Day 11
Friday 13th July: Dali J
A day the way we like them. After sitting on a train, on a
bus, on a plane and doing a bit of walking, it was lovely to ride a bike. We
took off in the morning and headed for ErHai (Lake Er), a massive piece of
water in the valley of the mountain Cang where Dali is situated. Breath-taking
views! We rode through the rice fields and reached the villages that line up
the lake, all built on the same model and typical of the local architecture.
The lack of noise was both strange and delightful. So close to the town and yet
it felt like stepping back in time. The “West road of ErHai” as it is called
follows the lake on its west side. There are barely any cars in the villages
and no shops- just a few “corner shops” of first necessity. It seems the
villagers are poor and self-sufficient. They ride bikes, motorbikes and drive
small trucks that are used more for farming than leisure.
For lunch, I can safely say we had one of the best fish ever
in China where we stopped, a restaurant on the main road as there weren’t any
in the villages. To order, the owner and his wife invited us in the kitchen and
we chose a fish from the “sink” where the fish were kept and vegetables from a
rack. But when the food came, it was absolutely delicious.
We went back to Dali Old Town after 4 hours of cycling,
tired but feeling good. Dinner of local mushrooms, Dali goat’s cheese "fan fried" and chicken lemon in one of the local restaurants. Interesting how the restauranteurs line
the front of their restaurant with aquariums and vegetables. That is how they
advertise their regional food. Also interesting how surprising China is: there
are vegetables in this region that we had never seen before, not even in
another part of China. I like the fact each region retains its identity and
culture.
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