Old town Lijiang

A well preserved/rebuild Chinese town (partially destroyed in a 1996 earthquake). With its maze of streets and streams, I think some people called it Venice of the East. The center of old town is very touristy I think (mostly Chinese, less westerners than I expected). But you can experience the relative isolation by randomly taking one of those side streets away from the tourist streets.

I stayed at a inn (too many inns in the old town) that is run by a Taiwanese person, he is currently in Taiwan and a long term "tourist" who is looking after the place for him along with 3-4 teenage helpers. I paid 70 yuan for a double room, which is a lot, but it did come with in room sit down toilet and shower. I think I am become more American than I think, spoiled and can't tolerate share public open squat toliet. Anyway the staff are friendly and are kind enough to ask me to join them for dinner.

Lijiang is in Yunnan province of China. Nested just to the east of Tibetan plateou and bordered south with Burma, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam. This is a region rich in ethinic tribes each with it own custom and clothing. In Lijiang, people are mainly the Naxi . They has the sunburned features of many people from high elevation like Tibetan and Andean of South America. Although not as much since the elevation is around 7700 feet.

Of the 3-4 teenage workers in the place I stayed, two of them are Naxi. I think Naxi people are better looking than the han chinese, but due the high elevation, they do have wrinkles early :). Apparently school isn't that important, the two Naxi girls only finished middle school.

After coming back from Tiger Leaping Gorge, I saw Adam again (accident this time) and we had dinner and discuss what's happening since Kunming. Who knows we may end up meeting again some where in Southeast Asia.

On the last morning here with darkening sky, I talked to the local Naxi guy in his early 30s about his anger at the Han Chinese that had invaded his home land and threaten to wipe out his culture. If he had his way he would limit the tourism here and give his people more opportunities in running the tourism industry itself.
I do hope the Naxi and other minority people in China will survive mostly intact in China's rush to modernize the country.

O, still no shopping yet, for some reason I just can't get myself to shop, nothing really interest me, I think I have all the travel trinkets I ever needed from my previous travel. But I must shop for gifts for family and friends, a tough task!