China HK 2007: Dali, Yunnan Province - China

The flight from Kunming to Dali is about the same time as flying from Massachusetts to Nantucket, pretty much by the time you sit down and start flying you practically have to land again. Suffice it to say, a catnap wasn't even offered.

Anyhow, we hit the ground running on an airport the size of 3 football fields, which makes me wonder how we ever made it onto the tarmac without crashing into the foothills, but again, no time to think about that as we all make a B-line to the baggage claim. Oh yeah, the baggage area is also open air, so you see the guys toss your bags right onto the conveyor -- so wouldn't it just save time if we picked it up ourselves from under the plane like when we toss our bags under a bus?

Eh, I call it airport job security -- not in terms of safety, but of just having something to do.

Okay, onto the slideshow:

This was a giant mural that rested right in the center of the
hotel. It should be in the Guinness records somewhere if it
hasn't been already.

The portly-looking lady in the purple sweater is Jennifer,
the owner of the hotel. She fought tooth and nail to have
her "resort hotel/spa" to be put up, camping outside the
site in a tent for over 3 months during construction.
We're walking in what she calls her "Spiritual Garden",
but really, it's just an awesome backyard.




The view from our hotel room. On a clear day, you can
see mountains behind the track of houses -- foggy weather
will plague the trip for days to come.

Here, Jennifer is performing the last part of a "3 Tea
Ceremony" which is usually done for honored guests. It
consists of 3 teas: one bitter, one sweet, and the last one
is a little in-between. Included in the last part is this
kind of local "cheese" made by curdling the milk skin
with vinegar and then heating it over an open flame.
Believe me, it tastes better than it sounds, though
no one asked for seconds...

Ah, more sightseeing. These temples house giant
bronze Buddhas and monks. You'll just have to go there
and see for yourself.




Ah, the Dali "postcard" shot - 3 Pagodas reflected in a lake.

And here it is without the lake. Eh, I'm into options like
that...

This is the "old town" part of the city. See the gaps on the
left? Below is a river that flows right through the
area. Don't worry, more of that later.


This is the entrance to the bar district, where mostly the
ex-pats and foreign tourists frequent. I call this place
"Backpacker Row."

At night, the red lanterns are lit, and the drinking begins.

If you look really carefully, between these two buildings
is a "closet alleyway" that leads to a much larger building
in the back. This place is deceptively larger than it
looks.




Chicken + Dali = Dali-cious!

Here, a kid enjoys that cheese I was telling you about.
This piece looks like Chinese "Buffalo Mozzarella".

Yep, I have no shame -- it was 2 dollars to take a picture
of the ram, whether you look like you're riding it or not.
I took about 3 shots for the price of one -- but don't tell
the shepherd that...

Finally, the exit out of the old town. Really, like a mini-
version of the Forbidden City.

Next up: Lijiang - hope you bring your good walking shoes!