Lijiang and Dali

Black Dragon Pool, Lijiang
Originally uploaded by Carrie & Eddie.

Our first stop was Lijiang, on the Tibetan border. The old town is made up of narrow cobbled streets, canals, wooden buildings and old market squares, all with snow-capped mountains as a backdrop. One of our highlights was a day's trek through Tiger Leaping Gorge along the Yangtze river, where we were surrounded on all sides by canyons reaching 3900m above us. We started at a guesthouse where someone who speaks no English handed us a map which bears no relation to where you are or where you are going. Still, three hours later and having trekked through someone's farmland and livelihood, we made it to the other side rewarded by stunning views. In Dali we stayed in a fantastic hotel owned by a part-Tibetan guy who had had a fascinating life - born in a labour camp and lived there for 18 years, all because his father wanted to teach real history and not the party line. In both places we met really friendly interesting people, saw some incredible scenery and learnt a lot about a rapidly changing China.