Visiting Dali Again This Summer

🔧📸 Images tweaked with Magic Image — resize, watermark, blur, convert. Nothing fancy, but it works.

I visited Dali(Dali City, Yunnan Province, China) once in early January this year. The weather was perfect—sunny skies all around—and the scenery was absolutely stunning! So, I decided to come back again in early June.

I spent the first two days in Shangri-La, and today I slept in as usual. After eating and wandering around, I bought a cup of butter tea at Dukezong Old Town in the afternoon (the same shop I visited in 2024—it’s really delicious! When it comes to butter tea, always go for the salty version. The sweet one tastes quite odd). Then I took a taxi to Shangri-La train station and set off for Dali.

Since it wasn’t a holiday or festival season, there weren’t many people around, which was great. There were still over 30 minutes before departure.

Let me find a seat first.

We boarded the train quickly. It was the same type of train as the one I took from Lijiang to Shangri-La a couple of days ago. On the way, they were still promoting Shanghai Snow Cream. But this time, with fancy packaging, the price had increased tenfold.

Even so, it was still cheap. But the texture of the cream was quite thin, and I personally didn’t like it, so I didn’t buy any. When you’re traveling, you really don’t want to carry too much stuff.

I saw another double-decker train across the way—pretty cool. I had said I wanted to ride one of those, but forgot again. Maybe next time.

As usual, I fell asleep as soon as the train started. At one point, the announcement woke me up—some passenger was experiencing symptoms and they were looking for medical personnel. Three ladies sitting next to me all went over, one of whom had some medication. She seemed to be using it for herself rather than being a medical professional. Fortunately, the passenger turned out to be fine, and the train staff even gave them some small gifts. Chinese people are truly kind!

Later, we passed through Xiaozhongdian. The view from the train wasn’t particularly impressive—I wonder what it would feel like to be there in person. I stared out the window for a while and fell back asleep.

When we passed by the Jinsha River, I woke up again. It felt like the air pressure suddenly changed—my brain and ears felt a bit strange, but it didn’t last long.

Between you and me, I remember the first time I passed by the Jinsha River, the train actually stopped for a few minutes and the announcement invited us to admire the magnificent Jinsha River with some related introductions. The last two times, there was no such pause—we just passed right through.

Later, we passed by Lashihai Lake. Of course, I could only see a glimpse from afar—just a large lake. Back in Lijiang, the street tour promoters had recommended Lashihai Lake several times, but for some reason, I wasn’t that interested. After visiting Lijiang multiple times, I still haven’t been there.

I don’t know how long it was before I opened my eyes in a daze and saw the beautiful Erhai Lake. It was sunny—great!

The view in front of me was truly gorgeous. The photos don’t do it justice—if you ever get the chance, you really should visit Dali.

Taking the train directly from Shangri-La to Dali, the altitude dropped from about 3,300 meters to just over 2,000 meters all at once. My chest felt a bit uncomfortable, as if something was blocking it, and my heart rate increased. I suppose this was “altitude intoxication.”

I figured I was in good physical shape, so I didn’t worry about it. I was just going to take a taxi straight to the hotel after getting off anyway.

After exiting the station, it was already close to 6:30 PM. The sunlight was extremely harsh, just like the intense midday sun. It reminded me of Shangri-La at 8:12 PM a couple of days ago, when it was still bright outside. Let me show you the photo, haha~

To exit the station, you had to cross an overpass to the other side to wait for ride-hailing cars. Along the way, there were so many drivers soliciting passengers, asking if we wanted to go to Erhai Lake. You really can’t engage with them—once you do, they’ll keep following you. Even saying we already had a car booked didn’t help.

Before long, we arrived at the hotel.

The sunshine was just as wonderful as in early January. Under the sun’s rays, Erhai Lake looked as beautiful as a painting.

After hiking for the past couple of days, I was exhausted and didn’t feel like going out at all. So I ordered a Dai-style hand-grabbed rice meal. I didn’t have high expectations, but it turned out to be incredibly delicious!

This meal not only looked beautiful but was also enormous in portion, especially the meat—there was so much more than just the top layer.

By the time I finished eating, it was already 8 PM. I was about to go downstairs for a walk when I noticed people were already strolling around below. They looked so relaxed~

I noticed it was getting a bit dark, so I went up to the rooftop to enjoy the breeze first.

The clouds on the mountain were cascading down from the sky like an avalanche—quite amusing. Every now and then, a gust of wind would blow over. Sitting in a rattan chair, gazing at the mountains and water, it was incredibly comfortable!

As it gradually got darker, I went for a walk along the coastal boulevard downstairs. I soon reached Erhai Lake Park, where there was a beautiful sculpture. It turned out to be a statue of a fisherwoman.

I walked to the railing behind the sculpture to enjoy the breeze. The wind in Xiaguan truly lived up to its reputation—early June winds actually made me feel a bit cold. However, the seascape (or lake?) in front of me was absolutely stunning.

I suddenly noticed the purple-red flowers on the tree in front of me—they were so unique. I had never seen roadside trees trimmed into spherical shapes producing flowers of such form and color. I wonder what they’re called?

Turning around to look across the way, I discovered there was actually a mountain with a pavilion on top. Someone was even up there with a flashlight, making their way down. I wanted to go up too, but it was pitch dark. I’ll save it for next time when I have time during the day.

It was getting colder and colder. It seems that in Xiaguan, you should bring a jacket when going out at night. Time to head back. Tomorrow, I’m going to find that beautiful little river beach—the place where I saw so many people taking wedding photos last time, haha.

I enjoy slow-paced travel and never do rushed, check-the-box sightseeing. If you also like this style of traveling, feel free to follow, like, save, comment, and share. Thank you for reading this far~