Archive for the ‘travel’ Tag
If you are looking for a place to go for culture, see the Pumi.
The Pumi, Chinese: 普米族, are an ethnic minority group of approximately 30000 people largely spread across northwest Yunnan, west of Lijiang and enroute towards Lugu Lake where the Mosuo 摩梭族 reside. A colleague of Pullman Lijiang is of Pumi origin, and say that a difference between Mosuo and Pumi are that the Mosuo put a lot more flowerly items in their hair. The woman on the far right of the above photo looks a little Naxi 纳西族, but is the dress of an honoured woman.
Lanping is approx 110 km away while Ninglang is about 85 km away, the two main areas of existence. Mind you, the roads leading to the Pumi twist and wind and up and down through many hills and villages. It will not be a ‘clean’ straight drive out there, but will take some time.
The article from People Daily gives a detailed description of the Pumi from their nomadic origins away from the Tibetan plateau to the settlement in the southern, field rich valleys of Yunnan and pre-/post-1949. Something to learn about the people of this small world.
Cheers,
Darwin
Pullman Lijiang Resort & Spa
“The whole object of travel is not to set foot on foreign land; it is at last to set foot on one’s own country as a foreign land.” – G. K. Chesterton
Here are the some deals we have at Pullman Lijiang, in Yunnan, China:
Autumn Special 2011 – Early Bird Discount
Valid for stay Sept 01 to Nov 30 2011 (excluding Sept 30 to Oct 6 2011)
Stay in a room or villa and receive 10% discount
Includes daily breakfast, up to 2 breakfasts per bedroom
(Villa guest exclusive) Stay for three consecutive days, complimentary spa treatment for two persons per bedroom
Promo Condition: Fully prepay your room/villa three days in advance, with no modifications or cancellations.
Must reserve your stay directly with us at ecomm-relay@pullman-lijiang.com or reservation@pullman-lijiang.com
Autumn Special 2011 – Pay 2 Stay 3 – Villa Exclusive
Valid for stay Sept 01 to Nov 30 2011 (excluding Sept 30 to Oct 6 2011)
Stay in a villa for three consecutive nights, with the third night comlimentary
Must reserve your stay directly with us at ecomm-relay@pullman-lijiang.com or reservation@pullman-lijiang.com
thePULL WordPress Bonus
My explorations are not in vain!
If you are reserving your reservation because of ‘thePULL’, thank you kindly!
Some bonuses to your stay will include a RMB200 rebate for Mandara Spa and 1-day bicycle rental of our new GIANT bikes (Please reserve in advance)! Kindly forward an email about WordPress when interested.
For any promotional and/or group inquiries over 10 persons, send me your details and we will see what we can do for you.
Pullman, Sofitel and mGallery Official Brand Offers
Click here for Pullman Hotels
Click here for Sofitel Luxury Hotels
Click here for mGallery Hotels
Click here if interested in being a member of A|Club Advantage Plus
Travel Happy,
Darwin
Pullman Lijiang Resort & Spa
[pictured above is a lovely model cleansing after a signature treatment at Mandara Spa, at Pullman Lijiang Resort & Spa]
A snowy March atop Jade Dragon Snow Mountain… Come from Autumn to early April for some powder, intense clouds and altitude sickness (2500m to over 4800m in a few minutes by cablecar!)
Here’s a little from WikiTravel about altitude sickness however:
“A minority of people, about 20%, have some symptoms of altitude sickness if they ascend to about 2500 meters (8000 feet) above sea level and sleep there. However, most people will acclimatize to 3000 meters (10,000 feet) with relative ease, perhaps having symptoms after the first night.
Acclimatizing to heights of 3000–5000 meters (10,000–16,000 feet) is much more difficult, and it is here that it is absolutely necessary to ascend slowly and return to a lower altitude to sleep if you have been travelling around at a higher altitude during the day. Over 50% of people will become ill if they ascend rapidly from sea level to 3500 meters (11,000 feet) without acclimatization, and everyone will if they ascend rapidly to 5000 meters (16,000 feet).”
I have seen many people get sick from those who directly fly from Shanghai, Hong Kong and many southern coastal cities, but some are more lively, like my uncle from Guangzhou:
Or perhaps a warm June at Lashi Lake… Although come in the winter for rare wintering birds like the sacred Tibetan Cranes (that’s what I’m waiting for too!) These special avians winter away from the chills of the Himalayans between early November to early March.
Here’s a report from WWF China and another with scientific details at NPWRC: Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Centre.
Loving the cold,
Darwin
Racing Boats in the Mountains? Only at Pullman Lijiang. These boats are reserved for business guests, as one of our ways for an “Innovative Break”. If you are bored, however, just let me know: who wants to compete with the Pullman Champion? (PRIZES?!?)
Here are the deal updates we have at Pullman Lijiang for your weekend to consider:
thePULL ‘Get Closer’ BONUS
1 / Book your stay (via directly with us (more bonuses!), travel agency, etc)
2 / [Optional] Subscribe to ‘thePULL’ on WordPress (on the left sidebar) or on Facebook. Stay up to date on some this destination’s adventures, events and possibilities!
3 / Email ecomm-relay@pullman-lijiang.com mentioning “thePULL” and receive a bonus RMB200 Mandara Spa spa treatment per person per stay (Treatments starting from RMB238). Other bonuses and updated promotions may be included in your stay.
4 / *NEW* For any promotional and/or group inquiries over 10 persons, just let me know to see what we can do for you.
Expired. China Summer Promotion 2011
Book to stay until 14 August 2011 (few days left!)
Stay by August 31 2011 to have the offer.
10% off room rates.
Complimentary up to two breakfasts per bedroom
A|Club Advantage Plus member: additional 10% discount on room rate (19% off total)
Conditions: prepay 7 days before arrival, no refund, no modifications, no cancellations
Expired. 30% off Room Rates
Book to stay until 18 August 2011 (few days left!)
Stay by September 04 2011 to have the offer.
30% off room rates.
A|Club Advantage Plus member: additional 10% discount on room rate (37% off total)
Conditions: prepay 14 days before arrival, no refund, no modifications, no cancellations
MORE to come as it becomes available..!
Pullman, Sofitel and mGallery Official Brand Offers
Click here for Pullman Hotels
Click here for Sofitel Luxury Hotels
Click here for mGallery Hotels
Click here if interested in being a member of A|Club Advantage Plus
Cheers,
Darwin
& Pullman Lijiang Resort & Spa team
Out with the old, and in with the new. Looks similar to the new airport.
Lijiang has a brand new passenger train station 丽江站, as the previous one will only receive cargo, opening TODAY.
This new station is stationed near Wenbi Mountain 文笔山 and is a lead towards Shangri-la (ETA 2014?) and will handle about 9 million passengers per year.
See images below for references!
Other notes:
Vehicle: About 18 minutes from Lijiang. About 25 minutes away from Pullman Lijiang. Blue or Green Taxi may charge extra RMB30-40 per person.
Bus: from/to Lijiang Station, take #4, #16 or #18.
See the map image below for the reference of your next departure, train hoppers!
It has room for a fast food area, a ‘supermarket’ and 16 windows to buy train tickets.
(Photos taken yesterday, the day before opening to the masses.)
Definitely a much better station to arrive to than the old station or at Dali or Kunming.
(UPDATE: Beat out other English-version news updates! Woohoo!)
(Shuhe and the Lijiang Valley Plains, off a horse-beaten hiking trail)
Every week will be an update on the offers at Pullman Lijiang Resort and Spa, and other deals around.
China Summer Promotion 2011
Book to stay until 14 August 2011 (few days left!)
Stay by August 31 2011 to have the offer.
10% off room rates.
Complimentary up to two breakfasts per bedroom
A|Club Advantage Plus member: additional 10% discount on room rate (19% off total)
Conditions: prepay 7 days before arrival, no refund, no modifications, no cancellations
30% off Room Rates
Book to stay until 18 August 2011 (few days left!)
Stay by September 04 2011 to have the offer.
30% off room rates.
A|Club Advantage Plus member: additional 10% discount on room rate (37% off total)
Conditions: prepay 14 days before arrival, no refund, no modifications, no cancellations
thePULL ‘Get Closer’ BONUS
1 / Book your stay.
2 / Subscribe to ‘thePULL’ on WordPress (on the left sidebar) or on Facebook. Stay up to date on some this destination’s adventures, events and possibilities!
3 / Email ecomm-relay@pullman-lijiang.com mentioning “thePULL” and receive a bonus RMB200 Mandara Spa spa treatment per person per stay (Treatments starting from RMB238). Other bonuses and updated promotions may be included in your stay!
Pullman, Sofitel and mGallery Official Brand Offers
Click here for Pullman Hotels
Click here for Sofitel Luxury Hotels
Click here for mGallery Hotels
Click here if interested in being a member of A|Club Advantage Plus
Cheers,
Darwin
Pullman Lijiang Resort & Spa
[As a new highway is currently being constructed to make a more direct route from Lijiang to Zhongdian (Shangri-La), the classic routes to Tiger Leaping Gorge remains the same, at approximately 2 hours away from Lijiang. The country is only as good as its infrastructure (quote anonymous) … but I digress.]
Tiger Leaping Gorge 虎跳峡 (Lijiang, Yunnan – 云南省，丽江区)
A beautiful gorge continually fed with the summer rush of the Jinsha River, flowing through two high mountain ranges, that of Haba Snow Mountain at 5396m and 5596m of Yulong (Jade Dragon) Snow Mountain, is a short trip away from Lijiang. Coveted by many travellers, backpackers and farmers, the Gorge is a beautiful escape foot of incredibly high cliffs. TLG challenges to be the deepest valley and gorge in the world, depending on the definition used.
Look down! at the boulders of where the tiger pounced across the river to get away from the hunter. You’re about 1800m above sea level. Look up! and its a difference of about 2800m of the nearest cliffs, with the mountains downstream of about 3600m! … Summer’s rainy season brings reddish soil from the Tibetan plateau source, but by autumn the river flows a beautiful blue …
Some recent photos below (the others will be via Flickr) of the Gorge and ShiGu Town 石鼓镇, at the pinnacle of First Bend of the Yangtse …
What do you say : When will you come by?
my favourite picture of the trip ... a warp but the sky remains consistent. / Darwin Ma
The following is at ShiGuZhen (Old Stone Drum Town) at the pinnacle of The First Bend of the Yangtse River (you know, that river that extends all the way to Shanghai)
Skyvex : Our Concave World on the Convex Sky / Darwin Ma & Pullman Lijiang Resort & Spa
I was in Liming 黎明村 over this past weekend, a small little countryside of a population of what looks like a few hundred people at most. The valley stretches very far, but is a “protected” natural landscape zone by UNESCO, with some other things to note. First is that 黎明 is a country town! NOT the super hong kong actor/singer of the 1990s with the same name:
Click for larger image:
Liming 黎明村 is a countryside of approximately 750 people or 750 families (in Chinese), whatever the following plaque was trying to define (picture 3). Searching for information of this township is difficult. Google nor Baidu have good photography of the location. So it’s one of those places many would call remote and undefined.
We met a local LiSu minority 傈僳族 old man born in the 1940s. (According to a local friend, there are black, red and white versions of the tribe, and I had forgotten to ask.). He was a curious nut, but gave us a few insights on the local area and himself. He owns a small restaurant, but his dishes were not very appetizing…
(馬 = me (Darwin) and my friend who wishes to not be named. 李 = 李志坤 = Li3Zhi4Kun1 = LiSu old man.)
The following is a rough translation of our conversation:
馬: In 1996, when the big earthquake hit Lijiang, did Liming feel anything?
李: Of course Liming got shakes. But I wasn’t scared. I will tell you a little secret. Whenever an earthquake hits, I quickly put ash in my mouth. And when the trembles end, I spit it out. And look at me now! I am still alive and well and strong, while I watched my sons run away in fear.
[I and my friend laughed after he said this. He gave a grin of missing top row teeth and yellowed, bottom row teeth, though it cannot be said they were related situations.]
馬: Where did you get the yak hide from? And your bracelet is rather nice, is it made of bone?
李: This yak hide is something that I have had since I was young. Actually the Naxi (of Lijiang) copied the yak hide from us and took it for their own pride and show, claiming it to be their own style. We Lisu had it before they did, and I wear it with pride. This bracelet is made of yak bone, my son gave it to me as a gift from Zhongdian (Yunnan’s Shangri-La).
馬: Those trees on the mountainside, are they all new?
李: Yes, in the late 60s and the late 90s, the government and prospectors clear cut all of the trees around here. There are some imported trees such as pine, but the natural trees are making a comeback [from the seeds of the extremely high mountain tops]. Trees are currently about two fists thick, but it used to be about this big (as the old man rounds his arms into a large circle in front of him). It’s still a beautiful place to be as the landscape recovers.
Exploring the above for three days was amazing, especially during the rainy season. The last panarama, can you guess what mountain is that? // natural photos all by Darwin Ma / mooseandhorse
PS I met several American university students and a Kunming cardiologist research assisting in monitoring the heart conditions of the small country areas. What an exciting path and location to be in. Congrats to them!
[If you see this post, it was most excellent to have met you guys! Hope to meet you all again!]
My next post will be of the landscape and nature of the surroundings: ‘Thousand Turtle Mountain’ 千龟山. Summer Rain Mushrooms. And a cavernous climb only few have ventured (though not for long)…
Travel well my friends,
Darwin Ma
—-
Travelled in mid July, rainy season, but got 2 of 3 days of sun. Yay!
Originally posted here , my other blog. Pullman Lijiang Resort & Spa can help you get here! You can also stay and enjoy other Lijiang surroundings, just check out the ‘Travel In and Around Lijiang’ section. Or email me at ecomm-relay@pullman-lijiang.com 🙂
Some updates on festivities:
The Torch Festival is coming up soon! See our earlier post here.
To Recap:
Sunday July 24th is the start of The Torch Festival in Ninglang 宁蒗, a little country village northeast of Lijiang, approximately 4 hours away and between Lugu Lake, where the Pumi Nationalities 普米族 celebrate earlier than the Naxi (see below). (Source: Pumi friend)
(Click for larger image)
While over in Lijiang, the Naxi people will be celebrating The Torch Festival 火把节 from July 25th to July 27th, in all the little towns, namely Dayan 大研古镇, Shuhe 束河古镇 and Baisha 白沙古镇 (though Baisha is not confirmed, it should be as it was an old capital of the Lijiang area).
The festival is largely for the Yi Minority, but that had carried over to other municipalities over history. The Yi minority are spread across northern Yunnan, but largely in southern Sichuan (the province northeast of Yunnan). Activities include bullfighting, pyroworks, nationality beauty contests, and other activities! The Yi people celebrate it on July 25th as well.
When the party is over, we’ll make sure to get some (hopefully!) nice photos to see what you may or not have missed!
Lucky you if you get to join us during this period!
PS Now I know it is not Lijiang, but Cirque du Soleil, Montreal-based, world-reknowned acrobatic cinematics for its creativity and charm, is visiting in select locations in China. Check them out (if you’re not in Lijiang)!
Cheers,
Darwin
Pullman Lijiang Resort & Spa
NOTES: July 25th 2011 Gregorian Calendar = 6th month, 24th day of the Lunar Calendar.
The following chronicles one of the many events along the train from Dali to Lijiang Yunnan China, a time distance of approximately 100 minutes and a travel distance of 200 km, and an experience hopefully you get to avoid.
4:00 pm. My palm to my chin and a blank stare out at the flashbomb shine by the sun, forehead sweat wiggles a maze through the dirt on my face down to the length of my fingers, like worker ants digging out their underground labyrinthine.
4:10 pm. The train departs at 4:45, as the ticket says. Without moving any muscles below my nose, I hear my extraocular muscles shift to the left, the stress of pupils adjusting from the near focus to the distant like sheets of sandpaper rubbing together when zooming in, and absorb the restlessness of the circle of humans already pressed against the entrance gate. No line up, no order, no patience. At least the entrance gate was a strong, thick layer of tempered glass – I believe it will withstand the zombies.
4:20 pm. The crowd has tripled in size, taking up the amount of floor space as three 24-seater travel buses. The train from Kunming toots its horn and settles in. The humans become anxious. I squint my lips then blow, cooling my hands, then shaking the heat away. Time to go.
4:25 pm. Eyebrows drooped, upright stance – Like a pawn in a chess match awaiting its next move. I get enveloped in the seemingly endless aggregation of humans – tall and lanky, short and feeble, tiny and silent. I can feel the asphyxiation coming soon. Pant. Pant. Pant. I spin around and scout the crowd. Everyone was staring at the door, the only door, to the entrance where the train attendants stand guard on the opposite side.
4:30 pm. The door parts slightly. The crowd shoves and waddles like hunger to the scent of pie towards another boundary. A trick? No, the disabled and handicapped are led through first. One, two, perhaps three altogether, stepping up to the overpass before heading down to the platform. The healthy onlookers look on, reasonably saying to themselves that this is fair and good, but I know they all have a slight envy that they get first dibs on the filthy but coveted seats on the train. A slight breeze enters, and a hush of comforting sighs is met with some smiles.
4:44 pm. We have not moved. My knapsack creates the beautiful sweat stain road down my spine. My hands are numb and engraved from holding a cotton bag full of gifts. So thirsty from the salty and sour meals before. So fatigued from the lack of sleep of the nigh before. So painful are the knees and ankles from hiking and wondering around the uneven paths of Dali . But the crowd is sophisticated today. No one is yelling nor inquiring. There is a common sense of understanding, the time will come when the time is ready. It surprises me that a crowd in complete disarray except for gazing forward can have the silence and patience to wait for this one central barrier.
4:50 pm. I imagine the next events would happen like a Mario Kart race, but with thousands of contestants. Everyone is revving their engines, spitting tires, spinning out, giving that push for that extra boost of speed, as the light sounds: BEEEP-BEEEP-BEEEP-BOOP! (3-2-1-GO!) The earthquake shudders the platform, the humans are released to the trains. The front line, scatter and swarm the platform in a mess of a hurry, like a disturbed bee hive, running out into the sweet crispness of the air and down to the loading platforms. We at the rear glance and laugh together to the crowd ahead, gather our things, and walk happily through to the trains.
4:55 pm. Now, here was the second issue: The train was overbooked. Looking left, looking right, some like I had the same situation ‘无座’, meaning no seats or no seating reserved. This is the tricky part and luck would have it, I managed to squeeze myself into a nice spot with some sleek and savvy negotiations. For others, they would be stuck sitting along the walkways of the train for 100 minutes. Now, that’s not too bad of a wait between Dali and Lijiang, but I have heard that this can happen on longer trips, 8 hours or perhaps more!
5:00 pm. Sweet Departure.
LEFT: My trip back to Lijiang.
RIGHT: No designated seats 无座 From Guangzhou to Xi’an – that’s over 25 hours and 2030km!
This was one of the longest hours I’ve ever had, along with some job interviews, a resisting lavatory sit-down and sitting through a hot summer’s traffic jam.
TIPS: Get a sleeper cabin for overnight trips. Buy your ticket early especially during peak seasons (Major holidays, Spring Festival/University breaks, Summer Holidays), and make sure to get seats. If you get stuck with ‘无座’, then… well… get yourself as comfy as possible, away from the washrooms, and… good luck!
DISCLAIMER: I am not trying to discourage taking the trains in China, or anywhere. They are one of the best ways and cheapest ways to get around landscapes, especially China.
COMMENT: from Louisa, our friend Jan had a 54 hour train ride in Australia. Doubt it was as crowded but nonetheless given a 无座 free-for-all!
Riding high,
Darwin Ma
(This is a repost from my other blog; reposting here when relevant!)
thePULL @ Pullman Lijiang Resort & Spa 
