More of Lijiang

so as we exit town (through the entry gate) Anna decides to take us for a tea tasting of the famous PUR (pronounced "pour") tea from the Yunnan province.  It is excellent- not bitter and with tannins that are under control.  how do they do it? fermentation- some of the teas here are aged for decades - and they are sold in the compressed discs you may have noticed in prior posts.  while tasting we were served a sesame and fig cake that was perfect to tide us over until lunch.

we head back out of town and pass a number of eateries and shops along the way to the "gate" of the city which is decorated for the fall season-

 

so we leave the old town of Lijiang - thoroughly enchanted with its beauty... but the next stop has almost the opposite effect upon us- so stay tuned...

 

still in Old Town

we are still meandering the lanes of Old Town Lijiang- all the canals are lined with mums for the fall festival...

 

the mountain looms in the background-

a Dongba prayer wheel with the Naxi pictographs carved on the drum...

a Dongba Shaiman- got to love the feathers!

 

and not to be confused with the "Indian" at the drum shop-

 

 

up next the Naxi traditional dress and the tea ceremony (where we learn about PUR tea - the region's famous tea)