It was still dawn when we arrived at Dali. Everyone's face showed weary signs from not enough sleep on the overnight train. A sweet girl dressed in local Bai ethnic costume greeted us at the train station and we immediately recognized her as our guide of the day. It was an hilarious trip in Dali. We took the Austrian-made chair-lift to the mountain-top, leaving our screams and exclamations all the way in the valley. We had used up all the vocabularies one could ever find. At last, Cangshan, the renowned white mountain, echoed with one voice: what a great view!

Leaving Dali, we are on the road to Lijiang, a legendary city northwest of Yunnan. The people of Naxi, a local ethnic group, has been developing their land of snow-clad mountains and turbulent rivers since ancient times.

After hours of zigzagging mountain driving, we arrived at a flatter highland area called Baishui terrace where the whole bus of sleepy tourists could rest our feet before we went further on in our journey. The Baishui terrace is so named due to the color of the water. Through my half-awakened eyes I saw heaven. The word, pollution, seemed never included in local people's vocabulary. I couldn't help putting my hands into the water, so clear it reflected my tiring and weary face. At a distance, all the brooks, big and small, were falling down through layers of rocks, where the yaks dressed in festive costumes stood still, and posed for pictures. The air in this xanadu wonderland refreshed my heavy mind. We were instantly connected.

While our bus continued driving on the bumpy road, a white crouching dragon gradually emerged from the heavy fog. The best month to visit Yulong Snow Mountain as we were told is December, March and May. So, I guess I will just save the holy mountain view for next time if I still get the chance to come back.

Here we arrived in the ancient town of Lijiang, a dreamland where so many poets and musicians were inspired. It was a very invigorating journey that day; our spirits kept rocketing just like the Shenzhou V space aircraft which took the first Chinese astronaut into space. My interest in the older part of the town was not affected by the occasional showers, which are very common in the area. Walking upstream in the ancient town, we were told, was the best way not to get lost.

Strolling the cozy bar houses by the street sides I felt time freeze in the frame of an old picture of Lijiang, which can only be seen on beautifully printed travel books. I immediately fell in love with this old part of the town, which was kept intact after a severe earthquake in 1996. Our lady guide, a local Naxi ethnic girl, told us it should take at least three days to have a complete view of the area. Hmmm no good, we were busy tourists after all. So as a result I bought a bunch of colorful bracelets with Dongba pictographs on it.

On the way back to Dali we saw a spectacular rainbow traversing the hundreds of miles with the snow mountain in the far background. The whole bus cheered, and the click of the cameras could be heard immediately. Again what a great view! Yes, indeed it was the most beautiful rainbow I had ever seen.

When the road became smooth, I knew we were in the city as Dali's night sky greeted us with more than the twinkle of the stars. I still cannot convince myself it wasn't pure luck. But that night as we drove through the city of Dali, fireworks were flowering in the night sky, and the whole bus cheered even louder. I was told later, they were to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the founding of the city. Well, again what a great view!

Even though I want to tell you more about the trip, which later was secretly referred to as the "what a great view" trip, our strict itinerary didn't allow me to see the complete picture of Yunnan. But through our local lady guide, the mouthwatering barbecues of the night market, and many other often-indescribable great views all woven into this short impression of Yunnan why don't you come and have a look yourself?

(CRI February 12, 2009)