"Water water everywhere"
Nonstop downpour outside, rain bouncing off the pavements, lying in pools, shoes saturated, trousers wet from dripping umbrellas. More water INSIDE, due to ridiculous bathroom plumbing. I had a lovely hot bath, pulled out the plug and suddenly the bathroom floor was awash. There was no pipe to drain the water away; it was actually designed like that. The bath just sat there looking good but completely unusable; and no warning sign about it. We had to use towels to make a channel towards the tiny grate in the middle of the floor.
In the rain we visited the Wuhou Temple Complex. We went to the top of the hill and walked back down, looking at shrines and Budhist temples on each of 11 levels until we had heard enough from our guide, Selina, and asked to go back to our hotel. We cancelled the proposed boat trip on the lake, because 2 hours with no views except swirling mist didn't appeal. This lake used to have fishermen with cormorants, as seen on TV, but the practice was recently banned by the Government because of pollution! See:
The Dali hotel was beautiful in traditional design with gardens, pagoda style roofs, white walls with painted designs of lotus flowers etc. The mountain views were all shrouded in mist. The Breakfast Room on the 4th floor did allow us to see over the town next morning and we enjoyed a really excellent Western Breakfast with fruit, yoghurt, porridge and lots of hot coffee.
Twins at Chengdu Airport at 6.00 am, waiting for the flight to Dali.
Scenes around our hotel (in the rain!)
Xizho
On the way to Lijiang, our guide Selina took us to a small town with a large food and vegetable market. We were able to observe such things as pigs entrails, trotters, brains and liver, a whole lamb cut up into various sections including the head, and all manner of fruit and veggies and herbs.
Later we went to Selina's home village to visit an embroidery school, where we saw 6 girls working on the most intricate designs with tiny needles and fine threads. They were in an outside courtyard with their coats on. By the age of 25 their eyesight is not good enough for them to continue with this work. Val bought a small embroidered picture of the cormorant fishermen on the lake.
After that we went to a tie dye specialist: a family of 4 generations working there. Behind their courtyard walls were the most wonderful materials, all died with indigo using local plants which look a bit like nettles. I bought myself a waistcoat and M bought a loose linen jacket, three quarter length and very stylish.
By this time everyone was in need of lunch, but we couldn't have anything till we arrived in Lijiang at about 2.30 p.m.
In the wet market: chillies, lamb, mushrooms.
Cinnamon sticks, live chickens for sale, rice ready for harvest when the rain stops.
Embroidery school; fine embroidered picture on the right.
Embroidered scenes. These were hugely expensive, representing months of work. Val bought a small picture of a boat on the lake, done by students in training.
Grandmother at the indigo and tie dye workshop. This business has been going for 4 generations. The indigo plants grow in their garden and resemble nettles.
Lunch spot. Note the animal skin over the window sill.
Inside the restaurant: trying to show the head and the tail of the skin, but cannot determine what the animal is! The local beer was great!
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