Going to Lijiang River in April and want to know the travel route?

We picked a day in May and started our first free trip. During this trip, we visited 5 cities that we yearned for in one and ten days. The whole trip was very interesting and worth recalling, with both luxury and hardships. Please listen to me tell you about it below.

Day 1

We started our free trip by taking a China Eastern Airlines flight at noon. When you put on your travel bag and get on the plane, you feel very relaxed and leave all your worries behind. (It is recommended to inquire with major agents for air tickets. Prices vary greatly. Through Jeson's efforts, we got a 50% discount on air tickets, which feels like a good deal). After a two-and-a-half-hour flight, we arrived at the first destination of this trip—Kunming. (Note: This is Chris’ first time flying, so it’s worth remembering :P). When we got off the plane, we immediately felt the good weather in Yunnan. The sky we saw when we looked up was no longer the gray sky in big cities. It was a rare sight for us to see the blue sky, and we felt excited. The original plan was to wander around Kunming first, then go directly to the train station to take a bus to Dali in the evening, spend the night in the bus, and arrive in Dali early the next morning. This is also a more reasonable and economical way, and I recommend it here. But when we walked out of the airport hall with our luggage and were about to call a taxi, the most regretful thing happened to us in this trip. A man who looked like a taxi driver came towards us and asked us to get in his car. At first we thought he was a private taxi owner who wanted to negotiate a price to go shopping in the city center. After getting on the bus, this man tried his best to persuade us to join his tour group, and then took us to their travel agency. After negotiating, the total fee for going to Dali and Lijiang is 1,000 per person. Jeson called our old friend f5u and asked about it. Due to f5u’s misleading, he said the price was about the same, so we followed this group in confusion. We paid on the spot and only got a so-called travel contract and an invoice. Now that I think about it, I'm a little scared. If it was a fake company, our 2,000 yuan would have been thrown into the water. After paying the money, they sent us to the city center, and then the driver told us to call them in the evening and he would pick us up, and then he left (this is why I was afraid, I was unfamiliar with the place, Even if he is a liar, the two of us will be in trouble, so I suggest you not to be so bold.) We started shopping. There is a large comprehensive market there, which is very interesting and has everything. The strange thing is that you can see very beautiful tropical fish everywhere, with more varieties than in the Shanghai Aquarium. It was really eye-opening for us. After shopping around all afternoon, I looked for a place to have dinner. I ordered a few home-cooked dishes at a famous snack street, which cost about 50 yuan, which was very cheap. The taste is average. There was really nothing to do after that, so the two went to see a movie and played video games for a while. It was just time to find them to pick us up. I got on the train to Dali in the evening. (Ticket 68 yuan)

Day 2

We arrived at the second city - Dali at nine o'clock in the morning. As soon as we got out of the train station, we found the local tour guide who picked us up and started our two-day group tour in our free trip :P. Everyone comes from all over the world, but there are almost no young people, but then again, the day we travel is not Golden Week. The climate in Dali is relatively hot and the sun is very strong. It is recommended to bring sunscreen, sunglasses and a sun hat. The arrangement of the tour group is relatively step-by-step, and several famous scenic spots are visited one by one. We went to Dali Ancient Town (it is recommended not to sell anything, you can find everything in Lijiang Ancient Town), swam in Erhai Lake, went to Dali Three Pagodas, and Butterfly Spring. The original plan was to visit the ancient city of Dali and climb Cangshan Mountain, where you can overlook the Erhai Lake. It was the best of both worlds. However, we had to give up the original plan because we were traveling with a group. It is still recommended to adopt a free travel plan. The Three Pagodas and Butterfly Spring are not of much interest. Erhai Lake is a waste of time. After soaking for an afternoon, we just sat on the cruise ship (the free seats are limited, and there is a fee to sit in the cabin. However, since we are watching the Erhai Lake, it is recommended to be more comfortable on the deck. There are several small islands along the way. We went ashore to play, but there was nothing special about it, and we were in a hurry, so we couldn’t make it in time. The sky in Dali was also blue, which made me feel relaxed and happy. :) It is recommended to stay in Foreigner Street at night, it should be a good choice.

Day 3

In the morning, take a bus from Dali to Lijiang. After nearly an hour's drive, I finally arrived at the longed-for Lijiang. I remembered the look of countless friends who missed Lijiang so much and yearned for it when they mentioned it, and I finally came to this beautiful land. We followed the tour guide for a general tour of the entire ancient city. The entire ancient city is full of interesting and unique shops, large and small, which really makes me happy. Then we embarked on a trip to Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. In fact, I have already witnessed the beauty of the snow-capped mountains in the ancient town of Lijiang. You can see her noble side very clearly. The snow-white mountaintop is properly exposed in the clouds, adding a lot of aura to the entire ancient city. We took the cable car up halfway up the mountain, and then we changed transportation and rode horses up the mountain, which gave us another unique experience. (One of the two fellows driving the horses is very old, and there was a puppy they raised following us along the way, which was very interesting.) (Renting a horse round trip costs 35 yuan per person).

After our close contact with the snow-capped mountains, we also ended our three-day team life. Next is our real free time... We found a place to have dinner on the bar street in the evening. The food was not delicious, but the price was not cheap. But we sat by the lake to dine, and the environment was still very romantic, a bit like being on a European street. :p No wonder many friends have special feelings for Lijiang. It is indeed a holy place worthy of vacation. After dinner, we started our real tour of the ancient city. We visited almost the entire ancient city and bought a lot of things. We found an inn at night, right here on Sifang Street. It was very convenient, the price was reasonable, and the rooms were standard. Separate bathroom, hot shower, 80/night, we stayed for two nights. The Old Town of Lijiang at night is simply intoxicating. There is no way to describe it in just one word. It's casual, romantic, cozy, and warm. Although there are many people, it's not noisy at all. My heart also calmed down in the ancient city, enjoying the tranquility and feeling the tranquility. Have a good night's sleep...

Day 4

I slept until I woke up naturally in the morning, without a morning call. It rained last night, which also made me feel the changeable weather in Yunnan (recommendation Bring an umbrella with you. Although the sky is clear, it may start pouring.) After washing up, I went out to find a place to have breakfast and ate the famous Lijiang Baba. We started shopping again, and the shops in the morning gave people a different feeling. We bought a lot of woodcut paintings and many other things. I suggest that friends who want to bring a lot of things back home like us can learn from our methods. All purchased items are packaged and mailed home. There is a post office next to Sifang Street. We completed our purchasing task in the morning, and during lunch we were planning where to go. On the way, we met a Naxi woman who was soliciting customers. She was very enthusiastic, so we negotiated a price and prepared to charter a car to Tiger Leaping Gorge. (RMB for chartered car). The driver was her husband, who was also a Naxi, but his Chinese was not very good and he was also introverted. After passing the rugged mountain road, we arrived at Tiger Leaping Gorge. The splendor of Tiger Leaping Gorge really made me excited again. The water was not very big when we went there, but it still made me feel the majestic momentum. The sun is still hot and the sky is still blue. If you want to compare the beauty of the ancient city, Tiger Leaping Gorge is a completely different scene. (Tiger Leaping Gorge ticket: yuan). We only visited Shanghutiao and headed back home to prepare to take the bus back to Kunming to continue our next journey. On the way back, Jeson boldly asked to drive on a mountain road. The Naxi brother was so bold that he actually agreed to let Jeson drive through the winding mountain road. Chris was also very bold at the time, so he didn't stop him and thought it was quite funny. I arrived at the station in the afternoon, bought a ticket and returned to Dali. After dinner, I took the train back to Kunming.

Day 5-Day 6

We returned to Kunming early in the morning. Before going out, we checked online for trains from Kunming to Guilin, but we made a big joke. I bought some more things in Kunming. Jeson bought some medicinal materials, notoginseng powder and so on. Then I went to the train station to buy a ticket to Guilin. Maybe I read it wrong. I found on the Internet that there was a bus from Kunming to Guilin, departing at three o'clock in the afternoon and arriving at nine o'clock in the evening. When I bought the ticket, I found this bus. When the ticket sales lady asked us whether to buy a sleeper ticket or a seat ticket, Chris confidently said seat ticket. When he got on the train, he was told that the train would take up to 26 hours to reach Guilin. Chris was dumbfounded and immediately asked to change to a sleeper berth.

As a result, he spent the fifth day on the long train. of. An interesting thing happened during this period. Early the next morning, the police came on the bus to check and asked every passenger to open their bags for inspection. When checking our bags, the police became very interested in Jeson’s Panax notoginseng powder. Maybe I thought it was white powder or something like that, so I checked it for a long time. After finally surviving the 26 hours of train torture and vowing never to take such a long train ride again, I arrived at the next city - Guilin.