Whilst the consumption of duck will remain one of my abiding memories from Dali, the main attraction of this place is actually the lake. The accepted way of seeing the lake is by pedal power and there are a number of shops that will hire you cycles. These range in standard from borderline ridable to a sack of metal pieces that on close inspection vaguely resemble bits of something that used to be a bike. Being 6'4'' in a region of the world where the average height is around waste-level has meant that hiring bikes over the course of most of this trip has been problematic. I was surprised to find, therefore, that Dali proved the exception. Whilst I would not have trusted the mountain-bike I ended up with to carry me anywhere actually off-road it was at least the right size, the wheels went round in the right direction and the brakes and gears worked. This represented something of a successful find when compared with previous experience and thus boded well for an excellent day...
..and an excellent day it was. The large group that started cycling together soon fractionated, and Steve, Ken, Trish and myself, having found our way through the narrow, winding streets of the old town to the ferry terminal decided to cross the lake to the less populated, more picturesque eastern shore. The lake crossing cost yet another ridiculous 130 yuan for the round trip (half an hour, two stops). However, after making as sure as we could that it was ok within this price to get off and cycle the far bank before continuing the tour we somewhat reluctantly coughed up and climbed aboard.
The ferry crossing was pleasant and mercifully uneventful and so it was with some dismay that we disembarked at our first stop to find that in order the leave the dock there was a further charge and two 'heavies' (in as much as anyone in China is heavy) standing at the gate to enforce payment. This highway-robbery-like practice of hidden charging once a tourist has come too far to back out is apparently becoming common practice in China, but having paid such an extortionate amount for the ferry crossing this was too outrageous to accept. It was thus that Steve and I entered into our first Chinese altercation. Whilst being 6'4'' and 14 stone is a distinct disadvantage when trying to hire a bike around here it is something of the opposite when dealing with Chinese 'heavies' whose combined weight was probably less than mine. So it was that, perhaps wrongly, but with an undeniable feeling of self ritcheousness we barged through the gate and avoided paying the extra 10 yuan (70 pence). It's the principle, you understand :) Trish and Ken, being far more polite, coughed up the extra wonga to join us for the ride.
The ride northwards along the eastern shore of the lake followed an undulating half finished road. The views across the lake from the high points of the road were spectacular. The lower sections provided us with wonderful lake-shore scenes as we passed through picturesque villages with fishing nets laid out on the road-side drying the small catches of the day and the fishermen went about their business. For perhaps the first time since leaving Tibet this truly felt like rural China up-close-and-personal, which made a very pleasant change from seeing it through the window of a speeding truck. After about 2 hours of cycling we stopped in a ramshackle cafe on the lake-shore and had a lunch fit for an emperor or six. A slight miscommunication on the ordering front resulted in somewhat more food than was strictly necessary, but as the whole thing cost around 20 Yuan (1.50UKP) each it didn't really matter. So it was that, thoroughly sated and somewhat less energetic, we set off on the 10 mile ride back to the ferry and, accompanied by petulant looks from our abused hosts our return to the far shore. Another grand day.
..and an excellent day it was. The large group that started cycling together soon fractionated, and Steve, Ken, Trish and myself, having found our way through the narrow, winding streets of the old town to the ferry terminal decided to cross the lake to the less populated, more picturesque eastern shore. The lake crossing cost yet another ridiculous 130 yuan for the round trip (half an hour, two stops). However, after making as sure as we could that it was ok within this price to get off and cycle the far bank before continuing the tour we somewhat reluctantly coughed up and climbed aboard.
The ferry crossing was pleasant and mercifully uneventful and so it was with some dismay that we disembarked at our first stop to find that in order the leave the dock there was a further charge and two 'heavies' (in as much as anyone in China is heavy) standing at the gate to enforce payment. This highway-robbery-like practice of hidden charging once a tourist has come too far to back out is apparently becoming common practice in China, but having paid such an extortionate amount for the ferry crossing this was too outrageous to accept. It was thus that Steve and I entered into our first Chinese altercation. Whilst being 6'4'' and 14 stone is a distinct disadvantage when trying to hire a bike around here it is something of the opposite when dealing with Chinese 'heavies' whose combined weight was probably less than mine. So it was that, perhaps wrongly, but with an undeniable feeling of self ritcheousness we barged through the gate and avoided paying the extra 10 yuan (70 pence). It's the principle, you understand :) Trish and Ken, being far more polite, coughed up the extra wonga to join us for the ride.
The ride northwards along the eastern shore of the lake followed an undulating half finished road. The views across the lake from the high points of the road were spectacular. The lower sections provided us with wonderful lake-shore scenes as we passed through picturesque villages with fishing nets laid out on the road-side drying the small catches of the day and the fishermen went about their business. For perhaps the first time since leaving Tibet this truly felt like rural China up-close-and-personal, which made a very pleasant change from seeing it through the window of a speeding truck. After about 2 hours of cycling we stopped in a ramshackle cafe on the lake-shore and had a lunch fit for an emperor or six. A slight miscommunication on the ordering front resulted in somewhat more food than was strictly necessary, but as the whole thing cost around 20 Yuan (1.50UKP) each it didn't really matter. So it was that, thoroughly sated and somewhat less energetic, we set off on the 10 mile ride back to the ferry and, accompanied by petulant looks from our abused hosts our return to the far shore. Another grand day.
posted by Al at 9:14 pm
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