Baisha Village Loop

Our first ride was designed to adjust the rental bikes and adapt a bit to the high elevation (2400 m), so we just toured a couple of places, including the Naxi village, Baisha (meaning ¨white salt¨),  on a 45-km loop from/to Lijiang. The route allowed us to enjoy the back roads and dramatic scenery of the Tea and Horse Ancient Road, as well as to learn about the rich history of the region, the pictographic Naxi language and the Mu family, who's influence in Lijiang dates back centuries.


Our “group tour” consisted of us and another couple, Lori and Jacques, more or less the same age, from Saas Fe, Switzerland. They run a small hotel there. Our guide was a 28-year-old woman from Kunming, “Cathy”, who also recently opened up a guest house with her husband in Tengcheng, SW of Dali, 60 km from the Burmese border (another place to visit some day). This was one of the smaller groups doing this tour – once they had 7 guides and 45 people, which must have been a real hassle for everyone. In any case, our little entourage, together with the mechanic and driver, and including all bikes and luggage could (barely) fit into one small mini-bus (this photo from the inauspicious start of our ride the following day).