Dali

With heavy and steady rain falling (the first really bad weather during my trip other than the Typhoons), I departed from Lijiang for Dali.

The bus ride was terrible! I was sitting in the back and the up and down of the road, and speed up and braking action of the bus, make me want to throw up the whole way.

There were couple Dutch on the bus, and one of them of who speaks some Chinese was sort of sad to see the historical and natural sites that are being destroyed by the Chinese march to modernize. Sort the same feeling as me.

I was surprised to met Michael and Andreas (Dans) from Yangshuo. They stayed for 9 days there!. It took them 24 hours or something to get here.

The next day sun came out and I rode a bike around some rice field, not too interesting now that the harvest is over. I also rode through some small "modern" town, but streets smell and look like what you'll find in China generations ago.

The old town itself, is nothing like that of Lijiang. It is more of a modern looking city with some old design. So may be as result it is also much less touristy.

This is also more of backpacker's town than Lijiang. So many backpackers stayed at the youth hostel here.

I think I am a bit tired of China and ready for a change of scenery. Kunming will be my last stop.