First stop Dali

After about twenty or so hours of flight, I finally arrived in Yunan, China, where a cloud of cigarette smoke greeted me at the door of its domain. Many, if not all, people smoke, and although it has been hard to deal with, the rest of Yunan makes up for this... problem. As you can tell from the first picture, Dali, Yunan is a city full of Chinese culture, but that is only one of many minority-focused area in Yunan. Old Town, as the locals call it, is a Bai ( Bai minority group) influenced tourist hotspot. There are tons of shops all built in that sort of a style, carrying within every little or big piece that is part of who the locals are. I purchased about five beautifully made scarves... all of which I don't really know when I'm going to wear seeing that I'll be heading to San Diego in the Fall.
My cousins also accompanied me to "The Pearl." It is basically a cafe/ restaurant situated on top of a big hill or small mountain with steps leading up to the top. I think it's really great spot because you can view the city from all directions, for it is circular at the very top. You can't tell from the picture I have up, but the view from top down is much like that of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France. Little kids were swimming in the rectangular pool that day because it was bloody hot.
Since I don't have many chances of blogging, I've compacted many trips into one post. The last picture was taken in the International Conference Center which is built right by the waters, aka Er Hai. It was so much fun in that building...while important Communist Leaders were in deep discussions about the world or whatever they talk about, my little cousin and I snuck into the conference room next door and ran around.