One thing you never realize while growing up American is that all the things you are exposed to are just replica of real things thousands of miles away.  So when you arrive in a place like Dali, China, it takes a while for your mind to comprehend that this is the real deal.  This is all authentic China.  This is not an amusement park, not a theme park, not a Hollywood movie set, this is an actual true town that looks like this:

Pretty, right?

I wish I would have taken more photos of the streets but I was so lost and growing more impatient with lugging my camera around my neck as I sweat out eleventy billion bottles of water.

Dali is pretty used to seeing Westerners so you do not have the entire population staring at you as you simply exist.  It was a nice change.

Dali is framed by Cangshan Mountains.  They are so beautiful to look at.  Here is what the view from the cable car:

See number five: China does not want the insane riding their cable cars.  Too bad this sign was up top.  Neener neener China, I rode your cable car!

Cangshan has three cable cars.  One that goes all the way to the top, which is what I originally wanted to do.  But the owner of my hostel told me that once you are up there, the clouds cover everything so you cannot see.  The other two go halfway up and you can walk between the two on the “cloud path” that is a well maintained pathway on level ground. No continually hiking up and down steps like this:

It costs 40 RMB ($6.45 USD) for entrance to the mountain.  I rode to the middle which was 50 RMB each way ($8.06 USD)  You can also opt to hike the mountain, which I believe is free.