Friday, November 30, 2007

DeQin, ZhongDian & LiJiang (Yunnan)

Lotsa people are searching for Shangri-la... a paradise that was mentioned in a book titled "Lost Horizon" by James Hilton. This paradise is supposed to be somewhere in Tibet, Qinghai or Yunnan where there were strong Tibetan influences. Anyway, there are too many debates about where is Shangri-la, what is Shangri-la, How to get to Shangri-la...

Currently, Zhongdian in Yunnan is most commonly known as "Shangri-la". From my limited knowledge, Zhongdian used to be a really nice and peaceful Tibetan town, but after being named as "Shangri-la", there were HUGE influx of tourists and spoilt everything. Now, from what I have seen, Zhongdian is just another Chinese town flooded with tourists without much character.

It's an irony...

I am a backpacker/tourist who wants to see villages/towns which are "untarnished" by tourism. However, my very presence is already "tarnishing" the villages/towns....
++++++

Glacier at Meili Snow Mountain - (Near Deqin, Yunnan)


Highlanders... - (Near Deqin, Yunnan)



TEN Chortens - (Near Deqin, Yunnan)



Zhongdian... also known as "Shangri-la"




Rainbow @ Lijiang







Riding horses and REALLY galloping in the grassland.... - (Lijiang, Yunnan)










These stands are used to dry food. One of those interesting things that could be found only in Yunnan.









Before and After!!!
It is known as "Kao Quan Yang" - Roasted Lamb (Literal Translation)


After finishing the roasted lamb, it's time for "Lamb-intestine" steamboat feast!!

Normally, it will take 10-12 people to finished everything, however, 5 of us (Ying, Zhang Wei, Da Lian, Tracy & I) managed to stuff everything into our stomachs. That's an accomplishment!




Well... All good things must come to an end. It's time for me to bid farewell to them.









Old town of Lijiang







Lijiang




Sunset time... - (Lijiang, Yunnan)








waiting patiently alone in a pagoda for sunset - (Lijiang, Yunnan)





Night view of Lijiang, Yunnan





Shops in Old Town, Lijiang






Venice of the East







A Stormy Night in Old town, Lijiang

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