Bai-Buys

(Alex)

So long Jinghong! We are now in Dali, the Bai capital of China and an amazing city. Saying 'bye to John was sad for me because I really liked him not only as a guide but as a great person (not to mention it was good talking with a guy…). Getting here wasn’t so fun though…We arrived at the airport and went through security without a hitch, but soon after getting inside, our flight was delayed an hour and a half. Not fun. After that long wait, we finally boarded our Lucky Air flight to Dali in a packed 737. The flight was short, but also very bumpy, a little too bumpy. The pilot took off and landed shaking the plane so much that even I was uncomfortable (I fly a lot). As we began descent, we hit horrible turbulence and the runway was on a cliff, so I could not see where we were. This was bad for everyone! We landed extremely rough and some poor kid behind me wasn’t feeling too hot. He grabbed his barf bag, but unfortunately he missed and blew his cookies everywhere, yuck! But on that note, Alaina was feeling sick the last few days, but she is all better now.

So after the whole plane ordeal we got off, collected our luggage, and met up with our new Bai guide Nancy. Decked out in traditional Bai clothing, Nancy is a super eccentric and awesome guide. She has very good English and knows what we all like…already. It’s a shame that we are leaving her tomorrow for Lijiang, she is super cool! She sang us a Bai song on the way to Dali and introduced us to the world around the city and the cultural life. We went straight out to lunch at a nice place in the old city and enjoyed local food such as fish (very bony), fried sweet cheese, and an awesome noodle soup. After that we began our Dali journey at the Three Pagodas, an array of Buddhist temples and famous pagodas that run up a long hill. We were there at a very key time, because the mountain range in the back was so beautiful and magnificent, that all our pictures that we took are so cool that they could be in calendars or default computer desktops. One picture I somehow managed to snap had God rays coming through the clouds over the mountain, but at the same time, the length of the ray was the same exact length of the Temple in front of it, creating a very cool picture. I was quite proud with myself, but we all took outstanding photos.

After the two-hour tour, the true fun began. We drove to the South gate of the Old City and walked the whole length and then some. We stopped in some cool shops and saw some “real” silver and learned how to spot fake jade. It was quite helpful for future bargains and I got something myself. We then were allowed to go on our own for some free time until dinner so we all split up. I went off and found some amazing Chinese Wartime and dynasty memorabilia that I was so glad I found. I ended up buying as much Chinese stuff as my mother would in a Neiman Marcus markdown sale, which was really eerie to think about!

I continued down this small street elsewhere and was approached by a random Chinese lady who asked me if I wanted to smoke some illicit drugs. I was a little shocked seeing how this was in China, and that they would ask a foreigner this, but I said no gladly and continued on. Then this gold nugget of a street vendor hit me. I went up to these two old ladies running it and asked to buy this beautiful tapestry that was the main piece of their little shop. I bargained well and left them on a good note (I will get back to this later).

Dinner time came and Nancy happily joined us. We ate at a local Bai restaurant and had food that could only be fund in this area of China. Our favorites included a fried underwater vegetable that tasted and looked like a plantain, a potato cake that was very similar to French fries, and pine tree sprouts. It was a great dinner and we all enjoyed talking to Nancy about her little boy who is entering Kindergarten and her life as a Bai woman. As we were about to leave, we all shared what we had bought in the last two hours and I pulled out my tapestry. I guess the girls liked it and wanted me to take them to the place, so of course I did. We get there and the two ladies recognize me from before and love that I brought them business! I didn’t think I was going to buy anymore, but this is where parts of my mother took over. We were all talked into buying things we never originally wanted, but were very grateful we did in the end. All of our bargaining skills kicked in tonight and they truly paid off.

Today was awesome and I really look forward to getting to Lijiang as well. Goodnight America and you will hear from us again soon!