| | From the plane we could see the green mountains below | |
| | | Yunnan translates into "South of the Clouds" | |
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| | Looking down at lakeside cities based at 6000 feet | |
| | | Kunming our first stop, the seat of the ancient Dian Kingdom. | |
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| | Market places offer a variety of local edibles | |
| | | Bai minorities in splendid garb; walking fast to avoid the photos. | |
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| | Roof tops and arched edges are typical of the area. | |
| | | Lijiang's Stone Forest; incredible limestone formations. | |
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| | Nu Wa Gems further wanderings into the Stone Forest. | |
| | | Nancy's mom and brother, Nancy and Aggie our guide. | |
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| | The stone formations were quite a spectacle. | |
| | | Embroiderers work their craft. | |
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| | At dusk the nearby restaurant park is lush with blue. | |
| | | Fancy hotel- actually rather nice! Vickie: air is cleaner up here too. | |
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| | Elaine and Lorene take a few snapshots by the Dian ChiLake. | |
| | | Janet, Brother Jim and Gladys await their boat ride. | |
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| | Nancy watching the fisherman | |
| | | Aaaaaaall aboard! a 45 minute, gorgeous boat ride. | |
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| | | Anita has a cozy chair with a view! | |
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| | The boat ride is heading towards a small fishing village on an island. | |
| | | Megan's handy camera work. Michael and Lorraine soaking it all in. | |
|
| | What's this off the starboard side? | |
| | | Temple's ahoy! The lake is huge, the waters calm. The view grand. | |
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| | Arif as always capturing a moment. | |
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| | Villagers wear light blue and dark blue garb. | |
| | | Locals get off the rock for daily errands | |
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| | Hosts and little host greet us at the temple | |
| | | The Land and the Lake provides all with nourishment. | |
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| | At Butterfly Fountain Park we're greeted by Bai women. | |
| | | Food food everywhere... roasted shrimps and onion pancakes! | |
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| | They are so kind and gentle... | |
| | | As they greet us with traditional garb... | |
|
| | And before you know it... we're honorary members... for 10 yuan! | |
| | | Dali region is LUSH green with rice fields and mountains. | |
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| | Lijiang's Old Town has delightful charm | |
| | | Three Pagodas with a mountainous background. | |
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| | In Dali, we stopped at a tie-dye cottage. The vat of dye is stirred. | |
| | | Intricate patterns are tied into the cloth. | |
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| | The patterns before dyeing. | |
| | | After the Big Blue Dip... and untied! | |
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| | Voila! (or Ai Ya!) Indigo delight! | |
| | | Inumerous patterns of deep blue dangling in the courtyard. | |
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| | Mountains and verdant green rice fields. | |
| | | Lijiang: streeside child spinning contortionist earning living. | |
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| | We stayed in the "old town" laced with waterways and bridges. | |
| | | This famous water wheel irrigates the waterways of the Old Town. | |
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| | Plenty of tourist shops and restaurants in Lijiang's Old Town. | |
| | | Although I didn't try it now wish I did: roasted dragonfly! | |
|
| | He Li, "Holly" our guide was excellent, informative and very serving. | |
| | | Judith asking the insightful questions about life in Yunnan. | |
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| | Street vendors everywhere. | |
| | | He Chi-wo, a Naxi shaman and storyteller shared his tales one morning. | |
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| | His actual home is 7 hours higher into the Himalayan Mts. | |
| | | "Who will carry on the traditions?" | |
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| | He Chi-wo strikes up a pose with Judith and Michael flanking his side. | |
| |
| | HIs long pipe was also his walking stick. | |
| |
| | Nearby in the studio a young artist "paints" with fine needle work. | |
| | | Works of art go under careful eyes. | |
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| | At the Naxi Museum, we glimpse majestic Jade Snow Mountain. | |
| | | One more important stop in Lijiang.... time to get more cash exchanged | |
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| | Dongba Museum: examples of ancient pictographs, dioramas, artifacts. | |
| | | Yak jerky. Note the whirling pink plastic ribbon warding off flies. | |
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| | Jade Snow Mountain hiding under clouds. Glimpse of China's HImalayas | |
| | | Yaks are beautiful animals with their black and white markings. | |
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| | Resting near a glacial pond. | |
| | | More glacial waters. More yaks. More clouds! | |
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| | After a sky lift up the mountains, Jade Snow Mt. is still hiding. | |
| | | He Li takes a pause for the camera. | |
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| | Naxi costumes for photo hire. | |
| | | We walked around the fishing village on Dian Chi Lake. | |
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| | Back in Old Town Lijiang. PLENTY Chinese tourists. | |
| | | Naxi folk dancers enroll two new members! Nu Wa Gems: Linda & N... | |
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| | They performed and sang with such vigor. | |
| | | The drive out of Lijiang, peeking down on rice fields and fishponds. | |
|
| | Robert's B'day cake. Judith, Arif, Joy, Nancy and I celebrated. | |
| | | Forbidden City, Ballroom Dancing, Cake, dance lessons! | |
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| | We tangoed, passed out cake to the Chinese. What a Birthday! | |
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