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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