I love the streets and sky of Dali, Yunnan.
I like this city a lot. Sure it is touristy but not as bad as Lijiang. The weather is incredible at 25C high in the day and 17C at night. It rains at times but mostly at night since i have been here. The people are great and friendly but I need to move on to see new things.
For me the best part of the city is the hostel I am at called Friends Guesthouse. It is right beside the southern gate into the old town. It is only a five minute walk to the base of the mountain range. It only serves breakfast which is pretty good. The people are super friendly and helpful. It is also has good fast wi-fi. Finally it is very reasonable at only 100Y for a private room.
I am a bit nervous about moving further south due to the weather more than anything else. The further south I go the warmer it is going to get and I hate the warmth. I want to see the rain forests and hope to get into Laos but who knows.
There is no plan in this trip, just a very rough outline.