One of China's oldest towns - Dali

hello guys welcome to another video I'm Wilco and in today's video I'm going to be getting the train from Kim in China to Deli which is Apparently one of the oldest surviving Villages here in China so we're going to be checking out what that looks like I'm staying in Del Oldtown on the recommendation of a friend who lives in China and super excited to see what that looks like also my first ever train in China so I've Got My Ticket I've got my DD on the way which is Uber here in China he'll be here in 2 minutes then we'll be heading to the station and getting on the train second class it's about a 2hour journey and we'll be exploring all that D has to offer so why don't you join me if you want to see the rest of my trip then hit that subscribe button below and let's get into it train number 8710 D 8710 aha platform 6B this one let's have a Wonder around this station it's absolutely huge wow ticket gate 6B 8710 which is my train to Del opens up at 8:05 platform 8 inspection time 7:50 need to wait until 7:50 it looks like people have already started curing up now it's a big group of people but I have a reserve seat it's it's like 7:36 now it's 750 there so I will wait I don't want to stand for 20 minutes when I can see the Q so we'll see looks like we're almost ready to board now but because I have this ticket I'm going to use uh manual Channel I don't trust that the passports linked to the ticket I know on the other ones I have I don't need to collect a physical ticket because I've got uh it's like an e ticket so you give your passport information when you register and then you just scan your passport at the gate and that allows you on to the platform cuz they know that's your ticket but for this I was from a different company from 12 go so I'm just going to go through manual check for my first time also the Q maybe is a little bit shorter in this one so that might have something to do with it we have okay oh thank you just got my passport and actually show my ticket number and my coach number which is really good maybe the ticket's just more so I know where I'm sitting one thing that I do find interesting here is how many people just smoke in public I was in a shopping center and there was a guy just smoking in the wash basin area of the toilets and I was just like oh even though there was a big sign saying know smoking right next to him I was like this is just a thing here where people seem to smoke inside even at the um minorities villag yesterday as well people are like leaving the toilets with a cigarette in their hat so this is something I didn't know about China um being an ex smoker no good to me now so let's try my first ever bubble tea it's blueberry bubble tea it's got little bits of blueberry in the bottom there can you see but it's also like loads of milk they like I Shar right look M that's really nice I like that but it's not like creaming cuz you know like some other coffees you get where especially in India other places i' found they put loads of sugar in they put creamer in so it's like very ly for me oh wow I actually had no idea it was here because it was so quiet so we're looking for seat number four you have yes right side yes here we are so I'm on 4 SE SE got this table let's go check out the rest of the carriage shall we look at the m space there is here some amazing scenes as well like you just get the villages and then all of a sudden you're cut through the mountain you just see loads of bridges let's keep going 92 192 km an hour you can even get hot water so if you want to a cup of tea you have a cup of tea you've got storage area here for luggage and then you've got two choices of toilet rather a western toilet or you got you toilet right wow we're here hello Del some amazing views on the train and it's also really quiet like there was no one sat next to me there's nobody sat on the two or three rows behind so it's great I got a window view so beautiful going up to like 193 km now hour so quick we're heading for the exit and then the combination that I booked for D they messaged me to say would I like a pickup and because it's located in the old town this means that cars can't drive there so I said yes I'm excited possible so it's going to take about 50 minutes apparently to get to the hotel so we're just heading now to the location of the hotel excited to explore what D has to offer I've Heard lots of great things about this and I have to say thank you to Han so Han is is actually my neighbor and she was really helpful when I said I was coming to China she put together a document with loads of recommendations of places to visit and so the reason why I'm doing this whole yanan part of my trip here in China is because of her really her suggestions of visiting Kim d Ling Jang and doing it as like kind of a multi-day journey So yeah thank you Hann if you're watching this this is all because of you it's about 52-minute drive cuz we're staying in the ancient city so we can see we're here and we're at the bottom of the lake and we're going to be going almost a quarter of the way up so yeah I have a feeling there's going to be some amazing views here wow just look at these mountains over here so it's actually not located on the lake but it's almost located uh between two kind of Highways either side so you can see we are entering it now this that we're driving through and you can see that there's also a limit on what type of vehicles can be here and at what speed wow very narrow streets here I have a feeling we going to be going down that direction over there in a minute wow I feel like we're heading on a track here ha right look like the thing to do here is to get a moped it's the best way to get about wow we're going this way it's um so quiet here I'm kind of not focusing on where I'm going either which isn't helpful because you have to remember to get back to that M think there a square H wow hello here wow ddy old Courtyard in look at these I'm staying here this is crazy so this is where we are here we're in the ancient city so it's just a little bit further away from the lake wow uh you just go directly from here the S kitchen ah to the left yeah to the end to the end okay perfect amazing okay wow I can hear the school now oh this is crazy this one it's a super like a upgrade oh thank you oh wow oh my gosh it's huge come and check out my room with me here in Del it is gorgeous I can't believe it so we're coming in through the door here and then you've got this huge room it's massive we've got to start off with a coffee table area where you've got like tea making facilities and some bottled water and this is really cute this table I've just actually been having a little cup of tea sat here on this really comfy sofa which is really really nice and look at the ceiling you can actually see up there some of the roof tiles are like glass so that's quite interesting so there's light shining through and you've also got this kind of chandelier up here and look at these wooden beams they're like it's like an actual tree that's been used here and then the wooden beam just go up and up and up you've got a television and you've got this little seating area here which is super cute as well so you can just basically sit here whilst maybe whoever else you're staying with is getting up in the morning just sit here or have your tea so let's check out the bed okay wow that is nice and then the amazing view through the window over there okay so let's show you around then to the bathroom the bathroom is through the other side of here and I was shocked when I got here cuz I wasn't expecting this but I've got an open top bath which I cannot wait to use it's been over a month since I've had a bath it was in India last time I had a bath obviously I've showered before in between then but sometimes you just want to lay in a bath and just rest relax so that's where I'm going to be tonight you've got this massive shower here which has got a big shower head and all of the things you need body wash conditioner shampoo even another shower head here if you need it I put my hand here it's a Japanese toilet which has got all these features here towels you got some slippers the bath mats and then this is really nice as well it's like uh like a vanity kit but I quite like how they're all in different um shaving kits wooden cone shower caps never seen that before where it's like inside a wooden box I don't know maybe that's not amazing but for me that was something I was like oh that's just different and again just the ceiling space it's crazy so you've got a little glass door here you can see across between the bathroom and then you've got a wardrobe where you've got dressing gowns got slippers and these slippers look really comfy so then the view so all the windows you have in the room open and close and they have got like a lock here um so you can close them there is only just like a paper um here to protect but if you open this what you can also do is you can also close the blinds if you want privacy you can ruce these blinds down or if you want to maybe stop some of the bugs coming in I'm going to have to go and explore now the old town so let's go have a look I'll put a link to this uh property in the description below so if you do want to book this property then I think I booked it on booking.com so yeah will be down there I have just taken a picture of the entrance of the hotel because I swear I'm not going to be able to find it the building's like two or three buildings back from the actual Road and this road to be fair as long as I come down this road it pretty much just ends that building behind me and then it's just down a narrow Corridor and then on the right there's another town just a bit higher up which is about 40-minute drive which is also a historical old town but it feels a bit silly for me to drive and leave here when I'm here I should probably explore here first and then I can always do that tomorrow if I feel like it or if not the other option I've got is the free pagodas which is also a really popular place not far away so I can also do that tomorrow but today I think I'm just going to stay here and just explore this cuz it's not until you look on the map you realize how big it is like you might think oh it's maybe like four or five streets but I don't know what the square might mileages of the place here but it's big one of the things you need to be aware of is also in the accommodation I'm in when I was going up the stairs I hit the top of my head quite hard something to be aware of when you've got these small buildings [Music] what this is very odd very [Music] Strange's promoting Thailand maybe it's something to do with uh visiting Thailand interesting that's not food place oh if I just keep walking up this way I'm going to hit McDonald's wow I really don't want to go in but I feel like I have to just because it looks so amazing like it's doesn't look like a McDonald's at all they've even got a Golden Archers Chinese lantern over there this is ridiculous I might come back here and get a McFlurry after I've had my lunch but I'm not eating in here I've not come all this way to have a McDonald's Nia aha O So soups mainly rice noodles wild rice noodles okay yeah let's try it let's go so this is with rice noodles uh Yak meat smooth sailing across the bridge rice noodles wow that one's a lot that's too much for me I this one please yes oh wow look at this this is the bridge there not much water's going to get under that oh my gosh so where do we even start with this so look like you got lettuce what are these I want to say it's not celery is this coriander yes these look exciting they're fried and they're crispy uh eggs raw eggs noodles tomato fish white fish uh another type of fish maybe and then add meat oh wow it's huge this lady's going to help explain it to me aha so you mix the egg to together ah and then it gets cooked in here so then all of the meat's been put in there wow the heat coming off this thing it's super hot and then the fish goes in ah mushroom ahuh then noodles tomato and then oven noodles and crispy what is this crispy fried pork aha yes yes M and then the lettuce goes in and the chives and then the coriander and spring onion H so it all gets cooked in here and then all the noodles wow wow wow look at this this actually looks like a piece of art I'm going to start off with the crispy pork [Music] M wow I mean that crispy pork is not crispy now it's soft and gowy but it's nice that's so tasty we I'm done I mean there's still those left but can't eat anymore that was good I do feel quite full now even after just some noodles and soup that was tasty just being between these two mountains and seeing that Lake down there is very impressive as well it's interesting as well a lot of shops here say Workshop there's like a bakery Workshop there a daily fresh milk Workshop so let's see what this actually means it says uh fresh milk is this this fresh milk ah uh is this the flavor let's have a look so you've got Rose handmade yogurt you've got black grain grape mango watermelon or dragon fruit can I get a small portion of Rose handmade yogurt please so when it says Workshop maybe it was made earlier during the day or maybe you get to see it being made now wonder what this is It's rose jam Aha and then there's some more yogurt added here interesting so it's like got a layer in the middle ah M oh that's nice it definitely just Taste of Rose it's nice if not a little bit fragrant disappointed though it wasn't much of a workshop was it I'm going to try and find a part of this ancient Town that's not so shock filled I'm guessing there is like more authentic buildings what is this I think it's a llama I'm so confused why is llama just not there this makes no sense to me why this guy is just like chilling down here what's the purpose of him being here okay so it's like milk powdered pastry and it's like a square it's almost like a hard so interesting I've never seen this before so it's like a block of like so I thought this was cheese just because I thought oh it must be cheese cuz it's hard but it's not cheese and look it's in all of these different flavors so you've got like matcho coconut purple potato you try this chocolate [Music] one I Can't Describe to you the texture of it I'm trying to think what it tastes like you know you bought a crunchy bar and if you soaked it the inside of it I would imagine that's what that tastes like try purple potato cuz it's like a bit crispy also a bit flaky dried meat floss what is dried meat floss [Music] okay oh wow that is something I think I'll go for some Oreo one trying to find where it is though I mean I could just ask Oreo Oreo uh 36 6 oh thank you zing now this looks a little less shoppy doesn't it although it is absolutely surrounded by shops everywhere but um it's really interesting the structure it's got on all four corners smaller two tier ones that are on the ground level like these little seating areas here and then all the way around it as well is all this water and then a bridge basically to get over so as I can mount super interesting so that's some kind of gate I think look at it it's beautiful wait what this is ridiculous this is a Starbucks coffee no oh my God I'm going in so excited I I should be as excited for Starbucks oh it's so cool in here can I have the dark chocolate Frappuccino with cream that so cute a little coffee cup I'm going to write my name in it obviously just don't have a pen we have to write on someone else's page I actually love how they actually Starbucks have made the box and I thought I'd explored a large part of the old town but literally I've only done this which is should say it's probably like a one quarter if that and all I've done is two roads so you start to really see how big this place all is going to check out some of these later potentially places for dinner cuz there's loads of uh food places more so on this street but it's actually so hot in the sun right now can't describe it had a little bit of a nap here at the hotel there's no air conditioning in the room so that's one of the downsizes the I think most because I'm on the top floor the heat from the roof there are like three or four different fans on but yeah it's pretty warm so it might not feel like it makes sense for me to have tea when it's hot but when I had this tea yesterday that I bought in canum actually reduced all my sunburn so it's pretty good it's a white tea and yeah Hotel have been kind enough to make some for me and um follow the process of washing the which is removing the first part of the water through and throwing it away but also using it to warm up the cup so the hotel also offers calligraphy you you never did it before no never before so this is our first time okay so start at the top here basically I'm just following along the stencil here and I've got some ink from this bottle here of some water and then now I've got my brush oh no too much ink so I'll try this one first cuz quite easy so it's just a dash and then it looks like it it's a in uh it's a means day or the sound just one word uh I don't know if that's right that doesn't mean exit does it it's true just like this ahit exit M okay yes yes but I is uh if just this part is means Mountain so it's two mountain together likeit yes yeah yeah okay I'm going to try and do my name so my name is this in Chinese I think that's okay I don't think it's great this is a very complicated L character here in my try all the time [Music] so I asked the lady on the reception if she knows what this means and she got it straight away she said I was very good she said it's very clear but interestingly she was explaining that like a lot of the characters in here if you actually start to even just change elements of this then it can get into a different meaning so these two symbols if you separate them like this means mother this apparently means Soldier generally on its own but then if you extend the legs it could also mean mud and then this symbol here um at the top you can also mean have other meanings as well if you start to if even just a slightest things are different like if for example there's nothing underneath here it has a completely different meaning so I am very impressed with this cuz this is my second attempt that was attempt number one and then I realized I have to go bigger and been so happy with that very confused because the temple in front of me has got a cross on the top of it so so there's Jesus on the cross but it's not your traditional looking church is it you can see there's a cross right at the top there wow this is mindblowing I mean I've seen a lot of churches in my time because whenever you travel Church which is always a thing to go and see but this is interesting look at the design and the unique detail here this is all very traditional for this area and some of this is what I saw the style of this was at the um minorities Village in cim but then when you go inside Catholic Church in mfu Ying wow wow that is the most interesting and unique Catholic Church I think I've seen it's a little bit different now and I thought this would be the case because the later it's going to get in the evening I think the busier and louder it's going to get there's lots of different bars and cafes and places where they have people playing live music and she can probably just hear because I can barely hear myself talking I'm having to talk louder just so I can remember like I can focus on what I say it's I imagine there's quite a night life around here we're going to find out I'm going to go get some hot pot first because after I was offing some hot pot and cim yesterday it was amazing it blew my mind I want to find some more soone I've done this then I'm not going to stay out late late I'm just going to be out for a little bit so we'll see what that looks like butter hop poot see uhuh right that's okay we can do this you guys are seeing The Full Experience here in China of how you get around not knowing what things mean you have take screenshots in apps and then translate it or have a second phone wow five people or more I can't that's not that's too much for me spicy full Hot Pot I'm a bit confused of what I'm ordering in and actually I don't mind cuz I the lunch time that turned out all right she not getting a vibe from that place it's empty no one's eating so let's keep going we've got so many options meow meow is it hot pot uh wild mushroom hot pot meal for two person yes [Music] wow so the hot pot is in inside the [Music] bowl wow oh they smell amazing it smells like pastry got lettuce here there was so many different types of mushrooms um some mushrooms I've never even seen before actually so there was I think six in total including this like purple type of mushroom which I was really interested to see how that tasted so then the cake or more like pastry that was given to me I could eat um whilst I was waiting for the hot pot but um it was so strange it tasted like rose which it actually did have inside so good guess and then the guy started to add in all the different mushrooms into the hot pot then he start to add all the chicken in [Music] now all of the food was sat inside the hot pot but I had to wait for about 20 minutes for it to cook the reason for this is that if the meat isn't properly cooked obviously you can get ill because I had food poisoning already I didn't want to risk it so they give you a little timer so you can check when the 20 minutes is up then you can eat your hot pot so one of the things they ask me is whether I wanted any seasoning so at the back of the restaurant they have all these different seasonings there a recommended recipe but I asked for some help because I wasn't really sure all the translations didn't really come through correctly so thankfully the waiter was really kind and he helped me make the super secret sauce with all the different ingredients so then after I had my sauce it was back to watching The Hot Pot which had now started to boil and it was almost ready to eat and yeah if I started off of course with just the mushrooms because that was why I was there um they were super tasty very soft but also very like unique in their taste the guy started adding actually the balls for me so they could begin cooking and then what he said you do is you take the food out of the hot pot put it into a smaller pot to cool down and then you put it from that smaller pot dip it in the seasoning to eat it so yeah it felt like a lot of pots but it was really tasty [Music] the mix of spices was particularly tasty um The Secret Sauce was definitely very good I did try the chicken but I'm not a fan of chicken on the bone so I'll be honest it wasn't really I think I left it um but what I did like though was the meatballs like once they' cooked they were really tasty as well but yeah that chicken on the bone there wasn't very much meat on it so I didn't really see the point of trying to even tackle it when I have so many mushrooms to eat so yeah I learn the hard way trying to think I could speed up the process by just eating string from the hot pot but that was not the thing because yeah uh it's too hot you need it in a different pot so it cools down first which all in all I was super happy with very tasty that was absolutely amazing I loved that six different types of mushrooms and a hot pot and I was felt really looked after there by the guy he was very friendly he like explained everything to me how the process worked how to eat the soup first and yeah felt very well at T was a total of 114 Chinese Yuan I think I keep saying Yen and it's not Yen it's Japanese Yen it's Chinese Yuan so I think that equates to around maybe like £1 which is crazy when you think about how much food there was there if you were to buy that in the UK that would be at least 35 to 40 I feel like I need to have some fruit Ying what is this fruit here [Laughter] sad kill feet so not every time does the translation work I think on here um it might be like a local dialect or maybe a different not Chinese I think I'm going to be brave and try one of these but let me see which one okay I'm going to go with the hamade guav 11 tea let's try it out M you got little bits of um guav on the inside feels a little bit like when we I went to Japan and uh we went into the Alps like the kind of the style of building very like historical but then it's almost a little bit like Vegas in a way which supp maybe different my expectation when it was ancient town I thought maybe there won't be so many shops it w more just be like old historical buildings that mean there is wow it looks like I found the room [Music] up look at all the food markets down here so much choice of food just look at this so I just stumbled across his hairdresses literally as I was about to walk home and I've asked him if I can have a haircut cuz it's already getting way too long so let's see what a haircut in China is like okay L back oh my gosh getting a massage this feels so strange to have somebody washing my hair and then also something rubbing my my legs and we going up and down my back going like a back massage at the same time this is so strange W that was interesting getting a massage whil giving a h that was looking good already it's nice and smooth straight and I think I've just realized why this gown has got a big plastic patch here so people can read their phone whilst they get in their haircut look at that wow [Music] back in the massage seat some product [Music] [Music] look at this this is great byebye Dolly byebye this place was absolutely beautiful so that's the end of my time here in Del I was hoping to get out this morning and go some places but it didn't happen I had a call late last night well the hours of this morning but because of the time difference in the UK so I didn't get to sleep until 3:00 in the morning so it's been a slow morning today but that's okay I've been the best accommodation for that kind of slow wonderful morning had a beautiful breakfast just heading now walking back to where we can get to a car for pickup head back to the train station and then we'll be heading to to the mountainous region of Ling Jang which is going to be my next video so if you want to see that then hit that subscribe button below that video will be out after this one where we're going to be exploring some more of the natural beauty here in China as always thank you for watching and if you like this video then please hit that like button and I will see you on the next one bye

2024-08-20 08:12

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