Qingdao–Kunming–Dali–Lijiang: A Solo Journey Through Yunnan

It’s been two weeks since I returned from Yunnan. I promised to write a guide for some people, but I’ve been too lazy to start. I’ve been a little depressed since coming back, but perhaps writing a travelogue and reminiscing about my days in Yunnan will lift my spirits. So here goes, jotting down my memories from just seven days in Yunnan—some impressions, some wonder, some joy, some admiration, a bit of everything… I’m not much of a talker and my writing skills are limited, so I’ll just post photos and a blow-by-blow account instead.

Because I started working quite early, at just over thirty I already have thirteen years of “service.” Under national policy, I’m entitled to ten days of paid leave, which my company lets me split into two blocks. With five days each time, plus the weekends on either end, I end up with two nine-day holidays every year.

The problem is how to “spend” these nine-day holidays meaningfully without too much hassle, time, or money. And as a miserable singleton, with no girlfriend, lover, wife, or “gahuo” (Qingdao slang for mistress) to accompany me, that’s another headache. I had a bunch of possible destinations: Saipan, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, Yunnan, Chongqing… I really struggled to decide. In the end, I had to find reasons not to go to each. Saipan and Japan were a bit too pricey, and going solo would be too boring anyway. For Taiwan, there wasn’t enough time to get the entry permit. I didn’t want to join a tour group in Thailand, but I was afraid of the language barrier for an independent trip. Coincidentally, Ning Hao’s film “Breakup Buddies” was released right around then, so I bought a ticket to go watch it. At some point, I’d developed the “bad habit” of going to the cinema alone. I normally never watch domestic films, but the golden trio of Ning Hao, Huang Bo, and Xu Zheng is the only reason I make an exception. As it turned out, the story of that loser guy Huang Bo’s romantic adventure in Dali perfectly matched my mood. It felt like a sign from heaven. So, humming Huang Bo’s song “Go to Dali,” I booked my flight to Yunnan.

Since I was traveling independently without a travel agency, everything—flights, trains, buses, hotels, what to see and skip—was up to me. Yunnan has countless places worth visiting: Kunming, Dali, Lijiang, Tengchong, Xishuangbanna, Shangri-La, the Stone Forest… Yunnan seems to exist purely for tourism; the moniker “Colorful Yunnan” is well deserved. Although I had a nine-day holiday, I didn’t want to exhaust myself and then have to go straight back to work the day after returning, so I shortened the trip to seven days. That meant I had to skip some places like Shangri-La and Lugu Lake, but Dali—the main purpose of this trip—was non-negotiable. And Lijiang… the “hotspot for romance.”

The importance of weather forecasts~~

Traveling over two or three thousand kilometers from Qingdao to Yunnan, what differences in temperature and weather would I face? Best to find out.

There are various ways to check, but I blindly trusted my phone’s (iPhone 4s) weather app! Before leaving, the forecast looked like this:

From these pictures you can see that Kunming, Dali, and Lijiang had a temperature difference of over ten degrees, with Kunming raining every day. It was exactly because of this cursed forecast that I packed both winter and summer clothes. Later experience proved what a terrible decision that was—those clothes became sheer dead weight, totally useless. In reality, temperatures across Yunnan were more or less the same, with plenty of bright sunshine.

Things to bring~

1. Clothes: Kunming is a city where it’s spring-like all year round, and Yunnan as a province is like that too. Year-round temperatures hover around twenty-some degrees (except in places like Xishuangbanna). It’s only slightly cooler in the mornings and evenings. Basically, just pack the kind of clothes you’d wear in spring.

2. Umbrella, sunscreen: Although Yunnan enjoys spring-like weather year-round, there is a rainy season and a dry season. If you’re there in the rainy season, bring rain gear. I went in November, which is the dry season; it was said that not a drop of rain had fallen in a month. For ladies, sunscreen is essential because the ultraviolet rays on the plateau are extremely strong. I only realized this viscerally after arriving—before departure, I thought a thick-skinned guy like me didn’t need any. As a result, my face got so sunburned it stung.

3. Medicine: Prepare some medicine for diarrhea, colds, inflammation, motion sickness, and altitude sickness, just in case.

4. Mosquito repellent ~~~ Some hotels provide it, some don’t. If yours doesn’t and you didn’t bring your own, tough luck.

5. Toiletries: If you’re taking overnight trains or staying in youth hostels, it’s best to bring your own towel, toothbrush, soap, etc.

6. Electronics: Camera—preferably a DSLR, because once you’re there, you’ll realize that a point-and-shoot or phone simply can’t capture the beauty of Yunnan to take home. Phone—definitely a smartphone, and install these apps or similar ones: Baidu Maps (navigation, finding hotels, sights, bus routes…), WeChat (chatting, sharing or showing off photos, sharing locations), DiDi Chuxing (basically useless in Dali and Lijiang), Dianping (finding fun places and good food, plus discounts), travel website apps (booking hotels, flights, trains, group deals).

Day 1: Qingdao 7:20 flight – Kunming. Daytime: Yunnan University, Green Lake Park. Evening: Nanping Commercial Street. 10 p.m. train to Dali, overnight on train (saving one night’s accommodation).

Day 2: Arrive in Dali in the morning. Explore Dali Ancient Town. At 10 a.m., carpool to circle Erhai Lake. Visit Chongsheng Temple’s Three Pagodas, Xizhou Folk Village, take a boat to see cormorant fishing show. Head to Shuanglang. Overnight in Shuanglang.

Day 3: Watch sunrise in the morning. In the morning, visit Shuanglang Ancient Town, Nanzhao Fengqing Island, Yuji Peninsula. In the afternoon, rent an electric scooter to bike around Erhai from Shuanglang to Wase Town and Little Putuo Island. Return to Shuanglang. Overnight in Shuanglang.

Day 4: Morning at the hotel waiting for friends, sunbathing, reading. Afternoon carpool to Lijiang. Evening explore Lijiang Ancient Town, Big Waterwheel, Bar Street. Overnight in Lijiang Ancient Town.

Day 5: Morning visit Shuhe Ancient Town. After lunch return to Lijiang Ancient Town. Continue exploring—Wuyi Middle Road, Lion Hill. Overnight in Lijiang Ancient Town.

Day 6: Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, Blue Moon Valley. After dinner, train back to Kunming, overnight on train (saving another night’s accommodation, but rather tiring).

Day 7: Kunming. Visit Dianchi Lake, sunbathe, read, feed seagulls. 5:30 p.m. flight back to Qingdao, home by 10 p.m.

Day 8/9: Continue enjoying the weekend…

Reminder: Yunnan still doesn’t have high-speed or bullet trains (according to insiders, they won’t arrive until 2017). For now, there are only old “green-skinned” (actually red) trains. These clunkers are both slow and noisy, very unpleasant. However, there’s a special tourist train from Kunming departing daily at 12:10 p.m., passing through Dali on its way to Lijiang. It’s a double-decker sleeper (no hard seats), much more modern and faster than those “green” trains, and the sleeper fare is the same! If your schedule allows, definitely choose this one. I only found out about it from others later and was very envious.

I bought the plane tickets a month in advance, which is cheaper—around 40% off. Round trip Qingdao–Kunming: RMB 1,650. The downside was the 7:20 a.m. departure, meaning an early start. From the Badaxia area, a taxi takes about an hour. To avoid missing the flight again, I stepped out at 5 a.m. Worried about not finding a cab, I used DiDi for the first time to book a car, paying cash (still don’t trust mobile payment). The driver was punctual, right on time at 5 a.m. at my doorstep. Thumbs up!

No traffic jam in the morning, so I reached the airport in under an hour. Cab fare: 77 yuan. It was still dark when I arrived. Domestic departures from Terminal 3—the “romance journey” begins…

Note: Dali, Lijiang, and Shangri-La all have airports, but from Qingdao, the only direct flight destination is Kunming. If you depart from a city with direct flights, you could choose to return from Lijiang or Shangri-La, saving travel time.

Day 1 Kunming~~

Once in Kunming, I realized how utterly unreliable my phone’s weather forecast was. The suspense was finally lifted. I’d thought the holiday would be spent under gloomy rain, but the heavens were kind—a big, clear sunny day. The sky in Kunming is so blue! Still, it couldn’t compare to the skies of Dali. Here’s a picture (taken through the airport bus window with my phone).

Although Kunming is called the “city of eternal spring,” I arrived in mid-November, and my first impression was no different from arriving in any northern provincial capital—shabby rural-urban fringe, signboards everywhere. But once you spend more time in the city, you’ll discover its beauty, especially the sky.

My personal travel habit is: no tour groups, because I hate shopping stops. Also, I travel on a budget, so in any city I must ride the local buses to experience how locals get around, and I avoid taking taxis whenever possible. So I used Baidu Maps, which showed me clearly which bus to take from point A to point B and where to transfer. Another habit of mine is to always visit local universities and commercial streets (even if I don’t shop, I must stroll). These places usually have no entrance fee, good scenery, and a strong local flavor.

I took the airport bus on the train station route and got off at the second-to-last stop (I forgot the name, it was something Hotel). Kunming’s airport buses have attendants who can introduce local tourist sights, very good service—praise for a tourist city! Then I took bus No. 1 (2 yuan fare) straight to Yunnan University and Green Lake Park (the two are just across a street from each other).

Green Lake Park ~~ originally part of Dianchi Lake before being separated. Because of the season, the lotus pond looked a bit bleak. But it was just the time when red-billed gulls migrate from the north to winter here, so the lake was full of them. (I’ve seen them in Qingdao, nothing too special.)

Since my train wasn’t until evening, I had plenty of time to kill. Sitting on a park bench sunbathing and staring blankly at the sky was very pleasant.

Yunnan University, a century-old institution, has a very small campus but is a must-visit for photography enthusiasts.

The whole school uses a bell tower instead of ringing class bells; it’s 70–80 years old (I was there on a Saturday, so I didn’t hear it).

Old teaching buildings, no longer in use.

By the time I left Yunnan University, it was already 4:30 p.m. I’d only had a McDonald’s for lunch, so I was starving. Time to hunt for food. The local snack street was said to be on Nanping Pedestrian Street. Off I went to try Yunnan rice noodles.

I’d never seen decorative koi kept on a pedestrian street before. Would those fish end up in the Sichuan restaurant next door at night? (There are lots of Sichuan people in Yunnan.)

Nanping Pedestrian Street isn’t much different from other pedestrian streets around the country, except for these leftover old archways, which have some character.

When in Yunnan, you can’t miss “Yunnan Baiyao,” a local specialty. Should I bring some back?

I had rice noodles at “Qiaoxiangyuan” on the pedestrian street. To be honest, it was my first time eating rice noodles, and I made a bit of a fool of myself. The restaurant was an old, established place, very busy, and the waitstaff were a bit overwhelmed. I sat down and ordered a local specialty, something called “Scholar’s Three-Fresh Rice Noodles.” The server brought a plate of ingredients (sliced meat, greens, quail eggs, etc.) and a bowl of dry rice noodles, then left. Wait, shouldn’t rice noodles have soup? Or was this the “specialty”? The waitstaff didn’t seem to notice me, and I was starving, so I started eating the rice noodles as if they were zhajiangmian. Halfway through, the server finally brought the hot soup. The server looked utterly embarrassed seeing me eat like that and froze for a full five seconds. First time in the big city, forgive my ignorance! The server seemed apologetic and gave me an extra bowl of rice noodles for free. They showed me to put the ingredients and rice noodles into the soup—only then did I experience the real flavor.

Full and content, I strolled the pedestrian street a bit more, then headed early to the train station to wait. At the end of the pedestrian street was a bus hub with several routes to the train station (if you don’t take the bus, it’s hard to find a taxi, otherwise you’ll have to take an illegal motorcycle taxi). But it was very crowded, and there happened to be a security check (seemed like they were hunting fugitives), so I was stuck for a full hour before getting on a bus. Remembering the police checking buses for fugitives and the knife attack at Kunming train station earlier that year made me a little uneasy—this was “Kunming Railway Station”! That place of either heroic feats or getting attacked! But once I arrived, my worries were unnecessary because guards were posted every few steps, armed police with guns everywhere. Never thought I’d feel so safe seeing police officers. Getting into the station wasn’t easy either; the whole square was cordoned off. You needed a security check just to enter the square, and another to enter the station hall—more trouble than flying. Well, for safety’s sake, I accepted it!

After two checkpoints, I finally entered the station. Off I go—Dali, here I come!

After a bumpy night, I finally arrived in “Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture” (the official name). Barely 300 kilometers and it took nearly eight hours! The train ran at a decent speed but stopped countless times along the way. Not in stations, just randomly in the wilderness waiting. Why??? I don’t get it! Can any expert explain? Thank goodness it was nighttime, or I’d have gone crazy!

When I got off the train, it was not yet 6:30. The stars were super beautiful! Before coming, I’d read in guides that bus No. 8 goes to Dali Ancient Town. I had worried whether the bus stop would be hard to find, but that worry was unnecessary. As soon as you exit the train station, there’s the No. 8 bus stop. Crowded, yes, but for two yuan you can get to Dali Ancient Town—a good deal and reassuring! Private cars were hawking rides for five yuan, but few people took them—felt sketchy!

When I reached Dali Ancient Town, dawn was just breaking. I looked for a place to have breakfast. The first eatery right inside town was too crowded, so I pressed on and settled on an open-air breakfast stall (the food was genuinely good, with both northern and southern options available—first open-air stall on the left when entering the East Gate). That choice completely altered my trip… There I met my first “romantic encounter” of this journey.

The first group of “travel buddies” on this trip came from three different places, all traveling independently. I had originally planned to do this Yunnan trip completely solo, but my one day in Kunming told me: being alone is too lonely, eating and commuting are inconvenient, and worst of all, there was no one to take photos for me. So I changed my mind—I would find travel companions. And the four of us hit it off immediately!

From left to right: Me (from Qingdao, Shandong), Xiao Hai (a Beijing-based Fujianese), Da Hai (from Chongqing, Chongqing), Lao Zhong (from Tianjin, originally Hunan). Four solo travelers from different places with different personalities, yet miraculously we gelled together. For the rest of the trip, we carpooled, shared meals, and coordinated itineraries. Later, Xiao Yan and Meng “Pangzi” joined in…

Xiao Hai: Works in internet (Qunar), reliable, mature beyond his years. His trustworthiness made him the de facto organizer of our group.

Da Hai: Sells beer, bubbly, outgoing, chatty. Exactly that personality brought us conversation and cheer.

Lao Zhong: Profession unknown, experienced and capable, photography enthusiast. Like me, not much of a talker.

Note: Most travelers going to Dali follow similar routes—Kunming, Dali, Lijiang, Shangri-La or Lugu Lake—so finding travel companions is fairly easy. But start early; Dali is a good place to hook up with others, because later on, groups have already formed and are less likely to add newcomers.

The goofy “Da Hai”!!

This “encounter” also solved my “transportation ticket” issue to Shuanglang. Our four itineraries aligned, so we hired a car together to circle Erhai Lake, with Shuanglang as the final stop. The car cost 160 yuan for the four of us, so just 40 yuan each! (A chartered car waits at each scenic spot and you pay at the end.) The car we booked left at 10:30, so my tour of Dali Ancient Town turned into a quick, superficial look.

The Wuhua Tower! I didn’t even get to visit the South Gate of Dali Ancient Town (where Yuan Quan took a photo with “Piggy” in “Breakup Buddies”). A pity!

Distant view of Cangshan Mountain.

Foreigner Street, yet no foreigners in sight.

My original own plan was: Dali Ancient Town, Chongsheng Temple’s Three Pagodas, Butterfly Spring (where “Five Golden Flowers” was filmed), and if time allowed, Tianlong Babu Film City. But according to our driver, the film city was nothing special, Three Pagodas cost 120 yuan to enter, and Butterfly Spring cost 60 yuan and was just a single spring plus a big tree without any butterflies! So we all switched gears. Later I wondered if the driver talked those down because those places offered no kickbacks for him. Still, the itinerary he suggested wasn’t bad—viewing the pagodas from afar, Xizhou Ancient Town, cormorant fishing show…

The Three Pagodas of Dali are very famous landmarks; I’d seen them on calendars as a kid, so I couldn’t miss them. But a 120-yuan ticket was a bit steep—a distant view was satisfying enough!

Xizhou Ancient Town, 50 yuan entry fee. We thought it wasn’t worth it and didn’t go in, but we did run into “Liu Danaodai” (from “Country Love Story”) there.

Liu Danaodai—finally seeing him in person. But clearly his head wasn’t that large! Northeastern celebrities are less known in the south; none of my southern traveling companions recognized him. Sigh.

Cormorants that catch fish are perched on a pole by their owner as a reward.

I thought the cormorant fishing show would be nothing special, but after experiencing it, I felt it was worth the 100-yuan ticket. A Bai ethnic granny rowed the boat, a Bai “Jinhua” (local term for a young woman; men are called “Apeng”) gave the commentary, and there were performances by Bai young girls—very nice. But most important was the scenery along the way. As we took the boat into Erhai Lake, the view was indescribably beautiful.

We could boat to a tiny island in the lake. The fish caught by the cormorants were sold on the spot for 50 yuan each (wild fish weighing two to three jin). For a 15-yuan processing fee, they could cook the fish for you right on the island, and there were other things to eat. Quite a bargain. I say bargain because compared to the lunch spot our driver recommended, that place was a bit “dark” (the carpool was cheap, but they make plenty in kickbacks)—one fish cost over 200 yuan. The four of us ordered three dishes and spent 300 yuan total, though the atmosphere, portions, and taste were all okay.

This “guihua” fish weighed 3 jin 8 liang, picked fresh and cooked immediately. A big bowl… over 230 yuan!

Full and satisfied, we soaked in the sun for a while, then set off for today’s final destination—Shuanglang!

From Xizhou to Shuanglang, we passed “Shang Pass.” Dali’s famous “Wind, Flower, Snow, Moon” captures four great beauties of Dali: the wind of Shang Pass, the flowers of Xia Pass, the snow on Cangshan, and the moon over Erhai. I didn’t feel the fabled wind, but the scenery along the way was first-rate. It happened to be sunset, and a stunning display of “Jesus rays” appeared.

After two days and one night of travel, I finally reached my pre-booked hotel: “Violet Mist Estate” guesthouse in Dajianpang Village, not far from the legendary “Sea Life” and “Peninsula 63” guesthouses. The building was covered with bougainvillea, very distinctive. From upstairs, you could see Erhai Lake—unexpectedly wonderful. Totally worth my 155-yuan daily rate. Super value!

Xiao Hai and the other two needed to return to Dali Ancient Town and would come to Shuanglang the next day, so I was on my own to rest.

“Shuanglang” is actually an ancient fishing village right on the edge of Erhai Lake. When I first heard the name, I thought it was just a scenic spot by the lake—sounds like a long corridor! Commercial development in Shuanglang started relatively late, probably only in the last twenty years, so it’s nowhere near as developed as Dali Ancient Town or Lijiang Ancient Town. Just as other travelers’ journals had warned, construction was everywhere, everything was a worksite. The roads weren’t great either—some were still gravel.

From north to south, Shuanglang Ancient Town has only one main street, not many entertainment facilities, and its shopping streets and bar streets aren’t as bustling as those in Dali or Lijiang. To an outsider, it might look like any ordinary town. But… Shuanglang’s natural scenery is incomparable. Geographically, it sits closest to Erhai Lake (Dali Ancient Town and Xizhou have farmland between them and the shore). Some of the more famous guesthouses in Shuanglang are built right on the water’s edge, like “Sea Life,” “Peninsula 63,” and “Peninsula Tuo Lan,” all offering 270-degree sea-view rooms. So… Shuanglang is a perfect place to sunbathe, zone out, watch sunrises and sunsets, listen to the waves, and ride a bike.

Nanzhao Fengqing Island~~

Yuji Peninsula~~

I went to bed early the first night, so I woke up early the next day (not really that early though). Could watch the sunrise!

Because Yunnan is in the southwest, sunrise happens relatively late. Plus, Shuanglang sits at the foot of tall mountains, so the sun only appears around 8 a.m.

Before sunrise, I took a stroll to the famous “Sea Life” guesthouse and its iconic wooden platform by the water.

The owner of Sea Life deliberately placed a wine glass here—very atmospheric, isn’t it?

The sun came out—so dazzling. I’d gone quite far just to find a little nook to snap a few photos of the sunrise. (Of course, you can also rent a boat for sunrise viewing, 30 yuan per person.) I didn’t realize until I got back to my hotel that my own lodging was an excellent sunrise spot—right under my nose all along!

Remember the bougainvillea? “Violet Mist Estate” is characterized by it everywhere.

Some said this place was “a regret if you don’t go, a lifelong regret if you do.” But Xiao Hai and Lao Zhong wouldn’t arrive until the afternoon, and we’d planned to bike around Erhai later. I had the morning to myself, didn’t like shopping, so I decided to check it out anyway. And it turned out to be another great discovery—worth the ticket price.

Ticket 50 yuan, includes free ferry ride. Before going, I’d heard that nobody checked tickets, but clearly policies had changed: now you enter through metro-style turnstiles.

The reason it justified the price was because it’s a perfect spot for sunbathing and zoning out—peaceful and serene. Just watch out for these things—automatic sprinklers—or you might get soaked.

As mentioned earlier, WeChat came in handy: not just for sharing photos, but also for location sharing and creating group chats. While sunbathing on the island alone, I saw in our group chat that Xiao Hai had encountered a real “romance” in Dali—and with not one but two girls! So our group expanded to six. Because we had to wait for these two girls, our afternoon bike ride was delayed. Truly “forsaking friends for beauty.”

Let me introduce the other two travel buddies on this trip.

Yanzi: A Hunan girl from Shenzhen. Personality: calm, well-mannered, a proper young lady.

Meng “Pangzi”: An Anhui girl from Hangzhou, nicknamed that because of her WeChat name.

Personality: childish—haha! See the photo below.

Here’s Meng “Pangzi,” now renamed herself “Little Flying Nun.” This photo can be used to “ward off evil”!

Because Xiao Hai and Lao Zhong waited for the two girls (Da Hai had already gone ahead solo to Lijiang to seek his own romance), the bike ride we’d planned to start at 1 p.m. was delayed until 3 p.m. Fine by me—I took a nap instead.

Biking around Erhai Lake is a major leisure activity in Shuanglang and one of my main reasons for coming. You can rent bikes everywhere: standard mountain bikes, electric scooters, two/four-person bicycles, and motorcycles. Renting is easy—no deposit needed, just leave your ID card. Prices: bicycle 15-30 yuan/day, e-scooter 40-50 yuan/day, motorcycle 200 yuan/day (you fuel it yourself).

Xiao Hai wanted to accompany the girls to watch the sunset, so the biking trip became just me and Lao Zhong. We chose two brand-new large electric scooters. A single charge could go 70 kilometers (small e-scooters only about 40 km). Asking price: 60 yuan, we haggled to 50. Off we went.

The ride from Shuanglang to Wase Town hugs the lakeshore; the scenery was absolutely amazing.

Envious of this lifestyle.

Secret snap of a beauty.

After riding 20 kilometers, we reached “Little Putuo,” a tiny islet in Erhai. Legend says Wu Sangui once hid Chen Yuanyuan here.

Now you see why it’s called “Little Putuo”—like a fairyland.

As darkness fell, though reluctant, we had to head back.

We rode back non-stop along the same route and quickly returned to Shuanglang—a 50-kilometer round trip. Remember to calculate your battery life, or you’ll be pushing your scooter home. During the ride back, I realized how smart choosing e-scooters was; many cyclists were utterly exhausted, while we were perfectly comfortable. But remember to dress warmly for biking, or you’ll freeze on the afternoon return. A must.

When we got back to Shuanglang, the sun had already set. The heavens didn’t cooperate—no sunset to see. Xiao Hai and the two girls had waited all afternoon for nothing. Still, spending an afternoon with girls waiting for sunset must be very romantic. My emotional IQ isn’t high; it’s my own fault for staying single. Sigh.

Excluding Da Hai who’d dashed off solo to Lijiang, the remaining five of us gathered for dinner that evening. With Xiao Hai, an internet professional, we had no trouble finding good food. We picked a local restaurant highly rated on Dianping, though it was really hard to find. Only 35 yuan per person—that’s the advantage of sharing meals. To be honest, the food was average, mainly because portions were small and we still felt hungry.

After dinner, we strolled along the waterfront and bar street. Bought some postcards.

The local post office—very distinctive!

The bar street lies right along the shore between Yuji Island and Nanzhao. Huh? Where did Xiao Hai and Meng “Pangzi” disappear to?!

Those two had slipped away from the group unnoticed to have their own private time. Envious, jealous… that must be what you call a romantic encounter.

A fulfilling day ended, feeling very happy. On the way back to the guesthouse, Meng “Pangzi,” with her childlike nature, kept chanting, “So happy, so happy…”

Day 4: Shuanglang – Lijiang

Fourth day in Yunnan, and today I planned to head to Lijiang. Lao Zhong was staying an extra day in Shuanglang before returning to Kunming to then drive to “Puzhehei” (said to be a newly discovered pristine destination). In the morning, Xiao Hai was going to complete the bike ride we missed the day before with the two girls. So I had a leisurely morning at the hotel, enjoying a “staycation”—sunbathing, reading, and doing laundry to dry it in the sun.

The rooftop of “Violet Mist Estate” — a perfect sunbathing spot.

The guesthouse even provided a laundry drying area—so thoughtful! With the blazing sun, clothes dried by noon.

The slogan at “Violet Mist Estate”…

When the biking trio finally returned at noon, we grabbed a meal at a nearby restaurant (name forgotten) near our guesthouse. Even at mealtime there were few customers, but the taste and portions were good. Paying through “Dianping” got us 20% off—just 30 yuan per person for four.

Silverfish omelette — local specialty!

At 2 p.m. we hired a car to Lijiang.

Before reaching Shuanglang, I’d thought its remote location would make transportation inconvenient. Wrong again. Shuanglang’s main economic driver now is tourism; while there are few state-run long-distance buses, private carpools are extremely well-developed. Ads for carpooling are everywhere.

Guesthouses usually offer carpooling arrangements. Just tell the owner you want to carpool—how many people, departure time, destination. The owner will post a ride request. If they can’t fill the car, they’ll take you to Shuanglang’s informal station, where local “carpool dealers” will assign you to another vehicle. It’s essentially like informal minibuses—if their own car isn’t full, they “sell” you to another driver. Of course, you could also take a regular bus to Kunming, Lijiang, Shangri-La, etc. From Shuanglang to Lijiang, carpooling (most time-efficient and economical) is 90 yuan per person; the bus is 80 yuan. Carpools usually cram six to eight people, but the advantage is you can stop along the way to take photos.

We got lucky: eight people shared a Mercedes-Benz van (two guys, six girls)—much comfier than an ordinary minibus.

Leaving Dali made my heart ache a little. I whispered to myself, “Dali, I will definitely come back.”

Shuanglang sits next to the expressway, so driving non-stop to Lijiang takes just over an hour. But we ended up taking more than two hours. Our driver was a Naxi local from Lijiang, warm and friendly, and told us all about what to see, eat, and Naxi customs on the way.

Because of time lost arranging the carpool in Shuanglang and the extra time on the road, we arrived in Lijiang after dark. We found our booked hotels first. Among the four of us, only I had pre-booked; the others just picked whatever looked good. Though we carpooled and ate together, we’d been sleeping separately. Now in Lijiang, our plans aligned, so we decided to all stay at the same inn—plus it saved on accommodation.

“Lijiang Unique Memory Hotel.” A week before, I’d booked a special deal: a standard room for 98 yuan. Some had suggested switching inns each night to experience different styles, but moving every day is too troublesome, so I simply booked two nights. The location was great—on the boundary between Dayan Ancient Town and the new town, convenient for transport. It was right at the foot of Lion Hill; cross the hill and you’re in the old town’s Sifang Street.

This hotel has themed rooms. When we arrived, the standard rooms were gone, so the two girls reluctantly squeezed into a double room. But that double room was super nice, actually a honeymoon suite in red with a glass ceiling—you could lie in bed and gaze at the stars. 135 yuan per night.

After dropping our luggage, we called Da Hai, who had arrived earlier, and the five of us went to taste the local specialty: “cured rib hot pot.” There are many such restaurants in Lijiang, but the authentic ones are in the Xiangshan Market in the new town. Xiao Hai, our internet guru, used “Dianping” to reserve a table. Good thing we booked in advance—otherwise we wouldn’t have gotten in; it was insanely popular.

We were a few minutes late, and someone had taken our reserved table. Because we’d booked through “Dianping,” the boss was afraid of a bad review and was exceptionally warm, constantly apologizing and quickly finding us another spot. They even gave us free rice noodles as compensation.

This “Lijiang Youyiguo” cured rib hot pot restaurant in Xiangshan Market had authentic flavor… A cab from our inn cost 10 yuan.

A dual-purpose stove—you can boil or grill… The grilled pork belly was amazing.

Dipping sauce—so good!

We ordered a large pot for five; after discount, total was 300 yuan. This meal was the most satisfying we had in Yunnan. Stuffed and content, we began exploring Lijiang Ancient Town.

The iconic Big Waterwheel…

“One Meter of Sunshine,” that holy land of romance……

Good night, Lijiang!!