Lijiang-gajang

The old town of Lijiang is even more beautiful than Dali. And even more touristy. There's not a single store lining the tiny cobbled alleys and canals which isn't a guesthouse, a cafe or a souvenier stall. Then there's the relentless march of be-hatted tour groups led by their strident-voiced flag-wielding generalissimos which choke the streets to capacity. I can't even begin to imagine what it was like during the May public holiday a couple of weeks ago, Golden Week as they call it here, which I can only assume refers to the vast amounts of cash raked in by China's tacky souvenier industry.

I guess the locals have made their year's worth of profit, judging by the atitude of the local cafe waitresses which ranges from utter disinterest to extreme surliness. After being chased out of a couple of places by truculent serving staff we found the Sakura - an awesome riverside cafe that served Korean food and the best bread in China (trust me, good bread is a rare and prized commodity here). We've so far eaten 6 meals here out of our 7 in Lijiang and are about to head back for lunch...



We also caught a performance of the Naxi orchestra. These are a great group of local musicians who play Chinese music from a number of ancient dynasties as well as traditional Naxi music. Kublai Khan was the patron of the first Naxi orchestra and apparently the music has remained unchanged for over 700 years, recently being revived after being disbanded during the cultural revolution. Most of the musicians had to bury their instruments to stop them from benig destroyed by the communists. These guys are ancient, apparently one or two die off every year, but they are so cute! Amazing musicians too.