Lijiang
We got to Lijiang yesterday – the old town is very pretty, although it is completely overrun with tourists (at least they’re mostly chinese tourists though – it still feels authentic to us complete foreigners, although given the sometimes brutal development of modern facilities in historically sensitive sites, I’m not entirely sure how much more Chinese tourists appreciate their national heritage than their western counterparts).
Our hotel is great fun, a small traditional Naxi house in the middle of the old town by one of the many canals criss-crossing the city, with a small internal courtyard – all that extravagantly priced at 43 yens per night (around 3 pounds) including en-suite bathroom, so even cheaper than most of South America.
We had a quick walk around the old town, and climbed to the Looking to the Past Pavilion, which has a great view over the city. Among other attractions in the area are the Tiger Leaping Gorge, the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, and a number of small villages and temples surrounding the city. We plan on hiring a couple of bicycles and heading out…