[On My Way] Beautiful Yunnan: A Nine-Day Drunken Journey (Luoping–Lijiang–Dali–Shuanglang–Kunming)

Preface: A Solo Journey Through the Crowds

I often think that since we've come into this world, we ought to see it properly. I want to walk different streets, climb different mountains, and feel the temperature of every river. During the 2015 Spring Festival, my mother and I set foot on the magical land of Yunnan. Over nine days, we traveled from the sea of rapeseed flowers in Luoping to the ancient alleyways of Lijiang, from the thrilling rapids of Tiger Leaping Gorge to the "wind, flowers, snow, and moon" of Dali, ending our journey by the shores of Erhai Lake in Shuanglang.

This is not just a simple travelogue, but a record of travel infused with real feeling—filled with surprises, regrets, lessons, and plenty of practical tips. If you're planning a trip to Yunnan, I hope this sharing helps you avoid some detours.

Itinerary Overview: A Complete Nine-Day Route

Day 1 (Feb 20): Beijing → Kunming
Day 2 (Feb 21): Luoping Luositian (Screw Field)
Day 3 (Feb 22): Jiulong Waterfall → Golden Rooster Peak
Day 4 (Feb 23): Tiger Leaping Gorge
Day 5 (Feb 24): Shuhe Ancient Town
Day 6 (Feb 25): Black Dragon Pool → Lion Hill → Dayan Ancient Town
Day 7 (Feb 26): Mu Palace → Dayan Ancient Town
Day 8 (Feb 27): Dali Ancient Town → Shuanglang
Day 9 (Feb 28): Shuanglang
Day 10 (Mar 1): Stone Forest → Kunming → Tianjin

Cost Breakdown: Every Penny Well Spent

As a family trip, the total cost per person for my mother and me was approximately 4,356 RMB, broken down as follows:

• Transportation (flights, trains, buses, etc.): 2,821 RMB/person
• Accommodation (7 nights): 374 RMB/person
• Entrance Fees: 409 RMB/person
• Food: 520 RMB/person
• Other: 232 RMB/person

To be honest, this budget was quite restrained for the Spring Festival period, especially since transportation accounted for over 60% of the total. If your schedule is flexible and you avoid peak season, costs can be significantly lower.

Transportation Guide: The Lifeline of Independent Travel in Yunnan

Although Yunnan's transportation network isn't the most developed, once you know the ropes, you can save both time and money. Here's the practical information I gathered firsthand:

Kunming ↔ Luoping

Train tickets cost 37.5 RMB, buses 75 RMB, with similar travel times. But I strongly recommend the train, especially during holidays. The bus station in Kunming is in a remote location, and Spring Festival traffic jams can make you question your life choices.

Within Luoping Town

From the train station to town, a taxi costs 10 RMB (15 RMB during holidays), a motorcycle or tuk-tuk costs 4 RMB per person, and the bus costs 2 RMB. The town is small, and carpooling is easy.

Luoping → Luositian (Screw Field)

At the train station entrance, there are official minibuses with uniform paint jobs. Carpooling costs 10 RMB per person, and they depart when full (7 passengers). I recommend joining a van that already has several people to avoid waiting too long.

Luoping → Jiulong Waterfall

From the town bus station, take a minibus to Banqiao (10 RMB per person), then transfer to another minibus to Jiulong Waterfall (10 RMB per person). Direct buses are also available but run less frequently.

Kunming → Lijiang

For the train, I recommend the K9686 "Lijiang Express," departing at 21:21 and arriving at 07:04. It's a tourist train with carriages painted with Lijiang scenery, very distinctive. A hard sleeper costs 141 RMB, a hard seat 89 RMB—much better value than the bus.

Lijiang → Dali

A hard seat on the train costs 34 RMB, with a travel time of 1.5–2 hours, about twice as fast as the bus. During holidays, take the train; buses get stuck in traffic.

Dali → Shuanglang

Dali North Bus Station has buses running every 40 minutes from 08:40 to 17:20, tickets 13 RMB, travel time 1.5 hours. You can also flag down buses at the Feng Huaxue Yue (Wind, Flowers, Snow, Moon) Hotel near the Erhai Gate (East Gate) of the ancient town—15 RMB per person, but you might have to sit on a small stool.

Lijiang → Shuanglang

The Lijiang Express Bus Station has direct buses, with 5 departures from 08:40 to 16:10, tickets ranging from 52 to 87 RMB, travel time 3 hours. I didn't know about the direct bus at the time and took a detour through Dali, wasting both time and money—lesson learned!

Food Experience: A Northeasterner's Yunnan Culinary Journey

Speaking of Yunnan cuisine, as a true Northeasterner, I have to be honest: I really couldn't get used to it.

The Crossing-the-Bridge Noodles at Kunming's Qiaoxiangyuan tasted as bland as plain water; the cured pork rib hotpot in Lijiang, featured on A Bite of China, came with a dipping sauce of just a small dish of sesame oil—pure oil, how do you even eat that? For breakfast, porridge without even pickled vegetables—I was completely thrown off.

But there were some highlights: - Kunming Qiaoxiangyuan's cold rice noodles: Much better than the hot version, tangy and spicy, whets the appetite - Lijiang's 88 Snack Shop Naxi grilled meat: Crispy on the outside, tender inside, worth a try - Xiangshan Market's cured pork rib hotpot: Enter through the main gate, 100 meters in on the right—better than other places - Shuanglang's Haiyun Renjia: A restaurant by Erhai Lake, eat while watching the lake

Lijiang has the most snacks: chicken rice noodles, A'an yogurt, Dingding yogurt, Naxi rice cake, Lijiang baba (fried flatbread)—these are all safe bets, generally no disappointments.

First Stop: Luoping—Spring Festival Amidst a Sea of Rapeseed Flowers

Departure: An Anxious Snowy Night

On February 20, it snowed all day in Beijing. My mother and I waited anxiously at the airport, fearing our flight would be canceled. Not only was the flight not delayed, but when we boarded, we were told, "We were just waiting for you two"—I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

The plane stopped over in Jinan, and the two meals were worlds apart: the first was just a sausage sandwiched in bread, the second had rice and yogurt. I was already full after the first meal, so I could only stare at the second.

We arrived at Kunming Changshui Airport at 1:30 AM, took the airport bus to the area near the train station, and found a place to stay. Baidu Maps' location was inaccurate, so I dragged my luggage around in the cold wind for quite a while before finding the inn. We didn't get to sleep until 3 AM.

Luositian (Screw Field): A Small Joy Amidst the Traffic Jam

We took the train from Kunming to Luoping, tickets 37.5 RMB, half the price of the bus. Luoping train station is very small, with buses to town (routes 7 and 8), but they run infrequently. We stayed at Xingda Inn near the bus station (0874-8780437), a double room for 100 RMB, booked by phone in advance. The room was spacious, but soundproofing was poor—the neighbors were noisy until late.

To get to Luositian, we followed the innkeeper's suggestion and took an official minibus from the train station. But as we approached Luositian, we hit a dead stop—narrow roads lined with parked private cars, with drivers cutting in line. I quickly decided we should get out and walk, and we reached the viewing platform in less than 20 minutes. If we'd stayed in the van, we'd probably still be waiting an hour later.

Advice for self-driving tourists: Don't park on the roadside. There's a parking lot opposite the viewing platform, and open space past it. Your momentary convenience could waste an entire carload of people's time.

The sun sets late in Yunnan—in February, it doesn't get dark until 19:30. We started back at 18:00 and happened to catch a ride with a local driver who was taking a fracture patient to the hospital. He charged us 10 RMB each to take us back to town. Lucky break—otherwise, we would have had to hire a private car.

Jiulong Waterfall: The Wisdom of Off-Peak Travel

We originally planned to see the sunrise at Golden Rooster Peak, but considering the Spring Festival crowds and traffic, and the fact that we needed to catch a 3 PM bus back to Kunming, I decisively adjusted the plan: Jiulong Waterfall first, then Golden Rooster Peak. This turned out to be a brilliant decision.

From Luoping, we took a minibus to Banqiao (10 RMB per person), then carpooled to Jiulong Waterfall (10 RMB per person). The driver insisted on waiting until the van was full, but the five of us got impatient. I suggested we each pay the driver an extra 2 RMB to leave immediately—deal.

Jiulong Waterfall entrance fee was 75 RMB, student ticket 37 RMB. The policy says retired people get half-price, but they need to show their retirement certificate. My mother didn't have hers, so I went to a different ticket window, and the staff gave us two half-price tickets without even checking any ID—same scenic spot, different windows, completely different attitudes.

The cable car up the mountain cost 30 RMB per person. The ticket seller said walking up would take over an hour, but it's actually at most 40 minutes. Still, worried my mother might tire out, I took the cable car and walked down.

Renting ethnic costumes cost 10 RMB per person; I bargained it down to 10 RMB for both of us. Colored rice was 10 RMB per catty (half a kilogram); I bought 5 RMB worth, and when I cooked it at home, the color didn't run—it was natural. Big radishes were 2 RMB each, crisp and juicy—I, who never eats radishes, ate two.

Golden Rooster Peak: The Secret to Avoiding Crowds

From Jiulong Waterfall, we took a minibus to Golden Rooster Peak, 10 RMB per person. We got on one bus, then were switched to another, but the new driver demanded 15 RMB. After arguing to no avail, we just threw 20 RMB at him and left when we arrived. Always ask the price before switching buses!

The viewing platform at Golden Rooster Peak charged 10 RMB per person, collected by locals, accessed through their yard and a small temple. Climbing to the top, the sea of rapeseed flowers stretched out before us, and there weren't many people—unlike the sunrise crowd, who had nowhere to stand.

On the way back, we took an official minibus, 10 RMB per person, no traffic jams. The driver we'd encountered earlier said he left Jiulong Waterfall at 1 PM and didn't reach Luoping until 5 PM. Off-peak travel saves not just time, but also your peace of mind.

Second Stop: Lijiang—Slow Time in the Ancient City

The Lijiang Express: A Moving Scenery

From Luoping to Kunming, the bus cost 75 RMB, travel time 3.5 hours. But with Spring Festival traffic, we slowed to a crawl 16 kilometers from Kunming due to an accident ahead. Reminder again: Drive with extreme caution.

From Kunming East Bus Station to the train station, there are minibuses for 10 RMB per person, as well as bus route 60 (2 RMB) and route D5 (4 RMB, express). Take the minibus if you're in a hurry, route D5 if you're not.

At 9 PM, we boarded the "Lijiang Express." This train began service in September 2014, its carriages painted with Lijiang scenery, making you yearn for the destination before you even arrive.

First Impressions of Lijiang: The Winding Path to Finding an Inn

We arrived at Lijiang Station at 7 AM and took the bus to the area near Zhongyi Market. We spent ages looking for our inn. The owner wasn't there and gave us confusing directions over the phone. When we finally found it, the door was locked, and the owner had to teach us how to pick the lock—it took several tries before we succeeded. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Tiger Leaping Gorge: A Thrilling Trip with a "Tricky" Driver

Lijiang Bus Station has buses to Tiger Leaping Gorge, a 2.5-hour ride. The gorge is divided into upper, middle, and lower sections: Upper Tiger Leaping is easy, suitable for tour groups; Middle Tiger Leaping is a hiker's paradise; Lower Tiger Leaping is undeveloped.

I originally planned to take my mother to Upper Tiger Leaping, but the driver talked us into something else: "Upper Tiger Leaping is boring, you'll be done in 40 minutes. Why not go to Middle Tiger Leaping? Add 20 RMB each, and I'll let you see Upper Tiger Leaping from a distance, then take you to Middle Tiger Leaping." He also said the hike down a small path would take just over two hours, and he'd wait if we were late.

So all five of us went to Middle Tiger Leaping. The road was treacherous—just meters from a tens-of-meters-deep canyon, with many sections lacking guardrails. Several stretches of road were completely destroyed by falling rocks, and we could see the wreckage of a minivan at the bottom of the gorge. The driver said it was from a previous accident—everyone on board died.

We descended the small path next to the Middle Gorge Inn, paying a 15 RMB toll per person. Going down was easy, reaching the bottom in an hour. But climbing back up was brutal—every flight of stairs had a rest shack selling bottled water for 5 RMB each. A 60-year-old woman carried 40–50 kilograms of water down to the bottom every day to sell—thinking about it breaks my heart.

When the agreed time came, we still hadn't climbed back to the road. We called the driver, and he reneged: "Can't wait." What happened to "I'll wait"? Fortunately, our stuff was in his car, and we'd already bought tickets—he couldn't just abandon us.

For the famous "Sky Ladder," I had my mother take a detour path to avoid it, afraid she'd get stuck halfway. We eventually made it back to the car, but this experience taught me: When traveling, take others' promises with a grain of salt. Always keep your wits about you.

Conclusion: Yunnan, Worth Returning To

Nine days, from the golden sea of flowers in Luoping to the ancient alleyways of Lijiang, from the thrilling rapids of Tiger Leaping Gorge to the gentle breeze of Erhai Lake in Shuanglang—Yunnan conquered me with its diversity.

There were imperfections—traffic jams, being tricked, food I couldn't get used to—but it's precisely these experiences that make travel real. Those unplanned twists, those unexpected encounters—that's the most moving part of any journey.

If you ask me, is Yunnan worth visiting? I'd say: Yes, but do your homework. Avoid peak season, book in advance, stay flexible, and you too can turn nine days of "drunken wandering" into a lifetime of memories.

A few key takeaways to share: 1. During holidays, take the train, not the bus—traffic jams will drive you crazy 2. Book accommodation in advance, especially in small towns like Luoping 3. Don't trust drivers' promises, especially when money is involved 4. Travel off-peak, avoid crowds, and you'll see better sights 5. Bring stomach medicine—Yunnan flavors are mild, and Northerners may struggle to adapt

Yunnan, until we meet again.