4-Day Dali & Shangri-La Tour in China
—— Preface ——
When I first heard the name "Shangri-La" when I was a child, I didn't know where it meant.
I just think this word is very nice, with a little bit of literary and artistic atmosphere, like the name of a flower.
Later, I slowly learned that it first appeared in the novel "The Vanishing Horizon", and
later, the place "Zhongdian" in Yunnan was officially renamed "Shangri-La". In Tibetan, it means paradise.
So I began to wonder what a place should look like to be worthy of such a name.
After that, I saw the beautiful scenery of Shangri-La on major photography platforms,
and the most eye-catching thing was the photo of Meili Snow Mountain and the Milky Way in the same frame.
Under the deep blue night sky, the snow-capped mountains resemble a row of silent gods.
The Milky Way slowly poured down from the sky, spreading a glimmer of light on the top of the mountain.
After watching it for a long time, I always unconsciously fantasize:
one late night, I was also standing on the observation deck, facing the snow-capped mountains,
and when the Milky Way crossed the outline of the snow-capped mountains, I just pressed the shutter.
After watching the mountaineering documentary about Meili Snow Mountain and "Meili Snow Mountain: Looking for Seventeen Friends", Meili Snow Mountain has changed in my heart.
It is no longer a mountain with only abstract meaning, but has character and spirituality.
When the author of the book, Kobayashi, first came here, he was just an ambitious climber.
But after approaching the sacred mountain again and again, he slowly realized that some mountains did not exist to be conquered.
In the end, instead of trying to reach the summit again, he chose to stop and watch the mountain from a distance.
I was wondering, can a mountain really have such power?
When a friend asked me what I had to plan for the Spring Festival a few years ago,
I barely thought about it and blurted out: "Go to Shangri-La."
In fact, over the years, I have always wanted to wait for the right time to go again,
thinking that only the right time, place and people can be worthy of this place called paradise,
but then I slowly discovered that there are very few so-called "perfect moments" in life.
So this time, just set off.
The only thing that makes me hesitate is that
I hardly know much about Shangri-La in winter.
Most of the photos I have seen before are in spring and summer, with soft meadows and blue skies.
And in winter, will it be too deserted? Will the scenery be greatly reduced?
When I actually arrived, I realized that these worries were actually a bit unnecessary.
Shangri-La in winter has a clarity that is rarely seen elsewhere.
The air was as clean as if it had been washed, and
the snow-capped mountains in the distance were as sharp as the outline that had just been carved out by a knife.
Balagzong Scenic Area - Bala Village
Balagzong Scenic Area - Bala Village
One day, a thin layer of snow was sprinkled in the ancient city, and it instantly took on the color of a fairy tale.
The morning sun falls on the rooftops, and the entire temple glows.
Kadan Songzanlin Temple
Perhaps the real surprise has just begun.
—— Itinerary planning ——
The whole process is mainly public transportation, because of the average driving skills, I don't dare to rent a car for the whole journey, and I only rented it for one day to go around the Napa Sea.
DAY 1: Guangzhou → Kunming South Station [Kunming South is a bit far from Kunming Station, it takes 51 minutes by subway, only 18 minutes by train, if you live near the train station that day, it is highly recommended to buy a train ticket, so that you can save half an hour. DAY
2: Kunming Station→ Shangri-La Station→ Dukezong Ancient City
DAY 3: Dukezong Ancient City→Feilai Temple Observation Deck
DAY 4: Feilai Temple Observation Deck→ Dukezong Ancient City→ Ancient City (Baijiming Temple)
—— DAY 1 ——
🔸 On the way
After two years of repeated consideration, entanglement and examination, I finally mustered up the courage to have a minor operation a few years ago.
The first time I lay on the cold operating table, I let the blade gently cut my body in a half-numb state, and every second seemed to be infinitely stretched.
Lying there, I kept thinking about how to cherish my health more and live more attentively in the future.
However, the proposition is too big, and there will be no answer for a while, so I have to put it behind for the time being and let my heart slowly settle.
My family didn't agree with me to leave a week after the operation, but the plan couldn't keep up with the changes. When everything settles, it is difficult to completely overturn it.
Except for the suitcase that needs help from a friend to lift it, it's not a big deal.
My family couldn't resist me, and after repeated advice, they complied with my wishes.
On the day of departure, the sky was gloomy and solemn.
high-speed train
The eight-hour high-speed train is long and boring for most people, and you have to find something to fill it up.
But I prefer to make my own "cut" in a small space like a train or plane.
Those photos left behind because of reluctance eventually accumulate into hundreds of gigabytes of redundancy, which is very much like the desire in life that we save little by little but rarely look back to sort it out.
I deleted the scrap one by one and watched the storage space be re-freed.
Every time I empty a few dozen G, it is like doing a quiet "minimally invasive surgery" for those bloated days.
Stay in Kunming for one night and catch the high-speed train to Shangri-La early the next morning.
All the way north, I silently looked forward to the long-lost plateau air, looking forward to the first encounter between the snow-capped mountains and the ancient city.
—— DAY 2 ——
🔸 Take a stroll around the ancient city of Dukezong
As soon as the high-speed train got out, the dry and cold air recklessly hit the nose, which made people feel a little uncomfortable for a while.
There were not many people at the high-speed rail station during the Spring Festival, so we quickly got a taxi and drove towards the ancient city of Dukezong.
The fire in the ancient city in 2014 was embarrassing, and it was rebuilt and opened in 2016.
Five years ago, I planned to come to Shangri-La on the eve of my resignation to relax, but felt that the rebuilt ancient city lacked its original taste, so I went to Lugu Lake instead.
After going around in circles, I still set foot here.
Only the ancient city of Kezong
When I arrived at the north gate of the ancient city, there was a faint snow in the air.
The hotel was on a hillside deep in the ancient city, and the boss appeared on a tricycle and called us to get in the car.
The tricycle ran wildly through the narrow streets of the ancient city, and we grabbed the handrail firmly behind for fear of being thrown out, feeling excited and interesting, and immediately took out our mobile phones to record it.
The snowflakes fell gently and landed on the phone screen, and I realized that it was snowing.
It didn't take long for the car to arrive at the door of the hotel, and we got out of the car to find that the ground had turned white, like a white blanket to welcome us in.
The ancient city of Dukezong has a history of 1,300 years and was once an important town on the ancient tea horse road.
The fire destroyed more than 200 houses, and most of the buildings are now imitations, but still retain a strong sense of history. The layout of the ancient city is based on Sifang Street, and the four areas of east, west, north, and south are like blooming eight-petaled lotus flowers.We decided not to use navigation and go wherever we wanted.
Only the ancient city of Kezong
We passed by a cultural and creative store and were attracted by its exquisitely designed cultural and creative products, and after entering, we found that the price was high, so we had to stop and admire it.
Going down is Moonlight Square.
There were fewer people near Moonlight Square than expected, and I basically didn't see anyone walking around except for those who took artistic photos.
Only the ancient city of Kezong
Only the ancient city of Kezong
All the scatteredness, when I saw the huge golden prayer wheel in Guishan Park, finally had a foothold.
In order to pray for a smooth view of Meili Snow Mountain the next day, we walked to the Auspicious Victory Building, which is known as the world's largest prayer wheel.
Shangri-La City Dukezong Ancient City - Guishan Park
The sutra tube is about five stories high, pure copper gilded, engraved with the four Bodhisattvas and the Eight Treasures of Buddhism, and contains 1.24 million mantras and a variety of Buddha treasures, weighing 16 tons. The process of pulling the belt to make it turn is not easy, it requires dozens of people to work together, and each lap looks particularly solemn and sacred.
Shangri-La City Dukezong Ancient City - Guishan Park
After completing three laps, looking out from the platform, the ancient city is surrounded by high mountains, and several unique hotel buildings stand out in the blue light.
The sun sets, the ancient city is lit up, the Great Buddha Temple and the Diamond Hall in Guishan Park emit golden light in the blue afterglow, and the dragon head on the eaves seems to come to life.
The sun sets, the ancient city is lit up, the Great Buddha Temple and the Diamond Hall in Guishan Park emit golden light in the blue afterglow, and the dragon head on the eaves seems to come to life.
Shangri-La City Dukezong Ancient City - Guishan Park
Shangri-La City Dukezong Ancient City - Guishan Park
As the night deepened and the temperature plummeted, we went to have a meal of yak hot pot.
yak hot pot
Cantonese people are used to tender meat, while yak meat tastes a little dry. However, the butter tea was as fragrant and delicious as ever, and we drank pot after pot, and even took it away.
It is not recommended to use a thermos cup for butter tea, the cup will be difficult to wash
On the way back to the hotel, snow fell in the sky, and
I couldn't wait to see the snow-white appearance of the ancient city tomorrow.
—— DAY 3 ——
We bought a bus at 10 a.m., and when we got up at 9 a.m., the view from the roof of the building stunned me - the roof of the ancient city was covered with snow.
The orange walls and red eaves are particularly unified against the backdrop of snow, as if the ancient city is dressed in a Tibetan winter fairy tale coat.
🔸 Feilai Temple Observation Deck
All the way north, passing through Songzanlin Temple and Napa Sea, we also saw the newly opened ski resort - there is only one advanced road on the mountain, which is still making snow.
If the snow is finished, it may be an alternative to playing.
Strangely, it seems that only the ancient city has snowed, and the mountains and valleys we pass through, the trees are yellow, the grass is dry, and the earth-colored hillsides and scattered gravel constitute the desolation characteristic of winter.
Suddenly, the turquoise Jinsha River broke into the field of vision, adding a touch of life to the monotonous plateau.
The high-altitude mountain
The high-altitude mountain road spirals up, the mountains in the distance are layered, we finally encounter the White Horse Snow Mountain, but the car has been going around the mountain, the snow-capped mountain only briefly passed the sight, like a shy beauty, and I was afraid to hide for a while.
The car will stop at Deqin County Bus Station, and we can go to the toilet here to rest.
The town feels quite lively, and it is only a 20-minute drive from the Feilai Temple Observation Deck, so you can also see the snow-capped mountains here. The hotel on the observation deck is more expensive, and many people choose to stay here.
Deqin County Bus Station
After a four-hour drive, we finally arrived at the Feilai Temple Observation Deck.
The weather was surprisingly good, but only a thick cloud covered the peak of Meili Snow Mountain.
While waiting for the hotel owner to pick me up, snow suddenly fell in the air, and I began to ask him worriedly if he could see Meili Snow Mountain tomorrow, and he smiled and said, "You pray that the snow will fall bigger now, the bigger it falls, the clearer the snow mountain will be tomorrow." I couldn't control the weather, so I had to make a prayer to the snow-capped mountains.
Hunger made me stop thinking and urged me to find something hot to eat.
Yunnan rice noodles
The streets are sparsely populated and restaurants are almost empty. It may be that we were past dinner and everyone was resting, so we casually walked into a restaurant, and after learning that we could still order, we did not hesitate to order a bowl of Yunnan rice noodles.
The hot soup fills the whole body and mind with warmth.
After lunch, we set off to the roof of the hotel and the observation deck to step on the spot, wanting to choose the best location to take pictures of the snow-capped mountains tomorrow morning.
But the clouds are getting thicker and thicker, gradually covering all the peaks from left to right, and even gradually engulfing the mountainside.
I have collected a lot of check-in points for photos with Kawagbo, and it seems that there is no need to step on them at this time.
walk in the snow
Without snow-capped mountains, we suddenly lose our goal.
The whole person seemed to have been taken away from his center of gravity, and he quickly searched for alternative attractions in his mind to remedy it: This is obviously the Feilai Temple Observation Deck, so where is the Feilai Temple itself?
When I checked, it turned out that it was only one kilometer apart.
It is not far away, but it is close to it.
I don't know what else I can do for a while, so let's go over and take a look.
As I walked, I heard a few small "meows".
I subconsciously replied a few times, and the other party also replied to me a few times, following the reputation, there were two cats hiding under a car, one was flowered and the other was black.
Feilai Temple Scenic Area - Observation Deck
They poked their heads out and stared at us for a few seconds, as if to judge whether these two people were worth getting close to.
The black cat ran over first, rushed to my feet, circled around me, meowed non-stop, and finally sat down next to my shoes.
The civet cat also wanted to get closer, but the black cat suddenly snorted, as if declaring something - this person is mine.
Feilai Temple Scenic Area - Observation Deck
At that moment, I wanted to laugh a little, and I was a little soft-hearted. I don't know if the black cat is hungry or just cold.
But I had nothing on me, so I could only touch it a few more times to comfort it and get up and leave.
It followed us for a while.
Not far or near, like a farewell. It wasn't until the corner that he stopped and didn't follow him.
Further ahead, I saw Feilai Temple.
Feilai Temple
Feilai Temple was founded in the forty-second year of the Ming Dynasty (1614), the building is built according to the mountain, the three religions are one, the main Haichao Hall is a wooden structure on the top of the hanging mountain, the rock wall relief in the hall tells the story of "Journey to the West" and the Haichao Dragon King sends his daughter to marry, and the murals are painted with portraits of Tsongkhapa, Shengle Vajra and Living Buddha. Unfortunately, the gate was closed, and we could only take pictures under the array of wind horse flags in front of the temple.
Feilai Temple
Feilai Temple
Feilai Temple
Because the snow was getting heavier and heavier, we didn't stay too long.
Back at the hotel, just in time for the meal.
I ordered a pot of mushroom chicken pot, drank a sip of hot soup, and ate a beautiful meal before my body finally slowly warmed up.
mushroom chicken pot
After eating, I went back to the room and had nothing to do, but my mind was full of things to do.
The projector in the room can't be wasted, and the boss just brought me two cups of hot milk, drinking milk and watching variety shows, celebrating that I have officially entered vacation mode.
But I am still thinking about tomorrow's Rizhao Jinshan.
Refresh the weather forecast over and over again, and the more you look at it, the more you feel suspenseful.
weather forecast
—— DAY 4 ——
🔸 Meili Snow Mountain
At half past six in the morning, I couldn't help but rush to the roof, wanting to see if Kawagbo showed his true face.
Thick clouds almost engulfed the entire mountain, and the mountain showed no signs of being exposed.
weather
I reluctantly returned to my room, my heart full of loss and sighs: the long-awaited sacred mountain, at this moment, is so far away from me.
What's even sadder is that I saw someone seeing the cloudless main peak at twelve o'clock in the morning, surrounded by stars, which was the scene I thought in my heart.
I was still tossing and turning, having trouble sleeping - if I had gone out earlier, I might have been able to meet it unexpectedly.
Forget it, let's make up for it later.
Get up an hour later
There are still quite a few people waiting at the observation deck
The only thing that was a little hopeful was that the thick clouds in the southeast had opened a small opening,
the sunshine of General Peak
It is very rare to capture the sunshine of General Peak dyed golden light and shadow by the rising sun, and
a sentence suddenly popped up in my mind: "A glimpse of the golden mountain to bid farewell to the old year".
This light ignites our hope.
We stood on the roof of the building and waited for the clouds to disperse.
At first, the fence was full of people, and everyone did not speak, only looked up.
Later, people left one by one, leaving only us.
The clouds became thicker and thicker, and General Peak was completely engulfed, and not even a trace of outline could be seen.
Feilai Temple Scenic Area - Observation Deck
This time, we really gave up.
When I went downstairs for breakfast, I realized that
Meili Snow Mountain was the most anticipated existence in my entire trip.
I want to confirm all the descriptions of Meili Snow Mountain in the book "Meili Snow Mountain: Looking for Seventeen Friends".
The original plan was to see Kawagbo in the morning and go to the Mingyong Glacier in the afternoon - the glacier where the avalanche buried seventeen climbers Now, these plans have become irrelevant.
We ordered a bowl of rice noodles next to the observation deck.
If the weather was good, I should have looked at the snow-capped mountains while making a lot of noise.
Since there is no chance, then do not force it.
In the journey, there will always be some unsatisfactory things,
not for regret, but for the next encounter.
🔸 Wandering around the ancient city
At 16:00, we returned to the ancient city of Dukezong.
Because the subsequent housing prices have risen all the way, we simply moved outside the ancient city and chose a cheaper place to live.
I originally planned to go to Baiji Temple. It is the commanding height of Shangri-La, which is said to overlook the entire ancient city, and when the weather is good, you can also see the Kadansong Zanlin Monastery from a distance.
But the incident of "not seeing the sunshine and the golden mountain" did consume most of our emotions, and we were like deflated balls floating around.
The turning point came suddenly.
On the way from the hotel to the ancient city, my friend suddenly stopped. A Wuling Hongguang Mini with labubu printed on it is preparing to pull over.
She almost trotted over and asked her brother: "Where did you rent this car?" The little brother told her the name of the store.
We are worried about how to get to the Napa Sea. If you can rent a car, the itinerary is no longer led by time and route, and it is much more convenient to stop when you want.
The balloon, which was originally deflated, suddenly bulged.
What's even more coincidental is that this store only has this labubu car, which we rented.
Before the excitement could dissipate, another thought came up: Why don't you take an artistic photo of a Tibetan costume tomorrow? It happens to be the first day of the Lunar New Year, and the new year is new.
So we immediately had a second goal.
In the ancient city, I looked for photography shops one by one, watching films, turning clothes, and choosing styles.
Unexpectedly, we found a store that was still open and could still be reserved.
In just three hours, from renting a car to setting up a shoot, the efficiency of the inflated "balloon" is surprisingly high.
We were really not used to eating Tibetan food at night, so we decided to change the taste and try Western fusion food.
Western fusion food.
This one has a good rating in the ancient city, but we don't think the taste is amazing.
On Chinese New Year's Eve, the owner's family and employees gathered around a big table to eat Chinese New Year's Eve dinner, steaming.
We were attracted by a puppy that circled around the table, fart, and its heart-shaped butt hooked our souls.
Only the ancient city of Kezong
On the way back to the hotel after dinner, several bouquets of fireworks suddenly exploded on the horizon.
Unguarded, let's end the day with this splendor.
Back in the room, wait for the early morning, and send a message to friends and family: Happy New Year.
—— THE END ——
This trip encountered the winter of Shangri-La, where the weather is changeable.
But I always feel that there is much more to it than that:
in spring, the meadows will re-cover the valley;
in summer, the clouds will hang low and fall on the water of the Napa Sea, like a slowly unfolding painting;
and in autumn, the forest and sea will probably slowly burn golden in the sun.
Shangri-La in every season may be a completely different city.
I always want to see it in a different way.
The biggest regret of the whole trip is that I never saw the Meili Snow Mountain in its entirety.
Those snowy peaks appear and disappear, like a curtain that has not been fully unveiled.
Perhaps because of this, it seems more distant and more real.
If there is a next time, I probably won't just stand in the distance and stare.
Maybe hike, maybe turn the mountain.
Accompanied by the sacred mountain,
let time stretch a little between the steps.
If the trip is too successful, it often ends quickly.
Moderate regret will leave a longer echo in the memory.
It may
be when you are still lying in front of the computer late at night; it may also be on days when life is not going well. The Meili Snow Mountain in the
distance still stands quietly there, waiting for the next encounter.