Snow capped mountain over Lijiang town.

Mu Clan association of the Naxi people.

Lijiang old town

Got on the 1pm bus towards Chengdu (297Yuan~USD$45, around 900km).


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There were a few options to Chengdu. Another way is to take a bus to PanZhiHua (7 hours ride), then got on the train to Chengdu (12-13hours). There is also a flight costing 350Yuan which departs on Friday night.

The road from Yunnan to Sichuan passed by many mountains. View on the way

Went to the ShongZhanLing monastery which is a Tibetan temple. The entrance ticket to the monastery cost 85Yuan which is quite steep so decided not to go in. However, I heard that it’s possible to take bus number 3 to get in without getting a ticket.
While waiting, spent time at a souvenir store hanging with the employees. The employees are from different ethnicities such as Zang, Naxi and Bai.

Yak meat for lunch (55Yuan for 4 dishes and 4 people)

Back to the bus station

Got on the 3.40pm bus towards Lijiang (46Yuan~USD$7).

View on the way

Got back to Lijiang at around 7.30pm before sunset.

Shu He old town

LaPaiKu hotpot again for lunch and head to Shangri La with 3 other hostel mates.

Shangri La is around 200km away from Lijiang. Got the 3pm bus (59Yuan~USD$9).

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Shangri La is at a higher elevation, so the bus has to go up a windy and a narrower road. Saw an accident on the way.

Arrived at Shangri La at around 7pm after 4 hours bus ride. Shangri La old name is actually ZhongDian. Shangri La is actually a name synonymous with a beautiful place with peaceful people isolated from the world. The name was made famous in the novel Lost Horizon by a British author and some people think that the place is the closest to the description of Shangri La in the novel. ZhongDian is located at around 3400m above sea levels, with different minorities such as Dai, Zang, Naxi and Bai living here. Shangri La is also used as a metaphor as something special people seek after. The Chinese government hope that ZhongDian will follow the success of Dali and Lijiang as famous tourist spots, and changed the name to Shangri La.

Stayed at Shangri La international hostel (20Yuan~USD$3).

Visited the old town.

Local hotpot for dinner (26Yuan per person~USD$4). ShuYouCha, a kind of Tibetan tea is famous here because there is a big Tibetan population living in this area.

There is a tibetan temple at the old town.

Trying to turn a big Tibetan bell.

Rice with 2 dishes for lunch (17Yuan~USD$2.5)

Took the 12.15pm bus towards Lijiang (40Yuan~USD$6) which is around 180km away.

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Lijiang is populated by many Naxi people which is a different ethnicity from Han Chinese. Naxi people has a strong matriarchal influence and Naxi women work harder too. Lijiang old town has a history of over 800 years since the Song dynasty.

Arrived Lijiang at around 4pm. Took a taxi with 3 other travelers to K2 hostel (30Yuan~USD$4)

which is located at ShuHe, around 5km away from the old town of Lijiang.

ShuHe old town

Lijiang is a bigger town than Dali. Lijiang is famous for LaPaiGu hot pot (80Yuan for 4 person), the hot pot has pork ribs and eat with vegetables.

Took a bus to Lijiang old town. Lijiang old town is a maze of cobbled street with many old buildings as well as stream flowing through the city. The city has 800 years of history since the Tang dynasty.

Symbol of Lijiang

Lijiang is more touristy than Dali and has a lot of tourist.

Women in traditional dress kniting

DongBa writing which use pictures and symbols to represent words.

There are many souvenir shops selling goods for tourist at every corner of the old town. Lijiang old town has become a touristy place.