DAY 3-5: DALI (backpost)

Second week of January:

We had taken an overnight train from Yinchuan to Xi’an.  After arriving in Xi’an we took a cab from the train station to the airport.  From there we flew to Kunming, Yunnan province which is in the south of China.  Traditionally when people think of the south they have images of Guangzhou or Hong Kong or someplace in the southeast.  Kunming is more southwest China and topographically is situated near the Tibetan plateau.   Last year we visited the two cities of Kunming and Lijiang.  Lijiang gets a good bit of traffic because of its proximity to Tiger Leaping Gorge.  That is precisely the reason we had decided to go there last year.  This year we decided to check out another city that also gets some foot traffic because of its beauty but is just slightly off the well beaten path.  We had briefly mentioned to some teammates that we were thinking of visiting Dali to which they immediately put us in contact with some people they knew who were located there.  Quick quick quick we had our plans together.

We arrived in Kunming on Jan 7 and immediately went to the train station to procure tickets for the next overnight train.  Train stations aren’t places to hang out.  Not in the sense that you’re gonna get mugged or that there are violent perpetrators looking for their next victim (that may exist though) but more in the sense that they are crowded and regardless of whether you are holding a ticket or not, people feel that if they don’t push to get to the front of the line, your spot won’t be waiting for you.  While waiting for our train, N got some cards and a couple bowls of noodles for the train.

We arrived in Dali the next morning about 6 A.M.  We had booked a room at a local’s guest house and made our way there.  Next door to the guest house lived our teammates’ connection.  We touched base with them and they took us into town to show us the place.  Bike rentals, wood-fired pizza, local ethnic products, coffee shops, etc.  All stuff that we were looking for in a tourist place.

The family that hooked us up with the tour of the city and that lived next door to the guest house really helped make the trip relaxing.  This family of 10 told us we could use their internet if we needed, invited us over for dinner, and even entertained N one afternoon while K was napping.  In N’s free afternoon he challenged them to a Tetherball Tournament of Champions.  Not only did he lack the necessary skills to beat a 13 year old, but also managed to stop the ball with his face.  The wound wasn’t large, but he was certainly proud of it. (“K!  Take a picture!  This is awesome.  I’ve never been wounded by a tetherball.  Soccer ball , yes.  But a tetherball??  Awesome…”)

We only actually spent one night in Dali but because of the early train arrival and our late night departure, we had a full two days.  We’ll share a little more about the trip in a future post.  Next up: Return to Kunming for a night and then off to Chiang Mai, Thailand for classes.