I arrived just in time for the spring break, which meant that on April 3rd, it took me a full 6 hours to get from Sheraton Kunming to Kunming Railway Station, then to Dali Station by bullet train (one hour seated, one hour standing), and finally a taxi to the hotel. It was an exhausting journey. To make matters worse, on the evening of April 3rd, I fell for online promotions and had an awful experience dining and getting a portrait drawn for my child in Dali Old Town.
Thankfully, the exceptional service, facilities, and amenities at Dali Palace Hotel (Sheraton's amenities are incomparable, not even on the same level) soothed my weary body and mind. Yesterday morning, we enjoyed a trip to Dianchi Lake, and today's day trip to Erhai Lake and Cangshan Mountain concluded perfectly. For lunch, we had 'Yu · Bai Ethnic Farmhouse Cuisine' with Haishao Gongyu by Erhai Lake. In the evening, we tried Shouting BBQ, a local favorite (Dali Old Town is full of shops run by outsiders preying on tourists, so don't trust online reviews there). Returning to the hotel, we still felt right at home, and the thoughtful service even provided a small surprise for my family: they gave us fatigue-relief eye patches (they must have seen my wife bought hyaluronic acid eye drops). Hence, this poetic reflection:
**Feeling 1**
Cangshan spans the earth, touching the boundless sky,
Erhai embraces the heavens, absorbing the sun's bright eye.
Dianchi's waves are calm, gulls lightly dance and soar,
High above the deep ravines, eagles spread their wings and more.
With the morning sun, all things anew begin,
Through the clear night, I guard the world from within.
No need to speak of worldly strife, or earthly din,
Only to the vast mountains and rivers, my homage I bring!
**Feeling 2**
Dianhai swallows clouds, touching the distant blue,
Eagles strike the vast sky, soaring freely anew.
Gulls chase the bright waves, light as a dream they seem,
The moon hangs in the clear night, cold as a frosty gleam.
Morning greets the sunrise, illuminating Erhai's grace,
Evening embraces Cangshan, a painting in this place.
Heaven and Earth my shelter, my heart expands so wide,
A stream of wind and moonlight, wild and untamed inside!
Original TextTranslation provided by Google