Old Town of Lijiang

Old town of Lijiang, also called Dayan town, is a central town of the Lijiang Autonomous County of the Naxi Ethnic Minority in Yunnan Province. It is a national historical and cultural city and was regarded as one of the four well-preserved ancient cities. In 1997, it was listed as the world cultural heritage.

Lijiang is a beautiful shining jewel in the Northwest Yunnan. It had a history of more than 800 years. It is home to the Naxi people, descendants of the Tibetan Qiang tribes, as well as the Dongba culture which is regarded as one of the few living fossils of ancient culture exists in the modern world. Scriptures, paintings, music, dances, everything here are expressing the beauty of the unique culture.

Besides its brilliant history, it is also known for its wonderful scenery. Its name Dayan literally means a “great inkstab”, which gives a vivid description of the town’s location. As its name implies, it is on a piece of rich flatland fed by a river and surrounded by green mountains. Here, houses are made of wood and have their own unique characteristics. Most of them consist of a living area and a yard. The town, surrounded by green mountains and facing a river, has no high walls. The old style and prosperous street will take you back to in history for hundreds of years. When you are tired, the bars near the river will be your best choice to have a daydream.

If you want to a place of harmonious combination of tradition and fashion, make a trip to Lijiang and it will never disappoint you.

Notes:

1. The best time for traveling in the old town of Lijiang is autumn (September or October)

2. How to get to the town: cars are not allowed in … Continue reading >>>>

Train Travel Italy – A Great Way to Get Around

If you are planning a trip to Italy, or anywhere in Europe for that matter, you should consider taking a train. Trains on an Italian trip are fast, economical, clean and efficient, allowing you to see the countryside while moving from one location to another. Most trains take you directly from the city center to the city center, giving you proximity to the location as well as lodging and eating places. You don’t need to fight local traffic (a truly awful experience for the most part) or waist time at the airport.

A big side benefit is meeting with locals. The Italians are warm and expressive people and they really love their city, region and country. You will get great tips about places to eat and sites to see on your trip. You can even practice in Italy. If you prefer, just sit and enjoy rural Italy when you travel between your vacation sites.

Train travel is very easy if you know only a few important things:

• Plan your vacation and determine if you need an individual ticket or one of the various road permit cards available for Italian train travel. After knowing your best value, you can buy tickets from the ticket window, ticket kiosk, online at Trenitalia, or through your travel agent (where there will be a handling fee)

• Before you get on the train, validate your ticket. Un-validated tickets can lead to stiff penalties. Validation is fast and easy. Look for the yellow box at the track and place the end of your ticket into the slot provided. Your ticket will be stamped with the time and date, presto, your ticket is validated, board your train and relax

• Trains are widely used in Italy and can get crowded during commute time. Travel off peak … Continue reading >>>>