Zhashidaji Hostel Shangri-La

... another cute kitten made a beeline for me!!<br><br>Walking home through the town square it was lovely to stop &amp; watch the locals do their nightly dancing. It is in a huge big circle &amp; they all seem to know what to do. Such a nice community thing to do &amp; their were people representing all generations from young to old!<br><br> <br><br> <br><br ...

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... old Naxi ladies sat on the sidewalks alike, a small insight into the sense of community commitment that exists. Of course, we must caveat that these are just our observations of Yunnan and from the tourist trail... <br><br>Overall, we think Yunnan is a beautiful province and a great place to spend time travelling through. It has certainly set our expectations high for the rest of our travels in China, and we are already feeling a growing affection for the country. <br><br><br>

... labor camps: Tents made of plastic shopping bags line sidewalks for blocks and house hundreds of workers and their families. The laborers' wives cook dinner in kettles hung over open fires, and, in between jobs, men gather at corner pool halls. Diqing lies east of the Tibet that has struggled with Beijing for decades. Still, with 23 Buddhist monasteries and a largely Tibetan population living in far-flung villages, Diqing has more in common, culturally ...

Following 2 nights and 1 whole day in Lijang (did i mention there was a tight schedule here?!) we're off to Shangri-La, a town 4 hours north in the Tibetan area and supposedly the location of the book "Lost Horizon", about a mystical monastery which holds the key to immortality. We're here to have a look at tibetan culture and of course to find the elixir of life, which might be a bit OTT as it's just a cold i've got. The road here is pretty, passing through high ...

... breathing heavily out of fear and she said "I've been traveling for 4 months and that's the closest to dying I have come." After that I clung to the seat in front of me every time we turned a corner (and there are lots of corners. But the rest of the ride passed without incident. We arrived back in Zhongdian and showered and changed at Kevin's (contrary to what the Irish guys said, no showers at Tashi's). Then we went in search of this fantastic yak curry we'd been told ...

... decorated with oddities such as a stuffed Yak (Virg didn't want me to pose too close for a photo in case it kicked me!) or a vintage motorcycle-sidecar combo, the post-office is probably unique in that it has a lucrative sideline in Yak-based products and vicious-looking knives displayed in row upon row of glass case. A bit unnerving when all I wanted was a few stamps. Almost caught up with the China blog... A&amp;Vx

... our destination. Tiger Leaping gorge is the deepest gorge in the world and at the bottom the yangtzi river roars through as it narrows. It is situated on the opposite side of Jade Dragon Mountain (YuLongXueShan), the mountain mentioned in my Lijiang blog. The drive out of Lijiang was great fun as we took a track road up into the mountains which was deeply rutted so as you can imagine it was a very bumpy ride in a rascal van! On route we had a stop at a temple as a sort of ...

After a day back in Lijiang to sort out odds and ends, and saying goodbye to Mama, we boarded the bus in the morning for Zhongdian, now renamed as Shangrila. (Shangri-La is a fictional place described in the novel, Lost Horizon, written by British writer James Hilton in 1933 - now many countries around the Himilayas claim that it is their country which he wrote about. China has staked their claim to it as well, and have gone so far as officially changing the name of Zhongdian to ...