China > Cycling Towards Dali

The breakfast buffet normally opens at eight o’clock, but for our group it opens half an hour earlier. I toast two slices of bread and top them with a fried egg. A simple but good breakfast. At eight o’clock, I get on the bus. Today we drive about two hours to Xizhou. Tomorrow is Labor Day. This is the first day of a five-day holiday period for the Chinese. Many Chinese use this time to travel. To avoid the crowds around Dali, Frank suggested doing tomorrow’s original program today. Although today will be busy and longer, we avoid possible crowds tomorrow. At quarter to ten, we enter Xizhou. Luckily, the rooms at the hotel, on the edge of the old town, are already available. I quickly put my luggage in the room and pack the things I’ll need today into my backpack. By bus, we drive four kilometers south along the shore of Erhai Lake. Fishermen used to fish on this 40-meter-wide lake with cormorants. Due to overfishing, fishing is now only allowed two months per year to allow the fish population to recover. A fisherman gives a demonstration of cormorant fishing. While we watch from a boat, he releases the birds into the water. The birds have a string tied around their necks to prevent them from swallowing the fish they catch. In exchange, the cormorants get smaller fish as a reward that they can swallow.

China - Fishermen use cormorants to catch fish

Back on shore, the bicycles are ready. The bikes are already adjusted to our pre-given height. The first stop is a textile printing workshop. According to old tradition, the dye on the fabric is applied by making knots in the cloth—a precise job. The final result is beautiful. Practically opposite, lunch is ready. Various specific Bai dishes appear on the table. The combination of dishes tastes especially good. We then cycle back towards Xizhou along the highway shoulder. After four kilometers, we arrive at a tea tasting. We try five different types of tea prepared at the table: black, jasmine, and fermented. It’s fun to taste the different flavors and hear the explanation. After this tasting, we drive to the shore of Erhai Lake. Here lies a car-free boulevard. We follow this boulevard for more than fifteen kilometers. It’s cloudy and quite windy against us. Still, the boulevard is busy. People take selfies by the water or rent scooters to drive around. Many greet us enthusiastically as we pass. It feels a bit strange to overtake scooters and tuk-tuks by bike since the electric vehicles can’t go that fast.

China - Cycling to Dali along Lake Erhai

Even the local guide, River, struggles with the Dutch pace. He pants at the back of the group. About halfway, there is an opportunity to order coffee. The cappuccino here costs 48 yuan, about 6.50 euros—the most expensive coffee so far. Fortunately, it tastes great. Late in the afternoon, we arrive at the turnoff to Dali. Dark clouds hang over the mountains behind Dali, but apart from a few splashes, it has been dry today. The sun even peeked through the clouds along the lake. We leave the lake and drive to the Chongsheng Temple with the Three Pagodas at the foot of the Cangshan Mountains. The original temple dates back to the Tang Dynasty (around the 9th century). The central Qianxun Pagoda was built around 840 AD. The two smaller pagodas were added about a century later. Shortly after six in the evening, we arrive at the bike rental. We return the bikes. When paying, we find out the Chinese SIM cards no longer work. They were supposed to be active in April, but apparently the month ended earlier for China Mobile. I pay in cash. Hopefully, we can renew the data bundle tomorrow. Together, we walk into the old historic center of Dali.

China - The temple with the Three Pagodas in Dali

Through the West Gate, we enter the old city. The streets are busy. We have two hours to wander through Dali and have something to eat. Dusk falls, and everywhere the lights come on. One shop is more lavishly decorated than the next. Music can sometimes be heard from the upper floors. Dancers stand by open windows to attract customers to the shops below. With a small group, we look for a place to eat. The guide River recommended a restaurant in an alley. We don’t see a restaurant there. When we enter a building with Chinese lanterns on a whim, it turns out to be the restaurant. We are led to an inner courtyard. Using the translation app, we order beer and some tasty dishes. The courtyard is peaceful, despite the busy shopping streets only a few dozen meters away. After dinner, we still have time to walk around. The shops here do not only cater to tourists. There are also local shops in the shopping streets. We pass a temple in the middle of the shops and step inside briefly. This temple does not have large Buddha statues. Instead, there are colorful images of Chinese Taoism. It’s a very different sight. Also, far fewer people come here to pray or make offerings. At nine o’clock, I’m back at the meeting point. Together, we walk to the city gate. Outside the gate, the bus driver picks us up again. In about half an hour, he drives us back to the hotel in Xizhou.

China - The center of the Ancient City of Dali