We had a peaceful night apart from a visiting cow that licked our bowls and pan left out in the rain.
We
got soaked eating breakfast in our coats then set off winding slowly up
the valley. We stopped at a small stream to filter some water as we had
run out and were reluctant to filter the river water where we had
camped having seen where most of the local toilets emptied.
The
weather cheered up a bit as we left the river and climbed a final
smaller pass before a long descent to Shangri-La city. We passed through
grassland spotted with red and gold bushes amongst which yaks and
miniature Tibetan pigs grazed.
Unfortunately there was also a lot of
pylons and an ever increasing amount of trucks thanks to a
nearby quarry.
We entered Shangri-La old town around 15:30 to
find beautiful little cobbled streets packed with gift shops,
restaurants and guesthouses. We found a place to stay described in our
guidebook and checked in. We met an elderly Chinese cycle tourist who
had been touring the surrounding mountains for 5 months using Shangri-La
as a base and wild camping in the area.
We
urgently needed a shower then enthusiastically sort out some serious
quantities of food. It was a national holiday week for the Chinese so
very busy. We found a little family run Tibetan place and ate whilst
watching traditional dancing in the main square below in which everyone was getting themselves involved.
Hey guys! Seems like a long time ago we were having that Peking duck near the Happy Dragon Hostel in Beijing. We've been following your blog and it looks like you've had some proper adventures across China. Looks like you're not too far from the border - we hope it gets easier for you both from there to Bangkok. Some of those recent climbs you've had look exhausting...
ReplyDeleteAnyway, just wanted to say keep going! Very inspiring stuff :)
Best wishes from the UK
Alex & Jess