Another “lazy” morning with a 9 am meet-up. A whole hour for breakfast, with time left over to call a couple of my chickens! Today is a transit day, so a short blogpost (yay!). After the big buildup about how the road is so windy and you need to bring anti-motion sickness meds if you have a tendency to need a barf bag, the road is only mildly curvy. Nothing like the 180 degree hairpin turns of rabbit ears pass, let me tell you. After a short two-hour drive, we arrive at Tiger Leaping Gorge, a narrow pass between Jade Dragon Snow Mountain (yes, the backside of where we were the previous two nights) and Haba Snow mountain, along the Jingsha river (meaning: Golden Sands, due to previous discoveries of gold along the riverbeds), an upper tributary of the Yangtze river. Information I have read states that this is the deepest gorge in the world – deeper than the Grand Canyon (but not as pretty).
We take a 45-minute walk along a lovely path, including tunnels:
and incredible views:
to get most of the way down to the water and the huge boulder in the middle of the river.
and the lovely glacial waterfall/pool on the other side of the path:
As legend goes, huntsmen were in pursuit of a great tiger. Chasing it down the the river, they were sure they had their quarry cornered, until the great cat took a leap to the rock in the middle of the river, and another to the other side, securing its escape. Photo snapping, and then the walk back.
A 10-minute drive to a roadside lunch stand, which they told us would be very basic. Well, I guess if you consider fresh produce from the family’s farm across the street sautéed in all different combinations, along with rice and chili peppers to be basic. Here I was thinking they were talking about pouring boiling water into a ramen noodle cup.
Back in the van for an hour, at which time we had a 10-minute pit stop for the potty (for some) and picture snapping (for Lance and I). There are cosmos everywhere – I think they must use them for tea or something.
Also beautiful red and pink dahlias. Sky is often a bit foggy/cloudy, so can’t get the award-wining photos that might otherwise develop (yes, pun intended). Another hour drive, during which time we are climbing in elevation (will be staying at 11,000 feet in Shangri-La), flying by cultivated areas of tobacco, rapeseed, sunflowers, potatoes, snow peaches, apples, chili peppers, etc. We arrive in Shangri-La and it’s really not as pretty as the misty mountaintop nirvana one might pictures. So many new buildings – apartments, schools, etc, and cranes still everywhere. Everyone is busy and more and more colorful, silken ethnic costumes are in evidence – even if it’s an intricately embroidered scarf tied around the waist into a skirt that sits over blue jeans. This area was actually part of Tibet until about 1755, when the government granted a big hunk of Tibet to Yunnan in an attempt to lessen its (Tibet’s) growing strength.
We continue through town and up a road to our hotel, which is perched on a hill:
on the back side of the largest monastery in Yunnan (which is on our itinerary tomorrow). We are stopped on the outskirts of town so guards can call the hotel to verify we have reservations. Security.
Lovely resort and spacious room.
Our balcony is great,
and we have a view of the backside of the monastery,
and full stereophonic cowbells and lowing from the green pastures below. We have the evening free, and we read, catch up on email and blog entries, and play cribbage. A 7:30 reservation in the restaurant maintains the laid back evening before a really full day tomorrow. And we are delighted by a fellow playing the traditional Tibetan 3-stringed instrument and his lovely accompanying soloist:
