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| Grand South Gate at Dali Ancient City |
Bing brought us on a new highway a shorter and lesser traffic road which was still not on google maps. I doubt it will ever be on google map since they have stopped updating for a while now. Local nagivation in China uses AMAP but one must know how to read in chinese so almost useless to us without the guide. Naturally the big bike ahead of us not knowing this info went on the old main highway still on google map.
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| The Moped Gang |
At the first rest area where we stop for water break and toilet break, I could see a bunch of police setting up booth and banners. Going back to the bike from the main building, I was flanked by the police like a sheep slowly herded into the pen.
They cornered me slowly and a friendly face with a bag of brochures started rattling off the campaign they were organizing at this rest stop. I could not get any word in for a good 20 seconds and when I finally do .. it was ... I do not speak chinese very well.
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| Highway Rest Stop between Kunming & Dali |
Their campaign was, safe driving/riding campaign for the month .... “internal facepalm” .... so I was slowly brief in mandarin, mimed carefully so I could understand that the speed limit was 80 for bike, or maybe it was it is safer to ride at 80km/hr for bikes at the right most lane.
I held myself back from asking about the speed limit sign of 120km/hr which I saw along the way ... nodded my head like a good citizen or tourist. Listen on while he told me to turn sideways and smile for the camera while internally panicking on how to run away from this awkward situation.
Then came the question, do I have a pillon riding with me? No ... I do not have a pillion riding with me was my answer and immediately choose that time to excuse myself speaking faster with my most fluent mandarin that we need to go to reach Dali and Li Jiang before nightfall. I did not give the officer time to ask another question, fearing if we had broke any law without knowing. Best to leave while still having the mindset that we were all good.
We tried to make a quick dash to Dali, but small bike are still small bike; so after many petrol and rest stops, we reached Dali around 2pm. The big bikes had all already arrived, ordered and finished their lunch. So we had ours ... and with me an Bing doing translation it was more interactive with the local halal restaurant owner. They asked us so many question that they could not ask the big bike group, since all they could do was point at the picture and ask for the food.
Finished lunch late afternoon and the gang asked if there was a prayer room they could borrow at the restaurant. The lady explained that they could go to the mosque down the street. Another bonus of travelling with Bing and me was, we could translate ... so the big boys missed out going to a ancient mosque at the ancient city of Dali to do their prayers.
Our gang decided it was worth arriving Li Jiang late for the experience. The three mopeds went into Dali ancient city with me and Bing to find the mosque and once there I headed out to explore Dali for an hour while Bing stayed by the bikes to make some work calls.
It was the most fruitful detour in the trip that I could attune with.
I had a glimpse of Dali Ancient city and it was beautiful despite the fact that all the old building has been modernized to take in the mass hoard of local tourist flocking the city everywhere.
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| Road Safety Campaign at Highway Rest Stop |
Then came the question, do I have a pillon riding with me? No ... I do not have a pillion riding with me was my answer and immediately choose that time to excuse myself speaking faster with my most fluent mandarin that we need to go to reach Dali and Li Jiang before nightfall. I did not give the officer time to ask another question, fearing if we had broke any law without knowing. Best to leave while still having the mindset that we were all good.
We tried to make a quick dash to Dali, but small bike are still small bike; so after many petrol and rest stops, we reached Dali around 2pm. The big bikes had all already arrived, ordered and finished their lunch. So we had ours ... and with me an Bing doing translation it was more interactive with the local halal restaurant owner. They asked us so many question that they could not ask the big bike group, since all they could do was point at the picture and ask for the food.
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| Lunch at Dali Ancient City |
Finished lunch late afternoon and the gang asked if there was a prayer room they could borrow at the restaurant. The lady explained that they could go to the mosque down the street. Another bonus of travelling with Bing and me was, we could translate ... so the big boys missed out going to a ancient mosque at the ancient city of Dali to do their prayers.
Our gang decided it was worth arriving Li Jiang late for the experience. The three mopeds went into Dali ancient city with me and Bing to find the mosque and once there I headed out to explore Dali for an hour while Bing stayed by the bikes to make some work calls.
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| Entrance to Mosque inside Dali Ancient City |
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| Old Mosque inside Dali Ancient City |
It was the most fruitful detour in the trip that I could attune with.
I had a glimpse of Dali Ancient city and it was beautiful despite the fact that all the old building has been modernized to take in the mass hoard of local tourist flocking the city everywhere.
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| The Red Dragon Well of Dali |
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| Local Tourist Dressing up in Ethnic Costume with Photographer |
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| So many Tea House Shop in Dali Ancient City |
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| Stream passing through Dali Ancient City |
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| More Local Tourist with Dali monuments |
Tourist tourist everywhere is not an exaggeration espescially when all the tourist are 90% from China. Souviner shops is lined up everywhere and professional photographers and make up artist line the streets to make the tourist beautifual like a minority tribe in China for photoshoot. A little taste, for now I know what to expect when exploring China in future.
Traveled on: Jun 2023
Traveled on: Jun 2023
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