first got off the cable car, the wind was blowing on your body and it was quite cold.
3. There are many vendors selling oxygen at the foot of the mountain, but I personally don’t think it is very necessary. Maybe it’s because we only climbed halfway.
4. There are no special suggestions for taking pictures. The Rusi Waterfall in the picture above was taken with the long exposure of iPhone. The key is to keep your hands steady.

4. Chongsheng Temple

Chongsheng Temple is also the "Tianlong Temple" in Jin Yong's novel "The Eight Parts of the Dragon". In history, 9 emperors became monks here. When visiting Chongsheng Temple, you will also see that there are quite a lot of Buddhist activities here.
In Chongsheng Temple, the most famous one is probably the Three Pagodas of Chongsheng Temple. Standing in the Three Towers Reflection Park, you can still clearly see the reflection of the Three Towers, which looks like the Six Towers.
Chongsheng Temple is a 5A scenic spot in Dali. You can spend half a day walking around here. When we left Chongsheng Temple, we bought a Three Pagodas refrigerator magnet as a souvenir of our trip.
Suggestions for visiting Chongsheng Temple and taking photos:
1. You need an ID card to buy tickets. You must bring your ID card to Chongsheng Temple.
2. For tour buses, I personally think you can actually buy a one-way trip. First take a tour bus to the last point, then walk and visit all the way down. It will take about 2 hours to complete the visit.
3. If you are taking photos, it is recommended to bring a wide-angle lens, because most of them are relatively grand scenes.

5. Practical strategies

  • Gourmet food
I stayed in Dali for about 10 days. Half of the time was spent cooking at the B&B, and the other half was spent outside pulling some delicious food. There are two recommended restaurants:
1. Shanhaihui Restaurant
This restaurant specializes in traditional Dali dishes. We ordered a set menu for two people, and then each ordered a serving of pickled plum juice. The store's sour plum juice is really good. There are real plums in it, not blended. The specific reviews are written on Dianping (ID: Sudy Sudy) . Friends who are interested can check it out.
By the way, the store also gave me a small gift for both of us. After observing the whole place, no one else had it, only us had it. Haha, super lucky.
2. Dai chef
When you come to Yunnan, you must try eating with your hands. After circling Erhai Lake, we went to eat finger food in the evening. This is my second time eating finger food, and it is as delicious as ever. The specific reviews are all written in my Dianping account, so I won’t go into details. You can go and take a look.
During these 10 days in Dali, I felt like I ate well every day. Because in addition to going out to eat some special dishes, the two of us also turned into chefs and cooked a lot of big meals.
  • stay
Due to the epidemic, most inns in Dali have now reduced their prices. Rooms that usually cost more than 100 yuan now cost about more than 60 yuan, which is very cheap. We stayed in a double room. After 10 days, we probably spent about 300 per person. It can be said that the price-performance ratio is very high.
▲Eating snail noodles at a B&B
The prices of B&Bs near Dali Ancient Town are generally lower than those on the Shuanglang side, but the Shuanglang side is close to the Erhai Lake, and the sea-view rooms have better views. Therefore, if you are only traveling in Dali, you can move your accommodation and live on both sides. But if you are traveling, it is recommended to live near the ancient city, where life is more convenient and close to the vegetable market.
  • transportation
I took the high-speed train from Nanning directly to Dali. Because I live near the ancient city, I always walk to the ancient city. Attractions such as Cangshan Mountain and Chongsheng Temple are relatively close to the ancient city, so taxis are very cheap.
When traveling around Erhai Lake, we chartered a car directly, so it didn’t affect travel. When I usually go to the vegetable market to buy food, I just ride on the B&B owner’s electric donkey and I’m there in 10 minutes, which is very convenient.
▲Go to the market to buy food and cook your own food
  • specialty
When I travel to Dali, the souvenirs I get back are basically flower cakes. Flower cakes are sold everywhere in the ancient city. The cheapest ones are 100 yuan for 18 boxes, but you get what you pay for. Different prices will naturally have different tastes. Regarding the flower cake, we finally chose Pan Xiangji’s. It tastes very good and is highly recommended.

6. Conclusion

Dali is a city with a slow and comfortable pace.
If you come here as a tourist, you will feel that the atmosphere is too busy and commercial. If you live here for a long time, people will really become lazy. Therefore, the best way is probably to live abroad.
When you are free, just like a traveler, explore the corners of this city; when you are busy, just live at your own pace in the inn, regardless of the external affairs.

Leave a Reply