Lijiang, Day One.
I'm rereading the China itinerary, and according to this we flew from Chengdu to Lijiang after dinner in Chengdu. That sounds about right; I remember I was asleep on the bus from the airport to the hotel, and I also remember we had to park and walk a good distance because there aren't any cars in the town of Lijiang.
Just one of the reasons Lijiang was my favorite city. The itinerary calls it the "Shangri-la" of China. I don't know if that's true or just something they put on itineraries for Americans, but it was definitely Shangri-la-ish. To me, anyway, a person who's never been to Shagri-la and doesn't really know where it is and on second thought thinks it might be a topless resort in the Bahamas, actually, so nevermind.
;)
It wasn't anything like a topless resort in the Bahamas.
I almost can't explain it. The whole town was a labyrinth of cobblestone streets lined with shops and restaurants; there was fast-running water everywhere, streams and waterfalls and fountains built into the cobblestone framework. Absolutely incredible.
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Randy and I got hardcore lost walking around. We were warned by our regional guide that this was a real possibility, so I tried to remember landmarks and I made mental notes as to whether we turned right or left. But when every single building looks exactly the same, and when you can't read or distinguish any of the street signs, and when I can only tell my right from my left like sixty percent of the time... well. We walked around in circles for maybe an hour and a half trying to figure out how to get back to the hotel. After twenty minutes I tried to crumple onto a wooden bench and just give up-- like Open Water, only on land and with better acting-- but Randy pulled me up and made a left (or a right) and we made it back.
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This is Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. It's 18,000 feet tall.
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We actually took an aerial tram up the entire face of the mountain to the Yak Meadow. The itinerary is reminding me that Yak Meadow "commands a magnificent view of the glacier", but I don't remember a glacier; I remember oxygen tanks and the smell of fear, but no glaciers.
;)
Eighteen thousand feet up is high. Eighteen thousand feet is so high that it doesn't really matter that you're standing on a wide, established land mass, you're still acutely aware that you're too high up in the world. Add to this awareness the restricted ability to breathe and you've essentially turned me into a land-hugging, slow-moving crab person.
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There's a Buddhist temple on top of the mountain but I'm not sure what it's called. I almost think I asked somebody while we were there and they couldn't translate it into English, but I don't know, I might have made that up in the midst of all my fence grabbing and air gulping.
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Randy and me. Him with his magical coat of many systems and me with my life-sustaining camera bag.
Randy dipped in for this photograph and then ran off to do what you're obviously supposed to do in Yak Meadow: pet a yak.
;)
I don't know, man, I feel like I learned my lesson the hard way about petting random animals in foreign countries, but Randy could not be deterred.
;)
I don't think he actually pet a yak. I think the closer he got, the bigger and smellier and dirtier the yak became, so I think Randy decided to cut his losses and downgrade his mission.
;)
To eating a yak. Here's Randy negotiating with the yak snack salesperson while our national guide, Ming, begs him to reconsider.
"You will not like it," she grimaced. "And I don't know how the yak was cooked...". Meaning if the yak was cooked, I assume, and at what temperature, and on what day. Many, many things can go wrong with the yak snacks in China on top of an 18,000 foot mountain in a lean to.
;)
"It's chewy," was Randy's initial assessment. Ming just covered her face with her hands. I tasted a tiny piece of the yak. It was chewy. And spicy. And disconcertingly lukewarm. I can say with some confidence that I'm not a fan.
Sorry, yak.
;)
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Reader Comments (5)
Magical coat of many systems... HA.
That looks beautious. (the scenery, not the coat - but I am sure it is also quite nice.)
That reminds of my all time favorite post of yours, the one where you said, "Randy once ATE milk." Didn't it have something to do with that "baguette" knife that was never washed?
hmmm let me see if I can find it...
Ah yes, I found it! http://www.outofcharacter.net/blog/2007/7/17/what-doesnt-it-go-on-thats-a-better-question.html
"Randy. Randy once ate milk to prove to his kids it was still good. I once watched Randy-- from the other room, mind-- eat three-week old KFC cole slaw and not die. Randy's going to walk through the door tonight, he's going to make a passing comment about how my pasta sauce sucks, change into Red Shorts, pour a glass of wine and eat seven cashews for dinner. Maybe some sliced turkey if we've got some in there that's changing colors. If food were electrical energy, I would be Ampère's Circuital law, and Randy would be a bag of brown, liquid lettuce holding a flashlight."
Turns out the bread/baguette knife was a different post...
HA! Yes! I love that you remember that. The bread knife post is here.
You'll be excited to learn that further along in this trip, Randy actually came up against a meal that he refused. Meaning I then had no choice but to refuse it because come on, if RANDY refuses to eat something, what, is it still alive or something?
I can not WAIT to hear about something RANDY refused to eat. It certainly must have been alive. Or crawling with maggots...
Speaking of maggots, has Randy ever heard about that cheese they sell in Italy that is officially banned, but is crawling with maggots? Cau Marzu - read about it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casu_marzu (I found the wiki page by googling "Italian maggot cheese")