Biking around Beautiful Erhai Lake

At the end of our disastrous bike trip through Yunnan (read more about it here), Katie and I had one last day to spend around Dali's old town. We decided to rent a bike and pedal around nearby Erhai (洱海) Lake. Shaped like an ear (“Erhai” means “ear-shaped sea”) and at 1,972 meters (6,470 feet) above sea level, the lake is the second-largest highland lake in all of China.

We had a great day of riding along the shore, through many crowded towns full of cars trying to squeeze through narrow roads. Along the way we ate lake fish for lunch and found an interesting dragon festival in a small village. The next day we rode a train for seven hours to the big city of Kunming, from which Katie flew back to Beijing and I took another train for 33 hours. Just 'cuz.

The best part of our day at Erhai Lake: no broken chains. Here are some photos:

There were many fields like this one, with ubiquitous mountains in the background.

Katie.

The lake is a popular place for wedding photography.

This group was preparing for a performance.

The dragon dance begins.

One of the young performers.

Tea time.

An onlooker.

This guy was having a fun time with his radio.

We found this temple along the way.

A field at sunset.

On our way back to Dali.

A rapeseed field.

More photos from our Erhai Lake trip