Hello, Lijiang. Do You Copy?

Lijiang is probably where dreams begin for couples everywhere—even the air carries a sweet, flirtatious scent. Wandering its ancient streets and alleys, with a gentle breeze and a bright moon, encircled by snow mountains. We strolled hand in hand through Sifang Street, soaking up the lazy summer afternoon sun; we leaned against windows listening to the melodic strains of ancient Naxi music. So much tenderness and sweetness, only Lijiang could weave such a soft, enchanting atmosphere. Perhaps I’d see you stepping on bluestone slabs, gazing at a ray of sunlight; I’d hold you and pick two green mangoes from the branch; I’d listen to you sipping and humming a tune, candlelight flickering in a bar…

Grabbed my girl for a group photo – we’re the kind of besties who miss each other when apart and tease each other when together.

Strolled around looking for food, spotted a small restaurant in the old town specializing in local Yunnan dishes. Ordered a glass of bayberry wine—tangy, sweet, and so delicious!!!

There were lots of freshly baked flower pastries. We bought a purple sweet potato-flavored one that had just come out of the oven—so flaky, warm, with a faint milky fragrance, unbelievably tasty. Totally worth recommending; I’d buy one every day from now on. If you want to bring back a gift for family and friends, flower pastry is a great choice. Jiahua’s are the most delicious. Rose drinks are sold in limited quantities—super fragrant and refreshing.

The native chicken rice noodles were surprisingly amazing—an instant flavor explosion that wakes up your taste buds. The chicken broth was incredibly fresh and rich.

Lashihai. Because the government has issued regulations to protect the water source, visitors can't go boating on Lashihai anymore. But the surrounding scenery is still stunning—perfect for artsy young ladies like us, haha.

The name 'Lashihai' means 'sea', but it’s actually not a sea—just a wetland nestled in a basin of the Hengduan Mountains. Don’t underestimate this wetland: the lake is rich in resources, and in winter it becomes a perfect sanctuary. The guide explained that on the high plateau, people yearn for the vast ocean but can’t travel that far, so they lovingly named their nearby lakes and wetlands 'sea' out of longing.

The water was a vivid blue, paired with yellow grass and reeds—so pretty. This season there are lots of birds, so the lakeside isn’t exactly quiet.

The water’s deep blue, the sky’s deep blue—everything felt so tranquil, and best of all, the air was cool and comfortable.

Shuhe Ancient Town. After leaving Lashihai, our driver came to pick us up and drove us to Shuhe. I have to mention again that the driver was very easygoing—he went along with whatever we wanted, stopping anywhere we wanted to take photos. By then we were hungry, so we went to a popular restaurant in Shuhe for a meal. The food was truly delicious, the setting lovely, and the service warm. We really enjoyed it!

In Lijiang, sunshine and time are the cheapest things you can find. We wandered around Shuhe for ages and ages, feeling like we could pour all our time into this old town. We both have a soft spot for ancient towns.

Little shiitake mushrooms with baked quail eggs—fragrant and tasty. My friend, who never eats scallions or mushrooms, looked at me with disgust as I ate, hahaha.

We didn’t go to Dali this time, but we still saw someone selling grilled rushan (a local milk fan), so we bought one. The lady chatted with us as she grilled it, very friendly. After it was done, I took my usual photo, and she urged us to eat it while it was hot. Then, after we’d finished taking pictures, she still wasn’t satisfied and put it back on the grill for a few more seconds. A dog saw us and stared at our food, so we teased it, watching its fixated gaze, haha. Of course, we ended up giving it a piece.

I adjusted the color tones in editing, and I just love how this view of the old town turned out.

Hmm~ an underbite? Tai Ri Tian? Hahaha... so adorable. The old town has lots of little animals, all super well-behaved and friendly. Most aren’t guard dogs but simply pets that love eating and basking in the sun.

Our first stop was Blue Moon Valley. The water was indeed crystal clear—here it was a bit green-tinged, but over by Baishui River it turns a deep blue. If it rains, the water in Blue Moon Valley turns milky white, a completely different look from what we saw. We tried to squeeze in for photos anywhere we could—there were so many people coming and going, making it hard to get a good shot.

Post-processing wasn’t great either—the colors feel a bit too intense. I hope my friend won’t hit me when she sees this.

We walked to the side and found a nice spot—the snow mountain in the background, no one around. This was it! After taking a couple of shots, mysteriously a crowd appeared. We wanted to take turns photographing each other, but as soon as we tried to switch, people squeezed in. Then we had to wait ages before we could shoot again. No worries—call me the 'photo spot planter.'

The natural rock steps formed by the flowing water of Blue Moon Valley—nature truly is magical and beautiful.

Rays of sunlight, like divine light, fell on the lake surface, sparkling and bright.

We arrived at the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain big cable car. The driver told us to come down immediately if we felt unwell and to have oxygen bottles ready, taking a few puffs on the cable car. Back then I was stubborn—I thought, I didn’t get altitude sickness in Shangri-La, so I’ll be fine today. Plus, I’d heard that oxygen can be addictive and it’s best not to use it. But as it turned out, I was proved wrong again. As soon as I got off the cable car, I felt unwell, but thought I could endure it. I started climbing the steps, but after just a few steps, I felt like I was about to die—my heart was pounding like it wanted to jump out. It was so uncomfortable. I chickened out, pulled out my oxygen bottle, took a couple of puffs, and finally calmed that racing heart. My friend had never been to high altitudes before, and I was a little worried about her, but she actually coped a bit better than me. She kept looking back and waiting for me. But we were both weak—the 20-year-old girls suddenly turned into 80-year-old grannies, crawling at a snail’s pace: climb two steps, puff two breaths.

The sunlight up there was really harsh, and with the white snow, looking too long hurt the eyes. So I recommend wearing sunglasses. I didn’t have contacts in, but it was so glaring that I later just put on sunglasses—went blind for a while, but at least I could see the path without my glasses.

Our daily flower pastry fix—the owner said a fresh batch was about to come out, so we waited a little while. It was so worth the wait.

Took a portrait—my friend has gotten pretty used to my camera over these past few days; her expressions are becoming more and more natural.

This is proof that I stubbornly got colored braids despite the legends about them. They’re really pretty, okay? Who cares what the legend says! Hmph!!

Back in the old town, we bought some fruit that’s uncommon in Hangzhou. But here’s a warning: First, that sea cucumber fruit (haishen guo)—the vendor said to use a straw, but when we inserted it, the inside was solid and couldn’t be sucked. And taste? Tasteless. We suspect it was unripe. Then the green jujube—tasteless again. The red pear had some flavor, but it was very ordinary and not sweet. These fruits were quite pricey, so buy with caution.

My friend is a very Jiangnan-style, artsy girl. If any online shop wants her as a model, remember to notify me, her agent, first. Price negotiable.

My sunglasses really didn’t match this scenery. But sunglasses are a great styling tool. Just bring your everyday sunglasses; don’t be silly like me.

Next stop, Lover’s Beach. There are two Lover’s Beaches, but I can’t remember if this one is in Sichuan or Yunnan, haha. On the way we saw the clouds begin to part a little; by the time we arrived, they had cleared a lot—hehe, mood instantly up up.

I specially rented a wide-angle lens for this shot—worth it! The perks of off-season travel: not many people, so I could stand in the classic spot and capture this heart shape.

Then the lake tour ended. After eating and drinking our fill, we came out to take photos. On the way to the restaurant we’d walked along Daluoshui Pier and seen lots of these white tables. We’d promised ourselves to come back and shoot after eating. We picked a table with good light and started taking tons of pictures, taking turns for several rounds. Later, other people also fancied our table and just stood there waiting for us to finish, so we finally stopped. Inner thought: there are so many tables, why pick ours? Daluoshui Village. Now enjoy the next big wave of portraits.

The seagulls here are real foodies, hahaha. There’s an art to feeding them: you have to watch for a seagull flying toward you and toss the bread high—basically, time it so the food reaches that exact spot as the gull flies by, then it can catch it. At first I couldn’t get the hang of it; almost an entire bag of bread went to waste, falling into the water and benefiting the ducks. Every time I said that, my friend would ask, 'What did the ducks ever do wrong?' Sometimes a seagull would miss and the food would drop into the water; it might try to dive down to get it, but as soon as it landed, the ducks would rush over and snatch it, so you often see seagulls 'chasing ducks all the way.'

Our trip is coming to an end. My friend said she hopes to be like a dandelion, drifting with the wind to anywhere she wants, free and following her heart.

Travelogue Contents: 1. Lijiang Old Town 2. Lashihai 3. Shuhe Ancient Town 4. Lijiang Old Town 5. Blue Moon Valley 6. Jade Dragon Snow Mountain 7. Lijiang Old Town 8. Lugu Lake Travel Information Hotel Index Guide Index Flight Index Website Navigation Travel Index Cruise Index Corporate Travel Index Join & Cooperation Affiliate Partners Friendly Links Corporate Gift Card Purchase Insurance Agent Agent Cooperation Hotel Partnership Destination & Scenic Spot Cooperation More Cooperation About Ctrip About Ctrip Ctrip Highlights Contact Us Recruitment User Agreement Privacy Policy Business License Security Center Ctrip Content Center Intellectual Property Trip.com Group Algorithm Disclosure