Monthly Archives: September 2025

Lijiang is even more touristy than any other cities with old town we’ve visited until then. The old town is a maze of mostly narrow or very narrow streets with endless rows of shops selling beautifully presented fruit, colorful pastries … Continue reading →

Michi and I headed to the lake early. A crowd was already waiting for the sunrise (spoiler alert: only clouds, no sun), and a group of professional photographers were out and about. Some wanted to take beautiful morning photos of … Continue reading →

The group split 8-2, as Efan, Mari, and all our luggage went to thank the lady who had helped her organize our extra adventures. Meanwhile, we others walked through the old town one last time to meet up with them … Continue reading →

We had breakfast with dumplings filled with various ingredients (I loved shiitake mushrooms and red beans filling) and arrived at the wetlands. They resemble a lake but are mostly covered with aquatic plants ranging from floating grass to lotus. I … Continue reading →

That night was my first restful night’s sleep on the trip! The weather didn’t start as planned (the forecast for the next day was even worse, though), and I thought it would be a good opportunity to lament the loss … Continue reading →

I couldn’t avoid flying, and I’m still not sure I can justify it with this incredible travel experience, because everyone who flies and is aware of the problems has excuses to that effect. Now I have some, too.Efan knows I’m … Continue reading →

Sometimes I wish I could sleep better, but I hope my body takes what it needs, because I don’t try to sleep short and badly and wake up early. This morning, I used some of the “gained” time for a … Continue reading →

Can you see what I only saw when Tony pointed it out? We met at the Green Lake, and I’d been there before, so I went to an outdoor gym. There, you mostly meet older people, some doing interesting movements … Continue reading →

Breakfast was more than I could handle. I tried to try at least 20%. I was relaxed because I knew the way to the train station, there were fewer checkpoints, and everything was easier than in Urumqi. The gates opened … Continue reading →

The night was okay. And daylight revealed a green hilly and mountainous landscape. You can see rivers that look pretty pristine and very small cornfields, sometimes perhaps less than 10 x 10 meters. (Sadly, corn is grown primarily to feed … Continue reading →