Mandarin Course

“Li Jiang: Ancient Land of Dongba and Naxi” Chiapoe’s photos around Lijiang, China (travel pics)

Preview of Chiapoe’s blog at TravelPod. Read the full blog here: www.travelpod.com This blog preview was made by TravelPod using the TripAdvisor™ TripWow slideshow creator. Entry from: Lijiang, China Entry Title: “Li Jiang: Ancient Land of Dongba and Naxi” Entry: “Li Jiang, Yunnan, China November 8-10, 2008 Difficulty in Finding a Hostel in an Old World Town My first overnight bus journey in China brought me in the morning of Nov 8 to the town of Li Jiang, NW of Kun Ming in Yunnan province. Li Jiang is in the land of the Naxi (Na-shee) people and is now comprised of a modern town and Da Yan (the ancient town where I spent my time). Reminding me a lot of the Zagori villages in Northern Greece, rebuilt Da Yan (much was sacked in an earthquake in 1996) retains its medieval charm and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The entire city is made mostly of stone, with the typical Chinese pagoda roof design and has flowing c****s everywhere. Watching over the city like a hawk is the mighty glacier-capped Jade Dragon Mountain (Yu Long Mountain), which is the southernmost glacier in the Northern hemisphere. The highest peak, Shanzidou, stands at 5600m (18400ft) and has only been scaled once because of the high technical difficulty and the avalanche danger of the peak. The backside of the mountain provides one side of the Tiger Leaping Gorge, which I would later hike through. I stayed at the Intl Youth Hostel, which was a place I was looking for and took eons to find in my bleary-eyed …