Yunnan

{ October, 2014 }

I went to Yunnan, China!! I don't really know why I keep going to high altitude places this year (and also China), but of course I'm glad to be able to get away from city life to have some fresh mountain air!


[Dali 大理]

After arriving here in Yunnan, the very first place I visited was Dali. I probably can't explain this well but here in Dali, there's a saying "男人的天堂,女人的天下" because apparently it's common that the woman has the say (makes the final decisions) in the household. 

The main ethnic group here is the 白族, Bai tribe. They address females as 金花 and males as 阿鹏 here, so it was a must-know beforehand as really everyone literally calls each other that on the streets. (cannot get too shocked and be like, "what did you call me??")


There's this expression that Dali is known as, which is 风花雪月,referring to Dali's most famous 4 sights: 下关风,上关花,苍山雪洱海月  thus 风花雪月. I guess it's pretty cool! 


Dali Ancient Town 大理古城

I went to Dali Ancient Town, an old city and has a 'Foreigner's Street 洋人街' there which is a tourist attraction. Apparently many foreigners go there to stay at the hotels so they call it that. 





Over there, I got to witness the daily life of the people.



It was a really traditional place, all the old little shops were still there and there was grass growing on the roof.

There's also many shops selling silver, people working on the silverware could be spotted at every corner. 


Xizhou Bai Tribe Residence 喜洲民居
I got to see the Bai Tribe ethnic performance here, which was about the traditional costumes of the Bai Tribe. During the performances which showcased the traditional wedding procedures/costumes of the Bai Tribe, I enjoyed the Three-Course Tea Ceremony 三道茶. 



This tea ceremony is a method of honouring a guest, and we got to try out 3 types of tea. 一苦, 二甜, 三回味 is also to describe the tastes of the 3 different teas. First bitter, second sweet, and third brings reflection. 

Learnt a really cool thing about the weddings of the Bai tribe. Apparently the bride has to wear sunglasses / shades on the day she gets married. Because she'll cry a lot when she has to leave her own family and her eyes would be red and swollen, so she cannot show other people her swollen eyes on her big day, thus have to wear sunglasses. I was actually like 'dafuq??' when I saw the person acting as the bride during the performance because her shades was really retro it was like round frame HAHAHAHA I was thinking that it was a joke. But anyway, it's a really cool thing about their tradition and I'm glad that the tour guide clarified about it and I understood it a lot better.


Erhai Lake Cormorant Fishing (洱海)

Here on Erhai Lake, I took a little boat ride, and got to see the fishermen doing Cormorant Fishing. The Cormorant birds help the fishermen to catch the fish and their necks are tied so that they won't swallow the fish. I was so pissed off because I sat right at the end and on the wrong side of the boat, so I got a really bad view of the Cormorant fishing process...  Sigh..

The few good shots I got:









[Lijiang 丽江]
Continued my Yunnan trip in Lijiang, which the main ethnic group is the 纳西族, Naxi Tribe and they have a different way of addressing the male and females too, just like in Dali! The females are addressed as 胖金妹, and males are addressed as 胖金哥.

The reason for 胖金妹 is actually because the females have to do a lot of farming, thus they need to be of a bigger size aka fat in order to do more work. (even if you can't do more work you still have to look like you are capable of strenuous tasks HAHAHAH) yep. Apparently some saleswoman there said that the girl has to piggyback the guy home when they get married, like wth obviously if you are skinny and weak you can't manage.

Many girls here also find males with dark and tan skin favourable. If I'm not wrong, what the tour guide said was that in the past the male rode horses all the time. So if you ride a horse for a long time, naturally you'll get tanned, so when girls see a tanned guy she will know that he must have rode horses a lot, and you're very very skilled at riding horses! Means you are a really good one?! Well that was the kind of logic (more tanned, better at riding horses, more favourable) and it was funny and kinda interesting I guess.

Horse Riding
YES AND SPEAKING OF HORSES, I really got to ride a horse right after we reached Lijiang! I was to ride a horse down to Lashi Hai 拉市海 and take a boat there. I was quite scared actually because I have never rode on a horse (okay i've been living in a city for my whole life so yeah, i have never rode on a horse before...) and I was having some trouble climbing onto it because the horse was so huge?!??!?!? I still thought that it was some mini ride but since it was actually a horse ride down to Lashi Hai, it is actually quite a distance and the whole ride lasted for 20minutes. I was actually getting bored of riding the horse. 

At some random moment a stray horse which wasn't fetching anyone started running and quite a lot of horses got influenced too LOL, my horse started to run and I was like freaking out. It also stopped randomly to eat plants by the roadside and I'm just like wot. I guess it was quite a cool experience to ride a horse, a first time and in a foreign country too. 




Riding the horse through the neighbourhood was a really fun thing to do! I really like houses in Yunnan (countryside places in general), there aren't any buildings higher than 5 storeys, got a break from high-rised buildings I see everyday. Also, the countrysides are just so peaceful and free of any pollution...really the break that I need so much! 



The things that probably can't be done in Singapore, I've done it. I rode through the farms, and saw all the crops...  And all the farmers... 

The horse I rode.


Lashihai Lake 拉市海
I was lucky that during the boat ride, I got to see the sunset! Sigh, sunsets are actually hard to see in Singapore. Everyday, I'll just be so busy with my things, I hardly even notice the sky getting dark. Here, I got to see a crystal clear reflection of the sunset on Lashihai Lake, and it was simply a really beautiful sight.. too pretty for words. 




The surroundings was so peaceful and quiet, the boat was manually rowed, and there wasn't even any vehicles in sight. This lake is called 拉市海 don't think that by 海 it is some huge ocean because in fact it is just a lake but because it is one of the largest lakes in Yunnan, people call it a 海. The boat ride was terrifying at times because the water was really high and any shifting of your own body weight just tilts the boat...




A woman with her catch.




Shuhe Ancient Town 束河古镇
In the past, this place is a must pass through route for the Southern Silk road. Now there are many shops there and some of them still ride horses inside (carry goods). I wouldn't say that the place is boring but if you are someone who appreciates such ancient towns 古镇s which is pretty common throughout China then you'll probably like this place. For me I like the olden houses.







Jade Water Village 玉水寨
This place basically has so many places for perfect water reflection photos. There's also salmon swimming in the waters!!




Look at that reflection.

 Salmon in the waters.

Everything stated in this whole passage is like so damn true. Reminded us of what we humans have done to nature tsk tsk.. It is really meaningful.


"To the ultimate awful spirit of nature:
The nature, who predominated by almighty you, we are brothers!
We had been punished by ignoring the natural rules constituted by you:
We have incurred the mud-rock flow because of destroying the forests, exploiting sand and rock illegally;
We have incurred sand storm because of demolishing the vegetation and grazing to excess;
We have incurred the extinction of the creatural species because of want on slaughter;
We have incurred the extinction of botanic species because of overuse;
We have infected by the plague because we discarded the garbage anywhere;
We have let the water pollited because we discharged foul water at will;
We have let the air polluted because we emitted exhaust gas without restraint;
We poisoned our food because we overused the growth hormone and pesticides;
......
Please forgive our sins!
We have been punished by what we have done, you have warned us.
We therefore devoted to protect and beautify the environment we live, and we will try our best to pay back what we have owed you.
We beg you the forgiveness.
Blessing!"




Saw a yak. We meet again, after 4 months :)


Impression Lijiang 印象丽江
Impression Lijiang is a ecological stage performance directed by Zhang Yimou, a really famous director, who directed the 2008 Beijing Olympics opening and closing ceremonies. I have to say that I was legitimately impressed and fascinated by the whole performance. 

The stage has ramps/slopes so the actors all performed at different levels, which is something really special as compared to some plain flat ground stage. Yulong Snow Mountain was also in the backdrop, which is something really amazing too (forgot to mention that the stage is actually unsheltered. I mean the whole place!!!!) 


But because the whole place was unsheltered, and I was unfortunately watching the 1.30pm show, the sun was seriously blazing hot and just shining on everyone FOREVER during the one and half hour performance. Had no choice but to wear 2 caps at once.

Quite annoying, or else I would have really enjoyed the whole performance by watching in comfort!

The synchronization of the performers was also really good and the actors were really into their role (e.g. when they have to act drunk). 




Honestly I have never paid so much attention to such a show, I really really enjoyed the whole performance and definitely wouldn't mind watching it for a few more times!!! 
No trip to Lijiang is complete without watching Impression Lijiang!!!!

Jade Dragon Snow Mountain 玉龙雪山
Of course, went to have a closer look at the Yulong Snow Mountain!! Took a cable car to about 3000m+ above sea level and travelled around the place by the buggy car to view the snow mountain. I really suck at taking pictures of such things because aperture seems to be kinda important but I'm so lazy to adjust.


Anyway the sceneries there are all spectacular. 


Spruce Plateau 云杉坪
This large meadow lies at the foot of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, and I had to take a buggy car to deep inside the forest in order to see this place. On the meadow there are many goats feeding on the grass, with Jade Dragon Snow Mountain behind, so it was a really nice scene. ^_^

**This is the forest!! I have never gotten so close to nature...wow






This is the spruce meadow!!




Blue Moon Valley 蓝月谷, White Water River 白水河
In the Yulong Mountain Scenic Area, there is the Spruce Meadow ^ , and of course the rivers, in this case Blue Moon Valley and White Water River. White Water River is formed from the melted snow of the snow mountain, so the water is very clear and thus how it got its name. At the more shallow areas, the water is more sea-like blue, thus called Blue Mountain Valley. Ain't even kidding about how freaking blue the water is, it really scares me.




The extremely blue water!!!


The extremely clear water!!!


Lijiang Old Town shopping 丽江古镇(逛古街)
It was a really long day, but we still ended up visiting the old streets nearby the hotel for some shopping / sight seeing!!! The night life at the area was seriously lively, there were pubs everywhere and so it was extemely noisy. 



I got a something from a shop there! It's a pocket watch, a really cool thing that I have always wanted. (oops i think i might have misplaced my watch HAHAHA)



Black Dragon Pool Park 黑龙潭公园
The last place of Lijiang I visited, this park that has lakes with amazing crystal clear reflections on the Black Dragon Pool. 







[Shangri-La 香格里拉]
The last place of Yunnan I visited, the Shangri-La county of Dêqên Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. Diqing connects Yunnan, Sichuan and Tibet, and since it is much closer to Tibet, the largest ethnic group here is Tibetan. So Shangri-La is really similar to Tibet, bringing back memories of June!

Greeting: same as Tibet, "扎西德勒", but I feel sounds more like 'zhaxidelei'. Means 吉祥如意.
Females: addressed as 卓玛 'zhuoma'
Males: addressed as 扎西 'zhaxi'

Here in Shangri-la, I find that the people greet each other more (with 扎西德勒) which is really cool and respectful (since it means something like wishing prosperity & luck) , something different from other places. So the tour guide had us learn the greeting and he'll greet us with that every time! 


Tiger LeapinGorge 虎跳峡 
One of the must-see tourist attractions of Shangri-La, this. It is one of the deepest river canyons, since the river is at around 1800m above sea level, but the peak of the mountains (Yulong and Haba Mountains) by the sides are of a difference of 3900m. To get down to the level of the river, and up again, one has to climb about 1500 steps in total!! 

This was taken when I was climbing down halfway. (of course, still not close to the same level as the river)


The climbing down part wasn't bad it's just that some steps are really steep. So I made it down quickly!


See how fast and strong the river water is??

Then it was horror. Had to climb all the way back up, since it's high up in the mountains the air was thinner so it was definitely a challenge for people who have been living at sea level, aka me HAHA.. So actually it was quite tiring for me, even though I made it back to the top the first LOL. Well, I have to be thankful as it wasn't that crazy looking to me, having experienced something more challenging at a higher altitude (climbing Potala Palace in Tibet, 3600m above sea level, that was really horrible too haha). I was drenched with sweat by the time I reached the top even though the temperature was probably around 20deg celcius. Imagine if you were here during the summer. Anyway, the trip to this gorge isn't complete if you don't climb down. No excuses


Dukezong Ancient Town 独克宗古城
Basically this is a Tibetan Town over thirteen hundred years old. The sad thing is that a fire in Jan 2014 (just the start of this year!!) destroyed many houses and destroyed most of the town!! How sad can that be, many of the Tibetan houses from the past were destroyed...sigh. We were basically supposed to explore around the old town on our own but we ended up just taking pictures with a Tibetan mastiff, not in Tibet, but here in Shangri-la, Yunnan like what even hahaha. This is just weird because I didn't take a single picture with a mastiff in Tibet and here am I doing it in Yunnan.



Don't say never take picture with the old town, here is it.



Went to the roadside stalls and fruit carts, honestly all the fruits here are so darn fresh and cheap because it's produced locally!! The bananas are really damn amazing it's like so solid and just GREAT I don't know how to describe that feeling of the freshness!! Bought BBQ 藏香猪 skewers from the stalls. This is getting weird because 藏香猪 is like from Tibet and I'm eating it here in Yunnan LOL. But anyway, the BBQ pork was really really good it was so tender and juicy!!




Pudacuo National Park 普达措国家公园
Finally, supposedly the main highlight of my trip to Shangri-La, (I'll tell you why supposedly), Pudacuo National Park. The park is notable as it is the first national park in China to meet International Union for Conservation of Nature standards. 

I guess the interesting thing is that this park contains many many things, such as flora & fauna, deciduous forests, 2 lakes and also several minority villages. You could actually see some of the local tribal people around the place (I saw a granny in the meadow!). Most of the distance has to be covered by taking the bus in the park. At each stop, we are given 10-15minutes to take pictures or go to the toilet.

I know that this park is actually a really beautiful scenic area in Shangri-La, but the reason why I was unable to really enjoy it was because of the timing. Coming here during the late autumn-winter season is a bad choice. It was extremely cold and drizzling too. But the drizzle turned to ice in the air, so the whole place was really wet. 

The colour there was just mainly a yellowish brown. The grass and some of the trees were all just yellowish brown. It didn't look that nice, compared to what it looks like in the summer(google it).



I swear that it's so damn extremely cold in Yunnan when theres a wet weather. With the rain, it is winter. With the sun, it is summer (okay not that hot, but still hot). I was wearing jeans and a pair of Nike but my feet were freezing because it was seriously TOO COLD. 


 {The End} 
Sadly, these are only the few places I went to on my trip to Yunnan. I got to visit the countrysides, got close to nature and got a perfect break from hot, humid and busy city life. It was really a break I needed, and I really enjoy it too! I wouldn't forget this wonderful and special scenic place, Yunnan! 

Jean, 7/11/2014


No comments:

Post a Comment