丽江浮光掠影(9.7-9.8)

I took a most pleasant walk from Shuhe to Baisha on this road

I evaded the rain and contemplated in this illuminated temple

Peristrophe japonica (九頭獅子草)

Coallodiscus flabellatus (石胆草)?

Yet another unidentified violet

10 years ago when I first visited Lijiang (丽江), it was already a hot tourist destination. Now "the old town has been almost totally taken over by outsiders and the streets are simply packed with tourists," other travelers kept telling me.

So I only made a brief stop in Lijinag on my way back. I visited Shuhe (束河) and Baisha (白沙) (which are also part of the World Cultural Heritage site), the two villages not far from town but far quieter than the old town...

I found a lot of violets in the temple complex where the famous Baisha murals were kept.