Erhai Lake is the largest highland lake next to Dianchi and one of the seven biggest fresh water lakes in China. It means, 'sea shaped like an ear', in Chinese. Implying that the lake is ear shaped and as large as a sea, hence it was so named. The Erhai Lake covers an area of 250 square kilometers (96 square miles) and is located about two kilometers (1.2 miles) east of Dali. It is like a crescent lying between Cangshan and Dali city as seen from Cangshan Mountain. In a sunny day, the crystal waters of Erhai Lake and the snow mantled Cangshan Mount radiate with each other. Thus the scene was commonly described as 'Silver Cangshan and Jade Erhai'.
There are a lot of ways to tour around the Erhai Lake but I suggested you the best two ways.
Cycling/Sightseeing Car/Electric Bike/Electric Car - No matter which type of transportation you are using, you need 2 days to complete the tour around the lake. The total distance is 128km. My suggestion is you leave your big luggage at the hotel you stay near Dali Ancient City and you travel light to Shuanglang Village to overnight. The next day, you continue your journey back to your hotel.
Cruise Tour - If you have limited days like I do, just take a cruise tour. The ticket price starts at CNY142/pax. They have a lot of private rooms for you to choose from. There are karaoke system in the room too. Additional charges will be imposed depending on the size of the room. Otherwise, just find a seat under the sun which is free.
There are 3 piers departing from for Erhai Lake cruise. All 3 piers with different route. If you know where you wish to go, just make sure you go to the pier where I will be listed it below:
From Erhai Lake Pier (Xiaguan Pier) around 8.00am - 9.00am, visit Nanzhao Folk Island and enjoy Bai People's Three Courses of Tea and arrive at Taoyuan Pier.
From Longkan Pier around 9.00am - 10.00am, visit Longquan Peninsula or Jinsuo Island, enjoy Bai's three Courses of Tea and arrive at Taoyuan Pier around 12.30pm - 1.00pm
From Taoyuan Pier around 1.30pm - 2.00pm, visit Nanzhao Folk Island and enjoy Bai's Three Courses of Tea and arrive at Longkan Pier around 5.30 - 6.00pm.
I took the cruise from Taoyuan Pier which is just opposite road of Butterfly Spring. Our first stop was at Nanzhao Folk Island. We were given a very limited time to stop by which is only 1 hour. That's how inflexible it is if you are joining a group tour.
Before you get to the Nanzhao Castle, you will see this big Bodhisattva Kwan-yin where you can say your prayer.
This is the Nanzhao Kingdom's castle which is now a 4-star hotel. Honestly, this hotel is badly managed. What a pity! They could have maintain it well with such a historical site. It is now looks like a ghost castle more than a hotel. The worst part is the hotel is not cheap at all.
In order to know more about Dali, you need to the whole history of it but I don't worry, I won't give you the history lesson here. I believe Master Google will help you more with that. All I can give is just a brief timeline of the Dali history.
The History of Dali
In 738, the Nanzhao Kingdom was established with Dali as its capital.
In 937, the Kingdom of Dali emerged.
By 1000, Dali was one of the 13 largest cities in the world.
In 1253, the Mongols conquered the city and ended the Kingdom of Dali.
In the early 1400s, the old Dali City was rebuilt by the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644), and it still stands in a similar layout today.
Nanzhao Folk Island, also called Nanzhao Love Island, is one of the three islands in Erhai Lake. It is about five minutes from Shuanglang by cruise. Besides the hills, threes, beach, there are eight man-made sights to see - the Statues of "Mother Shayi", the Seascape Villas, the Guanyin Acuoye Statue on the Luck of Yunnan Square (Fuxing Square), the big hotel called the Nanzhao Summer Palace, the Square of the Patron Gods, a small amusement part on the beach, the Taihu Rocks and a View of Fishing Families. Travelers who visit Nanzhao Folk Island need to pay 50 Yuan and you'd better spend about 2 hours there. Since, I am joining the cruise tour, this fee has been included in.
Since there is still some time left, the cruise gave us a stopover for 30 minutes at Shuanglang Town. As I have mentioned before, if you are travelling using other transportation, it is recommended to stay a night at this town.
Shuanglang, the most scenic town around Erhai Lake, is located in the north of Dali and the northeast of Erhai Lake. For over a thousand years, the local Bai ethnic people here made their living fishing in the lake. And now the small tranquil village is popular with visitors unwinding and enjoying a slower tempo. Enjoy several hours or a peaceful night here to explore among the old alleys and traditional architecture or take a boat out on Erhai Lake or kick back and do very little.
For your information, the mountain behind this Shuanglang town is a graveyard for the locals here. It is kinda spooky if you think of it.
Another weird about this town there is a Jimsonweed tree which is also known as the Devil's Trumpet. Usually use in traditional medicine to relieve asthma symptoms and as an analgesic during surgery or bonesetting. All parts of Jimsonweed contain dangerous levels of the tropane alkaloids atropine, hyoscyamine, and scopolamine, which are classified as deliriants, or anticholinergics. The risk of fatal overdose is high among uninformed users, and many hospitalizations occur amongst recreational users who ingest the plant for its psychoactive effects
Dali is famous with a celebrity named Yang Liping. She is the director, choreographer and star of a performance art show called "Dynamic Yunnan" that has drawn sellout crowds all over China. She is currently a judge on So You Think You Can Dance China. Basically you will see her face all around Dali especially at Dali Ancient Town. And the picture above was her home and now is a hotel.
30 minutes is really not enough for us to do anything here. We didn't fully explore the entire place. It was a pity.
So I would highly recommend you to travel by yourself around the lake. You can see more things and will not miss all the tourist spots such as Little Putuo Island, Jinsuo Island, Luoquan Peninsula, Erhai Park, Xizhou Ancient Town and Zhoucheng.
The only advantage I can think of for taking the cruise tour is able to see the performance of Ba's Three Courses of Tea. While you were watching their dance performance, you will be served 3 cups of tea by the Bai's tribe. The teas are salty, bitter and sweet. I have editing some of their performance in the video clip below. Do enjoy.
After the show, you can take picture with the dancers there and also watching the seagulls following the cruise all the way to the Longkan pier. It was an amazing sight which I have captured them and included in this post below.
Overall, the Erhai Lake is awesome. However, the best way to enjoy this lake is not via cruise tour. You have to travel all by yourself. So if you have more people in your trip, it will be more fun!
I told my girl and my sister that today onward I will try to blog more on hawker foods. The reason is they said the food that I blog so far is nice to see but too expensive to eat. So to suit my supporters need, here I start with a simple char siew rice. The restaurant name is called Ka Ka Loi (cantonese) which means "come everybody". The restaurant is located beside Jalan Peel. It is quite easy to be located because a lot of cars parking by the road side. Rice made from pork oil to cook to increase the fragrance. Char Siew - RM13.00 Outlook: 4/5 Creativity: 4/5 Taste: 4/5 Price: 4/5 Overall: 4/5 - This is their must order dish. The picture above is suitable for 3 person to dine. As you can see from the picture, there is 50% of the char siew are fatty meat. If you like the fatty meat, you can always request for more fatty meat. For me, I rather choose without any fat due to health concern. The reason for this char siew to be so nice is not just because they ar...
I have been always wanted to get hold of a real gun and shoot like James Bond, Neo in Matrix and Max Payne. I have invited my buddy, Suyin who is very interested in it as well to accompany me. Thanks to ILoveDiscounts , this dream is no longer a dream and it is made possible and affordable to everyone. The link of the deal as follows: RM105 for a handgun experience + 25 Rounds of Ammo Before we attend, we are required to submit our passport photo, photocopy of our IC and filling up their Vetting form. The documents are required for a background check to eliminate those who has criminal record especially related to gun. 14 working days are required to run the check. After that, it is compulsory to attend their briefing which is lasting at most 2 hours to learn and understand the safety rules. At the same time, to learn the basic techniques in shooting. Since this is a real gun and it is not a gun we are playing in a fun fair, we must adhere to their strict rules not just for prot...
Not really much entertainment in Sandakan even though they are just beside the sea. No nice beach for water activities and the nearest island like Pulau Selingan and Turtle Island are about 90 minutes away. As for the town itself, basically is this bowling centre called Champ's which has a very nice and good condition bowling alley, bowling shoes and bowling bowls if to compare with bowling centres like in KL. Not very big at all for their bowling centre which only has 12 lanes. Their shoes look so new! Here is a demonstration on how to bowl. Looks pro...I wonder how is the end result. So what do guys think? Is it a strike? They have a lounge here as well. And a cafe too! The price of the bowling is cost at RM4.80 per game per pax. We went at their most peak hours so their price basically has not much different than our KL City price. As for the bowling shoes is chargeable at RM2.00 per pax. FYI, the prices not inclusive government ta...
I used to whine that Japanese cuisine in Johor Bahru is horrifying and disappointing until I meet Warakuya Japanese Garden at Mount Austin. From the exterior itself, this restaurant looks so grand and luxury. The first thing comes to my mind is the price will be hefty. However, when I saw the queue in front of the restaurant, I already doubt their price is going to be really expensive. I know people just loves good food but at the minimum price. Who doesn't anyway? One of the best part of the restaurant is they are providing 42" LCD TV, free flow of drinks and seating area for the queue. You will never know time flies when you are having those things at the waiting area. Something that Sushi Zanmai needs to consider. Mango Sushi @RM11.90++ Outlook: 5/5 Creativity: 5/5 Taste: 5/5 Price: 4/5 Overall: 4/5 - The moment I put the whole piece into my mouth, the sweetness of the mango already started to pamper my tongue. Once the biting started, the sweet taste is ge...
What will people think first when we talk about Penang? Penang Hill? Batu Feringghi? Hard Rock Cafe? I doubt any of them come first but their local food! Penang famous with their local foods and that is the reason there are a lot of hawker center at Penang. One of them is at Jalan MacAlister. No name for this hawker center but the local good foods are concentrated here. A lot of hawker stall like this here. There are just too many to choose from. Prawn Mee @RM5.00 Outlook: 3/5 Creativity: 3/5 Taste: 3/5 Price: 2/5 Overall: 2/5 - As I mentioned in my previous post at Raodifang, I just hate to eat a prawn mee with small prawns in it. Loh Mee @RM5.00 Outlook: 3/5 Creativity: 3/5 Taste: 2/5 Price: 2/5 Overall: 2/5 - Nothing special for an expensive small portion. Carrot Cake in chinese style @RM6.00 Outlook: 3/5 Creativity: 4/5 Taste: 4/5 Price: 3/5 Overall: 3/5 - We ordered two plates and one plate is very delicious and fragrant but another one is too s...
Have you ever stay in a Durian Farm before? No? At Bao Sheng Durian Farm, you can do it! This 6.7 acres durian farm has been established in Balik Pulau since 1959. It really took them full 60 years to get the fruit of their hard work. Their villa is well equipped with air-con, hot shower and LCD TV with hundreds of Blu-Ray quality movies in it! They have existing queen size or king size bed and extra bed can be requested. To get close and personal with the King of Fruit...the accommodation charges will be Deluxe Villa is charged at RM280/night and standard villa will cost you RM180/night. They only have 1 Deluxe Villa and 2 Standard Villa only. So it is very easy to be fully booked during the durian season. Advance booking is greatly recommended for at least 3 months ahead so that you will be able to choose the right schedule for the durian you wish to taste. Why stay in a durian farm? This is what you see when you open the window with all the durian trees around you. The fre...
After hiking at the Niah Cave, all I want is to have a bowl of ABC. As usual, my Elayne jie has prepared this for me as well which is at the famous Sin Wan Delight Rojak & Cold Drinks Centre. It is really very thoughtful of her. True mother to be! :) Kacang Cendol @RM3.00 Outlook: 4/5 Creativity: 3/5 Taste: 4/5 Price: 2/5 Overall: 3/5 - Really delicious milky cendol dessert. The moment I am trying to get my angle right, the ice has been melted like this. So you can imagine the ice is very smooth. However, I find it the price is a bit too high. Usually a bowl of cendol like this shouldn't cost more than RM2.00. Sotong Kangkung @RM8.00 Outlook: 4/5 Creativity: 4/5 Taste: 4/5 Price: 3/5 Overall: 3/5 - You have to give the full credit to the rojak sauce. The rojak sauce is the black color of top of it which is the essence of the whole dish here. Very delicious and the sotong and kangkung is well made. It is most likely they soaked in a boiling water to retai...
It is FEBRUARY!!! When it is February, most of us will know that it is the only month with 28 days, some older people will just think of Chinese New Year but for the love birds, they will only have Valentines' Day in their mind. This day is men's nightmare because they need to think where to spend and how much to spend as well. As for the ladies, it is one of their most desirable date ever throughout the year to expect how their men are going to surprise them. I have taken more than 2 years to survey for the best restaurants to be compiled in this list. It is done more than 100 restaurants around Klang Valley. I will be truly glad if I able to solve some men's challenges in celebrating their Valentine's Day. I do hope others will enjoy this post as well too. I will briefly share with you how do I judge these restaurants and how their score is calculated. So that you will know I am not doing some blind marking system here. The scores will be divided into 6 cate...
The first time I had my first black pepper Bak Kut Teh was at Sandakan. I never know there is one at Kuala Lumpur. I got to know it from Axian from his TV Programme, "Taste with Jason". The name of the restaurant is Kedai Makan Sek Me Choy. Even they have a space of three shop lots, their seats are still fully occupied. In the past, they were doing mining business. This is their old mining machine which they still keep it very well. Vegetable Rice @RM2.00 - You should try their vegetable which is very tasty. It is just cost RM1.00 more than their normal white rice. Black Pepper Bak Kut Teh Claypot @RM44.00 + Bean Curd @RM3.00 + YouTiao (small)@RM4.00 Outlook: 4/5 Creativity: 5/5 Taste: 4/5 Price: 2/5 Overall: 3/5 - This is their signature dish which is catered for four. A very different from the common herbal type of Bak Kut Teh. You will taste a very rich black pepper fragrance in this soup. Very delicious. Yes, I have to admit it is a little spicy bu...
Lijiang Old Town is a big ancient town and Shuhe Ancient Town which is a smaller version of it is located at 4km to the northwest of the Lijiang Old Town, at the foot of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, lies a compact village hidden in the forest, the Shuhe Ancient Town. UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) has listed it as an important component of Lijiang as it is a well-preserved example of a town along the ancient tea route and one of the earliest settlements of the ancestors of Naxi people. It is called 'the hometown of springs'.. To get to here: Daily shuttle buses depart from Lijiang Ancient City to Shuhe Ancient Town, a great convenience for travelers. Visitor also can take a taxi there, which takes about 20 minutes, or they can bike, which takes about 1.5 hours. Take bus 11 to Shuhe Lukou station. Take bus 6 to Shuhe Shangcun Wenmingcun station. *NOTE*: If you entering from the main entrance, there is an entrance fee of CNY...
Comments
Post a Comment