Dali
Took a flight into Dali, Yunnan. It was a silk road stop. I don’t really need to get into the importance and history of the Silk Road here. It’s pretty isolated up in the mountains, with a single Noth/South valley leading to other communities along the range. Dali Wood Carving and Marble are what the region is most known for. In fact, the Chinese word for marble is literally “Dali Stone.”
Dali is a prefecture-level city… it basically sprawled so much, they just consider all the little cities and towns within the prefecture to be all of Dali (when in fact, the city origin is really only at the southern end). It wraps almost complete around Erhai Lake at an elevation of 6,233 ft. To the south is the modern city, with some formidable high-rises for such a region, and as you head clockwise around the lake, you pass through the Old Town, through orchards and lakeside estates, reaching a very rural at the northern end. Along the way, countless ancient temples, markets, small towns, farms, and Bai People all around.
I stayed an airBnB place just outside of Dali Old Town, the historic district. My room was odd, being the whole roof of a building. Living and Dining Rooms just being out in the open. The bedroom was the glass cube. It also came with a bunch of cats and an amazing view.
Since it’s just a greenhouse, you have to run the AC all day to keep it from becoming an oven, then at night the heater prevents you from freezing to death.
Dining room
View from the living room
I counted 6 cats.
Wall decoration
Half the day was spent traveling so the plan was to take it easy and walk around the neighborhood.
Construction everywhere…
Dali wood carving up top.
A few minutes walk from my room is the Old Town South Gate.
I just thought it was cool to see antiques just randomly stacked like this.
Making crepes on a stick – they are filled with sausages, veggies, and some sauce.
Local dish: Cold Noodles – Not bad!
Local dish – Hot Noodles – Really good!
Sweets in this region are flavored with flower petals. These cookies are filled with rose paste.
Heading down Fuxing Road. Not a lot of people at all (for China) – Loving these rural spots.
The Chinese put a lot of effort into creating beautiful gateways to their establishments. This is the entrance to a bar.
9D VR – Vomit-inducing Reality.
Small textile factory and worker
Less in urban areas, but still all over rural China, parents cut and sew open the asses of their kid’s clothes. You can be in line at the bus station and there will be a kid sitting and pissing in trash can or potted plant, or a walking down the street you will see parents negotiating with a street vendor over some fish, while their child will is dropping a deuce right next to the fish bucket – and no one bats an eye.
I don’t know what this guys’ deal is, but he’s selling books about himself. I can’t say I saw a single person reading a book in China. I was actually looking for bookstores and they are hard to find. I don’t think reading books in public is all that popular (if you aren’t a student).
Clean your feet with Fish. Those tanks are filled with fish that nibble the skin off your feet. It takes like 40 minutes and tickles.
This lady braids colored string into people’s hair.
View from the mountains at sunset. Daylight hours in Dali are relatively short since it’s completely surrounded by mountains.
The fun at old town continues throughout the night.
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