Shangrila

The Lost Horizon

To me Shangrila is associated with dreams, fantasy and euphoria; a land of freedom and peace. Close to Tibet and Bhutan the culture and practices of the people of Shangrila are similar to them. We were informed that in 2001 a major fire broke out and destroyed a fair bit of the city and today we see a new township being constructed to replace the ruins. 

After the Tiger Gorge climb we were told that we had to conquer a flight of 220 steps to see an overall view of the new township! Again, the advice on the oxygen tank came up and this time we were to drink another tonic to increase our breathing capacity. At an elevation , we heard stories of tourists gasping for breath in the middle of sleep in this city.

To believe or not to believe?

We escaped without a scratch.

The tour guides exaggerated.

In the ancient city, the architecture of the past is still in tact and bright colours adorned the buildings and sculptures. Yellow seems to be the chosen and preferred hue.

Beef and yak meat are local favourites and they are served fresh or preserved. Big slaps of stone lined the streets and add an ethos of nostalgia. It was already late evening when we reached the old part of the town and we did not see many tourists.

Local costumes and attire were attractively sewn but did not whet my appetite.

 The architecture is unique and concorded to local taste.

 This northern city is also acclaimed for its silver industry. Silver is naturally found here and it is not strange to see cutlery and thermos flasks not forgetting earrings, necklaces, bracelets and anklets all displayed and sold at its purest form; 99 % silver. The tour guide went to the extent of claiming that silver has medicinal values and the health of the user can be detected by the colour of the silver after a period of time.The older generation prefers silver to gold; so we were informed.

It is also common to see squares occupying the city. I believe they are the centers of activities during special events and religious celebrations where people meet to participate in dances and songs.

Life is good.

The figurines depicted the livelihood of the indigenous; silversmiths are a stone's throw away and competition is stiff. You can get anything at a preferred price with perseverance. 

Just keep on haggling !

Standing at a square in the newly constructed city after the big fire.

Squares are a part and parcel of their culture. 

 The potala palace at the background is a cultural museum where tourists are brought in to see some cultural practices of the local people. Earlier we were brought to a temple to see the World's Biggest Prayer Wheel. We were not comfortable with the way religion was explained and after that we refrained from visiting prayer alters lest we did not give the due respect and might offend others.

The yak is a revered animal here and appropriately sculptured and given its rightful status at this square. All should be reminded that the locals love the yak for the way it can support their livelihood.

The Dalai Lama has the highest order of religious say here and even the army gives them the reverence?

 Old and rugged. Walking towards the spot where we had to scour 220 steps to reach the summit to see the city of Shangrila. It is not as illusive as I imagined it to be.

Buildings are in blocks and built for the weather here; wintry and parched.
 The needs of different locales vary and adaptations are made.

We cannot deny though that carvings are an integral local must haves. It reflects the artistry and skills of the Tibetans. Beautifully sculptured.  

Another view of the city.

The old and the new.

 Shangrila is rugged and dry.

It is not what I thought it was.

But that's only my illusive imagination; I need to face reality. 

Go visit the lost horizon.

Tiger Leaping Gorge

 28th March 2019

Enroute to illusive Shangrila we had to move via coach for a good 3 to 4 hours.

I have only knowledge about this heavenly connotation through a movie I saw when I was a little girl in my primary years. Our imagination went wild and visioned it as a splendid getaway. It must be picturesque filled with mysteries and euphoria. Shangrila has to be as beautiful as has been depicted in movies.

At a stop we were warned that if we did not ease ourselves we may have to use toilets that were only duct-like features behind a curtain along the route. So we alighted and cleared our system.

This was a foretaste of what Shangrila would look like.

Beautiful. Majestic. Breath taking.

We could not wait to reach our destination.

But that awe-inspiring background was witnessed through a panel of windows in front of toilet cubicles dotted along the rest rooms. Some doors worked; others did not and they were only about 3 feet high doors. Pretty difficult to ease. 

 But the magnificent background kept flashing at us through the windows and it was a great consolation truly.

We were informed that we had to climb over hundreds of steps to reach the gorge; the tiger leaping gorge. Steps again. The tourist centres have never ending solutions to challenges. Very proactive indeed. They told us that if we do not want to use our legs we could render the help of others.

The history of the gorge all written for tourists. Actually it is only a legend that tigers were able to jump across valleys and spurs to reach the other side of the rivers running in between spurs at the narrowest points. To us the geographical feature in the gorge was what caught our attention.

In a nutshell, you can choose your own course of descent but all needed effort; physical and mental.

So, if you do not want to walk, you can be carried in sedans. Two men will carry you up and down the steps for 200 renminbi. Pa said if we cannot make it we will go slow and stop periodically and refused to be carried about. He said it was ridiculous.

Alleys, spurs and mountains. It is geography in place.

The natural setting was bewitching.

God's creation is matchless.

White-waters flowing at higher gradients along rapids.

It is not always we get to see this.

Of course we did not see the tiger. No tigers. But legend has it that this region was the haunt for tigers to leap freely and happily !!! I was glad we had a chance to see geography with our naked eyes.

 To Shangrila soon.

The Lijiang Experience

The place Lijiang has been ringing in our ears for a while. We heard it is remote, beautiful and unforgettable. But how does one get there? A getaway for a few days is good if a short rest is the agenda.

Google says you can fly direct with Lucky Air.

But what is Lucky Air? In March we heard the 737 Max crash. Is the airline part of the group? This is what happens when you are ignorant. After much assurance from gathered information, we decided to go ahead.

Lucky Air reminds me of Air Asia, our homegrown group. Pleasantly surprised by the smooth ride except when landing at the foothills of a hilly surrounding. Lijiang is surrounded by mountains like the 'Snow Jade Mountain'; the landscape is rangy and the areas around it are elevated. So landing was also rough.

At an elevation, you can expect it to be chilly and darkness appears earlier in the evenings. Though the flight time is relatively short, you reach Lijiang in the evening ready for dinner and rest.

 I think in typical hotels, the rooms are accompanied by court yards. But alas, we had no chance to enjoy the ambiance as we were tired, needed a bath and sleep. But it is clean and so stayable.

Larger still is the bed. You may have heard of king-sized beds but I think this is gorilla-sized. 

The room too is a pleasant surprise.

The guide said sleep tight as the next day is a long one to be filled with new experiences and a lot of walking and altitudes to achieve. She pumped us with stories of breathlessness and coaxed us to buy mini oxygen tanks to aid breathing difficulties. She caught my head reeling with uncertainties and fears. Can a healthy , ordinary person be affected so easily? It was for us to find out.

Whatever information and warnings we had before the trip were taken quite lightly. How cold can Lijiang be in late spring? When we googled for weather conditions we were told that weather was mild and cool ; not freezing cold. We failed to visit the weather of Snow Jade Mountain and so we landed in hot soup. Look at those snow-capped peaks in the background. They are for real; it is snow alright. We were ill-prepared for the cold. When my girls learnt of the situation they went berserk. How can the two of us be so casual about everything and anything? But...it was what it was. 

"Mum, you are so ignorant ! The clothes on you is a poor shield from the cold!" Esther shrieked.

We thank God for the cable ride. It gave us a panoramic ride up the mountain and we were struck by the awesome landscape. As we move higher the guide kept warning us that the cold would catch us and we may turn blue. "Put on your oxygen tank!" We did not purchase any chiefly to prove her wrong. But we were cautious too; not wanting to fight against nature stubbornly.

This is it. At over 4000 meter above sea level in a snow-covered environment, were indeed freezing. Who would fathom such a scenario? For those who are visiting this place do be aware of this truth.

On the left is an old pal who climbed to the spot a couple of years ago. That must be in summer. On the right, I could hardly stand for more than 10 minutes outside in the cold. I must confess that I did experience a little discomfort and quickly found my way into the cable station nearby to avoid trouble. But it is every tourist's dream to hit the peak. Well, we did it. Glad.

Only this could grant us comfort again. What a welcoming sight. We were given individual hot pots of nutritious soup, meat and vegetables. It was an enjoyable meal; so clean and healthy. Not oily.

On lower ground, the equally scenic atmosphere attracted so many local people for events such as wedding photo-shoots, family outings and casual gatherings. The cool weather added so much enjoyment. We were glad to have a chance here.

The yak is a revered animal and endemic here. This is also the first time that I see this species at close range and they do not exactly sweet-smelling. The yak has many parts that can contribute to economic purposes. It is no wonder it is well-loved here.

Following the cold climb in the morning, we had a pleasant treat in the afternoon in a live show depicting the life style of the local Naxi folks in their songs, dances and courting scenes. Even the light drizzle did not dampen our spirit as we clapped along the tunes. It was an awesome production by the famous director in zhangyimou. A repeat of the show would not bore anyone.

The visit to the snow-peaked Yulong Snow Mountain and the monumental production etched in my memory.