Freezing in Shangri-La and going back to Kunming, Yunnan 19-21 July 2015

Shangri-La (Eden in dream) is located in the north west corner of Yunnan province at an average latitude of 3,000 meters above sea level . The town itself only got its attractive new name in 2001 in an effort to promote tourism to the area (it worked). The name Shangri-La comes from a James Hilton novel Lost Horizon.

Lijiang and trekking at Tiger Leaping Gorge, Yunnan 16-18 July 2015

Lijiang

The city of Lijiang dates back at least 800 years and maybe even more. So no Wonder the city is famous for its UNESCO Heritage Site the "Old Town of Lijiang".

Getting a taste of Chinese hospitality in Dali, Yunnan July 13-15 2015

Like most buses to Dali (大理) from Kunming the bus we were on was actually going to Xiàguān (下关,) also known as Dali New City, while where you will probably want to stay and spend most of your time is in Dali Old Town (古城, Gǔchéng). On the bus we met some nice Chinese youngsters from Guizhou province who were also visiting Dali and graciously invited us to share a cab with them to the old town. From that moment on they didn't leave our side, helping us get a room where they stayed (100 RMB), taking us out to dinner and drinks and being perfect hosts. Despite the language barrier (only one of them sort of spoke English) and age difference (they were about 10 years younger than us!) we had a great time with them and it was a nice welcome into China.