In the morning, I watched the 60th anniversary of "New" China on the CCTV website. The live pictures streamed onto my laptop of the ethnic minority floats of Yunnan province and Tibet. By the afternoon, I was on my way to Shenzhen to catch a plane to Kunming.
We arrived late in Kunming and stayed overnight before catching a bus to Dulong in the Nu Autonomous County. The area is 4,506 square kilometres and 882 kilometres away from Kunming. It is the start of our journey along the Nujiang river and the magnificent bends between the gorges that flows in a southerly direction before turning westwards over 300m where it meets the Dala nountains.
After two nights we make towards Liuku and then Gongshan and enjoy an excellent meal with Yunnan fruit wine. I purchased a helium balloon to carry with me on our hike to Dimaluo in the morning. The high street is decorated with lanterns and flag bunting. Someone lets off a boot load of fireworks, which we enjoy on our after dinner stroll. Some make it to a Tibetan KTV whilst most of us, take the early night.
The road to Dimaluo is under construction. Some locals are waiting by the roadside as we read this, hoping that time will move quicker than they. It's fairly safe walking, although the landslides and road works do present issues for the workmen.
Aluo's place is a wooden construction, typical of the valley. The guide himself was out guiding travellers, so we were met by his wife, her sisters and grandmother, who at 62 was doing well. The guesthouse is a Christian home as missionaries settled in the area since at least 200 years. The atmosphere is rural and calm, conditions here are hard, especially in the winter when snow falls several feet. All of the 5 children were born without nurses or doctors and today the women sleep above the kitchen in one room under 5 heavy blankets.
The circular hike up the mountain is spectacular as we climb above the river into the autumn mist and pine trees. We pass donkeys and villagers before making it to the quiet little church at the top of the mountain. The water pipes are broken and need fixing. The summer flowers are still in bloom - gorgeous dahlias and untidy hedgerows. Soon after we return to Alou's place to celebrate a birthday and to drink the special home made wine.
The following day we begin teh 23 km hike to Binjonluo in Gongshan county. We send our packs ahead and reach our lunchtime spot slowly. However the views are spectacular. Onwars across a bracken filled moor and then the mountain side trail along the river towards to first of two bridges. The weather changes from mild to warm. We eat autumn fruits that are like seedy mangoes, picked as we rest in the alpine forests. Lots of yellow butterflies and red and brown birds flutter busily on the way. This mountainside is loved by the Nu people, who can speak in Tibetan, Nu and Mandarin. They have protected the trails, added pine seats and carved ladders out of boles.
Finally we reach the final bridge and then scramble across slippery rocks to the beach. Our stay is pleasant and entertaining. Our guesthouse is next to the local seconandary boarding school and there are many local handicrafts. Some try the local goat hotpot.
We return to Liuku and then catch the bus to Dali. I enjoyed the amazing atmosphere of this cool town. The back packers haven is rapidly rising in merits with fancy hotels, river cruises and beautiful modern developments. In my opinion, this has to be one of the most interesting towns in Southern China and certainly a fantastic place for families and multicultural communities. We finished the trip buying books, handicrafts and drinking crysthanthemum tea with Jim in his Peace Cafe.
