Dali daze

As with many people I've spoken to since, Dali in Yunnan Province is probably my favourite place I've visited in China so far. I decided to alter my original plans to be in Kunming longer and head to Dali for a few days after a little advice from some people back in Tianjin. I'm so glad I followed their suggestion because I absolutely fell in love with the place. It's a stunning little city just a four hour train ride from Kunming. I would highly recommend for everyone visiting China to go to at least once.

Poppy and I took an early train and coincidently booked onto the same train as another British Council ELA I knew. It was really great to catch up with Will and hear all about his time teaching in Jiujiang. Even better was that he was about to embark on a pretty random 20 day trek in the mountains of Yunnan with his own personal sherpa who coincidently didn't speak a word of English. If ever I thought I was being adventurous, Will completely blew me out of the water. Again, it was moments like this that made me feel like its a small world after all. What were the chances that in a country as huge as China, we'd be booked onto the exact same train? 

一。Cangshan Mountain

Poppy and I took it easy on our first night in Dali. We ventured to a nearby dumpling restaurant and the lovely lady chef let us make our own dinner and help out making dumplings. We were also charmed by a lovely little girl who practised her English on us and began reeling off some lines she memorised really well. She proceeded to tell us that her name was Daisy, that she was 10 years old and that she was a happy girl. 

The following day, we decided to do a little hike on Cangshan Mountain - surrounded by nature, the fresh smell of Yunnan pine and the odd waterfall. With a summit at over 4000 metres, we were unable to see the very top of the mountain veiled by thick cloud. Visitors can reach one of the highest peaks via chairlift but due to weather (apparently it'd been snowing the night before), this wasn't an option for us. We settled for a hike about halfway up the mountain instead.

I found the sight of these sticks at the base of the mountain paths quite curious. Poppy said she'd been told that Chinese people will often leave sticks to prop up the base of mountains to keep them more stable. It's such a strange concept but actually I think it's quite nice to believe that you're helping keep the mountains upright. This made the various signs along the mountain which urged visitors to "beware of falling rocks" and to "run fast" in the case of rock fall quite amusing.

We walked along the Cloud Pass, a 13km path along the middle of the mountain. The path itself meanders a great deal. One minute you're over looking the city with stunning uninterrupted views, another you're tucked away underneath rock overhang wondering how on earth gravity isn't causing this monstrous mountain to come crashing down.

There were so many moments where I would just stop dead in my tracks and just have my breath taken away by how stunning the views were from Cangshan. The skies were clear, the air was fresh. These are things that I took for granted back home. Before moving to China, I never really considered what the air quality would be like, nor did I think about the fact that seeing a blue sky is actually considered lucky back in Tianjin. In this part of Western China, away from factories or constant road traffic, Dali was just beautiful because you can actually see it clearly. I don't think I ever really understood what it meant to 'drink air', but being so high up on Cangshan, you really can!

Dali is just unbelievably picturesque from Cangshan, truly like something from a postcard.

二。Ancient Town

The hostel we were staying in was based within the Ancient Town walls, making it incredibly convenient to explore. Dali has a reputation for being a bit bohemian and hippie. I'd even go as far as to say it's quite hipster (although the vibe isn't as imposing or contrived as the word might suggest). For all of it's crafty stores and independent coffee shops which still maintain the original architecture of old Dali, you're never left with a lack of places to explore within the city walls. Listen to the music that echoes out of local venues, sample the unusual tastes of rose pastries, browse the beautiful patterned clothes on store racks. The Ancient Town host so many little gems.

City wall archways

Maybe one of the best things is that Dali is incredibly charming. It is touristy but it still feels unspoilt. The tourism there isn't intense as it is in other Chinese cities I've visited. It almost feels as if this is still a cool Chinese secret that people are yet to find out about and see as a commercial tourist opportunity. Personally, I hope that it remains that way - although maybe that'll be hard if I don't stop singing Dali's praises...

三。Xizhou Village

Along the huge Er Hai Lake that Dali is nested on are a tonne of villages you can visit via bike. As we've heard from my Xi'an post, my cycling abilities aren't the best. Knowing that I'd be heading to Vietnam (a motorcyclist's paradise) after Dali, I thought there would be no better time to try my luck on an e-bike to ride around the lake. Turns out, e-bikes are harder to ride than they look. I could never quite find the sweet spot on the accelerator that made you go at a decent speed. As someone who wouldn't describe themselves as a road safe cyclist, even the lady who rented the bikes out to us had reservations and suggested we give the bike back. The good news was that the villages are also easily reachable by public buses, so off we went to Xizhou.

Xizhou baba cooked on an open charcoal 'oven'

Much like the Ancient Town, Xizhou has it's own charming quirks - local people hanging colourful tie-dyed fabrics for sale, traditional Bai ethnic architecture and winding alleys to get lost in. Our helpful hostel receptionist told us we must try the local delicacy of 'Xizhou baba', which she likened to a pizza. Not directly comparable, 'Xizhou baba' is like a doughy flatbread cooked on open charcoal ovens and filled with either pork for a savoury option or red bean paste for a sweet choice. Naturally, I opted for both...

Street graffiti

Xizhou was full of little surprises. A random turning took us to a paddy field, vividly green with farmers working away. Back down another alleyway, we stumbled across some Chinese graffiti art. For those looking for a bit more of an 'off-the-beaten-track- type experience of Dali, Xizhou is a good place to visit.

四。Erhai Lake

Just a short tuk tuk ride away from Xizhou, we sped along to get a close up view of Erhai Lake.

It's easy to forget you're in China when you're by Erhai Lake because it's not your typical 'Chinese' scenery. It's hard to put into words just how beautiful Dali is, but photos speak for themselves...

五。Chinese Coldplay

Just when we thought we'd explored every corner of the Ancient Town, Dali threw us another surprise on our last night. A few nights before, we'd enjoyed some live music at a local bar - a hippie looking expat armed with a Spanish guitar playing smooth covers of Blackstreet's No Diggity and Sinatra's Fly Me To The Moon (quite the repertoire). Our impressions of the music scene in Dali were incredibly positive but on our final night, we stumbled across a strobe light filled street with pumping music. I didn't really know where to look. To my left, a pair of young Chinese dancer girls dressed in identical outfits which appeared to be a cross between cowboy fancy dress outfit and traditional Chinese cheongsam. To my right, another performance by some Chinese acoustic artist, trying to wrestle away attention from passersby. What did catch my eye was Chinese Coldplay singing a rock version of Yellow. China just continues to surprise me in all the best ways...

I feel like I only scratched the surface of Dali but from what I did experience, it's got to be one of my favourite places in China so far. I know that I absolutely have to head back to Yunnan Province and see even more at some point. Until then, Dali!

All aboard for Kunming

The next stop on my Spring Festival travels was Kunming, capital of Yunnan Province. In terms of distance, a flight from Chengdu to Kunming would only take about an hour and half. But in times like that, you gotta think – where’s the fun in that? Rather than go for convenience and speed, Beth and I decided to take our first ever sleeper train in China which would take 22 hours in total. Of course, there was a risk we’d suffer from cabin fever and/ or complete boredom but we were pleasantly surprised at how fun the sleeper train was.

一．22 hours

Soft sleeper train luxuries

We chose a train journey that would arrive in Kunming early the following day so as not to waste a day of our travels. We could also feasibly sleep through the night and kill a few hours that way too. Sleeper train tickets come in different standards. You can go for a dirt cheap standing ticket, a hard seat, a hard sleeper or soft sleeper. Seeing as we would be on the move for almost a day, we opted for a soft sleeper ticket and the train journey was actually incredibly comfortable. The main difference between a soft and hard sleeper is certainly comfort. Hard sleeper cabins accommodate 6 passengers with three bunks (top, middle and bottom) on either side, whereas a soft sleeper accommodate 4 passengers in a relatively more spacious cabin. We were provided with duvets and pillows. Our ‘cabin mates’ were also very friendly, often offering us snacks and trying to chat to us.

I don’t know what it is about moving vehicles but the dull motion of a moving train or car often makes me feel sleepy, whether I really am or not. Much like the lazy pandas we saw at the zoo in Chengdu, Beth and I catnapped an awful lot during the 22 hour journey. When I wasn’t sleeping, I was able to write some postcards, do some reading and even write my Harbin blogpost. The long train journey was great to do some of the things I never tend to find time to do.

Dining cart 

When it was time for dinner, one of our cabin mates told us the on-train dining carriage was open to serve passengers. The train guards seemed highly intrigued and amused by Beth and I wanting to order food. By this point, I've pretty much mastered how to tell people that I am indeed (as they rightly assume) Chinese but that I was born in London and therefore my Chinese isn't so great.

“我是中国人，但我来自伦敦所以，我的中文不好”

The trouble with this sentence is that people will either assume I know no Chinese or are incredibly confused that I seem to speak a little. In any case, the train guards assumed the former and decided the best way to communicate what was on the menu to us was via – wait for it… emojis.

Now, I know how to say pork in Chinese. I also know how to read the characters on a menu but I did found it absolutely hilarious that the guard decided to show me the pig emoji to ask if we approved of this as an alternative to chicken which we originally asked for. A swift nod of agreement from us and the food, although not appearing appetising, arrived and was surprising really decent. All in all, the 22 hour train journey was one which I'd happily do again. Shelling out a little extra for a soft sleeper was certainly worth it.

二. Yunnan Cheese

Speaking of food, the one things I did a lot of during Spring Festival was eat everything in sight. I'm always keen to try out local delicacies wherever I go. The great thing about China is that every city has it's own type of food or dish that it's famous for, and with a country as vast and diverse as China, there's always something new to try. I can't speak highly enough of Yunnan cheese - it's a must eat if you find yourself in Yunnan Province.

If there's anything I "miss" from back home, maybe it's the quality of dairy products. I was once told by someone I met when I first arrived in China that many people here are lactose intolerant, which might explain why things like cheese isn't a big thing here like it is back home. Whilst there is definitely a culture of drinking milk for breakfast in China, I've always found the quality and taste of it never as satisfying as back in the UK so I find my diet lacks in dairy compared to before.

Yunnan cheese was a great discovery though. Made from goats milk, it can be likened to halloumi in terms of taste and the way it's served (pan-fried). I never thought I'd see the day I'd get my hands on halloumi-esque cheese in China. Maybe it's the fact I've been without cheese for so long, but I thought Yunnan cheese was simply delicious.

三. Dianchi Lake

Wet feet by Dianchi Lake

Kunming is actually located well into the mainland, but a visit to Dianchi Lake and you could mistake it for a coastal city. We were lucky with the weather and took a leisurely stroll around the lake, watching as the tide went in and out.

Strangely enough, one of the reasons people visit the lake is to go and feed flocks of seagulls. There are tonnes of stalls selling huge baguettes and biscuits which locals and tourists hold out towards the lake and allow the seagulls to peck at whilst they get the perfect snapshot on their camera phones. Although this kind of thing would probably seem like a nightmare to some, the seagulls are actually quite tame. None of them seem like the ravenous kind you might find in the UK, always circling the skies waiting to swoop in unannounced to steal food from your hands. It may seem like a bit of an odd tourist attraction, but I guess there is something enjoyable about it.

四. Whizzing down the Western Hills

Ski lift up to the top of the Western Hills

Close by Dianchi Lake are the Western Hills which give amazing panoramic views of the entire city. We took ski lifts to the top of the hills and I have to say, I was completely bowled over by how beautiful the city is from that high. I didn't know much about Kunming before I went but I certainly didn't expect it to be as serene as it was.

There's a saying that if you do not visit the Western Hills, you haven't truly visited Kunming and if you haven't seen the Dragon Gate, you haven't really visted the Western Hills. We had to absolutely blitz the Western Hills though to see the Dragon Gate and still get back to the ski lifts before they closed - so the race was on to see the many temples dotted along the hills, touch the stone Dragon Gate for good luck and make it back in time or else get stuck on the mountain. We made it in good time and even fit in a cheeky ice cream at the end, but given more time, I'd have liked to have explored the Western Hills even more as there are a fair few scenic spots throughout the hills.

五. Yuantong Temple.

Possibly the most peaceful place I've ever been to in my life, Yuantong Temple is the most famous Buddhist temple in Kunming and is certainly a place I recommend to visit in the city. After leaving the temple, I remember feeling a little disorientated that I'd gone from a place so serene back into the hustle and bustle of city roads. The temple is tucked away and once inside, you'd never guess you were within a provincial capital city. It's a great, chilled out way to spend an afternoon because of the massive contrast it provides to Kunming city life.

Monks on a bridge

We watched for a while as the monks performed their daily prayer ceremony, chanting their Buddhist mantras as locals also approached the main hall to join in. If you ever needed an example of how important and thriving Buddhism still is to the daily lives of some people in China, you could certainly find it here. Amongst the main green lake, beautiful pagodas and stone bridges, it was all just incredibly peaceful, which left a really positive lasting impression of Kunming for me.