Challenging China

China in all its natural glory is also one of the most challenging destinations I have been to. Everyone around me, even the European tourists, spoke Mandarin except me. Whenever a bus ticket was purchased, I really hoped for the worst. And it never failed to disappoint me.
The buses are dirty, suffocatingly smoky with men who were even spitting inside!! Both Mon and I got sick separately after two long bus rides. Although I think it was also the food we ate. Our diet consisted mainly of vegetables and rice; too scared to eat too much meat as often they aren't refrigerated.
We did have really delicious meals throughout China. Surprisingly the southern Chinese eat with loads of chilli, although they aren't always spicy like the Thai food. From hotpots to steamed carp (had this twice in Yuanyang!) to dumplings. The best value dumplings were in Dali - about AU$1 for 11 pork or vegetable dumplings. The best whole steamed fish in Yuanyang for all of AU$3.75.
Lijiang was beautiful albeit very touristy. The Old Town was wholly reconstructed and lacked the quaintness of Dali. Souvenir shops sold pretty much the same thing anyway, so trying food was more challenging. We did take some time out of the tourist-filled area and ventured out on mountain bikes to Baisha, about 10km out of town. We were rewarded with a great view of the Jade Snow Dragon Mountains most of the way.
The Tiger Leaping Gorge was an experience I'll never forget. Not only was the weather divine, but the views we had were amazing. Unfortnunately, I strained my knee quite badly and started to limp before the end of the first day and for most of the second. I quite enjoyed taking a pee at the Halfway Guesthouse, which had fantastic views of the mountains (although a little chilly!) and sitting in the sun at Tina's Guesthouse at the end of the trek. The food was the most memorable part of the trip: cheap and delicious. The best coffee was at Jane's right at the start of the trek.
The trip to the rice terraces in Yuanyang was quite uncomfortable and long. It took over 24 hours of total travel time in smokey buses and pitstops at the most disgusting toilets ever. Then we arrived at quite a small town that was both dirty and gloomy. I was then struck down with the flu over the next two days. I only managed to eat vegetables and rice.
There was heavy fog over the valley which meant that you couldn't see much of the rice terraces. So we booked another night, hoping the mist would lift. When it cleared, we hired a taxi to take us to one of the terraces for sunset. What a sight! It really took my breath away. The whole valley seemed to be illuminated by the reflections off the terraces. And it was a neverending sea of undulating rice fields. So beautiful! I didn't think that farmland could look so amazing.
Then it was back onto another disgusting sleeper bus (which the men smoked and spat in) to Kunming before we split up - me to Malaysia and Mon to Thailand. A trip that should have taken only 6-8 hours dragged on for 12 hours!! It was unfortunately Mon's turn to get sick! Not much to do in Kunming anyway.
All in all, China was quite exciting. The views were amazing and the people we met along the way were really interesting and fun. Couldn't have done it without fumbling through terrible Chinese and the help of the lovely staff at the hostels who booked us tickets and also wrote out our destinations on little bits of paper, and also the help we got along the way from foreigners who spoke fluent Chinese.
Photos of Lijiang and Tiger Leaping Gorge here. And of Yuanyang here.