>Chengdu to Lijiang, Yunnan Province

The flight into Lijiang was uneventful until the landing. A bit of rough weather, combined with the mountainous landscape, made for an exciting approach to the high valley runway in a village near Lijiang. We took a public bus into town, then had a bit of trouble trying to get the taxi driver to take us to the old town. I still don't understand why.

Our hotel was in the center of the huge, car-free old town of Lijiang (called Dayan), which is home to the Naxi ethnic minority. It was completely rebuilt following the devestating 1996 earthquake. There were some foreign tourists, but far more Chinese tourists - and many of our Chinese friends and colleagues had visited. It's apparently a popular destination for honeymoons (and second honeymoons??)