blank canvas: The China Diaries Part 7- Lugu Lake and its People

Lijiang Airport was a cute one. We walked out from the airplane, up an escalator, and taa daa, we're at the conveyor belt already. It was the smallest airport I've ever been to. We arranged for the hostel, Panba Hostel, at Lijiang to pick us up at the airport for RMB60 and were all set for the Yunnan leg of our trip.

The night when we reached the hostel, we asked the hostel to help us arrange for transport to Lugu Lake. Lugu Lake (泸沽湖)was a lake nestled at the border of Sichuan and Yunnan, and a trip on the road around it spans 62 kilometres (that's further than to get from Boon Lay to Pasir Ris!). It was a place I haven't heard of while researching, but highly recommanded by Yanjing, our shanghai friend. Samuel went to Lugu Lake through Sichuan, and took trains and buses from Chengdu to get there. We took a different route, flying to Lijiang from Chengdu instead, and then taking a 6 hour bus ride over. We didn't book any hostel over there, since we were uncertain of the lake. We decided to go there and search for accomodation, since Joyce found out that there were plentiful of hostels and small inns over there.

One other interesting thing that Joyce researched on was the tribe that lived in Lugu Lake. They were called the Mo Suo (摸索) people, and their system was matriarchal, where women held power over men. There were no marraiges and men stayed with women as "mates". Children stayed with their mothers and retain their mothers' surnames. Coined as the modern "woman's kingdom", the tribespeople have a long tradition. The most famous tradition of all is the walking marraige, or 走婚. An interested man would sneak into a girl's home and spend the night, before sneaking out before dawn. He may choose to reveal himself when they have a child, and that would be completing the marraige. Talk about free love!

Early morning the next day, a mini-bus filled with other tourists came to pick us up. It was 6 hours in between, and from time to time, the driver, Xiao Zhang, let us out to take some pictures. He also asked if anyone was interested in a tour package of the lake, which consist of a short tour around the lake in his mini-bus, a dinner at a Mosuo tribe, and a "concert-like" performance by the tribe, all for RMB120. It sounded good, and Joyce and Felicia were quite smitten by Xiao Zhang (don't ask), so we went ahead.

Xiao Zhang helped to arrange for our accomodation at Lige Village as well, so it was a breeze. All that was left to do was to wait for the bus to reach the destination. Mountain roads gave way to villages, which led to rice plantations, then it's mountain roads again. Staring out the window of the 20 seater bus was a joy, with a cow or two occasionally turning their heads and crossing the road.

When we finally saw a glimpse of the lake, the glistening waters bathing in the afternoon sun, there was a huge commotion in the bus. DSLR cameras clicked rapidly. It was awesome. Clouds and mountains that hung above the lake reflected on the surface, and a perfect symmetry of nature was in front of our eyes.

For the rest of the day, we relaxed by sitting below our inn, watching the world go by in this isolated haven. Then Xiao Zhang picked us up in his mini-bus and off we went, exploring the huge lake. He would drop us off for a few minutes at a few scenic areas, allowed us time to take some pictures, then pick us up again for the next scenic area around the lake. Lugu Lake was so huge, that, without his mini-bus, we would have a headache trying to cover the whole place by ourselves.

In the evening, we walked the "Marriage bridge", and went to a Mosuo house for dinner. After that, it was time for the performance of the tribe. I guess they did it regularly, because other tour groups were at the parade square as well, watching the performance. The tribespeople donned their traditional costumes and danced in a circle 'round a bonfire. Afterward, they asked the audience to join in. It was tremendous fun as we partaked in their customs, eg. kicking strangers' butt if we liked 'em. (Cathy got kicked by this Mosuo man a few times, to her annoyance.) At the end, we even had a session where we heard a lot of Chinese folk songs－one was 《我在马路边捡到一分钱》(seriously very funny. http://v.ku6.com/show/MjHvsIiIZew8dYP0.html) and another was 《姑娘我爱你》. It was turning late, so we went back after the performance.

The next morning, we left the lake to go back to Lijiang, but not before taking the quinessential sampan ride on the lake. The lake was serene and calm in the early hours, so we sat on the boat and took in the moment. The lady who rowed the boat sang a few songs- including the two mentioned. In the lake, the world seemed to have stopped moving. It was good.