A few more days in Lijiang, China

04.12.2011 - This morning we slept in, before wandering around the Old Town and visiting the Black Dragon Pool. It wasn't the nicest day for it, a bit cloudy so our photos weren't quite the postcard shots on sale in the shops, but we enjoyed ourselves all the same. It's very peaceful in there, an escape from the crowds and tour groups in the small alleyways, but only 5 minutes from the water wheel.

We were in need of a bit of a 'nothing day' so we chilled at the hostel, updated our photos and blog, caught up with friends on Facebook before grabbing dinner at the local restaurant we'd eaten at a few days earlier. Yum. My stomach was on-fire, as I'd ordered a dish with pickled chilli (meant to not be spicy!) and green peppers (again, not spicy!) - but I'd got a dish completely filled with red peppers! I was literally burning up as I ate it. Oh dear, indigestion heading my way......

We wandered down to the night markets and grabbed some cool yoghurt to try put out the fire in my stomach. It helped a little....but I think bed might be best now.

05.12.2011 - This morning we were able to collect our visas, so it was back to the PSB Office we went. Less than 20 minutes and it was all sorted. Visas in hand, we celebrated with breakfast in the Prague Cafe, a really cool cafe just off the main square. Someone who's travelled has obviously designed the place, as it's exactly what a western traveller is looking for! Great food and a really nice atmosphere.

Unfortunately Chris wasn't feeling well today, so his day was pretty quiet, but I wandered around all the little streets and alleys of Lijiang, getting lost but thoroughly enjoying myself. It's a great little town to explore, and I'm enjoying it more the more days I spend here. The first time round, I thought it was too touristy and not nearly as nice as Dali, but after a bit more exploration, it's got a few things going for it as well.

Not really much more to report today - I had dinner by myself while Chris slept the night away, grabbing a delicious burger from N's Kitchen, it was nice to have western food for a change! Chinese food is great, but sometimes a burger/salad or a pizza/pasta is just what you feel like, particularly after last night's plate of chilli's.

Back at the hostel I met some lovely Dutch girls who are working in Australia. They've seen more of the place than either of us!! We swapped travel stories and they made for some great company.

06.12.2011 - With both of us out of bed today, we headed back to Prague Cafe for breakfast and enjoyed muesli and pancakes. The Dutch girls joined us, and we ran into Sarah, the American girl I did my cooking course with in Dali. Together we all went to the Black Dragon Pools again, as it was a much nicer day than when Chris and I had visited last time, so we wanted some better photos. We also climbed to the top of the hills, with a spectacular view over the city.

I had told them about N's Kitchen, and they were keen to try out the burgers, so we headed there for lunch - it's western food day today for everyone. We grabbed burgers and pizzas while playing with 2 gorgeous puppies that they had at the cafe. Only a few months old and really sweet.

Tonight we are catching the night train back to Kunming, and are sharing a taxi with a nice couple who are cycling around China. There's so many interesting travellers in this region. We said farewell to the Dutch girls and head to the train station around 8pm to catch our sleeper train. We were in Hard Sleeper for the first time tonight, but fortunately it was a special train, so we still only had 4 bunks in the room. A Chinese guy tried to steal our beds, but we quickly showed him our reservations and told him to bugger off. Hard Sleeper doesn't have any doors on the cabins, it's all open plan and as such, there are plenty of stories floating around about things being stolen while people sleep. I padlocked all our bags to the bars of the beds, and then even tied the strap of my little handbag to my bra strap. Perhaps over the top, but they aren't stealing MY stuff!! :o)

We will wake tomorrow in Kunming where we're staying at Cloudland for a few days before heading to Yuan Yang. Getting closer to Christmas, starting to think about our plans and where we'll be spending it....might be time to check out of China and head to Vietnam!

xox