An early start today to catch the train from Kunming station to Dali Old City. Success!! We made it despite having little idea where to alight off the bus, which platform to head for and when to get off the train. Thank goodness for helpful locals who inevitably sus us out and assist by tellng us what to do in Mandarin!
Breakfast was by the station with an array of cheap eats to be had. Security at the station is tight, with bag checks on all passengers prior to entry ...probably linked to a recent terrorist attack with perpetrators being sentenced to death just this week. The train system is clean, efficient, timely and moves millions extremely efficiently.
Not knowing the language is a handicap, but I had my first Mandarin lesson today on the train by my neighbouring passenger, a kindly woman wo insisted on teaching me the correct pronunciation for useful words. My Lonely Planet Mandarin dictionary has been a boon assisting with identifying key words and phrases written in Chinese. I could hardly believe that we actually managed a basic conversation, interspersed with much laughter.
A 6 hour train journey and a half hour bus ride brought us to the amazing Old city of Dali. We prebooked a lovely apartment at Rainbows Nest on the Hostelworld site -very convenient and efficient. It has a Foreigners street which we eagerly explored. What a breathtaking feast of artifacts, jewellery, gemstones, food, clothing etc, etc. A lot more to explore around the town over the next few days.Tang Dynasty 9th century Pagodas, Cormorant fishing, hiking in the mountains, Bai town market etc.
