Some photos published in this page are courtesy of master chin and Chuen Yee
We woke up early and had breakfast in the restaurant
recommended by the driver. Didnt have a good sleep last night. Toss and turn and cant sleep well. Later then we discovered it was Mountain Sickness actually. I tried the butter tea (酥油茶) and found it salty.
recommended by the driver. Didnt have a good sleep last night. Toss and turn and cant sleep well. Later then we discovered it was Mountain Sickness actually. I tried the butter tea (酥油茶) and found it salty.
We set off for Shi Ka Snow Mountain. Along the way we saw the frames for drying Chingke, plant that be used to make flour and all kind of delicacies, even wine. Satellite images of these frames caused some countries to mistake them as rocket launchers.
Bought the cable car tix and there we are, started the ascend. I must say the little village near the midway stop looked very much like the real Shangrila. We spent sometime there, snapping photos of galloping horses, pigs, and all.
Then we took the cable car up the second leg to the peak. We still have to climb some stairs up to see the scenery around. Strong wind and thin air make every step a tough step ahead. In good clear weather you can see many snow mountains from here but now...we only see clouds. The Tibetans have put the bodies of the ancestors in the holes on the faces of the mountain. Beautiful tibetan flags adorned the mountain. We didnt have time to trek down and visit the lake. In order to do that we must leave the peak by 11am and trek 5 hours down before it get dark. So we took the cable car down and went off for lunch.
Then we took the cable car up the second leg to the peak. We still have to climb some stairs up to see the scenery around. Strong wind and thin air make every step a tough step ahead. In good clear weather you can see many snow mountains from here but now...we only see clouds. The Tibetans have put the bodies of the ancestors in the holes on the faces of the mountain. Beautiful tibetan flags adorned the mountain. We didnt have time to trek down and visit the lake. In order to do that we must leave the peak by 11am and trek 5 hours down before it get dark. So we took the cable car down and went off for lunch.
Shangrila Town as seen from the top of Shika Snow Mountain.
The driver brought us to try the Mixian (米线) in the Shangrila town. It was so yummy that i craved for more. The colourful ingredients are pleasing to the eyes to start with. The tasty meat made the mixian totally irresistable. If they ever sell it in Singapore, all the bowls will be snapped up in no time.
After lunch, driver sent us to the ancient town for some walk.
We got down and Yinhuan went to shop for his shoes, which are already giving way. We wanted to find some dessert shop to rest our legs but couldnt find anything decent. Just when we prepare to go back to driver, we came across an inn, The Compass, whithout any chinese characters on them. Rather unusual in this part of the world. I walked in and asked for menu. Not as expensive as I thought. We made ourselves comfortable in the sofa, flipped some magazine. A lady sitting at another table with a baby in her hand, made a head turn and ask: Are you guy from Singapore? We looked at her in awe and nodded. She then went on to say, the owner of his place, her husband, is from Singapore too! That really caught us by surprise. The lady went to call her husband in and wow we had good 3-hour chat with him! Joe is a very friendly chap. He told us his wife came from Sikkim and they wanted to start something in Lijiang but couldnt find a less touristy spot so decided to venture northward and found this lovely paradise. A exquisite inn consists of 4 townhouse. Very unique in this part of the world. Told us so many interesting tales that got us glued to our seats till 6pm that day. There was a boy who tried to escape NS and came to Shangrila for 6 months till he fell down and broken his neck. The local Police Chief called Joe up and asked him to be the translator. After some comforting and questioning, Singapore MFA sent down a helicopter at the airport to ferry him back to Singapore at once. What a story!! He has grown close to the Police Chief since then. Joe has also helped arrange for community service work for schools like River valley, ACS and also help organised team building events for companies that flew in. He even recount to us 4WD trek right into Lhasa where camping in open desert is a must-have experience. So much so much stories from his. Do pay him a visit if you happened to go to Shangrila.
We got down and Yinhuan went to shop for his shoes, which are already giving way. We wanted to find some dessert shop to rest our legs but couldnt find anything decent. Just when we prepare to go back to driver, we came across an inn, The Compass, whithout any chinese characters on them. Rather unusual in this part of the world. I walked in and asked for menu. Not as expensive as I thought. We made ourselves comfortable in the sofa, flipped some magazine. A lady sitting at another table with a baby in her hand, made a head turn and ask: Are you guy from Singapore? We looked at her in awe and nodded. She then went on to say, the owner of his place, her husband, is from Singapore too! That really caught us by surprise. The lady went to call her husband in and wow we had good 3-hour chat with him! Joe is a very friendly chap. He told us his wife came from Sikkim and they wanted to start something in Lijiang but couldnt find a less touristy spot so decided to venture northward and found this lovely paradise. A exquisite inn consists of 4 townhouse. Very unique in this part of the world. Told us so many interesting tales that got us glued to our seats till 6pm that day. There was a boy who tried to escape NS and came to Shangrila for 6 months till he fell down and broken his neck. The local Police Chief called Joe up and asked him to be the translator. After some comforting and questioning, Singapore MFA sent down a helicopter at the airport to ferry him back to Singapore at once. What a story!! He has grown close to the Police Chief since then. Joe has also helped arrange for community service work for schools like River valley, ACS and also help organised team building events for companies that flew in. He even recount to us 4WD trek right into Lhasa where camping in open desert is a must-have experience. So much so much stories from his. Do pay him a visit if you happened to go to Shangrila.
We went back to the same restaurant for dinner. Called beer again. Cant resist 5rmb beer in China - dirt cheap. Last night jing jing will be with us. We brought fruits and as usual, they sent me to get a knife from the hotel to peel off the skin of fruits. We watched Die Hard 2 that night. Another sleepless night abound.
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