I will meet the best mountains and rivers, the best people
Wherever they are, it is my motherland
It is the temple where I can hear the conversations between the constellations
And here I am, at such a time
The world shows me the rippling landscapes
The greater its secrets, the wider the sky opens
I will meet the best mountains and rivers, the best people
Wherever they are, it is my motherland
It is the temple where I can hear the conversations between the constellations
And here I am, at such a time
The world shows me the rippling landscapes
The greater its secrets, the wider the sky opens
At that moment, I was struck by secrets
Crying, but keeping silent
Prelude (Itinerary Overview)
Day 0: September 29
Transportation: Sichuan Airlines 3U8108 Changzhou direct flight to Kunming
Accommodation: Kunming Yiju Changshui Airport Branch
Because there is only one red-eye flight directly from Changzhou to Kunming, we chose a hotel close to Changshui Airport that night, offering 24-hour free airport transfers.
Itinerary overview
Day 1 (September 30) Kunming - Dali
Day 2 (October 1) Dali
Day 3 (October 2): Dali - Lijiang
Day 4 (October 3) Lijiang - Lugu Lake
Day 5 (October 4) Lugu Lake - Lijiang
Day 6 (October 5) Lijiang - Shangri-La
Day 7 (October 6): Shangri-La - Lijiang - Kunming
Day 8 (October 7) Kunming
Day 9 (October 8): Kunming - Hangzhou - Changzhou
Tips:
1. In Yunnan, ultraviolet rays are very strong, so both men and women should take sun protection measures;
2. There are large temperature differences between regions. For this trip, temperatures range from 5 to 28 degrees, so remember to bring enough clothes;
3. Every city in Yunnan has an airport. If possible, you can choose to fly directly to Ninglang (Lugu Lake; normally Kunming flies only 200+) or Shangri-La (be careful of altitude sickness on direct flights). Traveling in reverse can save time.
Here's a map of Yunnan. This time, we're going to the places marked with red circles, plus Lugu Lake~
Xu met at first sight, their features forming a book
In the morning, we took a ride-sharing ride to Kunming Station. There's a railway hotel next to the ticket gate at Kunming Station, and we booked it for convenience. First, go to the Railway Hotel to drop off your luggage.
Kunming Railway Hotel
I haven't seen Strawberry in two years, can't wait to take a selfie.
At noon, I had Crossing-the-Bridge rice noodles and took the double-decker bus No. 44 to Yunnan Minzu Village. Admission is 90 per person. There are very few tourists in ethnic villages, mainly small villages of some ethnic groups from Yunnan. I recommend entering through the main gate and exiting through the south gate (just across the street and you'll reach Dianchi Lake).
The legendary heavily polluted Dianchi Lake is indeed true... The green water looks disgusting, just take a random photo and leave~
Since we were still some distance from the bus stop, we rode our little yellow bike over. Riding a bike again after ten years, feeling so happy, haha \(^o^)/.
Then I took a bus to Nanping Street. Thinking about the overnight train ride, I decisively went for the energy-packed eel rice.
Returned to the hotel to rest around eight o'clock.
The 11:30 train was also my first time riding a green train~
The berth is very small and comes with its own bed linen. Unable to endure it, the blanket isn't clean either... A night of sleep and waking up was torture.
A few matters of wind, flowers, snow, and moon—unaware that a thousand years have passed in the human world
We arrived at Dali Station around 7 a.m. The clouds there were very low, and as soon as I got off the train, I was amazed~
After leaving Dali, I got into a pre-booked ride, arriving at the inn around eight o'clock (I found it casually on Booking, 433 RMB/night, which is usually a great deal). This inn is about 100 meters from Erhaimen in the ancient city of Dali. The interior decoration and cleanliness were far beyond my expectations—absolutely amazing!
In Dali, Yunnan, there is a couplet that circulates: 'Shangguan flowers, Xiaguan wind, Xiaguan wind blows Shangguan flowers; Snow on the blue mountains, moon over Erhai Lake, the moon over Erhai reflects the snow on the blue mountains. Horizontal inscription: Wind, flowers, snow, and moon.
Erhai Lake, formerly known as Kunming Lake, Erhe River, Yeyu Marsh, and others. Because its shape resembles human ears, it is named Erhai. Because of limited time, we gave up Cangshan and decided to charter a car to circle Erhai Lake for a day. I found a car charter on Taobao, 350 yuan per day, with a part-time driver and tour guide. The reason for choosing a charter over renting a car is that the road conditions around Erhai Lake are more complex, and the local drivers are more familiar with them, so we could comfortably enjoy the beautiful scenery.
After changing into today's gear at the inn, we started touring Erhai Lake at 10:30~ Today was a sunny day, and Erhai Lake looked especially pure.
The Bai ethnic residences are very beautiful.
Ancient architecture of the Bai ethnic group in Xizhou
We arrived at Xizhou a little after midnight and tried local specialties: roasted milk fans, jasmine fried eggs, stir-fried pork with pomegranate flowers, and soup made from some kind of water plant. Honestly, the taste was just average......
Because many parts of the Erhai Ring Road are under repair, there are many detours and detours. This is the rice field being harvested.
You can't drive to Haishe Park from Xizhou, so we took a horse-drawn carriage.
After getting off the carriage, walk another five minutes and you'll arrive at the famous Haishe Park, which is truly beautiful.
I recall a line from Gu Cheng's poem: The grass is bearing its seeds, the wind is shaking its leaves. We stood silently, and it was truly beautiful.
It was already 4:30 PM after leaving Haishe Park. Thinking that the most famous Shuanglang on the east side of Erhai Lake was inconvenient for visitors due to renovations, we decided to check out the tie-dye.
In the end, I spent fifty yuan to make one myself. It looked a bit ugly, so I decided not to take a photo......
On the return trip, we passed by the Three Pagodas of Chongsheng Temple.
Chongsheng Temple Three Pagodas Cultural Tourism Area
After a short rest, I went to Dali Ancient Town and grabbed a bite. Honestly, the bowfish in Dali really wasn't tasty.
Because yesterday's sun was too strong, not suitable for portrait photography. We decided to get up early the next day to take some tourist photos~
Next to Haimen, I called out an electric tricycle to Majiuyi, 80 km round trip. Photography is 10 per person.
The light around nine was not very strong, making up for the regret of not being able to open my eyes during yesterday's photos~
Looking forward to your return, my little darling~
10.2 PM Departed from Dali to Shuhe Ancient Town, Didi carpooled, about 170 RMB for two people.
The ancient city of Dali
Shuhe, without the hustle and bustle of Lijiang, is a quiet ancient town.
Shuhe Ancient Town
The inn I booked in advance had a great environment, and there were also adorable British Shorthairs and little Ala~
For dinner, we had Korean cuisine, run by a couple from Seoul. The auntie said that because the air and scenery are beautiful here, she chose to settle here.
Korean Pavilion
Tonight, riding the wind, I set out on a boat; the mountains are misty, the water is cold
The trip from 10.3~10.4 was Lugu Lake, and I joined a two-day pure sightseeing group without shopping.
Setting out a little after seven in the morning, I arrived at a quiet ancient town.
The legendary mountain road winds with eighteen bends~
The clouds are deep and the whereabouts unknown.
Jinsha River
After winding and twisting along the way, we arrived at Ninglang County town around midnight. Lunch was a free-range chicken soup hotpot. It was my first time tasting such delicious free-range chicken soup, and only after finishing did I remember I didn't take photos~
After eating, we headed to the Lugu Lake Scenic Area. There were already a large number of tourists today; we hadn't encountered large crowds in the past few days.
Lugu Lake: Located between Yanyuan County, Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province, and Ninglang Yi Autonomous County, Lijiang City, Yunnan Province, it is the "Mother Lake" in the hearts of the Mosuo people, who still preserve matrilineal social traditions, and is the legendary Kingdom of Women~
The most talked-about custom is the Mosuo people's "walking marriage," a type of marriage system among the Mosuo. The Mosuo people are a matriarchal society; during the day, men and women rarely spend time alone, only expressing their feelings to their loved ones through singing and dancing at gatherings. If a man is infatuated with a woman, after meeting her during the day, he will go to her 'flower house' (the room of adult Mosuo women, separated from the grandmother's house, i.e., 'house house') at midnight. Traditionally, he would ride a horse there, but could not enter the flower house through the main entrance; instead, he had to climb through the window and hang a hat or other representative items outside the door to indicate he was on a date and to ask others not to disturb. Then, you must leave before dawn, and you can exit through the main gate. If you leave after dawn or after the bride's family elders have gotten up, it will be considered rude. Children generally do not know who their father is and are raised by their mother and uncles.
Entering the scenic area, the Lugu Lake viewing platform is right next to it. To be honest, the perspective is not broad.
Lugu Lake Viewing Platform
The plateau weather is changeable; just moments ago it was overcast, but after a few kilometers, the sun was shining brightly again. Here are some photos~
Large Floodwaters Pier
We arrived at Lovers' Beach. The water is shallow and very clear. Continuing with the tourist photos~
Quietly asking the holy monk, isn't your daughter beautiful~
Next, hike to Lige Village and head to the Lige Peninsula viewing platform. It's said that most of the Lugu Lake promotional videos come from here. The sky started to get overcast again.
Rig Pier
Classic angles, right~
Leaving Rige, it started to rain. We braved the rain and took a pig trough boat in Nise, which was so frustrating. Unexpectedly, the weather started clearing up again on the way back...... Mysterious weather.
The day on the outbound journey.
On the way back~
The small white flowers in water are water-based poplar flowers.
Any random path looks this beautiful.
After finishing the boating, we had basically explored half of Lugu Lake and started dinner (wedding banquet). Another native chicken! Delicious! Angrily ate two bowls of rice~
Check-in~ The hotel is excellent and clean! I checked the price list for individual travelers: standard room is 1500, which shows the advantage of joining a group because our all-inclusive group fee was less than 720, haha.
Today was just too tiring; we didn't attend the evening bonfire party (later heard from friends in the group that it was meaningless), and fell asleep after ten. It's really cold here at night, so we even added a blanket.
Good night, beautiful Women's Kingdom.
I do not know in which year or month I was able to return with you
One-third of Lugu Lake is located in Sichuan, with the most famous being Caohai and Zouhun Bridge.
From afar, the lush reeds look like a sea of grass, which locals call the "Sea of Grass." The Mosuo people follow the walking marriage custom of "men do not marry, women do not marry," and walking the marriage bridge is where Mosuo men and women meet on dates~
Starting this yea
Route fragment