Sarah writes:
Today we explored the old town of Lijiang. The architecture was very detailed and from Wangu Tower, the highest point of the hilly town, it looked like a sea of closely packed clay roofs. The streets were cobblestone, something I found to be surprising because I expected the streets to be all natural grass or dirt. I also pictured people of the Naxi minority dressed in traditional clothes, but only a few of the older women met my expectations of the culture.

Another thing I found to be the exact opposite of what I imagined were the buildings. I anticipated Lijiang would be more like a village with many homes and families, but it ended up being all shops offering items like jewelry or tea, there were some older houses but they were high up the steep streets where the tourists rarely traveled.. This was a bit sad because I felt like the ancient town had been turned into a tourist attraction to accommodate the foreign visitors. The town is still so beautiful and even though it has changed; its residents are still mostly native Naxi.

The courtyard of the Dexin Hotel (www.dexinhotel.com) in
which we are staying while in Lijiang.

Aubrey, our guide, explains some of the Naxi pictograms to us.

A Naxi weaver. Many of us purchased the beautiful scarves made here.

Sarah, George and Abigail in front of Wan Gu Tower.

Naxi Musicians Play for us in the Park.

Looking for the “Pearls” released from the surface of Black Dragon Pool.

Naxi women in their traditional dress, wearing our AACE pins! Lijiang is a matriarchal society.