Dali aka: 大理

The town has a nice, relaxed feel. The surrounding scenery is superb.

Before my last trip to China, I was doing research on places I might visit on my month travelling. Dali was described as “a backpacker’s paradise.” Granted, I think this probably means that now it’s overrun with foreigners, and things are more expensive than they used to be, but backpackers (as opposed to regular tourists) usually know a good thing when they find it, I’ve found.

I never made it to Dali. I’ve got a friend in China who wants to go there, too, so maybe sometime we’ll go together. I’ve only travelled in eastern China, so it would be great to see Yunnan province and see how it differs from all the places I’ve been in terms of local culture and development.

this is a gorgeous city on the lake ( :

This is one of those places where time stops, the place sucks you in, and completely throws away your itinerary. I’ve been to this place many times, and have seen more than a few backpackers breeze in for “just a couple of days”. On my next visit, the same people are still there, working at a cafe, learning kung fu on the hill, or whatever it takes to pass the days, and they have no intention of leaving.

The place is extremely relaxing, and although it has lost a little of it’s laid back vibe as it is transformed more and more to resemble LiJiang, it is still a beautiful place to visit.

Why do people visit? Superficially, because the place is the center of the Bai minority, so it’s people, dress and architecture are unlike any other place in China. The scenery is excellent, and it is close to Kunming. However, what causes people to stay is the great feel of the town that you will not find anywhere else in China, and will have difficulties recapturing it elsewhere in the world.

Everyone should check it out, even if for “a couple of days”.

A fun place to go if it’s on the way – not for a long trip – along with Lijiang as well.