My Thailand Budget Travel part 2

My Thailand Budget Travel

Thailand Trip Day 11 

 

Day 11 : After settle down, today early morning I start to explore this beautiful old town city Chiang Mai. Take Tha Pae Gate as base direction, I headed to north and south direction until I see another moat gate of Chiang Mai old city at each direction.

If you walk slowly, each direction to another moat gate takes you about 30 minutes. On the way there are few small lane on the left and right of the main road flourishing with coffee shops, guesthouses, tour packages agencies, massage shops, local residence houses, stalls selling foods and drinks, and Wat (temple).

To mentioned too, local food here are ranging from 25 baht to 50 baht and the drinks are ranging from 15 baht to 35 baht. For the coffee shops that built along the central Chiang Mai targeted to tourists, the food prices range from 60 baht to 250 baht and above and the coffee drinks prices range from 45 baht and above. In addition, cross the road of Tha Pae Gate do have international fast food chain shop – Mc Donald and Starbucks. Local foods here are quite small portion per dishes.

Day 12 : Wake up early morning, I start to explore towards east and west direction of Tha Pae Gate. Walk eastward takes me to famous market, Warorot Market and Ton Lam Yai Market. These 2 market is combination of wet market and dry market and do have stalls selling clothes, handicraft, and foods. The chestnuts (500 gram for 180 baht) here is very fragrance and crunchy, highly recommended. Both markets occupy quite large scale of spaces. There are a lot of other shops and goldsmith shops in this area.

When I arrive here at 7 am, Warorot Market and Ton Lam Yai Market are just open, but some stalls selling clothes and handicraft are not opened yet, and the besides shophouses are not open shops yet. The rest of the shops and stalls here opened at 9 am.

Opposite road of these 2 markets is Chiang Mai old city famous Night Bazaar. It starts operate every night from 7 pm until 1 am midnight. Night Bazaar gathers many western and Asian tourists especially those who are stay at star hotels. Few with stars big hotels are operated here. It has a lot of stalls open stretch along the shops and Anusarn Market (night market). Anusarn market does have stage performing Thailand traditional dance and besides of it is eateries food court. The journey to Warorot Market, Ton Lam Yai Market, Night Bazaar take around 20 minutes from Tha Pae Gate.

Afternoon I walk westward to Wat Phra Singh. Wat Phra Singh is a famous and big temple inside Chiang Mai old city precinct, together with Wat Chedi Luang. Both Wat Phra Singh and Wat Chedi Luang attract tourist buses bring in tourist to visit these over few hundreds years historical temple. Wat Phra Singh do have 700 years of history. 

On Sunday, Sunday Market is operated here stretching along the road from Wat Phra Singh to Tha Pae Gate. It takes 20 minutes to walk from Tha Pae Gate to Wat Phra Singh. If you like to stroll night market and buying, it might take you more than 3 hours to walk along the Sunday Market. Always bargain before you buy, normally around 20% of selling price. However, some minor stalls don’t let you bargain. Sunday Market is the most famous market in Chiang Mai and has the most local people coming here.

Thailand Trip Day 15 

Day 15 – Day 16 : Today is a great day. I get acquaintance to 2 pretty tourists came from Chong Qing province of China whom have become teacher in exchange to Bangkok and Sukhodai  to teach Chinese for 1 year in Thailand local school. Taking chance of school holiday now, they are travel around to Chiang Mai, Pai, Koh Samui, Phuket, and then Singapore. It is most precious moment and memory for a backpacker knowing other backpacker in the journey, sharing same interest and difference experiences.

We go to famous Night Bazaar and Sunday Market together. These large scale night markets are really suitable for travelers to walk around and see this country culture based on the foods, local people, traditional clothes, handicraft, souvenirs, arts, wooden carving arts, and music dance performing. I think lady will definitely like here for all the clothes, bags, scarf, and souvenir stuffs. 3 hours is really too short for us to hang around at Sunday Market (start to close after 11pm).

Before going to Sunday Market, we are having our dinner at Chiang Mai largest hot pot venue at Sukhontha Buffet. It is the largest hot pot venue I ever seen, which occupies large space of area. It contains more than hundred of tables. In Chinese word, it is called thousand people buffet.

If you want to try different kinds of Thailand foods, come to Sukhontha Buffet. Sukhontha Buffet have every types of Thailand foods you look for, ranging from raw hot pot dishes, cooked Thailand foods ready to served, dim sum, drinks, fruits, cookies, salad, donut, and cakes. Their hot pot is a round dome hot pot with middle round dome shape used for grill and surrounded by narrow round hot water filled area used to boil dishes.

Sukhontha Buffet is really worth to try. It only charges 210 baht per person. Besides that, it has stage that performs the local music and some funny shows. It is really funny, really.

Chen Jun, Jian Li and Xiao Kui are the friend that I met and known in the journey of 3 months meditation and chanting. Although the time together is short, these are really precious friendship and will remain in my memory for long lasting. I wishes all the best to them and followed by peace, happiness, stay health and blessed in their life.

Thailand Trip Day 17 

Day 17 – Day 30 : Entering meditation mode again. Now I am able to meditate for 1 hour for each walking meditation and sitting meditation. Of course there still have distraction thinking flow through my mind. Applying mindfulness of the thinking, and let it go.

For my daily meals, I eat vegetable powder brought from Singapore, a glass of milk, and some chestnut and dry longan for my breakfast. For lunch I eat beef noodle soup (35 baht), and a glass of milk, some chestnut and dry longan, banana, apple, tomato and small portion of carrot for my dinner. Rice and meat will lead to yawning and feel sleepy when doing sitting meditation.

For the 20 days of stay at Chiang Mai old city, I observed and realized that there are 70% of tourists are westerner and 30% of tourists are Asian. 98% of Asian tourists are China people. I observe that 70% of China tourists are pure female group like single 1 person, 2 people, 3 people and 4 people. It look like China people more willing to travel to more rural and less develop countryside for its nature scenery views, historical sites and local tribes culture and lifestyles than any other Asian country. Also, China female is more independence and more willing to embrace to these kinds of travel sites.

Tips : Laundry (wash and dry using machine, 7 kg) – 80 baht,

Bicycle rental : 50 baht per day, Motorbike rental : 250 baht per day

7 Eleven / Bank / Money exchange / Pharmacy / Guesthouses / Coffee shops / Songthaew can be found at everywhere of Chiang Mai Old City.

Update of Wat Rampoeng :

At Wat Rampoeng, I wake up at 3.40 am and 4 am start to meditate. 6 am the bell ring for breakfast. 

After breakfast, meditator go back to own room take a short break, and sweeping the courtyard leaves then continue meditation. 10.30am will ring bell for lunch. After lunch, meditator will go back to sweep own room, bath and then continue meditate. For the meals, there are vegetarian meals and meat meals for meditator to choose. The meals are prepared by central kitchen. Before we eat, we will chant first with meaning of consciousness of the purpose we having the meals. After that we will eat slowly and mindfully. We wash our own plate after eat. No foods are allowed after midday. However, liquid drinks like milk are allowed whole day. You can buy milk at temple shop. At 5pm to 6pm, Wat Rampoeng does prepare high sugar drinks for meditator. In monastery, all eating and drinking must be in sitting position, absolutely no stand / walk while eat or drinks.

Every 7am to 7.30am, there will have Buddha devotees bring the foods and drinks to Wat Rampoeng and queue up in a row to offer to monks. The monks will queue up and attend to each of the devotees to accept the alms foods.

For the first day in Wat Rampoeng, I meditate for 8 hours, started with 15 minutes for each walking meditation and sitting meditation in rotation. For the second days meditate up to 9 hours with 20 minutes walking meditation and sitting meditation in rotation. The consequences 3 days I meditate for 10 hours per day with 25 minutes and 30 minutes for each walking meditation and sitting meditation until my leaving.

The goal of Wat Rampoeng Insight Meditation is to gain a clear, complete understanding of the three obvious characteristics: Impermanence, Suffering and Non-Self. Having gained an insight into the three characteristics, the meditator realized that everything in this world is transient, subject to suffering and uncontrollable. Thus the mind abandons the desire to acquire, to have and to be.

My Thailand Budget Travel

Thailand budget travel

Thailand Trip Day 1

 

Day 1 : Take 2.45pm flight to Bangkok. The flight takes 2 hours to arrive Bangkok Thailand. Thailand time zone is one hour behind Singapore time zone. However, Thailand daylight and night are same to Singapore. It means at 7 pm at Thailand, the sky as dark as 8pm in Singapore. My smartphone timing is automatically adjusted to Thailand time zone timing. I take the Airport Rail Link to Hua Lamphong railway station.

After 4 hours waiting at Hua Lamphong railway station, I onboard to 10pm train to Chiang Mai. The experience in the train is not bad though. Sometimes I feel the sleeper bed bumping up and down when lying. This will especially obvious if you take upper decker sleeper seat. The train contains three difference section/kinds of seat – air-con sleeper seat, non air-con sleeper seat, and normal sitting seat. I realize all westerner take non air-con sleeper seat. Non air-con seats have open window to let the fresh air flow in. The train is clean and comfortable.

The train takes 17 hours to arrive Chiang Mai railway station, after traverse through villages, paddy fields, and greenery jungle road. The panoramic near to Chiang Mai along the journey is really nice and like picturesque. Looking far forward, it was flat land covered by greenery paddy field, and scarecrow squatting at the passageway of paddy field, some wear clothes and some without. They are like a guardian help their owner to take care of the paddy field from intruder. The air is so fresh when I stand at the connecting cabin section looking outside, breathing and taking photo.

The train was delayed two hours to reach Chiang Mai railway station. It is common for the delay of train in Thailand. The delay normally can go up to 4 hours for Bangkok to Chiang Mai journey.

Day 2 : After arriving Chiang Mai railway station at 3pm, I take a Tuk-tuk to my hotel with the journey of 15 minutes drive away. It costs me 100 baht (actually less than 50 baht can get the Tuk-tuk already, and Songthaew roughly 30 baht, being ripped off).

When check in hotel, receptionist request for credit card details. I let them write down my credit card detail (this is really wrongdoing). After checking into my hotel room and bathed, I called my credit card bank to cancel my credit card functionality. Remember to insist of not providing credit card details to hotel receptionist (it is not compulsory and many tourists not given). It is my mistake for not thinking further and wisely. At the end they told me this is for deposit purpose in case I consume the drinks and snack inside the hotel room.

After that, I meet with another lady backpacker who takes upper decker sleeper seat with me on the train, and go to visit Chiang Mai University. Chiang Mai University is one of the recommended must go tourist spot in Chiang Mai. It covered large space of areas and have a lot of plants and greenery spaces. Here also places for me to understand their university’s environment, facilities and study culture.

At night, we go to Wat Phra Singh and Sunday Market. Wat Phra Singh was raised to the status of royal Wat (first class) under the royal patronage in 1941 AD. Sunday Market is just in front of Wat Phra Singh and stretch along the way to Tha Pae Gate. At Sunday Market you can see stalls selling local design clothes, handicraft, arts, wooden carving handicrafts, foods, fruit drinks, shoes and etc. You must bargain to get better price and the bargain normally around 20% of the selling prices.

Day 3 : Wake up early morning, today I take Songthaew (pickup taxi) to Doi Suthep temple Wat Phra That Doi Suthep (160 baht for round trip). Wat Phra That Doi Suthep is the most famous temple in Chiang Mai. It located at the middle of Doi Suthep hillside. Doi Suthep’s scenery is so picturesque and serene. Wat Phra That Doi Suthep receives a lot of tourists either Asian or westerner. 

Wat Phra That Doi Suthep was built by King Phaya Kue Na of Lanna kingdom. King Phaya Kue Na engaged the Lord Buddha’s relics that he kept in his shrine for 13 years to the pagoda of Wat Phra That Doi Suthep. He took the relics on the back of elephant and prayed for the sacred place. The elephant walked to the sacred Doi Suthep mountain and showed the significance that this is the most suitable place to keep the sacred relics by acclaiming and walking around for 3 times.

For traveler and backpacker, you can rent a motorbike costs 150 baht per day to go to Doi Suthep and Chiang Mai University. Chiang Mai University is next to the foot of Doi Suthep Mountain. From foot of Doi Suthep to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep (entrance fee 30 baht) takes around 20 minutes journey. On the way up to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, the most sacred monument of Kruba Siwichai was established as another place for the people to worship. You can relax at the beautiful natural waterfall of Montatarn as well as another sacred temple, Wat Palard, which is the first stop of the sacred elephant while took the journey of sacred relics to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep.

Futher up of Wat Phra That Doi Suthep is Bhuping Palace (entrance fee 50 baht). Bhuping Place is the royal winter residence in Chiang Mai where the Royal family stays during seasonal visits to the people in the northern Thailand. There is many beautiful flowers planted in Bhuping Palace. 

Thailand Trip Day 4 

 

Day 4 – Day 9 : Today mark the start of my meditation course. At 9.30am I take Songthaew to Wat Rampoeng, Northern Insight Meditation Centre. Wat Rampoeng provides 10 days and 26 days basic meditation course. It accepts international students (foreign meditation people). They do have monk able to speak English and as translator between foreigner and abbot when reporting.

Before you decide to go Wat Rampoeng to meditate, you should have resolution and dedicated mindset to meditate. It is really tough for those who like to talk. There are no talking, no handphone and no communication. What you do since you wake up at 4am until sleep at 10 pm is meditate, meditate, and meditate.

The meditation starts with mindfulness prostration. After that, proceed to walking meditation and then sitting meditation. Walking meditation and sitting meditation interchange every 15 minutes. The walking meditation and sitting meditation duration are increase everyday by 5 minutes. Sometimes depend on condition whereby when reporting and abbot review your progress, abbot allows you to maintain for same meditation duration.

At the last 3 days of 26 days basic course, you will be requested to meditate for 3 days 3 nights non stop without sleep. However, it is still dependence on individual meditator.

Meditation is really worth to experience, because it strengthen your mindset, allow you to face all the challenges with calm and resolution.

Day 10 – I am discharge from Wat Rampoeng. It is mistake cause by English language misunderstanding. Although later the foreign meditator officer ask me to stay back since it was cause by mistake, I decided to leave since I already done the closing ceremony without giving reason to abbot when asked why to leave the day before.

After left Wat Rampoeng, I headed to Tha Pae Gate as recommended by monk Phra Lim from Wat Rampoeng by motorbike (arranged by Phra Lim, really thanks to him) and then Songthaew. 

Tha Pae Gate is a place where guesthouses were flourished. The guesthouses here range from 200 baht for single fan room to 550 baht for twin air-con room. It also depend on quality of guesthouses, some even expensive than hotel. Tha Pae gate is located central of Chiang Mai. You can reach Night Bazaar, Sunday Market, Wat Chedi Luang, Wat Phra Singh, Warorot Market and Ton Yam Lai market within walking distance. Each guesthouse do have own restaurant that provides foods (breakfast, lunch, dinner) and drinks with prices range from 50 baht to 150 baht. I strongly recommend all backpacker and traveler to rent a bicycle with 50 baht per day to tour around Chiang Mai ancient city. 

Chiang Mai ancient city is a tranquil and beauty city surrounding by moat and wat.

My recommendation is Julie guesthouse and Kavil guesthouse (for backpacker who looks for cheap accommodation). They look more promising in quality and cleanliness. If you see some ants and mosquito, it is normal in northern Thailand. All houses here‘s door and windows are covered by mosquito net to prevent mosquito and ants and insects entry. Julie guesthouse (180 baht per single fan room) is most popular among the tourist especially westerner backpacker.

All of the guesthouses here do provide hot water bath and Wi Fi (signal always very low). Some of guesthouses are awarded with certificate by Lonely Planet, Trip Advisor, Rough Guides and sticker of recommendation. You can take this as clue and gauge for the quality. I am late when arrive here, so I don’t notice it at the time.

Dali Lijiang Ancient Town

30 March is an exciting day. It kick start my 10 days Kunming-Dali-Lijiang trip in China. It has been long awaiting and the budget flight ticket pre-book for 9 months. We started to set off from home to airport to this Yunnan province in China, where renowned as spring city. Spring city get its name from its mild weather ranging from 2 Celcius to 26 Celcius all year round. Yunnan province especially Kunming, Dali, Lijiang received many local tourists and Westerner tourists came here to escape from their own country/province tremendous weather during summer season and winter season.

We took 7.10am morning AirAsia flight from Johor Bahru to Kuala Lumpur International Airport KLCC-LCCT. It took around 30 minutes to reach KLLC LCCT airport. While waiting for the flight from Kuala Lumpur to Kunming Changshui airport, we rest and ate our lunch noodle at Noodle stall. The bowl is very big and attracted my eyesight. Surprisingly the noodle inside the big bowl is pathetically small portion. It’s noodle portion is like the noodle we normally eat at street hawker, and the noodle taste is so so.

1.10pm is our anticipating timing. We onboard to AirAsia flight to start our journey for Kunming Dali Lijiang holiday trip. It took us 4 hours to arrive Kunming Changshui airport. We are approved by a local travel agent to offer transfer service from Changshui airport to Wuhua prefecture where our pre-book apartment located at RMB120.  It took 40 minutes to reach there. She is nice and politely (recommended). She is Ms Li and reachable at (0)13908875542. Her travel agency does provide couch service and tour guide service. My apartment is located at higher education area where a lot of local universities located there. Due to lack communication, my apartment located at 6th floors and the fact that all apartments below 7 storey in China have no lift. The owner do have lower floor apartment too at the same building too bad were occupied.

The owner is kind enough and uses his own car to bring us to look for accommodation nearby. The owner Mr Wei Jie is very helpful and informatics (highly recommended). The place is good and suitable if you are looking for more quiet location than hustle bustle city to stay and for family. Mr Wei Jie is reachable at 15368113109 (can use WeiXin). His apartment did receive Westerner tourists. Those tourists always stay for 2 weeks to 1 month. The light system inside the apartment staircase is very energy friendly. It will sense the sound (sound sensitive)to light up the lamp bulb.

For the 3 days in Kunming, we visited Cui Hu (CuiHu Lake), Yunnan Nationalities Village and Daguanlou.  Cui Hu and Yunnan Nationalities Village are worth to visit, but “Daguanlou” in my view are not worth to go in my view. We took taxi for RMB 30 from Daguanlou to Yunnan Nationalities Village with 20 minutes of journey.

Yunnan Nationalities Village entry fee is RMB 90. However you can buy it at RMB 70 through hotel staff at Kunming Yicheng hotel next to Yunnan Nationalities Village. Inside Yunnan Nationalities Village have 26 minority villages. There have performance events everyday as scheduled. Since its inception at year 1992 Feb, it has display to the tourists the vivid living style of these minorities in Yunnan, their building structure and architecture, their customs and cultures, their clothes, religious, and minorities characteristic’s dance and sing.

Taken area of 1270 acres, Yunnan Nationalities Village is well known locally and oversea for its cultural theme park. It is China tourism board designated golden period travel destination. It is also first batch of China first grade AAAA tourism scenic area.

It is recommended to visit here since morning. With the performance presented, it can takes up whole day inside Yunnan Nationalities Village. If not watch all performance and have more time, you can visit Yunnan Nationalities Museum which is located just opposite the Yunnan Nationalities Village.

Personal expense:
Johor-Kuala Lumpur by AirAsia: RM 50
Kuala Lumpur – Kunming by AirAsia: RM 400 (9 months book in advance)
Accommodation: 1 night Apartment: RMB 158 ; 2 nights hotels: RMB 337
Yunnan Nationalities Village ticket: RMB 70
Airport transfer: RMB 120 ; Internal transportation: RMB10

The fact of Kunming: Due to its location where all year round’s mild weather within 2 Celcius to 26 Celcius, Kunming is dubbed as Spring City. It becomes hot spot for local Chinese and Westerner to escape from tremendous weather from their own country or province during summer season and winter season. Kunming, Dali and Li Jiang off-peak season are March and April.

Al the apartments below 7 storey in China are within lift including hotels. However, some hotels which meet the government requirements are upgraded with lift after applied to government. So you must ask the receptionist if the hotel have lift unless you don’t mind to take staircase to go up to your room at 6th floor.

Due to strict restriction and rules enforced by Chine government to protect foreigner tourists, not all hotels or inn or accommodation are allowed to rent out to foreigner. So you must careful to check if the hotel is allowed for foreigner or not when you do the booking. A lot of complain hotline signboard also printed and display at obvious public location and inside shops.

The streets at Kunming, Dali, and Li Jiang are clean. Early 4am, the cleaner start to clean up the streets to maintain the street’s cleanliness for the whole day. The road traffic condition is still quite messy. Many drivers still not abide to traffic light laws and code of conduct. Since 2012, government starts to implement point penalty system like Singapore. Total 12 point are given and deducted based on the type of violation drivers have made. 12 point is deducted directly if you drive after drink. The point penalty system is introduced aimed to reduce the accidents that happen frequently in the China.

Kunming humidity is low and dry. It will let our lips and skin easily chapped. We should prepare the body lotion and lip balm in advance before travel there and apply it when we are there.

The internal transportation fee within the city are cheap, ranging from RMB 1 without air-con to RMB  2 with air-con.  The fee is regardless of how many stops you are taking, as long as it is within its route.



2 April -> We set off to Lijiang from Kunming railway station at 9.50pm. It is a hard sleeping seat. It took 8 hours to reach Lijiang railway station at early morning. The weather at Lijiang is very cold at roughly 8-10 Celcius early morning. The bus station bench made by marble is so cool. We take public bus Road 4 (number 4) to Lijiang Ancient Town. Due to construction at the bus stops area, we stopped at 2 station in advance and walked into Lijiang ancient Town North Gate where the Waterwheel and YuHe Square located. The distance took around 20 minutes.

Lijiang main minority is Naxi tribal. We saw many local tourists came from China other province visited Lijiang batch by batch non-stop. I seldom saw Westerner tourists may be because it is off-peak season now. I can’t imagine how crowded it is if stand there at peak period season.

The central of Lijiang Ancient Town is Si Fang Square. Si Fang Square attracted many tourists throng to there to enjoyed local food at the food court there and rest at the public square. Si Fang Square are surrounding by many shops stretch out to different small lanes. If you like to taste local food, the varieties of local food will satisfy your taste bud. Inside the lane between Si Fang Square and Yuhe Square lies the Bar Street which attracted many youngsters to enjoy drink, dance and sing there. The most famous bar and disco here is One Meter Sunshine (一米阳光). Lijiang is renowned for its favourable opportunity for an encounter with a beautiful woman. It is paradise for single either guy or lady to find short term partner. So, brighten up your eye and seize the opportunity here in Lijiang Ancient Town.

The entry ticket to Lijiang Ancient Town is RMB 80. However, no authority is there collect the money and no enforcement (it might be different at peak season period). If you are going Yulong Snow Mountain, then you need to buy and show this ticket in order to access to Yulong Snow Mountain together with the ulong Snow Mountain ticket.

The next day we proceed to Shuhe Ancient Town. Shuhe Ancient Town located 6 km away from Lijiang Ancient Town. It takes 15 minutes to take mini van (RMB 3 at Fuhui Market) or taxi (RMB30) to go there. Shuhe Ancient Town is more tranquil and lesser tourists than Lijiang Ancient Town. It gain its popularity in recent years. The building in Shuhe Ancient Town has 800 years of history.

The entry ticket to Shuhe Ancient Town is RMB 50. However, no authority is there to collect the entry fee. You can just access into Shuhe Ancient Town through main door without paying the entry fee. It might be strict at peak season may be.

Shuhe Ancient Town is divided into Old Town and New Town. The main door where we access into Shuhe is new town. Old town only accessible by walk, bicycle or horse carriage from new town. It is more remote inside the Shuhe Ancient Town. The most famous stone bridge built during Ming Dynasty are located at Old Town. Due to horse carriage transport, Shuhe streets have horse excrement randomly, so it is advisable to be careful when going out at night.

The culture of Naxi minority is Dongba culture. Naxi language is based on pictogram / hieroglyph. The language has been used for over 1000 years. Recent years Lijiang government has add in this language into their education syllabus for local schools. Naxi minority religious are belief on polytheism.

Shuhe Ancient Town and Lijiang Ancient Town are important town of Old Tea-Horse Road / Southern Silk Road. According to the horse carriage owner information, Sichuan and Yunnan are the two important Old Tea-Horse Road / Southern Silk Road that linking northward to Tibet and southward to Myanmar and Southeast Asia.

Lijiang Acient Town and Shuhe Ancient Town are listed in World Cultural Heritage and China’s AAAA grade of tourism scenic destination.

Some accommodations in Shuhe Ancient Town are operated by external province Chinese instead of local Naxi minority. Many of Naxi people choose to rent out their courtyard at RMB 100,000 to RMB 200,000 yearly to these operators and move out from there to stay outside of Shuhe Ancient Town.


Personal expenses:
Kunming – Lijiang: RMB 152 by train
Shuhe horse carriage: RMB 80
Lijiang Hotel: RMB180 with air-con
Shuhe Hotel: RMB 140 with air-con
Internal transportation: RMB 10



5 April is the start of our last destination trip. We took 5pm train from Lijiang to Dali Ancient Town. The journey spends 2 hours 30 minutes with a sitting seat. We reach Dali railway station at 7.30pm and directly took public bus Road 8 (number 8) outside of Dali Railway station to Dali Ancient Town. The journey took us 45 minutes.

Dali is a maternal society. It means the owner in the home is woman. Woman become the breadwinner and house chores doer. Dali woman are the pillar of family to generate income and support whole family. Guy is marrying to and stay at wife house.

Dali is well known for its Cangshan Mountain and Erhai Lake. Both are renowned for the given name of “Silver Cangshan Mountain, Jade Erhai Lake”. The peak of Cangshan Mountain is all year round covered by snow at above sea level of 4122 meter. Erhai lake is crystal clear for the all year round like shining jade. Dali latitude is stands at 2000 meter above sea level. In this height, it is suitable for the plantation of tea. In Dali, sea level within 2000m to 2500m are used for tea plantation, 2500m to 3000m is full of valuable dioscorea opposite. Tea produced here in Dali are well known to all over the world especially tea Pu-er. Sea level above 3000m in Cangshan Mountain contains rich silver mining. Overall of Cangshan Mountain in Dali Anciend Town and Dali itself which stretch over 53km are blessed with natural resources and fertile soil for tea plantation, dioscorea opposite and silver mine.

Bai minority is the main tribal in the Dali. They get the name of Bai (means white) is because their daily activities and attire closely related to white color: Stay at building painted with white color and ink and wash painting, eat rice noodle(which is white color), wear  white clothes, and wear silver bracelet and silver necklace.

Bai minority called their lady as Jin Hua (gold flower in translation) and guy as Ah Peng. For those Ah Peng who is more fat and white is more favourable by Jin Hua and enjoys better status. Those who are wear spectacles also gain popularity within Jin Hua because wearing spectacles are regarded as scholar and intellectual.

Bai minority still preserve their customs and cultures. Most of Ah Peng are skillful in inscription and engrave at jade, silver, marble, wood and plum. Ah Peng also good in dance and sing. The money that Ah Peng earned will give to their wife to keep and manage. Three taste tea (三道茶) are Bai minority sole characteristic in their tea culture. First cup of tea is in bitter taste, second cup of tea is in sweet taste, and the third cup of tea is mixed with bitter and sweet taste. It describe the Bai minority livelihood in their whole life, start with bitter taste when struggle outside during young to earn money and raise up family, then sweet taste when the children is growing up and the livelihood are stable without economy burden, and lastly mix taste to reflect back the past memory of bitter and sweet encounter.

Due to lack of Yunnan government investment to Dali, the sources of economy growth at Dali depend on tobacco, arts and crafts, and tourism. Based on tour guide, most of the tobacco tax are taken by government and not used for development in Dali. Local Dali minority depends on arts and crafts and tourism as the engine of growth and income generation. The income and tax generated by tourism and arts and crafts are used to support local society, family and sustain the growth and development of Dali.

Personal expense:
Lijiang – Dali: RMB36
Dali – Kunming: RMB105
Accommodation: RMB180 x 3 days
1 day tour to Erhai and Cangshan: RMB 100 (not recommended, actual scenic area tour only 2 hours out of 8 hours)
Internal transport: RMB 10

Budget Airline AirAsia

Dali Ancient Town

Shuhe Ancient Town

Cangshan Snow Mountain

Naxi minority and Dongba culture

Accommodation

Yunnan Lijiang Dali Shuhe Ancient Town

Introduction to Historical Site and World Cultural Heritage in Lijiang Dali

Green Lake Park (CuiHu Park)

Located in Kunming proper, the park was a beautiful bay on the DianChi Lake before Ming Dynasty and became a tourist resort at the beginning of the Qing Dynasty.  With an area of 21 Hectare, the park is nowadays well-known for its richly ornamented traditional pavilions and palaces, blue waves and ripples, green willows, beautiful flowers, fair landscape and quiet elegance of its numerous scenes:”early spring at the green lake” and “seagulls playing at the green lake” are known as the most enjoyable ones.

Lijiang Old Town (Lijiang Ancient Town)

The Old Town of Li Jiang was built at the turn of Song Dynasty and Yuan Dynasty. It has been the trade and commercial center, as well as the key section of the famous Old Route for Horse Carrying Tea since Ming and Qing Dynasties, serving as the linkage of Yunnan, Sichuan and Tibet. The town has a history of 800 years and covers an area of 3.8 square kilometers.

The site of the Old Town enjoys a favourable weather with the Gold-rainbow Mountain in the north, the Sleeping Lion Mountain in the west, wild and open crops in the southeast. The Jade Water River is divided into three tribunals under the Jade Dragon Bridge, and furthers more into the depth of the town and created the picturesque scene of bridge, spring and households. Streets and architecture are irregularly made along with the water system, which differs greatly from cities in central China with neat and regular layout. Streets are paved with five-color granites and Naxi buildings are blended with the flavor of Han, Bai and Tibetan, which is great value for appreciation and research.

World Cultural Heritage – Shuhe Old Town in Lijiang (Shuhe Ancient Town)

Shuhe, located at about 4km from the Lijiang Old Town, is one of the earliest places inhabited by the ancestors of the Naxi nationality in Lijiang Flatland and an important and best reserved old town along the Ancient Merchant Track for tea and horse exchange. Also, it is regarded as a living specimen in the history of Naxi nationality transmitting from the period of farming cultivation to the industrial and trading civilization period. It is a model set up in the town construction mingling the activities of open-to-the-outside and that of caravan. In 1997, Shuhe was enlisted as an important part of Lijiang old Town, a world cultural heritage by UNESCO.

The ancient path, the drifting spring, the local household is Shuhe Ancient Town’s traditional style.

The tea and horse culture, the ecology culture, the Naxi culture and the farming culture, all these jointly demonstrate a distinctive landscape of Shuhe Ancient Town.

Black Dragon Pool (HeiLongTan)

Black Dragon Pool was established in the second year of Qianlong Emperor of Qing Dynasty. Because the emperor, Qianlong ever bestowed it Jade-spring Dragon God, it used to be called The Temple of Jade-spring Dragon God. Afterwards, Jiaqing and Guangxu, the two emperors conferred the title Dragon God and it was renamed Black Dragon Pool.

Black Dragon Pool is the source water of the water system of Lijiang Ancient town, a world culture heritage.  Spring water here are squirt out with the crystal water and like the pearl of water dropping. The famous Yulong 13 peaks reflected in the water form not only an exquisite scenic painting but also a symbol of Lijiang tourism. On December 4, 1997, it was listed in the World Culture Heritage as an important component of Lijiang Ancient Town.

In recent 10 years, several prominent leaders of our nation and Party, such as Jiang ZeMin, Li Peng, Zhu Rongji and so on investigated Black Dragon pool. Meanwhile, Chinese and foreigner tourists visited it in an endless stream as well.

Dali Ancient Town

Located to 15km to the north of Xiaguan Town in Dali, Dali Ancient Town faces Erhai Sea and relieson Cangshan Mountain at its back. It has an area of 4,000m2 and Perimeter of 6km. Initially built in A.D. 779 (in Tang Dynasty), it used to be the capital of Nanzhao State in Tang Dynasty and Dali State in Song Dynasty. There are walls, gates and streets built around it, forming the typical chessboard pattern.

Bai people are the main residents whose houses are built according to the pattern of three-courtyard and four-courtyard. There are 9 streets 18 lanes in the town, which are paved with green slates running through south to north and east to west in typical chessboard pattern. Given an imposing sense, it has been politically, military and cultural center of Yunnan in Tang and Song Dynasties for over 500 years. There are plenty of cultural relics and sites in Ancient Town, such as Wuhua Building, Wenxian Building, Marshall Du’s Mansion, Chengxinjing, Honglongjing, Zhongxi School and so on laying profound historical and cultural significance to the ancient town.

Dali Foreigner Street

The Foreigner Street also known as Huguo Road, and it takes its name from the uprising of local people opposed YUAN SHI KAI to be the emperor of China. Huguo Road starts west from Dianzhang highway to the east. It is 1000 meters length and 7 meters width, with blue marble pavement.

At 1980s, with the rise of tourism, Dali Old Town was recommended to be main scenic spot of Dali. And the Hongshan Hotel was remodeled to be Foreign Hotel. Since then, Huguo Road became a commercial center of all foreign friends. Forest of bars forms exotic scenery in this area, and becomes one of the earliest and most famous Foreigner Streets in China. People enjoy themselves without any thoughts of leaving here. That’s why many foreign friends reside here and call it is “Sweet Home”.