Travel: China - Yunnan - Kunming - Lijiang - Shangri-la

[1place1dream]

Hi Carebear


Go to tourist class resturant

Lijiang, Kunming and Dali are very touristic places. So you will have no worries to find one that matches your standard. You can also ask the hotel for reference. Like the first dinner i had in Lijiang was recommended by the hotel, cost much more but the standard is also much higher.

And you would be ashamed by the toilet hygene in Lijiang old town. Because the town is well looked after as a national pride, their public toilets are well cleaned and with reception. And it is FREE!

We drink bottled water all the way, won't take chance. You can get them easily every where. We are ok with brushing teeth and cleaning with tap water.

carebear:

Thanks 1place1dream.
I would like to visit Lijiang, Kunming and Dali in November.
May i know how did you find the standard of hygiene in their restaurants?
What about water, did you have to drink bottled water?
Thanks.

[verykiasu2010]

One thing about bottle water in China


There has been lots of rampant filling of plastic bottles with tap water, and paste the stickers… this is China

buy the trusted brands of bottled water from trusted places, avoid road side stalls

[carebear]

Thanks 1place1dream and verykiasu2010.

Looks like my plans to visit these places will have to be put on hold as DS only drinks ice water, so ice cubes there would not be safe to use.

[1place1dream]

yap, that happens a lot in the bigger cities. What i love most of the Yunan trip is that the people are relatively honest. Especially in the Dali Old Town and Lijiang Old Town, there is no \"street side\" stores. The places are very well reserved and guarded as national sites.


We must have been to more than a dozen places in China on many many trips. Generally they have been pleasant. The only exception is in Hainan island. Everyone was trying to make a deal out of tourist. Other than that, China is the same as every where else. You find similar story in other Asian countries too.

verykiasu2010:

One thing about bottle water in China

There has been lots of rampant filling of plastic bottles with tap water, and paste the stickers...... this is China

buy the trusted brands of bottled water from trusted places, avoid road side stalls

[TravelMummy]

Can anyone share what it’s like to go Shangri-La and Meili Snow Mountain in mid to late dec? Is it too cold or still worth going? Appreciate any thoughts/ trip tips to Kunming, Dali, Lijiang etc - it’s our first time and we are travelling free and easy. Have originally booked a 1 week trip but now wondering if it is not wiser to extend to 2 weeks. Opinions welcome!

[jetsetter]

TravelMummy:

Can anyone share what it's like to go Shangri-La and Meili Snow Mountain in mid to late dec? Is it too cold or still worth going? Appreciate any thoughts/ trip tips to Kunming, Dali, Lijiang etc - it's our first time and we are travelling free and easy. Have originally booked a 1 week trip but now wondering if it is not wiser to extend to 2 weeks. Opinions welcome!

Needless to say, It'll be cold and might snow lightly. I didn't scale Meili, but I did climb to the top of Yu Long Snow Mountain (4680m mark). Oxygen is thin, so talk less, breathe slowly, walk slowly. If need be, buy oxygen tank locally or take 红景天 （but can't take if you're pregger).

Shangrila is amazing. Rode a pony across an open field near Tibet...Felt like an actress in 步步惊心！Danced with Tibetans, drank 酥油茶and munch local delights...visited Little Budalagong and some other Tibetan temples up in the mountains...Super 'Zen' and spiritual after all the visits.

Lijiang is awesome, like Venice of Yunnan, lots of rivers and bridges, old town shophouses and guesthouses, al fresco hot pot restaurants and cafes. Did spa there...

Lugu lake - super beautiful, but no lifejacket when we rented canoe to get to the island. Can cycle along the banks in the morning. Watched Mosuo tribal women dance and sing round bonfire...ate Yunnan kampong food...Journey is dangerous - long, narrow, winding mountain roads next to the cliffs. Driver cannot fall asleep.

Naxi village - went to my driver's home to cook and dine...absolutely fun! harvested own veggies from home farm, drew water from well, cook Naxi hotpot and drank lots of local spirits till we knocked out.

Dali - a bit too touristy, but the Foreigners' Street is not too bad. Lots of backpackers, cafes, food stalls. Toured some Baizu Heritage places...

Kunming - modern like any other tier2 cities. Flower Wholesale Market is wonderful...Bought Pu‘er black tea and some local herbs. There's the usual Shilin Rock garden...

I must hv been to some other attractions, but I cannot remember the names now. 1 tribe seemed quite hostile I recall...Mostly very friendly and hospitable.
Don't forget to try 过桥米线.

[TravelMummy]

jetsetter:

TravelMummy:

Can anyone share what it's like to go Shangri-La and Meili Snow Mountain in mid to late dec? Is it too cold or still worth going? Appreciate any thoughts/ trip tips to Kunming, Dali, Lijiang etc - it's our first time and we are travelling free and easy. Have originally booked a 1 week trip but now wondering if it is not wiser to extend to 2 weeks. Opinions welcome!

Needless to say, It'll be cold and might snow lightly. I didn't scale Meili, but I did climb to the top of Yu Long Snow Mountain (4680m mark). Oxygen is thin, so talk less, breathe slowly, walk slowly. If need be, buy oxygen tank locally or take 红景天 （but can't take if you're pregger).

Shangrila is amazing. Rode a pony across an open field near Tibet...Felt like an actress in 步步惊心！Danced with Tibetans, drank 酥油茶and munch local delights...visited Little Budalagong and some other Tibetan temples up in the mountains...Super 'Zen' and spiritual after all the visits.

Lijiang is awesome, like Venice of Yunnan, lots of rivers and bridges, old town shophouses and guesthouses, al fresco hot pot restaurants and cafes. Did spa there...

Lugu lake - super beautiful, but no lifejacket when we rented canoe to get to the island. Can cycle along the banks in the morning. Watched Mosuo tribal women dance and sing round bonfire...ate Yunnan kampong food...Journey is dangerous - long, narrow, winding mountain roads next to the cliffs. Driver cannot fall asleep.

Naxi village - went to my driver's home to cook and dine...absolutely fun! harvested own veggies from home farm, drew water from well, cook Naxi hotpot and drank lots of local spirits till we knocked out.

Dali - a bit too touristy, but the Foreigners' Street is not too bad. Lots of backpackers, cafes, food stalls. Toured some Baizu Heritage places...

Kunming - modern like any other tier2 cities. Flower Wholesale Market is wonderful...Bought Pu‘er black tea and some local herbs. There's the usual Shilin Rock garden...

I must hv been to some other attractions, but I cannot remember the names now. 1 tribe seemed quite hostile I recall...Mostly very friendly and hospitable.
Don't forget to try 过桥米线.

Thanks, jetsetter. Did you do all these with a tour group or on your own? What's the best way to get around? Hire care and driver or local transport is good enough? Ideally how many days in each place? Were internal flights involved or did you cover them entirely by road? Appreciate your advice. Thanks!

[jetsetter]

travelmummy

it was a private group tour - 100% road trip via a 12-seater bus. the tour was arranged by an agent in china, not singapore. 8－9 days would be enough, on average 2 nites per city is good:

2 nites Shangrila/Zhongdian (Burmese border)
2 nites Lijiang city
1 nite Lugu lake (optional)
2 nites Dali
2 nites Kunming

Mine was a hectic tour with trekking involved. I arrived directly by plane at Shangrila, so altitude was already very high at 3,280m. Suggest u start with Lijiang first at 2,400+m. I vomited 2x in Shangrila cos of the post-dinner dancing with the Tibetans, not sure if it’s due to the altitude…I departed from Kunming.

Note, my driver was a Naxi tribesman who was familiar with the mountainous terrains and high altitude. I recall the journey to get to the Lugu Lake was already 8 hours with a few sightseeing stops en-route like tiger leaping gorge, a magnificent waterfall, lion hill…(can’t rem them)…that was in 2004.

Try booking with Chan bros or CTC? get them to customise for u if you hv a group of 6-10 pax?

[concernedDAD]

Saw this thread I thought to share my trip itinerary here for other parents' planning benefits too. Me & my then 5yo son went in Jul'13 for a total of 40dys F&E trip. Covered alot of fun places and we almost extended our trip.

We attended 火把节 in巍山, climbed 玉龙雪山 without oxygen aid to just below 5000m, 5hrs riding in separate mules to 上雨崩 among others.
Any problems with our trip? Yup. Weak stomach like my son need motion sickness pills for Shangri-la to 飞来寺 (found out too late) and never trust atas western food restaurant in Shuhe town (Lijiang) where he had food poisoning in the last leg of our journey. We did not face any other issue throughout the whole trip even when we take street food.
Oh, 2 of us went with a 10kg baggage & returned with a 34kg load. Shd hv planned Guangzhou shopping to the last, but that would not hv fit our route.... Let me know if anyone needs more info.
Gonna plan my next major China trip soon! http://i58.tinypic.com/sy7bl4.jpg\">

[TravelMummy]

concernedDAD:

Saw this thread I thought to share my trip itinerary here for other parents' planning benefits too. Me & my then 5yo son went in Jul'13 for a total of 40dys F&E trip. Covered alot of fun places and we almost extended our trip.

We attended 火把节 in巍山, climbed 玉龙雪山 without oxygen aid to just below 5000m, 5hrs riding in separate mules to 上雨崩 among others.
Any problems with our trip? Yup. Weak stomach like my son need motion sickness pills for Shangri-la to 飞来寺 (found out too late) and never trust atas western food restaurant in Shuhe town (Lijiang) where he had food poisoning in the last leg of our journey. We did not face any other issue throughout the whole trip even when we take street food.
Oh, 2 of us went with a 10kg baggage & returned with a 34kg load. Shd hv planned Guangzhou shopping to the last, but that would not hv fit our route.... Let me know if anyone needs more info.
Gonna plan my next major China trip soon! http://i58.tinypic.com/sy7bl4.jpg\">

Wow! 40 days! Sounds exciting. Did you create a travel blog? Would love to hear more about your experience!