Shangri-La!

Carl and I arrived in a city in north west Hunnan last night. We hiked through the Tiger Leaping Gorge the past few days blown away by its beauty - sunsets, stars galore, mountains, waterfalls, and sunrises.

We jumped in a bus - I got a spot right next to the lady hugging the waste basket - and 1 and a half hour later we arrived in Shangri-La. Moments before arriving I read in the Lonely Planet travel book:

Shangri-La was named as such to lure tourists in. Odly enough, it has worked - backpackers, tourists, and all sorts of people have flocked to Shangri-La. Do not bother heading to Shangri-La during the winter time as most of it is closed.

I miss Minesota.

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We just got back from climbing a mountain and biking around the city. We paused for a moment in a tiny village to watch a bunch of Tibetians playing tug-o-war before getting invited to have dinner with a family. The dinner was Yak Butter Tea (I've been hearing a lot about this stuff since picking up the book 3 Cups of Tea) Bautze, and pickled vegitables.

I am tired and moments from crashing. We saw some snow on the mountain so that made me feel a little more at home. Nothing else here really feels like home - hiking in the mountains amongst yaks, pigs, wild dogs, and birds.

1 remarks:

Nate said...

did you get any pictures of the wild birds, or yaks? Maybe one of Carl riding a yak? You're having such an awesome adventure. I enjoy reading your chronicles.