Yunnan China - Part 2

Monday

As we flew back to Kunming, which wasn’t a very long flight, the scenery was spectacular. We flew over the Snow Dragon Mountains and the Haba Mountain, both felt so close; it made you feel like you were on top of the world – again! There was a blue haze, one that we had experienced several times over the last few days – that was Shangri La’s mystery for me. I loved it.

I felt quite content; life is so much about the journey and the experiences on that journey and the people you meet on that journey.  It was an unforgettable flight. We had left Shangri La at about 6 degrees and when we landed back in Kunming it was a lovely warm 26!

Kunming is the capital of The Yunnan province and is known as “The City of Eternal Spring” because of its pleasant year round climate where flowers bloom all year long. It is the gateway to the celebrated Silk Road, where trade has passed through to Tibet, Sichuan, Myanmar and India for many centuries. Today it is the most popular tourist destination in southwest China.

After lunch, overlooking the Grand View Park, I couldn’t wait to get out exploring. There were so many different lakes, bridges, pavilions and gardens. People were relaxing with their lunch, playing cards, playing with their children, having dancing classes, playing musical instruments and just enjoying the area.

There were so many colourful flowerbeds, so many trees full of blossom and willows trailing into the water – the only thing that spoilt the park was the amount of stalls selling clothes, food and souvenirs. But it was a lovely sunny, warm afternoon – there were just too many people about (which we weren’t used to after the quietness of the last few days!).

When we got back to the hotel, we had some free time and to get ready for our night out! After dinner we went to the theatre to see the “Dynamic Yunnan Show”, which was a musical story of the native people, expressed through dance and song. All of the performers were from local farms, and the show has travelled around the world; one of our group had even seen it in Sydney.

The choreographer Yang Liping performed the Peacock dance, which was truly captivating; you could see every muscle ripple in her body, her arms and her fingers – she really did look like a bird.  There was a little girl in the show who took several parts, as well as dressing up as a peacock, and she really stole the show – she was adorable.

It was a thoroughly enjoyable evening and it made a nice change to stay up and have a late night.

Tuesday.

We got up to a beautiful sunny day, heading south for the next part of our adventure. The scenery was now heavily forested with eucalyptus trees; the valleys were all full of poly tunnels growing of fruit and there was far more industry than we had seen - this really was a different China. Late morning we stopped at a Mongolian village. Though far from Mongolia, Yunnan is a place where you can still find communities of Mongolians. Some 750 years ago, Kublai Khan’s army conquered the Dali Kingdom and continued north, fighting against the Song Dynasty, but some soldiers settled down here. Xingmeng is one of these Mongolian villages and 95 percent of Yunnan’s Mongolians are living there. They make their living by farming; they still wear traditional Mongolian costumes, have their own temples and celebrate the same traditional festivals.

We saw locals hurrying about doing their work dressed in beautifully coloured clothing – but they were averse to having their photographs taking. There was a market selling fruits, meat, clothes, shoes and umbrellas and next to this, we had lunch at a local hotel. I found it interesting just to sit and watch the world go by; there were some strange characters. Men smoking pipes that were three feet long, wizened old people trying to cross the busy roads, and women hurrying about doing all the hard work – as usual. As we continued our journey past miles of neat fields, we were getting closer to Vietnam, and occasionally had to stop at police checkpoints to make sure there weren’t any drug smugglers on board!

We arrived at our hotel at Jianshui mid afternoon, we were in the tropics now and the temperature was really hot and sticky. We went a walk through the old town to The Confucius Temple, which is one of the grandest in China. It was built in almost 700 years ago and it has many great halls, temples, pavilions and decorative archways. It was in a beautiful parkland setting, with a lake completely covered in water lilies, an arched bridge and huge ornate gates that were in the shape of temples. It was so serene, there weren’t too many people there and it was interesting to explore. I just wish I could have remembered at least one of Confucius’s sayings!

 

After a while it started thundering in the distance, and is wasn’t long before the heavens opened – we were going to get soaked again! Next we went to the old town, and were given some free time for shopping. That was the last thing I wanted to do; it had stopped raining and I saw a sign for “Mr Zhu’s garden”.  

After exploring the gardens, I sat on some comfy seats overlooking the lake with a pot of tea, and it was heaven. Just to be able sit and relax in such a tranquil place was so nice after all the hectic days we had had.  I headed back to the restaurant where everyone was meeting up for dinner, and the storm returned. As we walked back to the hotel, the umbrellas had to come back out again. This was the area that was classed as “basic”.  It wasn’t bad, the food was fine, the hotels rooms weren’t bad (except for the cat’s chorus outside) – I could cope with this.

   

Wednesday

The forecast for today was not good – it was thunder and rain. Breakfast was very basic – melon, bananas, cake, dry toast, orange cordial and black tea. It was a good job that I still had a good supply of cereal bars left. The first stop of the day was the old city well, where people were washing clothes and as well as getting water for cooking! When you looked over the wall into the water, you could see lots of koi carp too! How unhygienic!  

The water was also used in the local Tofu factory. Then we were back on the bus and were taken to the wonderful 800-year-old Double Dragon Bridge. What a magnificent site it was, an ornate arch spanning a huge expense of water; it had a traditional multi-story watchtower in the centre and gatehouses at both sides. It cast a marvellous reflection on the water below, but depending which side of the bridge you stood– the water looked a different colour. The banks of the river were so colourful, with canna lilies, bougainvilleas, salvias, roses, primulas and many others.

We continued on our journey stopping at Mr Zhang’s garden, which was more of an ethnic village than a garden. It was over two hundred years old and you could easily have got lost in the maze of alleyways. There wasn’t much of a garden – I was glad that I had found Mr Zhu’s garden the previous evening. It wasn’t very touristy; there were hardly any people about at all, just the local people going about their daily life. Women were sitting making embroidered items to sell; others were carrying baskets balancing on their shoulders or on their backs. What a hard life these women have. It was really hot now; we needed the umbrellas as a sunshade! After our lunch stop, George announced that the weather tomorrow was going to be awful, so we should try to get to see the Tiger Mouth Terraces today. The countryside began to change; there were many terraces now, with houses dotted on the hillsides, the forests became wholly bamboo and pampas grass grew everywhere. It was so very dense that it made you think that anything could be living in those forests. The last hour before we reached the Tiger Mouth Terraces was so colourful, I couldn’t believe that there could be so many different shades of green, and the sun made parts look yellow and golden.

The Hani people came to this area 2500 hundred years ago and began cultivating the terraced rice paddies. In the Ming Dynasty the Emperor granted them the title of “The Skillful Sculpture”. The Terraces cover an area of 1000 square kilometres and they are very steep on the mountainsides. I couldn’t wait to get off the bus, but when we reached our destination the weather changed. It became dark and dull and the view below was nothing like what we had seen from the coach the last hour. But apparently the weather changes really quickly here, you can have four seasons in one day!

 So I decided to walk down to the lower viewing platform – quite a way down the mountain. I hadn’t done my thousand steps today, so it would do me good!!! But as I reached the bottom, the thunder started and so did the torrential rain. It was like a monsoon, a waterfall coming down the path and I got absolutely drenched. Apparently the authorities had closed the path down after me because they knew a storm was coming. By the time I got back on the bus I was the wettest I have ever been. Luckily I had some spare clothes in my bag, so I got changed at the back of the bus; then just as we were all settled back on the bus – THE SUN CAME OUT.

George said this is what we had come to see, so we all headed back to the viewpoint to see the terraces which did look a million times better now that they were full of water and the sun was glistening off them. The mountains in the distance were a hazy blue colour, and steam was rising from the water below. George said that this place was “his Shangri La” – he loved it here. When I first saw Wild China on TV eight years ago, I was in awe of this place, but now there was building work everywhere. The farmers were now protected and subsidised by the government, they were all having new houses built and it made me glad that I had come now – because this part of China isn’t going to be wild for much longer. By the time we reached our hotel in Yuanyang it was still raining and thick in fog. We quickly got changed and went down for dinner, and then had to try and dry our clothes and shoes; hoping that they would be dry enough to wear by morning. It never stopped raining all night; fingers crossed that tomorrow would be better.

Thursday

I opened the curtain to thick fog – not a good start. We went a short walk around the Hani town of Yuanyan. Despite the overwhelming beauty of its landscape and colourful local minorities, mass tourism has not developed in this region yet, mainly due to its remote location, lack of a nearby airport, and until fairly recent, relative inaccessibility due to bad road conditions. The town was bustling with people going to and from the local food market; as well as fruit and vegetables, there were chickens, carcases of meat, fish and even snakes being sold. We headed back to the coach and were off to see more of the rice terraces – hoping the weather would clear. We drove through thick rain forest, with ladies that were herding yaks along the road as well as doing more heavy labouring on all of the new houses being built. It felt like every minority group made their women work so hard. The new houses were  made of wood and earth, mushroom shaped and had a sort of thatched roof; if the roof was flat it was a farmer’s house because he used that area to dry his crops, but if the roof was pitched, that person had given up farming and was probably involved with local government or tourism. By the time we reached the first viewpoint, the rain had stopped and the mist was clearing. Last night’s rain had certainly added something special to the terraces below – they shone! There were people planting rice, one man used a boat to carry the new plants – another was using a water buffalo. It was wonderful to see these fields still being used and not just for show. This did feel like the real China, the old China, the Wild China.

After lunch in a local Hani village, we stopped at another viewpoint called Bada, where we had to walk through the jungle listening to the cicadas to reach the best view. The area was surrounded by palm trees and banana plants, hundreds of lovely flowers and birds were singing all around. The sun was out and it was a delightful stop. The last stop of the afternoon was a wander through Qingkou, another Hani village; but this one was far nicer than all of the others we had seen. The people there are given money from the government to encourage them to accept tourism and it means a better quality of life for them. Their houses were simple enough, but they had televisions and other modern appliances too. The houses were kept in the same style that they had been for hundreds of years and the women wore traditional navy blue clothes and head dresses. We saw very few other toursists today at all and I think that made the day even more special – I could see why George said this was his Shangri la. We had a few hours free before dinner, so I  wandered about and found a supermarket where I managed to stock up with a few goodies for tomorrows long journey.

Friday

We didn’t have to leave too early and no one was too enthusiastic – it was torrential rain outside. George kept us all well occupied for hours with history lessons about the different Dynasties, and lessons in how to cook certain Chinese foods. Dark brown water was flowing in torrents down the mountainsides, you could see how landslides could easily happen, sweeping the feeble houses away. We stopped at a huge Mosque (many Persians came over with Genghis Khan years ago) and had lunch at a Muslim restaurant. As we continued on, the land began to flatten out, the mountains faded into the distance and the rain eventually stopped; there were so many lovely flowers out – this really had been the best time to visit. It wasn’t long before the landscape changed again, it started to get stoney and rocky. These weren’t boulders, they were tall standing, dark grey granite type rocks – we were getting close to our last adventure. When we arrived at the hotel close to the Stone Forest, I had to get some fresh air – it had been a long day sitting down on the coach. There wasn’t much to see nearby, but it was nice to see ladies sitting at their sewing machines making all of the bags and cushion covers that we had been seeing - everything was beautifully made and very reasonably priced.

Saturday

We didn’t have a particularly early start as the hotel was very close to the Stone Forest, so I had a shower, repacked for what seemed like the hundredth time, and had time to reflect on the trip. I had seen some incredible places, even more than I was expecting. I had survived the altitude, coped with the thousands of steps, the communal toilets and everything that was “basic”. The food hadn’t been too bad, every mealtime there was always at least one or two dishes that you could eat; I had got quite used to green tea, as well as black tea with no milk. The beds were always very hard, at every hotel, but I didn’t mind that at all – my back had been brilliant all holiday. The bed linen was always beautifully clean, unlike the carpets - I don’t think people in China use vacuum cleaners. The itinerary had said that you should only book this trip if you were the sort of person who has a sense of humour, a sense of adventure and patience in every respect. I had nothing to complain about, it had been a real adventure right from the start and as I embarked on my last day – I did feel rather sad. It was such a friendly group – I counted myself so very lucky to have been travelling with such wonderful people. We headed off to the Stone Forest in the rain, but someone must have been shining down on us, because within five minutes it had stopped.

The Stone Forest has been known as the First Wonder of The World since 1368; and is one of the most important attractions in Yunnan. Approximately 270 million years ago the region was a vast expanse of sea and when the waters retreated, it left this limestone landscape. Due to constant erosion, this area has developed into what we see today – “sculptures engraved by nature”. There are stones in various formations, animals, plants and even life-like figures. We walked through the first park that was full of spring flowers, trickling streams, lakes with koi and immaculately cut grass and trees.

The first “Important” place we stopped at was a Chinese symbol carved on a rock, and it was highly significant to the Chinese people. Hundreds of people dressed up in red costumes to have their photograph taken in front of it – this area was far too busy for me. I was glad when we moved on to a quieter area. We walked up to a pavilion where were could get a good view, and continued walking through different areas of the forest, and we even had a buggy ride through some of it – to save our legs! There was a very picturesque lake, with the bridge, a pavilion and reflections of the immense stones. We saw such strange holes in rocks, caves, and bamboo and yuccas actually growing out of some rocks. I had never expected to take so many photographs of this place, but once there, you were really captured by the unusualness of it all. On the way out, I saw one rock that could have been an elephant – it was even the right colour. On the way back to Kunming, George gave us a resume of the trip - we had done so much. Without looking at my notes, I wouldn’t have had a clue what day it was, where, or what I had been doing. It had certainly been an incredible adventure, and for me, one of the most important things about this journey was the people I had met and who had become my friends. We arrived back at the same hotel in Kunming, and had a few free hours before dinner, so I went off exploring – seeing as I hadn’t been out on the two previous occasions. I found a massive shopping complex, and couldn’t resist a bargain or six! We had our final dinner in a posh Chinese restaurant and had all the normal dishes plus “Over the Bridge Noodles” that are a speciality to Kunming - and a few bottles of wine. After dinner we sat in the bar having a laugh for a few hours, George joined us for a while, he was so emotional when it was time to say goodbye. We were all in tears when he left. It had been a long trip; we were all worn out, but sad to be leaving everyone.

From getting up that next morning, it was almost 50 hours before I got back in my own bed. But it was worth it, nothing is easy in this life; and if you want to experience the incredible, the fabulous, the amazing – you have to challenge yourself. The reward will be worth it in the end.

My reward this time was seeing Wild China before it is tamed!

 Please check out my other blogs ..............

http://lynnemorleys.blogspot.com

http://lynnejmorley.blogspot.com

http://morleysjourneytoozandback.blogspot.com

Thank you

Yunnan China - Part 1

In Search of Shangri La

It was eight years since I first discovered that the magical place called Shangri La really existed. After watching a film about it, and hearing that it was where the nineteenth century plant hunters found the first known azaleas, rhododendrons and other exotic plants – I knew that I just had to go there. It was difficult finding out exactly where this fascinating place was, but I discovered that it was previously known as Zhongdian. In 2002, the Chinese government had changed its name to Shangri La (meaning “Sun and moon in heart” or “An ideal home only found in heaven”). Until only a few years ago, this remote region of southwest China was off-limits to the world. But luckily, Yunnan was now becoming popular with tourists, who were keen to see this Tibetan plateau, with its tropical rainforests and breathtaking landscapes. I arrived at Kunming, Sunday afternoon, and met our guide George and the other eighteen travellers that made up our group. We were taken to our hotel only about forty minutes drive from the airport, and immediately, I noticed how beautiful everywhere was. The roads were lined with colourful bougainvillea, salvia and immaculately manicured trees, and plants. This really was the City of Flowers. After dinner with everyone, I couldn’t wait to get to bed – it had been an exhausting few days travelling here.

Monday

After nine hours sleep, breakfast was in the revolving restaurant on the twenty-third floor – that was an adventure in itself. Three lifts and a bridge to a separate building! The view of the city was quite typically Chinese, thousands of tall apartment buildings, all with what looked like pointy roofs; but upon closer inspection – they were all solar panels. Breakfast was pretty good, fruit, rice, vegetables, omelettes, cakes – I wasn’t going to starve if it was like this. We drove back to the airport, through the haze of the city, and took a short flight to Dali and we were met by a local guide, a Bai girl in a traditional, colourful costume. We drove past parched grass, red brick quarries and miles of wind turbines, before reaching Dali, which is situated in such picturesque surroundings, with mountains to three sides and Erhai Lake in the centre. It is home to twenty-five ethnic minorities who have inhabited this area for generations - creating a unique cultural heritage. Present day Dali is divided into two distinct areas – the New District with its modern apartments and The Ancient City with its city wall, old moat and traditional buildings.  After lunch we had a boat trip across Erhai Lake to Golden Shuttle Island to visit the Bai fishing community.

  

Only thirteen hundred people live on this island, they used to be famous for sending their “pet” cormorants out fishing, but now tourism is their main source of income. The Cormorants were quite a sight, especially seeing them sitting on the edge of wooden fishing boats, upon the mirrored lake with the mountains in the background. We walked through a local food market, to Sanxing temple and along the waters edge with multicoloured prayer flags blowing in the air – it was a delightfully relaxing afternoon, especially in the sunshine.

Next we went to our hotel and after unpacking we were taken to the Ancient City for an hours exploring. The old cobbled streets, had manmade waterways running down the sides of them, and the temples and huge gatehouse buildings were still perfectly intact. We had our dinner outside a traditional little restaurant, after which I decided to go back to the hotel, rather than shop (I hadn’t come to shop), I needed to catch up on my sleep and be ready for tomorrow.

Tuesday

I had, had my sleep and was up bright and early. Although the sun hadn’t rise over the lake, the birds were singing. Looking out of my window, I could see that no area of land was wasted; there were organised vegetable plots everywhere and more solar panels. The mountains were dark, the clouds were dark, but the lake was a delicate shade of pink. Going down for breakfast, I noticed the hotel’s lift had a different carpet in it – today it said it was Tuesday – now that could be useful in reminding me what day I was on! Our first stop of the day was The Xizhou Nationality House, which was really a village because it was so extensive. We watched a dancing show and joined in a tea ceremony; then we explored its ancient rooms, and walked along the river where we saw a beautiful arched bridge.

Then we went to an embroidery school, which sold the most exquisite pictures; but I was more than happy to sit outside in the garden, under the shade of a tree whilst everyone walked around. The day had become really quite hot, and after lunch we went up the Cangshan Mountains by cable car. We had to walk up over a hundred steps just to get to the cable car entrance, but everywhere the colourful azaleas were quite incredible, all pink, orange, red and purple; and as we went up the mountainside there were even pure white ones. The views from the cable car were extensive, but it was a pity that it had become cloudy – and windy. At the top there was a giant chessboard, oriental statues, and a peacock (well placed for photographs); we walked across a swing bridge to a serene pond where water was trickling over boulders down below. The sun came out, the wind died down and it was delightful – group photograph time! The ride back down the mountain was far nicer than the one going up.

Our day was not over yet; the next stop was to see the Three Pagodas. What a surprise they were! I was expecting a quick photograph of Three Pagodas, and I was quite shocked when we were told that we would be spending several hours there. We used the local small “maniac high speed” buses to get around the park (else we would have needed six hours there). We started off at the highest point, the largest temple, and looked down below at more and more temples. It was like the Forbidden City in Beijing all over again, but in a more picturesque setting.

The gardens were beautiful and there were birds singing and squirrels running about. We went inside some halls and temples, which contained hundreds of sculptures of Buddha made from gold and wood, as well as relics and historical artefacts. There were monks praying and incense was burning – it was a truly remarkable place. There was a set of Prayer Wheels, which I had to have a go at turning; they are supposed to bring you luck. We had another ride down to the best place to take a photograph of the Three Pagodas – at the lake where their reflection looked like there were actually six pagodas. There were orange azaleas all around the lake, and this made the photo even more beautiful. It would have been lovely to spend more time here, but time was running out and the park was closing. There was one advantage of us being there so late though, and that was that we were the last people left in the park and it was almost deserted. There aren’t many places in China where you can take a photograph and not get crowds of people in it! 

We were taken straight into the Ancient town for dinner again; tonight it was Yak steak - which was delicious. Twenty minutes free time for a very quick shop after dinner was quite enough for me, it had been a very long day and I was ready for my bed.

 

Wednesday

I got up in time for the sunrise, and what a sunrise it was! The red sky gave way to clear blue skies and the mountains looked magnificent with snow on the top. We left Dali for our long journey to Lijiang, passing areas of dense forests, countless rice fields, tiny hamlets and shrines dotted about on the hills - before spotting the snow-capped mountain ranges in the distance. After arriving in Lijiang we went to the gardens of The Black Dragon Pool. Mythology says a young dragon is still there today, living in the Pool and protecting the local people.

The gardens were so colourful - it was absolutely glorious. This was one of the places that I was most excited about seeing……….and I was so disappointed! The Pavillion in the centre of the pool was shrouded in black cloth - it was being restored. So the photograph that I wanted to get had to remain in my imagination or the travel brochure! To be honest, the gardens were so beautiful, the afternoon was lovely and warm, the skies were clear and the Jade Dragon Snow Mountains in the distance made up for my initial disappointment. There weren’t too many people about, so the atmosphere was quite tranquil. The arched stone bridge reflected beautifully in the pool, and at one end there was a spring bubbling away. We left the garden and its azaleas, pansies, acers and bamboo; and followed the stream into the ancient town. 

The Old Town of Lijiang is the best-preserved ancient town in China and dates back over eight hundred years – from when Kubla Khan was emperor. It has a multinational culture – which is reflected in the historical architectural qualities of its buildings - Han, Bai, Tibet and Naxi styles. Lijiang is the home of the Naxi people, who speak a language of Tibet-Burman, still believe in Shaman or spirits, and are recognisable by their black or dark blue dress. energy left for a shower and went straight to bed; it had been an exhausting day and tomorrow we had to get up at 5.30am!

The old town is made up of narrow, cobbled lanes; the houses are mostly timber but ornately decorated with willow trees growing everywhere; and there are hundreds of bridges, which is why it known as “The Oriental Venice”. It is a truly captivating place, but with its numerous streets and alleyways all looking the same – you could easily have got lost. The cobbled streets were so old and well worn that they shone, and the streams along each road were shear drops – you really had to look where you were going all of the time. Health and Safety means nothing here!  Old Lijiang reminded me of Gion in Kyoto, with its wooden buildings, red lanterns, arched bridges, narrow alleys and people dressed up. We didn’t get back to our hotel until very late and I only just had enough

Thursday

I was awake hours before the early morning alarm call – I was worried about getting AMS, as one of the first signs is not being able to sleep – and we were getting to a higher altitude. I found a machine to “aid respiration” in my room, which was a bit un-nerving. It was the most beautiful morning that you could imagine. We left the hotel early to avoid the crowds, and drove the short distance to the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, which has an altitude of over five thousand metres. As we approached it, the view was absolutely breathtaking; the reflection of it on a pond was one of the most picturesque things that I have ever seen; and I felt so privileged to have captured a photograph of it. It is a holy mountain where there are many stories of lovers’ suicides and dragons being slayed, and every year botanists come from all over the world to study its flora and fauna. An incredible place! We caught a shuttle bus up to the cable car station and another bus up to the Cloud Fir Meadow. We were at such a high altitude now that we could have bought Oxygen if we felt the need. This honey coloured meadow had the most perfect backdrop with the mountain range. Goats and yaks happily grazing, and we had plenty of time to walk around enjoying the vista. It felt like the most tranquil place in the world. It is hard to believe that four hundred million years ago this area was actually ocean. It is a very spiritual place and George bought a wooden “Wish”, wrote all of our names on it wishing us all good health; and hung it on a tree in a special place, to be there for eternity.

When I thought I had seen the most beautiful place (and it had made up for yesterday not seeing the Pavillion at Black Dragon Pool), we went back down the cable car to the glacial lakes of Blue Moon Valley. Oh my goodness, the colour of these lakes was breathtaking; there were so many shades of jade, they were so reflective, and just so very beautiful. Everyone wanted to go down to the water’s edge to wash their hands in the turquoise water as it was supposed to bring luck – so I had to have a go! The blue-green Fir trees around the waters edge had red pine cones on them – they were so unusual. Further down the valley at the last lake, that was the best view, there was a wide waterfall cascading down, yet you never lost sight of the magnificent mountains in the background – it was amazing. There aren’t many views in the world that you can’t take your eyes off, but this was one of them. The rest of the day could not have compared with the morning we had just experienced. Our next stop was Baisha village, which was once the capital of the Naxi kingdom, but was now a sleepy farming village. In its centre is Liu Li Palace, an original wooden Ming structure that is over seven hundred years old, housing a fresco that is as old as the building itself, but you could only take photographs of the replica outside. I felt horrified at how dusty and unkempt it all looked. For a national treasure like that, I would have expected it to be behind glass at least or in a darkened room. But no, it was exposed to the elements – no wonder it was severely faded. The building itself was surrounded by small courtyards containing ornamental pots and flowering wisteria. It was really hot and dusty walking around here; we saw a few local shops but there weren’t many people about at all. By the time we arrived back at the hotel my eyes were killing me, I don’t know if it was the dust, the pollen or if I was over-tired, but what I had been lucky enough to see that day would remain in my heart forever.  It really had been an incredible day.

Friday

We left the hotel at the very respectable time of nine o’clock, heading for Shangri La. On the way we stopped at the infamous Tiger Leaping Gorge, which is on the border of Lijiang and Shangri La.

There was a statue of a leaping tiger at the top of the gorge, which looked so dramatic against the backdrop of the mountains and the bright blue sky. Tiger Leaping Gorge, on the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, is claimed to be the world’s deepest gorge – it rises nearly two miles to snowy summits at certain points. According to legend, a hunted tiger made its escape, by jumping from one side of the narrow gorge to the other – in one single bound. Most of us walked down the steps to the lower reaches of the gorge but anyone who felt “the need” could opt for a sedan chair to take them down to the bottom viewpoint; it wasn’t a problem walking down but coming back up was really hard. It was so hot and no one had realised that there were six hundred steps each way. Even a local monk, in mustard coloured robes needed to sit and have a rest on his way back up the path.  It felt like a sense of achievement when everyone made it back to the bus – we were really starting to feel like a family. We followed the river for a few more hours and as we climbed higher and higher, the scale of the place was over whelming. We passed Yi villages, white Stupas on the hillsides, colourful Prayer Flags and many different animals roaming freely. The women here wore bright pink hats and scarves, even when they were working in the rice fields. We had a short photo stop and couldn’t believe how windy it had become – we were so high up now it really was beginning to feel like we were on the top of the world. Although we were still five hundred miles away from the Tibetan border, we were now on the edge of its mountain ranges. Only one bus a week goes to Tibet from here, and that takes five days – and I bet it has animals on it as well as people!  On our approach to the town, I was starting to wonder what our hotel was going to be like, I hadn’t seen any buildings that resembled a hotel since we left Lijiang, but I needn’t have worried. We arrived in Shangri La, at our hotel called “Ja She De Lay” – meaning Good Luck or Hello in Tibetan – mid afternoon; and we were advised not to do too much. We needed to acclimatise to this new altitude, and there was to be no rushing about! Shangri La has only been opened up to tourists since for twenty years and since opening its own airport a few years ago, it is quickly becoming a much sought after destination.

The name Shangri La meaning “Sun and Moon in one people’s heart” – is a place of freedom for people and animals alike. The unique scenery with its snowy plateaus, endless grasslands dotted with yaks and sheep, unexplored forests and its fascinating ethnic culture – makes it an awe-inspiring place to visit. There are almost one hundred snow-capped mountains here with Mount Kawakarpo the highest at twenty two thousand feet, which borders Tibet; and the lowest point is in the gorges where the Yangtze, Salween and Mekong Rivers meet - near where we had been earlier in the day.

In the spring, the fields are carpeted in flowers, hundreds of different azaleas, primroses and lilies; Yunnan has thousands of plant species – many of which are found nowhere else. This is why I had chosen this time of year to come. The world has had a fascination with the whereabouts of Shangri La for many decades; its breathtaking, bewitching, and the beauty of its landscape - a dreamland where you could soothe the mind and soul. It is a presence as well as a place. And I had been told to stay indoors and not go rushing about! Well anyone that knows me knows that I will only behave myself to a certain degree. After unpacking and having a drink, I ventured out for a short while, just a little way up the road. I found a small shop and with the help of the friendly shopkeeper, I managed to buy some provisions. As I walked back to the hotel I saw two yaks grazing in the central reservation – of the dual carriageway. Back at the hotel, I had a shower (even though we had been told not to – incase we collapsed with the altitude!) and got ready for dinner. We were taken out to a Korean restaurant in the town that had Yak heads on the walls, and posters of Bob Marley and the Beatles – what a combination. After dinner George treated us all to some local drinks in the hotel lobby and it was so nice to be able to sit and relax with everyone for an hour before heading off to bed. I put Biofreeze on my legs after those twelve hundred steps today and was hoping that they would still be moving in the morning! Life really is about the journey and the people you meet – and not always the destination. I was so glad that I was travelling with such a wonderful group of like-minded people.

Saturday

I woke up feeling fine, the legs were working and there was no sign of Altitude Sickness – what a relief! We had breakfast next door, in a theatre (they utilise every building) and then I went for a little walk. I passed a lake where I could see the town over the far side, and beyond that was the dark, snowy mountain ranges. I passed a few local people and was surprised that they were walking backwards – apparently they do this for “All-round exercise”! It was a dark morning and I was hoping that the weather was going to improve. Today we had a long drive to the White Water Terraces – Baishui Tableland.

I didn’t mind the journey, as I was so interested in the passing scenery. The fields were a yellow, mustard colour and so well kept, the fences were smartly made from twigs and branches, and the houses were like something out of our “Middle Ages”. Animals roamed freely everywhere: as well as yaks there were goats, black pigs, chickens and big shaggy mountain dogs. The local Tibetan, Naxi and Lisu all went about their work diligently – the women doing most of the hard labour! The land was not like I had imagined, it all looked very barren, but it was the vastness of the place that was truly impressive. Some hillsides were totally covered in pink and purple rhododendrons making a beautiful hue in the distance. It had been raining and misty most of the morning, but now the sun was breaking through and I was getting more hopeful that our destination would look its best. We were now high up within the pine forests, with yellow flowers in the fields and the sky was blue. It was unbelievable how quickly the temperature warmed up. We had been prepared with coats, hats, scarves and gloves – but we didn’t need those now. We stopped at a house (I was expecting a village), all got off the coach and made our way up to the terraces.

The hillside was red stone and the wooden steps were eroded away, so we had to walk up a rugged stony path. You couldn’t go fast because you couldn’t breath if you did, so we all took our time and eventually made it to the top – the last section was quite a scramble over large boulders. The White Water Terraces in the foothills of the Haba Snow Mountains are the best-known natural wonder, and most popular destination in Shangri la. It is an ancient landform with a history going back over two hundred thousand years, covering an area of nearly three-square kilometres.

Each terrace is white and encrusted with a small pool of clear, shallow water; these are formed by a continual deposition of calcium carbonate. There are very few terraces like this in the world, but the ones here are particularly beautiful because of their dramatic setting. The layered terraces give the appearance of terraced fields, and are known by the local people as “The field left by fairies”. The view at the top was particularly beautiful, but the most special memory for me was the kindness of an old local man who climbed a tree and took a photo for me “from the best place” he said. In the middle of the rocky plateau at the top was a dark, dark pool which was supposed to be the spring from where all these terraces began; whether that was true or not – this pool looked magical. It could have been the scene from a fairy-tale – it was so crystal clear. You could see where people had dropped bits of rice into it – for good luck. It was surrounded by overhung by trees; flowers and bamboo wishes were placed all around it. Two very old men sat by the pool, next to small wooden huts; they had fires burning and smiled and waved at everyone. There was a temple amongst the trees where you could make a wish, I left a flower and made a wish. I was making wishes everywhere – maybe they will come true one day! There were tadpoles swimming in some of the pools, yaks grazing in the fields below and birds singing in the trees. What a wonderful place!

It was easier going down the rocky path that it had been going up; and then it was time for lunch. I didn’t dare eat much; I was too worried about the journey back along the windy mountain road. I hardly dare look out of the windows at the sheer drops below and wasn’t the only one feeling this way. As much as it didn’t snow where we were, we were over five thousand metres above sea level and the snow wasn’t far above us. Everyone felt a bit queasy when we got back to the hotel; I needed more bottled water, and so I went into the hotel shop. When I paid for my water, the man got his cash register out – it was a cardboard box overflowing with notes of money. We were taken back to the Korean restaurant for more Chinese food, and then I had a relaxing hour chatting with some friends, which ended a very pleasant evening. There was snow forecast overnight!

Sunday

I woke up very early – I blamed the altitude! I was so excited about today – we were going to The Songzanlin Monastery, also known as The Little Potala Palace. The Dalai Lama chose this place in 1679 and today it is the largest Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Yunnan. As we approached it, it looked like a group of ancient castles with golden roofs, shrouded by an atmosphere of mystery.

By the time we had reached the top level, we had climbed nearly five hundred steps, and the view of the dark, distant mountains was so dramatic – especially as there was so much gold in the foreground. There were magnificent halls with statues and frescos depicting Buddhist legends, as well as many treasures from the Tibetan and Han people. It was disappointing that you couldn’t take photographs inside the halls, as it was all quite breathtaking - I will just have to try to remember what I could. I could understand not being allowed to take photographs though, it was such a spiritual place; people were coming from all over the world, praying to the various statues of Buddha and leaving gifts. There was money left everywhere in every room, and no one would have dreamed of taking any of it – what a safe, trusting place it was! We walked back through the local village where the old traditional houses were being replaced with new houses. This place was thriving on the new tourist industry and these people were turning into the neuvo rich! We walked around Lamuyangcuo Lake with its geese, ducks and cranes – taking a few last shots of the monastery through the blossom on the trees.

Then we headed back to town for our afternoon exploring Shangri La itself. We went to the Dafo temple first, which was built on several levels, with the Heavenly Kingdom hall and the Big Buddha hall – that houses, yes you have guessed it - The Big Buddha. We only had to walk up four hundred more steps to get to the top of this one! (How many steps there were was starting to become a bit of a joke now.) But at the top was what I really wanted to see – and touch. It was the world’s largest Prayer Wheel – a magnificent golden wheel that took at least six people to turn it, surrounded by colourful prayer flags blowing in the wind. The view from the top bought you back to earth though – you could see where fire had swept through the town only the year before, destroying hundreds of traditional homes. There was a lot of construction work being done, but much of this made you look twice. I saw a young woman dressed in a suit delivering wood on a scooter, and another girl concreting in her slippers! Women were carrying large rocks on their backs or sand and cement in buckets balanced on their shoulders. They really do make the women work terribly hard here. I bought a few things from the local shops and then headed back to the hotel for a rest before dinner. Then it was time to pack, ready to leave this amazing place in the morning. Shangri La, the county, the town, and the mythical tales – it had been what I was expecting and more. I had enjoyed my time here. George said that the hardest part of the trip was over now; the rest would be easy compared with what we had gone through the past few days. It had been hard at times, but everyone had managed it all one way or another. We were all really proud that we had all managed to see and to experience what we had come to see, to experience Shangri La before it is exploited by tourism and changed forever. Tomorrow we would be heading south to a totally different part of Yunnan, and to completely different scenery and culture.

Follow the next part of my adventure :-

https://lynnemorley.blogspot.com/2015/07/yunnan-continued-1.html

 

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https://lynnemorleys.blogspot.com

https://lynnejmorley.blogspot.com

https://morleysjourneytoozandback.blogspot.com

Thank you

Lynne