Last day in Lijiang

It's about time to round up the Lewkowitz visit in preparation for Friday and [Adam's friend from Amherst who is awesome] Janice's visit! So we left off returning to Lijiang for our last night and day of the trip...

That night in Lijiang was spent finding gifts throughout Old Town. While walking in the main square, we happened upon a dance party that was kind of like the Bai (minority group in Yunnan) Horah. While we were all dying to join in, we didn't want to intimidate them with our expert Jewish moves; instead, we walked into a tea shop and ended up having an impromptu tasting!

The tea was delicious, and Cathy ended up buying some to bring back to her friends.

On Sunday, we decided to walk to the other side of Old Town and explore the Black Dragon Pool (which Cathy kept referring to as the Blue Lagoon. hahaha). It is a scenic area at the base of the Jade Snow Mountain; the melting snow from the mountain is the source of the running water here and throughout Lijiang's canals.

 There were several pagodas and a few temples and gardens.

 It was a very peaceful morning, away from the hectic shops and ever-present smell of yak meat, and the perfect way to end our vacation down south.

We left the Black Dragon Pool for a yummy western lunch at Prague Cafe (the only thing Czech about it were the pictures on the walls, but the American food was delicious!) and then packed up, used the western toilet one last time, and headed to the airport...passing our "friend" from Dali (awesome, OH YEAH!) along the way. It was a fantastic trip, away from cold and smoggy Beijing, and all of us had a great time traveling together. It was sad to return home and help Cathy and Herman pack up; their time here FLEW by. Luckily, we'll be home and see them (and everyone else!) in 3 short months!!