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).

View Larger Map

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.