Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Dali - part 1
The last two days have been incredibly relaxing. In fact, I can't remember ever feeling quite so relaxed. Dali is an incredibly tranquil and calm village. People walk down the streets slowly here, and I have to admit that my pace is even slower than theirs! Yesterday, we visited a Buddist religious site called the three pagodas. It is the largest temple complex that I have seen. It stretches a third of the way up the mountain. From the top one can get a fantastic view of the valley and Erhai Hu lake. We climbed up and relaxed for a couple of hours. It was perfect because there were almost no tourists there. In a more crowded part of China such a place would have been overrun with tourists and people trying to sell you stuff.
In the town of Dali there are lots of people trying to sell you stuff. One's conversations with them can be quite humourous: Them: Boat Ride? You: No. Them: Horseback ride? You: No. Them: Ganja? You: No. Then finally, with rising optomism in their voice, Cable Car? You: Nope, I'm going to drink a beer and read a book. Two minutes later when one has one's cold Dali beer in hand (which in my humble opinion needs some work. It is not as good as the leading brand, Tsing Tao, which was originally started by the Germans), you hear, hey sir, Cable Car?
Tomorrow we have rented a driver to drive us around the lake. We are going to visit a local, "traditional" market, and visit a bunch of fishing villages, and yes, a few more pagodas. I seriously should read up on my Buddism and Taoism after this trip. We ran into a dutch guy and his attractive Thai wife, who joined us on our excursion to the Stone Forest, and we are hoping they will come with us. This evening, we are thinking about playing cards in the town square. Today, we found a place where groups of elderly men gather to play cards, so we think it would be fun to join them, and of course, become the centre of attention.
In the town of Dali there are lots of people trying to sell you stuff. One's conversations with them can be quite humourous: Them: Boat Ride? You: No. Them: Horseback ride? You: No. Them: Ganja? You: No. Then finally, with rising optomism in their voice, Cable Car? You: Nope, I'm going to drink a beer and read a book. Two minutes later when one has one's cold Dali beer in hand (which in my humble opinion needs some work. It is not as good as the leading brand, Tsing Tao, which was originally started by the Germans), you hear, hey sir, Cable Car?
Tomorrow we have rented a driver to drive us around the lake. We are going to visit a local, "traditional" market, and visit a bunch of fishing villages, and yes, a few more pagodas. I seriously should read up on my Buddism and Taoism after this trip. We ran into a dutch guy and his attractive Thai wife, who joined us on our excursion to the Stone Forest, and we are hoping they will come with us. This evening, we are thinking about playing cards in the town square. Today, we found a place where groups of elderly men gather to play cards, so we think it would be fun to join them, and of course, become the centre of attention.
