This is Shangri-La

Our travels were off to a picture perfect start. On Sunday, May 5th, we left Lijiang and headed to the Tiger Leaping Gorge on our way to Shangri -La. This route was recommended by our hosts at the Hidden Garden Inn and proved an efficient use of our time, and less time spent on busses, thank goodness!!!


Our bus departed from the Garden Inn, the sister guesthouse to Hidden Garden In. The drive was beautiful. As we watched the scenery go by, Lizzy and I chatted with Mike and Arber, two college students from the U.S. who had met studying in Shanghai. We arrived at Tina's Guest House located at the Middle Tiger Leaping Gorge at noon and had about three hours to hike before catching our next bus.

Lizzy and Natalie, Tiger Leaping Gorge
We were thrilled to have a dry day to hike the middle gorge and overjoyed as the sun shined on and off.

Tiger Leaping Gorge
The hike down to the water was a bit treacherous. Giant boulders posed as a narrow stairway and a flimsy cable was affixed to the cliff.  Hiking with Mike and Arber was great as we were faced with decisions on which trail to take. My favorite was when we had to choose between "safe" and "ladder."  In case you're wondering, we took the "safe" route on the way down and the ladder on the way up.

Yes, we climbed this ladder!

An extra 10 yuan allowed us to cross the suspension bridge to the famous Tiger Leaping Rock.

Lizzy crossing the bridge to Tiger Leaping Rock
Tiger Leaping Gorge is one of the world's deepest river canyons and part of the Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areas World Heritage Site.  

Lizzy and Natalie relaxing at Tiger Leaping Gorge

Lizzy returning from Tiger Leaping Rock
Tiger Leaping Rock is found at the narrowest point in the gorge.  According to legend, a tiger used this rock to leap across the gorge and that's how Tiger Leaping Gorge got its name.

Tiger Leaping Gorge, Middle Gorge

Tiger Leaping Gorge

After the grueling hike out of the gorge, we enjoyed trading hiking stories with fellow hikers at Tina's Guesthouse as we waited to board our bus to Shangri-La. At Tina's, we had the pleasure of meeting many of the people who would coincidentally be staying at our hostel, Tavern 47.

Tavern 47, Old Town Shangri - La

We arrived in Shangri-La at about 7:00pm and the owner of the hostel met a group of us at the edge of Old Town and escorted us to our new home for the next few days.  A traditional wooden Tibetan house, Tavern 47 was a bit chilly that evening. Shangri - La sits at about 10,700 feet and can get quite cold in the evening.  

Prayer flags connect the storefronts in Old Town Shangri - La

Relieved to settle in to our new accommodations after a strenuous hike and an exhilirating bus ride, we were disappointed to find that the hostel had limited water and we could not shower until later that evening. Lizzy and I teamed up with new friends and headed out on the town to try a Yak Hot Pot.  Lizzy took care of the ordering and it was decided that of all the hot pots, Yak was our new favorite.

Lizzy was a rockstar with ordering for our all-time favorite hot pot
The next day, Lizzy and I wandered up to Chicken Temple located right up the hill behind Tavern 47.  Chicken Temple was one of the most inspiring places I have ever visited.  Prayer flags stretched as far as the eye could see, flapping in the wind, a brilliant contrast to the blue and white sky.

Prayer Flags, Chicken Temple, Shangri - La
Chicken Temple isn't a popular tourist attraction.  Lizzy and I enjoyed the 360 degree view of Shangri-La and watched as the chickens wandered about the grounds.  

View of Shangri - La from Chicken Temple

After Chicken Temple, Lizzy and I headed into Old Town Shangri-La to see the square and one of the world's largest prayer wheels.

One of the world's largest prayer wheels

Lizzy and Natalie, Shangri-La




Prayer wheel lit up at night, Shangri - La

Lizzy and I joined in and on the count of three the wheel began to turn. It must turn three times for your prayer to be heard and thankfully we helped move the wheel through three complete rotations.


Shangri-La is also home to the Songzanlin Monastery, the largest Tibetan monastery in Yunnan Province and the most important in southwest China.

Songzanlin Monastery, Shangri - La

You could imagine my surprise when we ran into a older gentleman we had met a few days earlier at the monastery's gate.  He had decided to turn around and skip Songzanlin because he, "Didn't do reconstructions."  He then proceeded to tell us about how there are more authentic temples in Burma!  See my note below about competitive travelers.  Lizzy and I awkwardly defended our excitement of being in China and Songzanlin being our first monastery.  Hilarious.   

View of Songzanlin Monastery from across the lake
After an awkward start, Lizzy and I spent the afternoon wandering about this gorgeous complex.  We ran into some people who were also staying at Tavern 47 so we joined forces and took a stroll along the lake in front of the monastery and then all bussed back to our hostel for Yak Burgers, yum!!!

Songzanlin Monastery, Shangri - La

Songzanlin Monastery was originally built in 1679.  Unfortunately, it was severely damaged during the Cultural Revolution and rebuilt in 1983.  Currently, it is home to about 700 monks.  The monastery was beautiful, I enjoyed viewing the Tibetan architecture and the prayer flags, of course.  

Songzanlin Monastery, Shangri - La


I bought a lot of stuff from this lovely Tibetan woman :)

Lizzy and I have fond memories from our days at Tavern 47.  Tavern 47 was an international hub of adventurous and occasionally competitive travelers. We met people from Denmark, Switzerland, Poland, UK, Ireland, Germany, France, Thailand and Boston :)
Tavern 47, Old Town Shangri - La
Many were traveling as teams two: couples, old friends, new friends, solo travelers who have transitioned to couple status, you name it. 
Tavern 47, Old Town Shangri - La
I have never experienced the hostel scene and Tavern 47 did not disappoint as our last night was sold out and as I sat by the fire and observed the common area, I could hear a variety if languages and accents. It was lovely. 

 All in all, Shangri - La was the hands down favorite stop in our travels.  Since travel to Tibet is complicated (you must have a permit and be a part of a tour) Shangri-La is the next best place to visit.  Yunnan Province is a favorite among both the Chinese and foreigners and it did not disappoint.  I highly recommend anyone traveling in China to visit Yunnan.

-Natalie

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