Lijiang & Jade Dragon Snow Mountain Continues.....
What do you do when you wake up at 6am on a Sunday Morning eager to go for a ride when, as you step out of your house in full cycling gear, it started to rain? The Law of Attraction tells us to keep a positive mind and think sunny skies….. That was like 2 hrs ago, it is still bloody raining & I am still in full cycling gear. FML.
While waiting for me family to wake up from their great slumber, I am bored to death. I picture myself having breakfast at the Spring (shopping mall in Kuching) as soon as they wake up. Dragging myself window shopping would definitely be my only form of exercise for the day. Such is the weekend life when one is staying in sleepy Kuching (especially when it rains). Let’s escape back to Suhe Old town in Lijiang where life is simple and carefree.
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| An alley leading to Lijiang Palace |
My encounter with Suhe Old town that summer afternoon was a rather pleasant one. Earlier in the day we visited the Lijiang Palace. To get to the palace it was a long walk from the road side through a maze of back alleys.
Shops with profound names littered the narrow alleys. The best of which, and I love this one…. “Wait For Self’s Lover In The Night”. Profound or what? Well, where does your mind takes you?
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| Profound Signages |
We had to climb up a steep hill. Nestled on top lies a temple with a majestic view of Lijiang. Grey roof tops stretched to the horizon which was surrounded by a mountain range encircling the town. It was a natural wall which fortified the town in ancient times.
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| View of Lijiang from the hill top temple |
After the palace visit we were mostly exhausted especially from the climb and so we were looking for a place to chill out & have lunch. We found our Utopia in Suhe Old Town. A cozy outdoor restaurant next to the “water supply system” (frankly, I would call it a D-R-A-I-N) was a welcoming beacon nevertheless.
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| Horse Cart Ride through Suhe Old Town |
To reach this Utopia, we had a horse-cart ride…. or was it, cart before the horse. Errrr… I stand corrected; it is still possible to put the cart before the horse. I guess that in itself is another story (….if you are still following me, great. If not, never mind).
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| View from Horse Cart Ride |
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Chow-Chows which I met along the way; Love them!
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| Le Petit Paris |
We had of all things, western food for lunch at Le Petit Paris in Suhe Old Town. Another establishment with another cranky name. The food was good but the Chinese beer was better.
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| Le Petit Paris |
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| Tsingtao Beer : Taste better in China |
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| Ham sandwich |
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| Onion Soup |
Above all, the tranquil environment was just perfect. Imagine this, it was a sunny afternoon, sun was overhead and yet it was cooling, having western for lunch, outdoors next to a “stream” (I said imagine OK), with live music soothingly blending into the calm of the midday siesta. With your eyes closed, it is not difficult to imagine that you are in a European country. Well, ya…. except that the soothing music was in mandarin and not forgetting the alcohol which helped with the translation.
I can hear footsteps of people getting out of bed. Back to reality folks. Cheers mate! Ta!
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