冒险娘之旅 Part 6 Lijiang Gucheng

It took me 4 hours of bus ride from Dali to Lijiang 丽江 but the scenery was beautiful along the way. Lily Pad Inn can helped arrange a luxury bus at 75rmb. But do not expect much of the bus. It was definitely not luxurious at my standard. But the lucky thing was that I met a nice Hongkong couple travelling with their 5 years old daughter and a pair of Singaporean sisters on the bus. We started chatting and I realised that the Hongkong man is very well travelled.  He had been to most part of China and can dish out advice on any place in China so I called him Big Bro. When big Bro said that my accommodation in Lijiang was too expensive and he could recommended cheaper option if we travelled together, I was a little apprehensive. But the ladies in the group were friendly so I took the option.

Green plots of farm lands along the way from Dali to Lijiang

My initial choice would be Blossom hill Inn which is expensive but definitely more luxurious stay at 450rmb a night. But the  Traveller's inn 驴者驿站 in the middle of Qiyi street that Big Bro recommended was only 100rmb a night. The Naxi lady boss of the inn really have cool character.  When we entered, she did not say much but just calmly invited us to china tea ceremony. The environment was warm and cosy.  The inn have a Naxi touch to it. Although it was not very luxurious but it was clean and comfortable. The best thing was that I will have companionship during the stay.

Traveller's Inn Cool Lady Boss

Lijiang Dayan Gucheng 丽江大研古城 was crowded on weekend. The streets were cobbled so wheeling my luggage along the street was a heart thumping action. I was afraid the wheels will give way and I will had to carry my luggage for the rest of the journey. It took 15mins to reach our stay.

Naxi people's Dongba Language

That night the group invited me to join them for dinner. We had waxed pork hotpot, a famous Naxi dish outside Lijiang Gucheng. The food was so so only. Too be fair China food was generally too oily and salty for my taste. But we chatted and laughed so dinner was great. The 2 Singaporean sisters wished to visit Yulong Snow mountain tomorrow so I will be joining them.

After dinner, we walked back. Lijiang Gucheng by the day is beautiful with old houses, cobbled streets and shops selling colorful wares. Mixed with the Naxi people 纳西族's colourful arts and culture, it gave off a surreal old town feel. At night, with rows of orange lights on, it gave off a nostalgic feeling. We strolled along the pub street 酒吧一条街 on our way back. The street was lighted up and filled with rows of Chinese pubs competing to out win each other so it was really loud but made an interesting sight.

We reached our inn at around 10pm and asked the lady boss to help with tomorrow' day tour. She was helped us call a few tour agencies even though it was getting late. She managed to get us into a tour after the 3rd try. We were definitely grateful for the great service.