Lijiang, China wrap-up

To elaborate more on the Colorado analogy from earlier, if Kunming is Denver, then Lijiang is a weird version of Aspen and Shangri-La is Durango, or Moab Utah, or something like that.


Lijiang may be the weirdest place I have ever been. It is at least in theory an ancient Chinese town home to the Naxi minority tribe. In practice, it is a bizzare cross between Disney World, Las Vegas, and Williamsburg Virgina, except in China.


But still, I have spent a pretty chill couple days here and have enjoyed my stay.

Thanks to Shu, I am staying in a really cool tea house owned by one of her friends with an amazing view over the city. I am the first white traveler to stay there. Last night, the owner force-fed me beer until 1:30am as we sort of communicated through hand gestures and laughter for a few hours.

I have spent lots of time walking around the old town and chilling in cafes (amazingly, I had french toast at a place this morning that was playing a Miles Davis cd)

I got a 2 hour massage from a blind man that was largely phenomenal but at times more than a little uncomfortable.


And now, today, my legs and back ache. My forehead is peeling from sunburn in a ridiculous checkerboard pattern that would probably not be considered attractive. My clothes are filthy. After six weeks here, I have breathed pollution equivalent to smoking a pack of cigarettes every day for 5 months.

But I am happy.

This morning, I saw bright blue sky for the first time in China. It seemed appropriate that this comes on my last day, here in Lijiang, one of the most difficult places to understand in all of China. While I am headed to Hong Kong and Macau for the weekend, this is my last day in the "mainland".

At times, China has been unwelcoming, frustrating, and baffling. And at other times, it has been unbelievably friendly, spectacular, and amazing. I think China and I battled at least to a draw, or maybe even I came out slightly ahead. In any case, it has been extremely interesting and rewarding. I already can't wait to come back.