Lijiang

I left Dali yesterday as the weather warmed up and the skies cleared. It was a nice three hour ride on a smoke-free bus (40 RMB) to Lijiang. I had some great views on the way here. The air feels very dry up here. Lijiang is another UNESCO World Heritage Site. This city was rocked by an earthquake in 1996 and a lot of the old architecture stood up better than the new buildings. The main attraction here is the old town, a maze of narrow alleys and running streams that weave up and down the hillside. There are a lot of old women and men dressed up in traditional costumes of the Naxi, the local ethnic group here. There is also an awesome mountain within view: Jade Dragon Snow Mountain or Yulong Xueshan.
At night, the town is lit up as a lot of the buildings have lights set up under their eaves. It's beautiful. Tomorrow I am headed to Tiger Leaping Gorge for a few days to hike on a trail.