Leaving Lijiang/Chengdu Day One

Saying goodbye to hubby (who has to go back to work. Someone has to earn the money we're using whilst traveling ;-) ) in the afternoon. Leaving this fantastic landscape and the land of the silk scarfs and heading to the home of the pandas: Chengdu. We're looking forward to what the city has to offer...

Arrived just in time for a swim at the hotel "Crown Plaza Chengdu Panda Garden" before bedtime. Girls were excited to finally have an indoor pool. 

Lijiang Day Four-Tiger Leaping Gorge

Hired a private driver, through the hotel and help from a Korean guide, who took us to the start of the gorge on the ShangriLa side. Beautiful scenery!!! From there we had to transfer to a little local taxi bus again. Oh God I swear it was a close to death experience sitting in this car during the drive on this narrow, curvy road up to Half Way. I'd rather be hiking for sure. 

Pictures speak for them selves. Fantastic hike with hubby through the passage at Half way. If there's a next time I'll definitely do the whole trail from A to B. 

This execution is time consuming but worth every second. Don't miss it if you visit the Lijiang/Dali/ShangriLa/Kunming area! 

Lijiang/Suhe Day Three-Snow Mountain

I just have one word for this day: Amazing!!!

Whatever you do...don't leave Lijiang without a visit at the Snow Mountain and the local show "Impressions of Lijiang" by director Zhang Yimou. A once in a life time experience. 

You have to bring a lot of patience though because of the queuing at every scenery point. (Worse is the line to the Gondol.)

Be prepared that the air up there is really thin. You can buy oxygen tubes to be sure you'll make it to the top. Mom and dad stayed at 4.5 thousand and Stefan was the only one who made it to the top. Me and the children had to return at 4.6...happy anyways that we did it. 

Back home at the hotel we took as many photos as we could to remember this fantastic place: Lijiang Huifeng Resort Hotel. 

Lijiang/Suhe Day Two-Lijiang Old Town

Bokade en taxibus genom hotellet och den tig oss de 10 km till Lijiangs gamla delar av innerstaden. 

Här var det betydligt mer kommers och mer påträngande försäljare av både saker och tjänster. Inte alls samma genuina känsla som i Suhe. 

Matgatan var egentligen det enda som var bättre. Här köpte vi på oss diverse små godsaker och satte oss ute på ett litet torg och åt och drack en lokal öl. 

Fick tag på en ny taxibus som körde oss till Black dragon pond park. En oas med tempel, tehus och med blick ända till Jade dragon snow Mountain. 

Trötta i ben och fötter återvände vi hem (i en ny taxibus av den typiskt Lijianska sorten) och satt hemma på hotellets takterrass och vilade upp OS med en öl i handen innan det var dags för middag på en lokal restaurang med fiskspecialiteter. 

Lijiang/Suhe Day One-Suhe Old Town

Försenade flyg från Shanghai och Shenyang (Stefan mötte upp oss på flygplatsen för att tillbringa mittendelen av resan med oss) gjorde att det hann bli midnatt innan vi kom fram till hotellet i Suhe Old Town. Såg inte så mycket i mörkret men möttes dörför av en trevlig överraskning när vi väl kom ut dagen efter. Så här föreställde jag mig det riktiga Kina innan jag flyttade till Shenyang. Vackert, traditionellt samt med olika typer av hantverk och kokkonster. Tillbringade hela dagen (som började med duggregn och slutade i värmande sol) med att promenera runt på små gator och gränder.  

Ayinger öl hittade männen i sällskapet också till och med. Lyckan var fulländad :-)  

Shanghai Day Three and Four

Started the day with a nice stroll (and lunch) in the old French blocks of Shanghai. Such an atmosphere!!! 

As we love heights and we've already visited the highest towers in Saigon and  Kuala Lumpur we couldn't miss the one in Shanghai. Luckily on a day with almost no air pollution. 

Dinner at the place I always return to wether in Beijing or Shanghai. "Lost Heaven" is the place for fine dining/Yunnan kitchen. 

Almost forgot to mention that I had my first "ride" in a curved escalator today ;-) Didn't even know they existed...