Paradise City Dali
In the last episode, we were in Desheng, Guangxi. This time, we have spent 2 days cycling 1,300 kilometers and arrived in one of the most beautiful cities in China- Dali. It was not without a hitch along the way- our 1200XC has slipped during the tour, as well as our Desert Sled, whose tailstock has fallen off due to improper installation. Luckily, there was neither any injury nor any delay on this trip caused by these two accidents.
There are tens of thousands of delicacies in China, which are diverse from each other due to the large geographical span of China. There are also hundreds of mushrooms in Yunnan Province, which is why I strongly recommend you to try mushroom hot pot if you come to Dali. The actual taste is extremely delicious that could not be expressed from the pictures. A variety of fresh mushrooms, stewed with Yunnan ham and salty ribs, will make you feel falling in love with it with only one sip. The fermented meat collides with the glutamate of fresh mushrooms and keeps the umami lingering in your mouth. Believe it or not, you would even give your life for it. Truffles, bolete, all types of unknown mushrooms, especially this long lurid bolete, are all delicious and juicy. Nonetheless, hallucination will catch you if you eat too much.
Dali Ancient City
We stayed over in the city, where old-style Chinese buildings were still preserved under China's modernization drive, some of which even have thousands of years of history. The night was brightened up by gorgeous lightings, attracting a lot of people come to shop. In addition to local specialties, there were also many bars.
I didn't expect that Dali has such excellent craft beer, especially Yunnan Black Tea Cider made of Yunnan characteristic tea. It tastes refreshingly sour and sweet, with a hint of fruit aroma, and leaves a light black tea flavor lingering in your mouth.
Studio in Wonderland
There was a huge mountain to the west side of Dali, on which our friend's shop, a studio that makes vintage clothes was located. In this villa which you could overlook the whole Dali ancient city, there was a variety of high-quality clothing and shoes.
In China, there are many studios like this that carry out small-lot, fine production. Their productions are usually in unique styles, and their product categories, as well as the production details, are meticulous. Generally, they only provide customized services for a minority of people, rather than sell advertising or do mass production, which leads to not being well-known to the public. At the same time, they also import some foreign boutiques, which make them quite popular among vintage fanciers.
After visiting our friend, we went down the mountain for a few drinks. Please be expected for our trip to Erhai tomorrow.