Judging by the many stores selling handi-crafts and trinkets we could see it was a tourist town but yet it didn't seem as
# 4 had to offer - nothing much, she claimed. Still, the next morning we moved to a much cleaner and new Korean guesthouse ("Koreana") in the heart of the town. The fact that # 5 had a great garden, fish pond, and a ping pong table in the courtyard was not a seller for her to stay put - I of course had no say in the matter.... Anyway, I enjoyed the short overnight stay there, playing my own version of ping-pong and catch with Oma. It's nice that my Oma came to visit us. I now have someone who understands the fundamentals of what I need ....... spoiling! The new place was really a lot nicer, cleaner and it had a heater and electric blankets as well. But true to Korean style the beds were also harder and one Oma was not used to. But after stacking up a few soft cushions, Oma ended up with a very high, but soft princess bed.
A couple of days later on a cloudy cold afternoon the folks decided to head down to Erhai Lake after lunch. This was Oma's first lunch at a real Chinese joint and she found it quite amusing the way my folks order food in these places - I am of course quite used to it: a lot of gesturing and pointing and then waiting... with baited breath to see what actually arrives! The food turned out to be fine and quite tasty as well. So after lunch we started walking towards the lake, passing the many large modern walled-in homes. Soon it became apparent that the lake was further than first thought so once again we
The next day, after my schoolwork was completed, and after a lunch of noodles and dumplings at the local market, we had decided on a horse trek that would take us high up the mountain behind Dali. The weather was cooperating with a sunny/cloudy mix. Now I should mention, that reaching the temple Zhonghe Si, halfway to the top of this mountain, could easily be done via a cable chair (similar to ski lifts). But no ... the folks decided that would be just too practical and opted for the hard way! We found four horses - one for each of us and I of course had to accompany the guide who sometimes decided to ride with me. We slowly zigzagged our way up the very steep slopes, through the local cemetery (weaving our way among the huge gravestones) and through a beautiful pine forest. An hour later we arrived at the gate of the temple and after a quick visit we decided to do the 1/2-hour hike along a nice path to a waterfall. The easy walkway took us along the edge of the mountain with lush forest on one side and breathtaking views of the valley below on the other. It was a good thing the walk itself was so breathtakingly beautiful because the waterfall turned out to be little more than a trickle! The horse ride down though proved to be more of a challenge on these vertical cliffs - especially when the usually tame horses decided to gallop down...! My guide walked my horse down so I was not scared, but my parents and Oma were turning a bit pale...
Dinner that night was at a place called Jack's. Mummy was quite excited when she glanced at the menu as there was a dish called "Pakistan Chili Chicken". Thinking it was the famous "Chicken Tika", she wasted no time in ordering it..... A big disappointment - she said the only thing Pakistani about that dish was that perhaps the ceramic plate it was served on, was made THERE instead of CHINA! To top it off the next morning we found out that Oma was sick all night from the Indonesian rice she had eaten at the same place... or was it the massage she got that evening...?