July 01, 2006

Old Dali, Three Sound Delicacies, and Tibetans

Dali is a gorgeous little town. It vaguely reminds me of Dubrovnik, what with its cobblestone pedestrian streets, distinctive archicture, hordes of tourists, and laid-back feel. However, while Dubrovnik is on the sea, Dali is nestled under a range of 4000m peaks, close to the shore of China's 7th largest fresh water lake. The setting is amazing, but the weather leaves a lot to be desired. This place ranks very highly on Chinese Tourists' lists and as such is overrun with noisy, spitting Chinese tourists who are shuttled around on massive busses. Of course, there is a two-tier entrance-fee system here. The crazy authorities wanted a whopping $15 to go see the Three Pagodas (last year, it was only $5 for foreigners). Chinese tourists pay 50 cents. Since I could already see the Three Pagodas from outside, I refused to give the commies any money and instead walked around the back to see if there was another way in. There was, but an astute guard saw me sauntering in casually. I played dumb and waved at him, but he insisted I leave. Oh well. I tried.

I arrived here at 6 am after an entertaining overnight train ride. I was in a "hard sleeper" which is actually quite comfortable, except for the lack of space. Six people crowd together on the bottom bunks and yap away, while waiting for the lights to go out (the lesson here is that if you should always book the middle sleeper if you don't want people sitting on your bunk). One girl spoke a little english, so she translated for the curious group. They all got a big laugh at the fact that I was too tall for the bed.

There are quite a few Tibetans here in Dali. In fact, I'm staying at a wonderful guesthouse called "Jim's Tibetan Guesthouse." I'm going to pass on the "Tibetan Feast" (his specialty) since I'm not too fond of Tibetan food. Once again, I'm surrounded by Tibetan Music, that strangely disturbing caucophony that sounds like a mix between someone strangling a cat and running her nails on a chalkboard. I can easily recognize a few of the hits.

The range in how far your dollar can go here is amazing. $4/night buys you a dirty mattress on the floor, filthy shared toilets, and questionable showers. $7/night gets you your own room, but you still have to share toilets with everyone else. $10/nights gets you a beautifully decorated, immaculately clean private room with en-suite bathroom (and 24-hour hot shower), western toilet, and satellite TV. They throw in breakfast, too, which is quite a deal considering the going rate for a real cup of coffee in Dali is $1.

Today, I discovered a South Chinese treat. It's called "Three Sound Delicacy." I didn't try it, though. This tastebud tantalizer is a live baby rat. It squeals when you grab it with your chopsticks. Then it whimpers when you dunk it in chili sauce. And finally, it crunches when you stick it in your mouth. After hearing this, the other various Items on a Stick (pig entrails, chicken feet, baby sparrows) seem quite boring.

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