In one of the markets in Dali the other day, a young boy came up to me and asked (in English) if I would answer some questions: my name, where I'm from, how long I've been in China, how I'm enjoying my trip. He was accompanied by a young woman who explained that it was for his summer camp project; there were lots of other kids asking foreigners the same questions that day. His last question was: "Which is best, Dali, Lijiang or Shangri-La?" I suppose the summer camp group was visiting those three towns just like every other visitor to Yunnan province, including me. The answer was easy: "Dali!"
Dali is by far the most interesting of the three big tourist attractions in the province. (Kunming is not included as it's the capital and a fairly big, modern metropolis, unlike the other towns that have a substantial legacy of traditional architecture and local culture.) In all three cases there is an old town and a new town, traditional and modern; I'm talking only about the old towns. The difference is that where Lijiang and Shangri-La have have been converted entirely into tourist attractions -- where every single building is a restaurant or a shop -- Dali maintains a population of real people who live, go to school, and work there. Tourism is of course a major part of the economy of the town but it seems to be well managed. A fair number of the foreigners -- who are mostly American, French and Dutch, judging by the accents I've heard -- actually live here, so it's not just visitors walking around with cameras around their necks (like me).
A visit to Dali is not just worth it for the town itself; the Cang Shan (pronounce "tsang shan") mountains on one side, and Erhai lake on the other are well worth exploring. We finally went for a walk up Cang Shan yesterday. On the way out of town heading for the mountain we walked through another market on the way back to town. Among the usual stalls was one that made me do a double take. What I first thought were some kind of white stones or beads turned out to be human teeth. But I digress...
We started our expedition in pleasantly subdued sunshine, but it turned to heavy rain once we started walking along the mountain tracks -- memories of Wicklow again! I should have been better prepared, but I'm well out of hillwalking practice (not many mountains near Paris). Luckily there was a small stall selling snacks, drinks and waterproof capes. So we walked happily in the rain covered in cheap plastic while the expensive Goretex rain gear lay safely down at the hotel. It'll last longer that way.
Dali is by far the most interesting of the three big tourist attractions in the province. (Kunming is not included as it's the capital and a fairly big, modern metropolis, unlike the other towns that have a substantial legacy of traditional architecture and local culture.) In all three cases there is an old town and a new town, traditional and modern; I'm talking only about the old towns. The difference is that where Lijiang and Shangri-La have have been converted entirely into tourist attractions -- where every single building is a restaurant or a shop -- Dali maintains a population of real people who live, go to school, and work there. Tourism is of course a major part of the economy of the town but it seems to be well managed. A fair number of the foreigners -- who are mostly American, French and Dutch, judging by the accents I've heard -- actually live here, so it's not just visitors walking around with cameras around their necks (like me).
A visit to Dali is not just worth it for the town itself; the Cang Shan (pronounce "tsang shan") mountains on one side, and Erhai lake on the other are well worth exploring. We finally went for a walk up Cang Shan yesterday. On the way out of town heading for the mountain we walked through another market on the way back to town. Among the usual stalls was one that made me do a double take. What I first thought were some kind of white stones or beads turned out to be human teeth. But I digress...
We started our expedition in pleasantly subdued sunshine, but it turned to heavy rain once we started walking along the mountain tracks -- memories of Wicklow again! I should have been better prepared, but I'm well out of hillwalking practice (not many mountains near Paris). Luckily there was a small stall selling snacks, drinks and waterproof capes. So we walked happily in the rain covered in cheap plastic while the expensive Goretex rain gear lay safely down at the hotel. It'll last longer that way.
