Adventures in the Mainland

This past weekend John and I went to Lijiang in Yunnan Province. Lijiang is one of several gateways for hiking and exploring the natural beauty of southwest China. It's incredibly charming, but absolutely overrun with Chinese tourists -- so many in fact, that it felt more like an attraction at Disney World than a historic city. Still, the city's old town (largely rebuilt after an earthquake), with its stone roads, winding streams and red lanterns can be seductive, provided you can overlook the extreme crowds, the ubiquitous and slightly revolting smell of roasted yak meat and the absolute bizarreness that is Mainland China. 

You wouldn't believe the nightlife this place has. Bar after bar with live entertaining and hooting and hollering Chinese, pounding their fists on the table and singing along to the songs. It was as overwhelming as it was bizarre!