Lovely Lijiang

April 14

Matt and I got up early again to take a scenic run around the old city. We made a couple soldiers anxious when we got too close to their gate but other than that it was uneventful. The city was peaceful in the morning, unlike daytime when the streets are packed with people.

We had a leisurely morning shopping and wandering around. After lunch we boarded a rickety old bus for our 3.5 hour trip to Lijiang. This was definitely a "local" bus as our shoulders were too broad to sit comortably side-by-side and we were eating our knees. The bus was at capacity and we were packed in like sardines. It was also a very sloooow bus and our 3.5 hour journey stretched to almost five hours. We were glad when we arrived in Lijiang.

April 15

Lijiang is a really cool old city. It has narrow cobblestone streets that wind around like a maze, fish-filled streams throughout and cute stone and wooden bridges everywhere. It is a little touristy but still manages to be very quaint. We have all agreed that this is our favorite place so far on the trip. Matt and I went for a walk early in the morning so we could snap some pictures before the crowds came out. While we were out we came across an adorable French restaurant selling the most amazing pastries. It was easy to choose our breakfast spot after that. While we were eating our strawberry torts and croissants we met the chef - a Frenchmen who came to China to visit 10 years ago and ended up staying!

We had to burn off some calories after our delicious breakfast so we headed to Lion Hill Park where we climbed to the top of the Wangu Pagoda. There is a fabulous 360 degree view from the top and we could see both the old and new city. It also gave us a great view of Snow Mountain, the city's beautiful backdrop. After the park we still had time for wandering the streets and shopping before our afternoon excursion with the group. We made a special trip to the giant Chairman Mao statue in the new part of the city so we could get a picture of Matt and Giovanni in front of it. They've been looking all over for a Mao hat.....

In the afternoon we headed to a nearby village, Bai Sha, where we met Dr. Ho, Medicine Man. He's a funny old guy who does herbal medicine and likes to talk up how famous he is. In front of his house he has tons and tons of framed articles about himself from around the world - even some New York Times articles. He was an interesting guy and we got a real kick out of him. In Bai Sha we also did some shopping and everyone had a good time bargaining. I managed to help Mom get a gift for 40 Yuan when the starting price was 360!

Before we spent all of our money we decided we better walk to the next village over, about two miles away. On the way we were able to see the fields of wheat up close. There are rows upon rows of crops. It is amazing to see the farmers out working everything by hand and carrying the manure out to the field in sacks on their back. It looks like it would be a hard life.

Back at the hotel we rested our weary feet (7.5 miles of walking today, about the same yesterday and around 12 the day before!). The boys had some beers and I headed here to blog. Tonight we are planning to see some traditional dancing in the main square and tomorrow we're of to Tiger Leaping Gorge for our two day trek. Our next update will be after that so cross your fingers we get all the old folks through it.