Flashback to Lijiang: The Misses

To balance out my last post about all the things we loved about Lijiang, I wanted to share some of the disappointments and a few of our screw ups as well. This is a normal part of travel, of course. But hopefully our "oops" moments will help others make better decisions. So here are a few things that didn't go exactly as planned...

1. I didn't bring waterproof pants
   
   Although I had brought my Goretex jacket with me, I didn't think I'd need waterproof pants, so I left them at home. This was definitely unwise. I got pretty wet our first day and half in Lijiang. But a quick visit to a camping store just outside the Old Town made me a happy traveler again. I found a pair of waterproof, fleece-lined pants that were (and still are) so cozy! And for once in my life, the length of the pants were perfect right off the rack! Ha! Gotta love China.


2. The Baisha Murals were a disappointment
   
   This is one of the few places in China where we saw something that was genuinely old and untouched, which was refreshing. But it was also run down and really badly lit. In my opinion, it wasn't worth the price of admission.
   
   The murals themselves were larger and taller than I was expecting, but the lack of lighting made them very hard to see and appreciate. Especially since the better preserved sections were near the top where it is darkest. They were also in buildings that were not climate controlled and whose doors were always open. Surely all the exposure to the damp, cold weather is accelerating the deterioration of these murals? I don't know why photography is prohibited when the climate is probably doing more damage, but there you have it.
   
   In any case, it was sad to see works of art neglected like this. Especially because just a fraction of the money being poured into expanding Lijiang Old Town could really preserve and showcase these murals beautifully. I really hope something is done before it's too late!


3. We paid the Old Town entrance fee twice. Doh!
   
   We had been warned about this when we checked into our hotel. But since we didn't have to show the receipt after our first foray into the new parts of town, I (stupidly) just stopped carrying the slips of paper around. Mistaaaake! This rule is not uniformly enforced so we got lucky a few times, but it eventually ran out, and we were dinged on our return from Baisha.


4. Some things look really good, but taste terrible
Sticky rice boat with dates and almonds
Everywhere we turned in Lijiang, street vendors were selling delicious looking treats that we just had to try. Most of it was actually really good, but there were a few horrible ones. Or perhaps I should be PC and say they were just not to our taste?

There were one or two items in particular that we (very sheepishly) tossed the moment we were out of sight of the vendor. I felt really bad about doing that, but not as bad as I would have felt actually finishing the thing! :)

The funny thing is that the Chinese tourists seemed to love these treats! I'm wondering if perhaps my taste buds are just incapable of appreciating subtle flavours after decades of spicy Indian food? Anyway, this was the worst offender in my mind. I mean look at it? How could we have resisted something that looked this cute? It looked even more appetizing when there was an entire tray full of little boats all lined up perfectly!