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Review: Biking in an Ancient City – Day 2, Down to Lashi Lake

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Introduction
China Eastern 734 737-700 Economy Class Hong Kong to Kunming
Transiting Kunming Airport – International to Domestic
China Eastern 734 737-700 Economy Class Kunming to Lijiang
Jin Hong Garden Villa Lijiang
Biking in Lijiang, Day 1: Baisha Village
Biking in Lijiang, Day 2: Down to Lashi Lake
Biking in Lijiang, Day 3: Into Dali Villages
China Eastern 733 737-700 Economy Class Lijiang to Kunming
Transiting Kunming Airport – Domestic to International
China Eastern 733 737-700 Economy Class Kunming to Hong Kong


After a good night of sleep, we took an hour long bus ride to a gas station, where we warmed up and began a 19km ride down the bottom of the hill. (Apologies – there are virtually zero road signs in the Chinese countryside, so I have no idea where I was.)

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Wherever I was, Lijiang, China

The ride was easy, fun and refreshing, and I really didn’t have to do anything besides keep my balance. Really, I found myself unwinding more than anything else.

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Villages in Lijiang, China

The downhill ride featured amazing views.

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Villages in Lijiang, China

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Three straw women, Lijiang, China

I said hello to basically everyone who passed by, who gave their own welcome. It was a beautiful, beautiful scene.

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Villages in Lijiang, China

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Villages in Lijiang, China

I hit the road at about 10 in the morning, which was a straight road at a 20˚-30˚ angle.

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I cannot find words to describe the amazing views so I’ll leave it to the pictures to do the talking.

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It was…absurdly beautiful.

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The slope got slightly steeper as we reached the bottom, and from there it was a straightforward ride where I got to loosen up a notch on the gear.

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When a bike broke down, we spent a while talking and taking pictures near a field on the way to Lashi Lake.

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We continued our ride after help came, and made our way down a seemingly more populated area of villages.

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We learned that the Chinese put chickpeas on the floor so cars can grind it when running over it. Smart!

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We stopped for a while at a monastery that we spotted, and toured around, subsequently. The people there were nice and friendly, and as a Christian myself, I was able to make connections without them showing any sort of hostility.

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The monks allowed us to take photos after we asked for consent.

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After a quick lunch at the entrance, we made our way up a swampy path to Lashi Lake, which we’d encircle.

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The weather was acting a little strange when we got to Lashi Lake, and we spent a bit of time there. It rained a little bit during our stay, which was the cause of our stay, but we enjoyed our time at the lake.

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Lashi Lake, China

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Lashi Lake, China

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Lashi Lakeside, China

There were more villages beside the lake which we took a ride across.

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We took a quick detour to a salmon hatchery. They do horse riding tours near the area, so it did smell a little like horse sh*t, but whatever.

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A quick ride brought us back to the main road, where we rode down back to another side of Lashi Lake. The monastery could be seen a good 10km from the lake, which was pretty cool, given that where we started was put into perspective.

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I’ll let the pictures do the talking.

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We rode our way back on the road, where they arranged a bus that went back to the hotel. It was a good and exhausting 37km for the day.

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