Shaxi to Er Yuan Hot Springs

Today, we left the idyll of the car-free Shaxi old town to take the main road 214 towards Dali. It was a 60-km ride with lots of noise, dust, coal smoke, bad smells, and continuous near accidents.

After coming down from the only pass of the day at roughly 2400 m, we saw people selling pheasants and potted plants, then entered a farming area with many tobacco fields, where we had our morning tea break.

The only redeeming quality of this town (still at 1900 m) is the hot springs at our hotel, so we got to soak and nap by the pool. Apparently this is the only attraction that brings locals from Dali to visit on the weekends. We resisted the urge to buy Chinese-style swimsuits.

Once again, the cleanest (and very friendly) restaurant in town is Muslim, so we had both lunch and dinner there.

...and then we continued the party back at the hotel. However, local Chinese government dignitaries definitely outdid us: They partied in the pool until about 3 am, making our poolside accommodations much less attractive then they had appeared when we checked in. Fortunately, the last day of riding the following day was a breeze.