We arrived here this afternoon on the bus from Shaxi and have checked into Mama Naxi's guesthouse for two nights. We hadn't booked, but it's low season and everywhere has vacancies. And we ahven't been on any motorbikes... yet.
Anna's blogged our first few days here, so while the Internet's slow I won't repeat too much of it. Suffice to say, we're having an excellent time and I love this part of China.
Highlights, photos of which will hopefully follow here tomorrow, include staying in the forested slopes of the Cang Shan mountain overlooking Dali, and hiking even higher to around 3000m above sea-level; the Monday morning market at Shaping; and hiking through the villages around Shaxi, the journey to which few tourists ever make.
Also, there's weather here - actual sun and clouds and sky and rain. I never thought I'd be happy to see it rain, especially not on holiday, but after three months in the desert that is Zhengzhou, a quick 24 hours of rain was quite refreshing. Oh, and stars! Take that Zhengzhou sky, or lack thereof.
I'm using Skype through my iPod, which just makes the Internet slower. My battery's dead so I'll charge it and try you again tomorrow. Map updated, photos on the way.
X