On the Road…Dali and Lijiang Trip

Number of days: 10 days
Time: August
Average cost: 4,000 yuan
With whom: and friends
Updated: 2022.02.14

Foreword:

The original plan was for a few S-party members to ride motorcycles from Changsha to Yunnan and then to Tibet for a motorcycle tour...

Due to various reasons, I finally chose to go backpacking alone.

Before departure, I made an appointment with a girl on Tianya.com to travel to Dali and Lijiang with me. She was a beautiful girl and lived not far from me in Guangzhou. We even talked on the phone. Thinking it would be a pleasant thing to have a beautiful girl as a companion, I signed up for a tour group and paid a deposit of 800 yuan to arrange a time to meet up in Dali together...

Before departure, I sent a message to remind me to catch the flight. After I got off the plane in Kunming, the beautiful girl told me that I had missed the flight and had to change the ticket...

Various thoughts came to my mind at the same time...

Fortunately, I am an optimist. Since I was fooled, there must be other handsome guys who must have had the same experience as me... I'd better go to the meeting point first and see what happens next. So I took the train to Dali alone...

I arrived at the station at around 6 o'clock in the morning. I really didn't sleep well the whole night. There were a few uncles sleeping next to me, snoring like thunder...

I dragged my tired body out of the station. Maybe I was hungry. The rice noodles at the exit were really good. I give it a thumbs up. They were 10 yuan a bowl. The guy was also very enthusiastic and answered some of my questions...

I called a ride directly to the entrance of Dali Ancient City. It seemed to be around 15 yuan. In fact, there are those minivans that go together for only 5 yuan...

At about eight o'clock, a tall and strong man in casual clothes came, driving an SUV. He looked really serious. Just as we were about to get in the car, two tall and strong men got out of the car and said they were his friend's brothers. They kept asking us to get in the car... At this time, the horrible plots in various movies appeared in my mind... What if they took us to a deserted place and robbed us? What if they killed us and sold our organs (haha, this idea was said by a beautiful woman later, and I hadn't thought of it at the time)... In the end, the handsome guy who had been dragged for three days and I didn't get in the car. One handsome guy still got in the car, and he could only wish for good luck. So I and the buddy who had been dragged for a few days got together...

He had been in the ancient city for a few days, and there were three other friends from all over the country. Together, the five of us started our Dali trip...

I slept until about ten o'clock, and had something to eat at eleven o'clock. The five of us rented a Honda at the car rental agency in town. The rental fee seemed to be 280, and the gas was not included. Today's itinerary is to travel around Erhai Lake...

The total distance around Erhai Lake is about 120 kilometers. Due to pollution control, most of the inns around it are closed... I hope that Erhai Lake will be refreshed when I visit the old place again next time...

Two of my friends have returned, and the other has gone to Lijiang. My other female companion and I planned to ride electric bikes to visit Dali University and the Three Pagodas today...

After waking up naturally, we had a bowl of beef noodles, which tasted great...

Today's decision was absolutely right. It took almost an hour to ride an electric bike around Dali University. From there, we could see the whole view of Dali Ancient Town, which was quite nice. Moreover, the roads were all uphill, and the electric bikes were very convenient, they were simply tailor-made for me...

The ticket for the Three Pagodas is 120, but it's 93 if you buy it online, which is quite convenient. It's even better if you have a student ID, as it's half price... I suggest that those who are not very old can get a fake student ID, which can save a lot of money after a few days of sightseeing... After all, you should save whenever you can, and no one can resist money... Haha, I only got it later, and it should be useful when I go to Tibet next...

There is a park next to the Three Pagodas scenic spot. From 5 to 6 pm, you can see the reflection of the three pagodas... It's very beautiful. You need a ticket for the Three Pagodas to enter. There is an aunt guarding the door, so don't rush to throw away the ticket after you exit the Three Pagodas, you can still use it next to it... Then go to the bar in the evening. Last night I went to a clear bar, and today I went to a high bar, which has a completely different style. Two cocktails and a beautiful girl to chat with... Haha, so happy

It was my first time in Lijiang. I ran into another foodie on the way, so I dropped my luggage off at the inn early and went to eat salmon at the best-reviewed salmon restaurant...

Although the salmon here is not as authentic as the Japanese restaurant in Shenzhen, the taste of freshwater salmon is still acceptable. I give it a thumbs up...

After that, I went to the nearby Black Dragon Pond Park... There is no entrance fee after 6pm, and there are fewer people during the day, but at night, every alley is full of people...

There are also flower cakes and flower phone cases all over the streets. Flower cakes are 100 yuan for six bags, with six flavors, and free shipping nationwide. I sent a lot of them to my friends... You can go shopping before buying flower phone cases, because each store in the ancient city is cheaper than the other, and the stores at the entrance are very expensive. Anyway, just ask a few more. After shopping until around 9 o'clock, the three of us decided to go to a bar... We are out for fun, so we just want to have a good time. Our goal is to eat well, drink well, and have fun...

I have to go out to prepare my belongings for tomorrow's trip to Tibet. I'll continue when I'm free in the evening...

After washing up at ten o'clock in the morning, the five of us rented a Volkswagen Tiguan in Lijiang, 310 yuan a day, for three days, ready to travel around Lugu Lake...

It took about four and a half hours to drive to Lugu Lake. When we first arrived at Lugu Lake, some people said it looked like a giant eel...

Next is Goddess Mountain... Can you tell which one is in the picture?

Go to a bar at night, play guitar and sing songs... There are also beautiful women singing... Or listen to the sound of waves crashing by the Lugu Lake, and all the worldly troubles will disappear at this moment...

Lugu Lake can be summed up in one word... beautiful...

I will come again...

Today we went to Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and Blue Moon Lake. The tour group price was 420 yuan. The cable car took us about 4/3 of the way up. Everyone wore coats. Actually, it was not as cold as we imagined... A few of my friends who went up later swallowed up their coats because it affected the photo taking.

The altitude sickness was okay, not as serious as I imagined... It is necessary to bring water and oxygen tanks, just in case...

After coming down from the snow mountain, the Blue Moon Lake below was quite nice. The water was blue-green, very beautiful. There were many newlyweds leaving the most beautiful moment by the lake...

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Today we went to Lashi Lake. This might be the cheapest tour group in Lijiang. It's 100 RMB, includes lunch, an hour-long horseback ride, and boating...

If you want to go there, I recommend joining a tour group...

As a visitor from out of town, I usually find lunch online. This place is very popular online, recommended by many tourists, and we were not disappointed. Yunnan cuisine is our top choice for our dining needs, and this is the best choice!

Environment:

The courtyard has a nice ambiance. Bask in the sun, enjoy some tea, and there's a resident singer at the entrance. It's a very relaxing day.

Service:

The owner was very welcoming and recommended several signature dishes. The pork ribs were delicious, a fusion of Yunnan and Jiangsu and Zhejiang flavors. The plums had just the right acidity. The copper pot potato rice was my favorite, mixed with local bacon and ham. It was fragrant and soft. The jasmine flower baked eggs were also very delicious; the fresh fragrance of the jasmine tea cut through the greasiness of the fried eggs.

The prices were reasonable for the scenic area. We had lunch in Shuhe Ancient Town, then found a place to sip coffee and soak up the sun in the afternoon, enjoying a lazy afternoon.