Road Trip in Colorful Yunnan ~~ (Stone Forest, Dali, Shuanglang, Lijiang Dayan, Lijiang Shuhe)

No blue sky and white clouds, no joyful spirit, no detailed plans, no full preparation. Only rain-soaked days and a faint sense of sorrow—

It seemed destined that I would not have much luck with Yunnan. I missed it back in May, and this time, if I hadn't booked flights and guesthouses two months in advance, I'm sure it would have fallen through again.

I hadn't set a tight schedule to begin with. I just hoped to see the majestic Stone Forest, then follow the Old Town of Dali, head to Shuanglang for Erhai Lake, and finally reach Lijiang Ancient Town to experience little bridges over flowing streams and the quaint old lanes. I never expected constant rain to follow me. Over seven days, it rained for five and a half. The one scenic spot I really wanted to visit, Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, never appeared. My luck was simply awful.

Without my usual travel high spirits, I didn't take many pictures along the way. I just occasionally snapped a few with my phone as keepsakes.

It was not until the very last day of the trip that I finally saw the beautiful sky that truly belongs to the Land of Colorful Clouds.

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Kunming, as a transit city, doesn't have many tourist attractions. On the way back, I only stopped by the Jiangwu Hall and Haigeng Dam for a look. Luckily, the weather was decent, though I ended up with a fiercely tanned face.

The scenery of the Stone Forest is quite good, but domestic entrance fees are just too expensive. These splendid landscapes belong to us all—why must it be so hard just to take a look?

I had wanted to really explore Dali Ancient Town, but a torrential downpour made that impossible. The thunder and lightning had already started when we left Kunming, and we had to drive with the wipers on full. In the end, we bought umbrellas and plastic shoe covers and made a quick, cold tour. The temperature was only 14 °C, freezing cold. We didn't go inside the Three Pagodas either, as the ticket had skyrocketed to a 120 RMB combo. We just glanced at the entrance and left. On our way to Shuanglang we also passed Xizhou; the rain gradually slackened but the clouds were very thick.

Shuanglang has been a hotspot for the past couple of years. Nestled by Erhai Lake, it's very hip, especially known for its guesthouses. Yang Liping's Sun Palace on Yuji Islet is even more famous. We only stayed one night in Shuanglang. Thankfully, during those few short hours, the rain stopped.

On the road to Lijiang, the rain started again. We stayed in Dayan Old Town for two days, with only half a day free of rain. The rest of the time we hid on the guesthouse viewing platform, sipping tea, watching the rain, and shivering in the cold wind—

In Shuhe Ancient Town, we finally welcomed the first clear sky in seven days. It wasn't easy.

That finally gave me some desire to take photos.

Dogs in Lijiang are ridiculously plentiful; almost every household keeps one. You constantly see big and small dogs roaming freely in the lanes—but they're very friendly. Sometimes you'd see them lying at their own doorsteps, so leisurely. I miss that big doggy.

Yunnan is famed for its cuisine, but I really didn't find it tasty—way too salty. Food in the old town is also very pricey; anything with meat isn't under 58 yuan, and snacks start at 10 yuan...

Yunnan rice noodles are a must: crossing-the-bridge noodles, clay pot noodles, braised meat noodles, I tried them all. I also had yak meat, black goat meat, steam pot chicken, cured spare rib hotpot, Lijiang baba, stir-fried rice cake slices, bamboo tube rice, stir-fried rice cakes, emperor cake, grilled milk fan, Dongba fried rice, mushroom soup, matsutake, chickpea jelly, kelp salad, braised chicken, and Dali 'Fenghua Xueyue' beer. Some dishes were quite tasty but I forgot their names—fortunately, I photographed them. You can look at the pictures yourself.

Colorful Yunnan (1) – Shuanglang

In Dali, there’s a famous couplet: "Upper Pass flowers, Lower Pass wind – the Lower Pass wind blows the Upper Pass flowers; Cangshan snow, Erhai moon – the Erhai moon shines on Cangshan snow." These represent Dali’s four great scenes: Wind, Flowers, Snow, and Moon.

Since we visited Dali Ancient Town and the Three Pagodas after arriving from Kunming, we had to take the west road to Shuanglang from Dali, detouring through Xizhou. Without having done our homework, we just kept asking directions as we drove. Our luck, bad as it was, ran into roadworks. We had to make another little detour, which was bad enough, but then the morning’s torrential rain forced us onto a truly horrendous muddy road. Nearly a dozen kilometers of awful muck nearly crushed our spirits and we almost gave up. Fortunately, we met a helpful cement mixer truck driver who guided us back to the right road. After that, things went more or less smoothly.

Finally seeing signs of habitation, our anxious hearts settled.

Arriving in Shuanglang, we saw Yuji Islet and Nanzhao Customs Island.

We found the parking lot of Dajianpang Village, grabbed our light luggage, and set out to find the Peninsula 63 Guesthouse we had booked. In Shuanglang, guesthouses are an essential part of the experience; right by Erhai Lake, we had booked a lake-view room. Peninsula 63 is mid-range and very cozy, though it’s a five- or six-minute walk from the parking lot. Peninsula 63 and Haidi Life are two adjacent famous guesthouses, so we just followed the signs for Haidi Life all the way to our place.

We smoothly reached our booked room. Actually, my most coveted lakefront room was taken, but this second choice was not bad—acceptable.

There’s a small terrace outside the room with a direct view of Erhai Lake. It’s just that the weather was bad, so it didn’t feel especially beautiful.

Dropping off our bags and taking advantage of a break in the rain, we headed to explore Yuji Islet. Guesthouses in Shuanglang are packed tightly together, with signposts everywhere.

We tried a shortcut, but as usual, things didn’t go smoothly—the main path was also under construction, covered in red mud. A local grandma even casually pointed at the mire and said, “Go down from here!” We were speechless. Turning back was too far, but walking through that muck was hard to stomach. In the end, there was no choice—shut your eyes and step. I really had to hand it to them. Along the path to Yuji Islet, many little hipster shops lined the road.

We paid 25 yuan to enter Yuji Islet. The first sight was the filming location of "Five Golden Flowers," which looked like it was about to be demolished.

Winding through a few alleyways, we arrived at artist Zhao Qing’s residence, “Qinglu.” He designed it himself; it’s very beautiful, but we didn’t go inside, just walked around the outside.

The extended glass yoga corridor.

Since staying here is way too expensive, we just had to look and sigh.

Erhai Lake, right before our eyes.

Next to Qinglu is Yang Liping’s residence, the “Sun Palace.” I heard Zhao Qing designed it too, gorgeous, but it’s a private club and visitors aren’t allowed—photography is also forbidden. I sneaked one shot when no one was looking.

Following the stone steps, we came to the “Moon Palace,” which was under renovation and closed.

A local grandma.

After a quick look, we returned to the islet entrance and “Qingchen,” full of character inside.

Because of the earlier mud, our shoes were so filthy we were too embarrassed to step in. After walking around the islet, they were somewhat cleaner, so we went in for a drink.

It was still early, so there were few customers. A few singers were rehearsing for the evening’s performance—it sounded pretty good.

We ordered two house-made yogurts.

Qingchen’s design is unique—open style, no overhead cover, with a draft coming through; it was quite comfortable.

There seemed to be some communication hiccups, maybe because I couldn’t quite grasp the dialect. After dinner, it was already dark. We asked for directions back to our place and got lost several times, wandering in the dark for over an hour before finding the correct path. Finally back at the guesthouse—what a relief. The Shuanglang trip was too full of twists.

At night, I went to Peninsula 63’s café, beautifully set up. If the sky had been clear, you could see the stars overhead. Pity our luck, so we could only sit and rest.

Outside the window was Erhai Lake.

The next morning, the sky was still overcast. I no longer prayed for sun, just that it wouldn’t rain.

A drizzle came and went off and on.

From the balcony, I could see the neighboring Nanzhao Customs Island.

This was our “Erhai Feast”—also quite nice.

The little courtyard of the guesthouse.

After a simple breakfast, we went to check out the well-known “Haidi Life” next door. Haidi Life is a youth hostel, very popular because its waterside terrace draws island visitors who come especially for photos. Haidi Life is generous—entry is free.

This is the spot. Almost every visitor to Shuanglang takes a commemorative photo here.

Once we’d had our fill, a light rain began to fall again, so we went back to Peninsula’s lounge to rest. Pomegranates hung in the courtyard.

Peninsula 63’s own waterside terrace.

We went back to the room to pack; soon we’d leave for Lijiang.

Photos taken in the lounge.

At noon, we left Shuanglang. Though it was just a brief stay, I had already grown fond of the place (setting aside the roadworks and the sky-filling giant spiders, of course).

Colorful Yunnan (2) – Lijiang · Dayan Old Town

In Lijiang, time slows down.

You don’t need to hurry, or face stressful work;

you can even switch off your phone, your network, and stroll leisurely along the bluestone lanes,

letting go of all annoyances, sinking into the slow rhythm of life,

setting your heart free.

—from “Slow Life in Lijiang”

Lijiang is a prefecture-level city. When we say “Lijiang,” we usually mean Dayan Old Town.

Departing from Shuanglang, it’s only just over 100 kilometers to Lijiang—a two-hour drive. Despite the incessant drizzle along the way, it was quite smooth.

I heard that all the businesses in Lijiang jointly wrote a letter demanding a ban on playing the song “Dida” in the old town. After years of hearing it, people were so sick of it they wanted to throw up. So this time, I really didn’t hear that song in the old town.

Maybe because of that missing soundtrack, this Lijiang trip didn’t feel as magical as I’d imagined.

Many say Lijiang is a place that hooks you in one trip. I’m not sure if my mood affected me, but I didn’t find its charm. Coupled with the relentless drizzle and the cold, it almost felt like a letdown.

On Sifang Street, I saw many Naxi grandpas and grandmas dancing to music, rain or shine. I boldly jumped into their group and the grandma gave me a very strange look.

I took a map from the guesthouse and started a freewheeling stroll through Dayan Old Town.

Lijiang is already very commercialized. Most shopfronts sell tea, shawls, African drums, jewelry... Shops with distinctive folk-style clothing aren’t that many. I bought a few pieces I liked, intending to wear them for photos.

At the time, it was drizzling constantly, so I probably wasn’t paying much attention to the scenery. Looking at the photos now, the little bridges and flowing streams are still quite lovely.

Along the lane, I stumbled upon Mufu. There’s been a hit TV drama “Mufu Storm,” I think it was filmed here.

Shawl shops, a Lijiang specialty, can be seen everywhere.

Not far away is Qiyi Street, the famous snack street. Every snack starts at 10 yuan. My mouth full of food, enjoying myself, Du insisted on photographing me. This is a character-guessing wall—many are pictograms, quite interesting.

Walking down the lane, I nearly left the old town.

This big cat looked pitiful at first, tethered with a little chain, unable to roam free. It seemed so adorable, I posed for a photo. Before I could even budge, it turned its head and swatted me twice. Truly fierce—no wonder it was chained. Look at its disdainful expression in our picture, hilarious.

I reached the Windmill scenic spot. This season there really weren’t many tourists.

A must-visit spot in Lijiang.

Circling roughly around the old town, I headed back along Bar Street.

The famous “One Meter of Sunshine.”

All kinds of gimmicks outside the bar street entrances.

Looking back at my photos, it seems I hardly took any scenic shots.

During the two days in Dayan Old Town, it rained for a day and a half. At its heaviest, it reached moderate rainfall. We hid on the second-floor viewing platform of the guesthouse, drinking tea, watching the rain, shivering in the cold wind... When it got too cold to bear, we’d wander around with an umbrella. So I didn’t take many photos those two days.

On the evening of the second day, the rain eased up. We brought the camera, umbrella in hand, and roamed the little lanes. If we didn’t get out, we might as well have never come. “Superhuman” at the bar entrance.

When snapping photos, I’d toss the umbrella aside and shoot in the rain.

There aren’t many pictures of Dayan Old Town. Tomorrow I’ll post some from Shuhe Ancient Town, where we finally got the first sunny day of the Yunnan trip—

Colorful Yunnan (3) – Lijiang · Shuhe Ancient Town

If you decide to go to Lijiang, or are on your way, then you probably have a story, or are about to start one there.

—from “Slow Life in Lijiang”

Shuhe is located at the heart of all the scenic areas in Lijiang, the hub for touring Lijiang Ancient Town, Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, Lugu Lake, the First Bend of the Yangtze River, and the Three Parallel Rivers area.

This time in Lijiang, I hadn’t planned many sights. The only one I really wanted to see was Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, but the continuous rain squashed that hope. In four days, I didn’t catch even a glimpse of the snow mountain—such a pity.

Shuhe Ancient Town has a 50-yuan entrance fee, but it’s not strictly ticketed. Anyone who’s been knows that even when there are ticket inspectors, you can take the lane to the right and enter the town directly, skipping the fee.

Our luck was at its absolute worst. Early that morning, driving through heavy rain, we found our way to the town, only to be stopped before the main gate by ticket inspectors. We explained we were staying in a guesthouse inside, but they wouldn’t budge—we had to buy tickets. Thank goodness the guesthouse owner I’d contacted was considerate and personally drove out to guide us in via another village road.

During the two days we stayed in the town, we went back to the ticketed entrance twice and never saw a single inspector. I have to tip my hat to our incredible “luck.”

After checking in, the rain still didn’t stop. I took many photos right from the room. In the afternoon, as the rain lessened, I went out for a stroll with an umbrella.

That evening, we ate cured rib hotpot at this place. There was a funny moment: Mr. Du patted his pockets and found only 193 yuan. Too lazy to go back to the guesthouse for more, we decided to order within that amount. Since Lijiang food is pricey, we ordered what seemed reasonable, and the final bill was 192. With the remaining one yuan in hand, he made me take a photo as a memento.

People who’ve been to Lijiang all say Shuhe Ancient Town is much more rustic than Dayan Old Town. I hadn’t really believed it before coming, but now I see it’s indeed true. Shuhe has many natural elements, unlike the highly commercialized Dayan. Here, it feels very comfortable.

These two adorable big dogs.

The little bridges and flowing waters at Feihua Chushui (Flying Flowers Touch the Water) are so serene—sitting here and gazing at the scenery is truly beyond words.

Following the lane upward, I arrived at Old Sifang Street. The atmosphere here is wonderful.

Everywhere exudes a raw, primal flavor—because there’s horse dung everywhere.