Biking
Lijiang, Yunnan, China
About
Biking. Rent a bike downtown, eg at Ali Baba's near Mao Zedong's statue, and see the sights. Ali Baba's will give you a handmade map of smaller surrounding towns that capture the quaint styles of Lijiang without the heavy tourism and the tacky souvenir shops. There are at least three towns, ranging from converted hippy communes to remote farming villages. There is a beautiful remote Buddhist monastery at Puji Mountain which is worth the 30 minute hike. There is also a Tibetan village labeled on the map but is hard to find, so ask Ali Baba for directions. Most of the terrain around Lijiang is level and the roads have only light traffic. These small, non-touristy towns and other sightseeing destinations can be reached within a 20 minute ride. As of August 2012, the service at Ali Baba was unfriendly, the prices range from 30 - 80 RMB and water is not longer included when renting the cheaper bikes. Tell them, you will go to the bike shops next to theirs and they will finally lower their prices. A much better option if you are intending to head towards the mountain and quaint villages is to rent your bicycles at Shuhe Old Town in the north instead for between 15-20 RMB. You avoid a boring (and upslope) 7km ride to Shuhe on the way to Baisha and Yuhu. About ¥15 per day including a bottle of water and a lock.
