Back To Lijiang

April 23 2013: Back To Lijiang

The drive back to Lijiang was on the same roads but seemed completely different in reverse. I was not feeling too well – I thought I had just eaten too much, but in retrospect probably a tummy virus that I passed on to Mick, who suffered once we got home again – so was none too fond of the bendy bits! It was our last day of driving, so said goodbye to the mountains, forests and the Yangtze valley (again) which was getting quite wide at this point, but nowhere near the giant it becomes further downstream.

Goodbye to the road...

...and the Yangtze

..the animals

..and the beautiful people

And back to the Crowne Plaza in Lijaing, where we finally got to spend some time roaming around the Old Town, initially guided by Jeff, but eventually left to make our own way back, with varying levels of success, though we all got back eventually!! Lots of fabulous photos of the old buildings, lots of interesting faces and dress – and lots of “stuff” to be bought! Mick and I finished up in the local market place – fascinating, with tea stalls at “proper” prices, not the way-expensive cakes and bricks of tea further in the town, local medicine herbs and roots, fruit veg, meat, and wonderful noisy, happy locals. Great fun.

Expensive tea - even the elephant is made of tea

the original well of Lijiang

a lovely old bookshop

Then after a quick half-hour to repack and cram all the irresistible buys into the suitcases, we were out in town again, this time to the part of the Old Town that is more well travelled, so rather more touristy. Luckily, Jeff knew a superb Tibetan restaurant where we finished with one of the best meals of the whole trip, and finally found some real Tibetan momos! Lovely décor too, though it came from all over Asia, not just Tibet!

thanks Jeff!

And that’s really the end of the story – the next day we were bussed to the airport, one flight to Kunming where we found the Real World again, with dust and pollution as before, and on to Hong Kong……. And home again