A Great Time in Lijiang 丽江

Lijiang

Yunnan, unforgetable Lijiang

In Lijiang, we had enjoy each other company a lot.... when we meet up together, we enjoy our time together so much so that all of us will not forget these days we had together.

Three of my China friends (lady A, B, and C) and I were on the evening bus on our way to Lijiang, few hours on the bus, reach Lijiang old town in the late evening, it was so dark in old town, there was no road lamp, accept the shops light that light up the area.

One of my China friend contacted the local person who own a business as a home stay hostel, it was recommended by one of the Naxi people who they had knew in Kunming youth hostel. I simply just follow whenever they plan to stay.

When we check in to the home stay hostel, four of us were room into one room, we hurry leave our things behind and get out of the room, we were so hungry as we had not got our dinner yet.

Our first night dinner in Lijiang, we went to a pub & restaurants spot, there were many people there, it was a famous spot in deed, almost every hot spot was full, we had walked street to street to find a restaurant that have seats for us to had our dinner.

After dinner it was already very late night, when we were back to our home stay hostel to take a rest. Every one of us takes turn to have our shower before we went to bed.

At about midnight, everyone were on the bed laying down still chit chatting, I went out and I saw a lady using the internet at the late hour, I went back to the room and told the rest of the room mates, then get ready to sleep.

The next day (2^nd day), when everyone woke up were out of the room to get wash up and ready to go out, they meet the lady (“D” who was using the internet last night) who they had knew in Kunming youth hostel, they gets so excited to meet each other.

Here we had five of us, I'll classify them as A (Beijing), B (Guangzhou), C (Huangzhou), D (Sichuan) as my China friends.

This lady D had cycle around China, starts from her hometown making a round back to her hometown, she has desired to write a book on her journals. I'd heard about her in Dali, lady A (room mate A) was sharing with me about her while we were out for supper in the late night when we were in Dali. Lady A was sharing with me that she might come to Dali and we might meet up, instead of meeting her in Dali, we meet in Lijiang, what a small world indeed (ha..ha…).

Five of us, we were out the whole day exploring Lijiang old town on our first day, we took a few group photos for our memory, we went to café to rest, drink coffee, talk and had meals together.

On our3^rd day, they were visiting friends they had meet in Kunming youth hostel, one of their friend is a Naxi tribe local people, we went to a pub who own by the Naxi's friend, we spend our afternoon there seat down and talk then they went for dinner (I had upset stomach so I didn't join them for dinner.).

On the 4^th day, four of us (lady A, B & C), lady C wanted to eat watermelon, we went to market and buy watermelon, it was so big, very big (never see such big watermelon before in my home town), we ask to cut the watermelon into half, half we took away to bring back to our home stay hostel, another half of it, we ask to cut into 4 pieces and each one of us ate ¼ of it right there, I had never eat so much watermelon in one day. That night (4^th day) Naxi friend brought us to the Naxi local restaurant to had Naxi food dinner, it was really good, I think that was the best meal in Lijiang I had ate, that evening, during the dinner time, while we had our meal, he was sharing with us about the poor villages people were so poor, he is working on a plan how to help these poor people to earn their living instead of giving them money but teach them how to earn a living.

He was sharing truth story after stories about what he has saw and experiences, even we had finished our meal but we were seating there listening to the stories, he share till his tears also flow down, some of us also cannot control ourselves also flow with tears. It was a meaningful dinner to hear a local people share about their villages and how he is trying to help the poor. Many a time, we don't feel we are “rich” but in the real world out there, not everyone really knows what is “poor” like, unless you have been there before.

In Lijiang, I had twice upset stomach due to the water there, one of the pub owner told us the water there is no good, when he first went there he had the same problem as me but after staying there for long, he gets use to drink the water. In Lijiang old town, people use the well water to cook, drink, washed their clothes, etc. so if your body is not strong that day, you might easy get upset stomach by drinking or eating during your meal. Of course, I had my medication with me so I took my pill and have recover speedy.

There were few nights dinnertime I was alone, I went to try the local small stall, I order “fried rice”, out of my surprise, the owner of the stall, the middle age lady gives me a big plate of mountain high fried rice, I had never eat so much rice in a meal before, it was really taking me very long to finished my plate of rice, as I took my time to finished it, most of her customers has left the stall, the owner came to seat down with me and talk to me. As I had finished the mountain tall fried rice, she went to her wok, gets some more fried rice put on my plate, my goodness, I finally fished it and here come another plate of rice, she was so generous towards me that I've no choice to eat that plate of rice. I was at her stall may be an hour to finished the two plates of rice. I had never eat so much rice in my whole life.

I spent in Lijiang about a week but five of us together were only a few days, lady B say she wants to visit some other place asking anyone wants to join her to Deqin, I was not ready to move on yet so I stay on, lady C wanted to back to Kunming, so on the 7^th April'2006 both lady B & C check out and gone their own separate way, as for me, I decided to move to another foreigner youth hostel to stay, lady A heard that I wanted to move, she was so kind, she didn't want to let me be alone so she move out together with me. We left the lady D at the home stay hostel, as she likes to stay there.

On our 5^th day morning, five of us had our breakfast together, after breakfast, lady B check out, after lunch lady C will be checking out, lady A was with lady C, while lady D goes with me to search for the foreigner hostel. For some reason, we (lady D &me) were waiting for the Naxi guy at the pub, lady D wants to borrow camera from him, we waited very long at the pub and I had miss the chance to see lady C off, never have a chance to say good bye to her.

Finally meet up with lady A at the home stay hostel, pack our things, check out and check in to the foreigner youth hostel in the afternoon. Lady D see us off and she went back to the home stay hostel.

We (lady A & me) spent our afternoon in the youth hostel serving net (is free) reading and writing emails. That night, both of us went to a different restaurant then we went to a small pub to have a drink and talk. This small pub it became our meeting point, somehow, the owner of the small pub became our friend. We spent our night there for few hours till midnight past, all the shops were closed, the street was dark, have to slowly walk back to youth hostel as the path are make up of stones, very dim light on our way back.

On our way back, lady A wants to visit Naxi friend, to let him knows where we had moved, so we went to the other pub to look for him but he was not there, the owner of the pub offer a special drink to lady A, for her to try it, I had drunk a bit too (nothing special). As we went back to our youth hostel, it was really very late, time about 2 or 3am, we were getting ready to sleep but both of us felt not well, we starts to had upset stomach together. I took my pill before I went to bed and I had given the pill to lady A friend, somehow we were lying down and talking, she had forgotten to take the pill and fallen a sleep.

Next day, I was feeling alright but lady A don't felt good, she wanted to check out, she wanted to go back to the home stay hostel. She mention the floor make of a different stones that causes too cold in the room, plus we were out late last night, drunk the wrong drink that causes us not feeling well, she didn't want to stay in that room any more.

As I felt staying a home stay hostel a bit restricted (some how I felt like somebody's house) even though I've paid to stay. I was very reluctant to go back to stay at home stay hostel, with no choice, lady A and me have to separated, she check out and I stay in the youth hostel.

On the 5^th day, I stay in the youth hostel resting and washed all my clothes the whole morning, I went out afternoon to had my lunch and explore around. I bought a mobile phone and slim card to keep in touch with all the China friends. I started sms to lady C, hope to see her again. When come to dinnertime, I sms lady A see whether she was all right, she sms me back saying she was still not feeling well, I wanted to visit her but was afraid the home stay owner question me why am I still in Lijiang. Both lady D & A told the home stay hostel owner I was away to some other place, because of that, I can't pay lady A visit, just hope that she recover soon.

On the 6^th day, as I was exploring around after my lunch, at the distance away, I saw lady A walking out of the Naxi's friend pub, I was excited to see her, knowing that she has recover, I quickly run to her, didn't know that a lady beside her was the owner of the home stay hostel (oh..oh…) and the owner ask me “oh you are back”…… I was silent (thinking in my brain, where have I been????) (ha..ha..) Lady A quickly change subject and say other thing. The lady boss of the home stay hostel knew lady A was not feeling well, worry for her, so she keeps lady A accompany when lady A wants to go out, so nice of her.

Since I meet up with lady A, the lady boss leave us alone and went back to her hostel. Lady A was sharing with me, after the lady boss went off, she has planned to go to my youth hostel to look for me but never knows that we meet up on the street.

That night, we had dinner together, due to she was still very weak, she request to eat porridge, we went to our old place (the small pub) to had our dinner there and talk till mid night then I went back with her to her home stay hostel, lady B came back from her trip she was not feeling well too (she got AMS attack and she has to make a "U" turn back), so we went to visit her as she was leaving the next day.

When I was back to youth hostel, before sleep I wrote my journal (dairy) I find out that I've waste time hanging around the old town too long, although I like the place but I've not explore enough (twice I'd fell sick was resting in the hostel), and hanging around old town causes sick due to the water no good, so I decided to leave the old town and move on.

The next day (7^th day) morning, I went to find out what bus number to go where and where to take the bus, then meet up with lady A for lunch, spent the whole day together. I told her I'm leaving Lijiang, she said; she still not fully recovered so she will stay a few more days before take a long hours bus back to Kunming.

After our dinner, we went to our old place, small pub there just to hang around, that day the pub helper was not there to help him, so end up, both lady A and me was there to help him to served his customers. It was so funny; during the time we served his customers (ha..ha.. cannot write what happen here), there was story behind it, these know by the owner of the pub, lady A and me) ha..ha… it was fun helping him any way, that night I was not decided whether to leave the next day yet, so I'd stay there till late mid night with lady A at the small pub helping.

Before sleep, wrote my diary again, for some reason I've decided to leave Lijiang early next morning, so I quickly pack my bag and get sleep.

The next morning, I've check out, went to buy my bus ticket and left Lijiang to Qiaotou. As it was too early the morning, so I didn't sms lady A to inform yet, as she was not fully recover and slept late last night. I sms lady A at noon as I'm sure she was awake by then and letting her know I've left Lijiang.

To come to think about it, I should have gone to Yulong Xueshan then went back to Lijiang rest and go again to another place, in this way, I'll not waste time hanging around at Lijiang the old town for so many days.

Well, I spent in Qiaotou for two nights and carry on my journey to Zhongdian. From Lijiang all the way to Sichun it takes few days on bus to cross over to the boarder.

I wonder how the lady waitress whom I've meet in Kunming has walked from Sichun to Kunming for two days??? She might be lie to me in her story telling, I'm glad that I never give any money to her out of pitying her. One thing for sure, I felt she was very lonely soul out there in Kunming.

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