15 Apr China: Lugu Lake, The Kingdom of Women

Everyone was saying how beautiful this lake is, so I needed to take a look. The car ride was bumpy with countless turns and it took around 7-8 hours from Lijiang. We had to set off at 6am in the morning and reached there just after noon.

“Lugu Lake is called the “mother lake” by the Mosuo people. The lake is also known as the region of “Amazons,” “The Kingdom of Women” and “Home of the Matriarchal Tribe”, this last name highlighting the dominant role of the Mosuo women in their society.”

The lake is in the shape of a horse’s hoof. There are five islands on the lake and there are a variety of birds living here. The lake looked unpolluted from human activities. The water was rather blue when we arrived on that day because it was a fine sunny day.

We went for a song and dance event by the Mosuo natives in the evening. It was very tourism-oriented and didn’t feel close to the heart at all, so we left after a while of prancing around in circles with the crowd. The place is famous for their roast suckling pigs, so be sure to have a taste when you are there. 

The next morning, we woke up early to take a little boat ride to a nice spot for sunrise. It was my first time looking at the sun peeking out from the mountains, I enjoyed it, especially when the lake was all tranquil. The colours were really great and the ripples on the water added nice touches to these sightings.

We rented electronic scooters in the afternoon for round-the-island escapade. It was great fun if not for my dysentery-related issues for the entire day. Thanks to the breakfast that morning and my weak stomach, I wasn’t able to fully enjoy the ride and sightseeing.

As my time in Lijiang was ending after this outing, I felt a little blue. As cliché as it may sound, fate really works in very strange ways. I feel happy whenever I go to a new place, but I miss all my friends when I have to leave. However, I’ve been very lucky to have met the people on my trip and built many beautiful relationships. Thank you for the wonderful memories and till we meet again, Amigos.