Aerial views of the ranges as we approached Lijiang and sunset | Day 3 then, was all about deciding where to go, booking it, getting there, (squeezing in another downtown snack and a curbside massage en route to the airport), and snatching a few hours of pretty tourist-town window shopping on arrival before curling up under mountains of quilts and with the trusty electric blankets at full tilt. You know you're nearer to Tibet here. That is, destination Lijiang, involving a quick flight 520 kms to the northwest into fresher climes and some very fresh air. Not such a photogenic day, but an excuse to take pause at the sight of Kunming's extraordinary, and actually quite beautiful new airport (below) - China's new gateway to southeast Asia - and better still, the north of Yunnan province from the air at sunset. [click photos to enlarge] |
Lijiang old town: All about luring the Unesco-tourist-site visitor into not seeing the site which Unesco purports to celebrate and protect. Pretty as it is, I'm all for more yak dung and a little less Hannibal Lecter (although hats off to the creator of the world's coolest doorstop). For some more on Lijiang in winter click here |