Sunday, December 14th, 2003 – Day 299
It was a cold night and my fabricated room was no match. The beds and blankets are smaller here. I had a poor nights sleep. At least I have a talking Spanish watch to tell me the time. I will know the Spanish numbers for a long time. I was up at 8.30am and had a wash. I was walking to Zhonghe Si temple this morning.
You can take a cable car for 35 Yan up and 15 Yuan down. I decided to walk. The Lonely Planet says an hour but it took me 25 minutes to get to the base of the mountain. It took me some time to find a path. I was worried that no other tourists were about. I was a little apprehensive about this hike since a German tourist had been robbed and murdered on this path in 1997. I started walking up a steep path and hell it was steep. About 1/2 the way up, the ground was hard and frost covered. It was not a pretty walk as the forest closed around me most of the way.
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Click on the picture to see it in its original size
Dali – Trip up the Mountain (14-12-2003)
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Click on the picture to see it in its original size
Dali – Trip up the Mountain (14-12-2003)
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Click on the picture to see it in its original size
Dali – Trip up the Mountain (14-12-2003)
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Click on the picture to see it in its original size
Dali – Trip up the Mountain (14-12-2003)
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Click on the picture to see it in its original size
Dali – Trip up the Mountain (14-12-2003)
I hiked up through some farmers’ fields, up a hill covered with family tombs, and up to the temple of Zhonghe Si high above Dali. The views over the Dali valley and the Er Lake were fantastic. The temple was empthy and I enjoyed it. it took me 50 minutes to climb there. I saw no other people. When i was a bout to leave back down a TV crew arrrived with about 20 girls dressed in ethnic clothing and a 4 man band. They were filming a tourism poromotional video. I watch as the music played (it was excellent) and the girls danced. I was there for an hour.
There was a dodby guy waiting on the downward tril. Every time I started the trail down he started. i went back to the temple and he followed. Panic. Then he started walking down. I followed carefully five minutes later. No sign but with tick forest, wwho knows where he was. I jogged and jumped my way down the mountain using a different path taht went past few lovely farm fields. It only took me 25 minutes. I ran ahlf the way. There was no sign of the guy.
I next walked to the Three Pagodas
The three elegant pagodas arise on the Mt. Cangshan slope overlooking the Erhai Lake, known as Chong sheng San ta, the Three Pagodas of Saintly Worship. These outstanding landmarks of the region were once part of the greatest temple complex on the Dali plain. In recent times the Three Pagodas site has become extremely popular with tourists, and inevitably is becoming overrun with stalls selling marble wares. The tallest of the three, Qianxun Pagoda, has 16 tiers that reach a height of 69.13 meters (230 feet). Its structure is similar to the Small Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi’an, capital of Shaanxi province. It is built in an architectural style typical of the Tang Dynasty (618-907). The two smaller pagodas to its west and north, each 42 meters (135 feet) high with ten tiers, have a luxurious appearance with their exquisite carvings. They were built in the Five Dynasties (907-960). More than 600 rare relics of the states of Nanzhao and Dali were discovered in the three pagodas during the 1978 reconstruction, making them even more famous.
Well I did not actiually visit them. I went to the lake beside them so that I could see there reflection in that lake. It was cool. It was 4 Yuan in.
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Click on the picture to see it in its original size
Dali – Pagodas (14-12-2003)
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Click on the picture to see it in its original size
Dali (14-12-2003)
It was 1.45pm. I was back from the mountain at noon. I deecided to take a bus back to Xiaguan to see if I could get my camera pictures transferred to DDik. i had no luck in Dalia nd I needed space on my camera. I would not expect to see many more computers with CD-RW over the next 3 weeks.
It was half an hour there and I walked into the first palce I saw. The manger had no English and it seemed thaey hadnt done the service before. they did have a CD-RW. I did it myself but the manager helped as all the software and computer text was in Chinese. As I have donee it dozzens of times, I know what buttons to prress. It could be in any language.
After I copuied it to Disk, he already ahd a Chinese – English – Chinese translation piece of software on the computer open. He was adamant taht I type. For the next two hours, we typed backa nd forth. He had no Englisha nd I had no Chinese. He typed and asked questions. i responded. My text coming out as Chinese and vice versa. At the end It was invited to his wedding on the 7th of January. I was meant to go to Dinner that night with his bride. He had rung so make siure it wwas OK to invite me. Still, inviting a foreigner to your wedding after 20 minutes is strange.
He shhowed me all his wedding photos. Its comman practice here. They go to a professioanl studio nd dress up in 10-12 different suits, dresses and backgrounds. A few pictures in traditioanl Chinese Dress, a few outdoor shots. In all the towns here there are dozens of wedding photographers. Its big business and the pictures in the windows are years ahead of the West. They have Hong Kong Actionn Photos, birds been released int he background, wheat fields, the bride looking forlorn. Still, nice to look at. He had his photos on Disk so i looked at them.
After getting his email and phone number I headed off. i had a bite to eat in the town for 20,000 Dong. It was a big Dinner. She nearly forced on me. Two bowls of meat and rice. Then a massive hot bowl of vegetables. A hot bot of vegeatbles. I did not recognise half on them. Tasted like sea weed.
It was 6.30pm and I headed into a big supermarket for toothpaste and soap. There are attendant rvrtywhere for every product. In the soap shelfs, there were 3 girls trying to impress me with the qualities of there soap. It was all Chinese to me so i just nodded. Not many tourists come to town but you get alot of staresand giggles. Its a big town and its well worth visiting. Alot of them visit Old Dali during the weekend.
I got back and paid 30 yuan for tonights accommodation. i could not be bothered changing. The weather here is exceellent during the day. Bright Blue skies and a crisp warm sun. In the morning and the evening it gets cold.