Leaving for Dali…

Posted by Scott on Oct 24th, 2009 | no comments

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Getting back from the Stone Forest was easy…until I got to Kunming. Even though I speak passable Chinese and had the hotel’s business card, I got waived off by three taxis. Soon after, it was rush hour and every taxi was taken for a long time. So, I decided to walk the five miles or so back to the hotel. During the walk, I happened upon a market where local minorities were selling fruit, vegetables and things to eat. I stopped at one and had a few sticks of food yang rou (sheep meat), two vegetables and one dofu (tofu). It was pretty good, but nothing to write home about…wait a minute, I guess that’s what I’m doing…never mind….

The next day was spent trying to get some basics done. I couldn’t find a laundry that would do my clothes the same day, so I had to wear a set two days, since the laundry in Dali also wouldn’t do them the same day. Getting money changed from my ATM cards required going to the main branch of the Bank of China and a lot of passport gazing, stamping papers, signing, etc. I mean fifteen minutes of the bank employee working nonstop. I wonder where they store all that paperwork! Anyway, I got the max 2500Y (US banks limit is near that) from two cards, since I doubt I’ll see a place to get money exchanged anytime soon.

Alan, Grace and I ate lunch at a Muslim restaurant that was very busy. The service was bad (probably because we were the last ones to come in for lunch and they were packed), but the food was good.

Because Alan had some business to attend to, I wasn’t able to get to the China Post office, but Alan and Grace were kind enough to let me keep my large bag and all the items I bought in the tea market at their house until I return to Kunming. I’m sure I’ll have a few trinkets from Dali and Lijiang to add to the postal load.

Before I left, we had time for one more dinner. This was a Guang Dong (Cantonese) style restaurant and was really nice outside, as you can see in the picture below.

Alan and Grace in front of the Cantonese restaurant

I didn’t get a picture of our food, but I took one of a group of young people who were eating at the table next to ours.

A group of young people at the next table

Finally, we went to the train station, where Grace had booked me on a soft sleeper to Dali (Thank you, Grace!). She also got me a ticket from Dali to Lijiang in a hard sleeper. I’m on that train as I’m writing this. Sorry for the graininess of this picture. It was taken at night without a flash.