Yunnan Province China

Much of the travel through the countryside of the Yunnan province of China is through a patchwork of farms shielded by towering mountains, with giant lakes mirroring the peaks that are sometimes covered in snow.

Wherever you fly, drive or walk in the scenic Chinese province, there's a different dish for every occasion. The cuisine is as diverse as the traditional dress of the region's 43 million plus people broken into 25 or more ethnic groups, with tasty hot dishes such as steam-pot chicken, earthen-pot fish and guoqiao mixian, better known as "across-the-bridge-noodles", a soup served in a deep bowl filled with long rice noodles, stewed chicken, duck, spare ribs and vegetables - DELICIOUS!

The narrow cobblestones streets of Dali, home to the famous Three Pagodas, offer a more familiar dining experience with the smell of goat's cheese, specially cured ham, mushrooms and wood-fired pizzas filling the air with a delightful combination of enticing aromas. The latter emanating from Stella's Pizzeria, one of the two Western-style eateries within the walls of old Dali.

The other spot, Cafe de Jack, offers $5 pizza, coffee and cake... making it popular with backpackers and other travellers on a budget.

Nearby the Chongsheng Three Pagoda Temple holds court on a grassed hillside dwarfed by the 4000m-high Cang Shen, or Jade Green Mountain. The tallest of the three structures, originally built in the ninth century, is 16 tiers and 70m high. It's flanked on either side by two, 42m high, 10-tiered pagodas. Together they make a daunting sight, particularly when they're lit at night, and account for a lot of the tourist activity in this region of the Yunnan province.

As with much of China, the Yunnan province is popular with travellers for it's local markets and bargains can be found for all kinds of interesting wares. It's well worth travelling to the old town of Xizhou, just 18km from Dali, which has one such marketplace where it pays to arrive early to secure the best bargains.

Leave Yunnan Province China travel guide and return to Last Minute Travellers home page.