Hi, Can someone tell me if DaLi is fun anymore?

I visited a while back and had a good time because it was nice and laid back with a few hippies but still peaceful and quiet.

I heard that Renmin Lu hs changed, bird bar has closed.
What places are still going on Renmin Lu?

Is it still chilled in DaLi or has it been taken over by 'fashion hipsters'?

Is it still cheap?

How about douchebag americans?
Too many?

Whats gong on in general?
Still fun and relaxing?

To describe Dali as laid back and quiet indicates that “a while back” means something like more then 10 years.

Ok, I will chime in here.
Maybe we need to vote to decide which is worse.
1 - doucebags
Or
2 - fashion hipsters
Or
3 - hippies

Personally, I’ll take a douchebag over a hippie any day.

He is talking about "douchebag americans". I think that is a category in itself compared to other douchebags. Apparently they have to be quantified as well. How many American douchebags can you handle? (Question directed at Dolphin)

The “drumshop girls” expanded in recent years there field of work from Lijiang to Dali but not sure if they can be qualified as hippies also that seems to be the dress code for these shops.

Same applies for the “coloured strings in your hair” thing that came down from Lijiang at the same time but can this be labelled “fashion hipsters”?

So hard to answer all these questions.

I just Googled him and Miyamoto Musashi lived between 1584 and 1645. That explains why he describes Dali as laid back. Probably was at that time. This was well before the Panthay Rebellion and other later upheavals.

No, it is not fun anymore. Just came back from a weekend trip to Dali. The new high speed train is convenient, but you still need to deal with the logistics of standing in line to pick up your ticket (foreign passport holders);this added to other misc time wasters; like taxi to the train station, to old town, waiting around etc. still ends up taking you 4 to 5 hours to go one way to Dali :(
Also, Old Town Dali, like most "old towns" in major Chinese cities, has basically been turned into an outdoor mall. If you like screaming kids and clueless yokels wondering around aimlessly, then you'll love it.

So, "I go to Dali to enjoy the beautiful Erhai!" you say; well, get in line. There seems to be a flourishing business of colorful Rugged Land rover looking SUV and ebike rentals around Erhai; you will find you are stuck behind a line of said vehicles when approaching most scenic spots. Once you get to these spots, entrepreneurial locals have already set up rows of decorative props,

lounge chairs, swings, coffee tables, in order to provide narcissistic selfie-takers the opportunity to pay10 quai and indulge in endless posing.

Sorry to be such a downer, but really, Dali has lost almost all of its former charm. Getting there a little bit faster only exacerbates the rapid decline. IMHO, it's now about one grade above a tourist trap.

Perhaps it is better during Chinese holidays?

Just my 2 Cents.
Cheers.

@ Bamei: Yes, the Golden Age, after the Mongols were out of power and before the Qing Dynasty was firmly established in the area. Even then, however, some thought back fondly on the great days of the Nanchao Kingdom...

Haven’t been there in a while, but all the problems bestpractice mentioned, you can get around to some extent and still enjoy it.

What does fun even mean anyway?
Point is, those mountains are breath-taking and the architecture is amazing. Just because someone is trying to sell you useless trinkets doesn’t mean you have to buy.
My idea of fun involves taking photos and there are nice photos to be had.

People complain about places being tourist traps. Do you expect to have one of the worlds most scenic location all to yourself?

And if you meet people you don’t like, you can ignore them. You don’t like Dali because there are douchebags is ridiculous. And being concerned about how people around you are dressed is silly. If you can’t enjoy yourself because someone dyes their hair purple, seek counseling.

@OP

There are many "douchebag americans" on GoKunming, but that doesn't take away the "fun" of visiting this website, now does it?

@OP

"douchebag americans"

This is crude bigotry.

(Edit: added @)