Shangri-La late autumn tour

Number of days: 5 days
Time: November
Average cost: 7100 yuan
With whom: husband and wife
Updated: 2020.12.01

Shangri-La Travelogue

--2020.11.15-20

Original route: Day 1: Shangri-La-Napa Sea-Balagzong-Baima Snow Mountain-Feilai Temple

Day2: Feilai Temple Sunrise - Mingyong Glacier - Yunling Moon Bay Grand Canyon - Feilai Temple

Day3: Pudacuo

Actual route: Day2: Baima Snow Mountain - Dongzhulin Temple - Benzilan Town - Waterside Temple

Fee (one person):Air ticket 1990 (round trip), hotel - fifth meteorite. Lightyear 554*2=1108+Feilai Temple-380+Shiyi Manor 431=1919 Tickets-Balagzong 115+ Dongzhulin Temple 30+ Pudacuo 80=225 Tour guide and fare-1000/day*3=3000

Total: 7134

The

beauty of Shangri-La is three-dimensional, geography says that the orogeny caused by the collision of the ancient Indian plate and the ancient Eurasian plate has produced three parallel mountains in this area, and the deep valley between the mountains runs parallel to the Nu River, the Lancang River and the Jinsha River, and the difference between the highest peak and the lowest valley is more than 5,000 meters, as if a painting is folded, from tiled to erected.

The mountains here are boundless, everywhere as far as the eye can see, and it is rare to see flat land, only the Napa Sea we visited on the first day is a vast and flat wetland lake. The road in the mountains is winding and winding, looking from one mountain to another mountain on the opposite side, the peaks are surrounded by white clouds, the high snow-capped mountains wear white hats, and in the middle are layers of streamer-like roads, folded back and forth two or three times, in the valley are large rivers or villages flowing along the flow of the valley, and red, yellow and green trees or shrubs fill the mountain from top to bottom, so that you can't see it at a glance, and you need to look down line by line like reading. Let us tourists flying from Shanghai be amazed by her richness and magnificence.

Departure

On November 15, 2020, the second wave of the new crown epidemic in the world is breaking out, many cities in Europe and the United States are re-locked down, and Shanghai Pudong has just found a case. Transferring to Shangri-La via Kunming, it was already half past 10 in the evening, and China-TravelNote booked the fifth meteorite - Lightyear Hotel located in the ancient city of Dukezong in Shangri-La City. The hotel is Tibetan-style, although it is known that it is a product of pure commerce in recent years, and the word ancient city is really not related, but the rooms full of bright Tibetan elements are still eye-catching. The room has its own oxygen concentrator, and when I get up in the morning, the oxygen in the room has increased from 20% to 30%, but I can still feel the light sleep caused by the change in air pressure at night.

Napa Sea

After breakfast, go out for a walk, the ancient city of Dukezong is composed of some relatively new hotels and shops, about dozens, the doors and windows are red and green Tibetan style, most of them are closed due to the epidemic or business depression, only the two of us walked in the alley with no one around, the sky is blue and the clouds are low, but it is also peaceful. When I came back, I saw that the local tour guide Yu who had booked before was waiting for us in the yard with his Prado, packed up and got on the car and set off, the first stop was the Napa Sea, the road winded through a grassland wetland, the Tibetan houses that appeared on both sides, white walls and black tiles, slope roofs, windows painted with red and blue diamond decorations, and wooden shelves were often erected in the yard, with long yellow-brown straw dried, Master Yu said that it was highland barley, dried and threshed. The cows chewed leisurely on the side of the road, completely ignoring the passage of vehicles, and the sun fell from the soothing hillside, and there was a burning sensation on their bodies. Gradually there was water, first shallow water under the grass roots, and slowly turned into a pure lake, reflecting the blue sky and white clouds, and the mountains were undulating, as if a mirror reflected the scenery and color of the upper and lower parts, shocking and soothing.

Napa Seaview

Area

Napa Seaview Area

Balagzon

After going around the sea from south to north, we continued along the road to Balagzon. The mountains gradually become steeper, passing through the layers of mountains, the sky in the distance changes from deep tile blue to bright light blue, and the valley under the road flows with clear rivers, and the scenery is everywhere. Passing through a small village on the bank of the river in the valley, Master Yu told us that this small village of dozens of households was relocated due to an earthquake in 2015, and all the houses were abandoned.

On the way, passing through Benzilan Town, where Master Yu's house is located, take a nap at his brother-in-law's house on the side of the road, the house is backed by the Jinsha River, with three floors up and down, the kitchen and the garden in the middle, the middle floor is the living room, and the upper floor is the left and right bedrooms, he is preparing for his daughter's wedding, and one of the bedrooms is for his daughter and son-in-law. The sunroom behind the living room is where the owner drinks tea, facing the rushing Jinsha River below and the exposed yellow-brown rocks on the opposite bank, with a magnificent view. When I left, I brought a small yellow apple grown by the owner, which tasted very good.

After about 2 hours of driving, we came to the Balagzon Scenic Area, the whole bus and the tour guide, said that the bus would depart at half past 12, or waited for half an hour, and when the car was almost full of old men and women of the tour group, we finally set off, and we were already hungry at this time. The bus kept turning back along the road on the mountain, and the tour guide explained the historical story of Balagzong all the way, and the Tibetans who migrated from Batang, Sichuan to escape the war lived here, forming an isolated small village, and when there was no road, it took five or six days to walk out of the mountains to the nearest town, a villager named Sna Dingzhu, who spent 10 years, went through hardships, and spent all his family wealth to build this road, with more than 20 hairpin bends throughout the process, all the way to the small village of Balagzong. There are a total of 4 stations in the scenic area - Tibetan Culture Experience Hall, Bala Village, Glass Plank Road, Shangri-La Grand Canyon.

After walking for more than half an hour, the bus pulled us to the first stop, the Tibetan Cultural Experience Center, and we were intoxicated by the beautiful scenery opposite, and did not choose the content of the museum. From here, the mountains in the distance are colorful, the clouds are staggered, and when the sun shines through the gaps in the clouds, it hits a small village on the mountain like the highlight of the stage, which makes people feel a sense of sacredness.

Because we missed lunch and wanted to see the White Horse Snow Mountain before dark, we took another bus on the return trip, skipped the two attractions of Bala Village and the glass plank road, and came to the Shangri-La Grand Canyon, without going deep along the walking plank road, we had some snacks for lunch at the only small convenience store at the entrance (the former restaurants were also closed due to the impact of the epidemic).

Hurriedly set off for Baima Snow Mountain, it was already past four o'clock in the afternoon, snowflakes floated in the air, and Baima Snow Mountain was shrouded in clouds and mist, and it was no longer possible to see its true face.

At night, we stayed in a small hotel in Feilai Temple, and it is said that from the window of the room on the 4th floor, you can perfectly see the golden dome of Meili Snow Mountain at sunrise, so we stayed in this hotel without elevator and heating, and the waiter helped us move our luggage to the 4th floor, but the action of moving ourselves to the fourth floor almost made us pass out, after all, it is 3500 meters above sea level. I slept extremely poorly at night, my whole body was sore like a cold and fever, and I knew I had a high reaction.

Looking out the window at half past six in the morning, there was a white fog and scattered snowflakes, and there was no hope for the sunrise in Meili, but there was still a glimmer of hope until 7:40, which is said to be the sunrise time of this season, but the snow was even bigger. Originally, today's itinerary was abandoned by us in Meili Snow Mountain, Mingyong Glacier, and Yunling Moon Bay Grand Canyon, and we decided to cross the Baima Snow Mountain again.

Balagzon

Balagzon Shambhala Grand Canyon

Baima Snow Mountain

The top of Baima Snow Mountain is relatively flat, the wind howls on the top of the uninhabited mountain, and the mountain on one side is exposed with loess and rocks, like the desert Loulan; On the other side, the soothing mountain bag is covered with low vegetation, and a small amount of snow accumulates on the top of the mountain, giving you a sense of the Alps again.

Few people go up the mountain in such weather, and after watching silently in the howling cold wind for a while, we went down.

White Horse Snow Mountain

Baima Snow Mountain

East Bamboo Forest Temple

Dongzhulin Temple is located in the mountain hollow on the side of the highway, and from a distance, it is a house with white walls and black tiles, and only the golden roof of the temple itself shines. Tickets are 20, locals are free of charge, after entering the gate, there is a section of cement slope up and down, on both sides are small houses, different sizes and decorations, most of them are Tibetan-style fancy and complex doors and windows, it looks like hand-painted, and occasionally there is an ordinary style without decoration, and there are often a few big roosters with red feathers pacing in front of the door. Master Yu said that these were the residences of the monks of the temple. He said that the monks of the more famous Songzanlin Temple and other temples had disputes over the money of tourists, so now the locals will only come to Dongzhulin Temple to worship Buddha, and in my opinion, the act of collecting tickets itself also has a certain smell, but fortunately, there is no vulgar program such as asking for incense and fortune-telling in the temple.

Entering the temple clockwise through the gate on one side, it is a building surrounded on all sides, like a courtyard in Beijing, with tiles in the courtyard and a large copper jar on the side. To the north is the main building of the temple, and the other three sides are guest rooms for devotees who come to the temple to worship on important days. In the small hall of the main hall, the walls are hand-painted with four kings with blue fangs, and the walls on the side are painted with a modern version of the six reincarnations. On either side is a wooden staircase leading upstairs. The small hall is the main hall, Master Yu knelt down very reverently and kowtowed three heads to the ground, and we entered the main hall. Dark and wide, lingering with the smell of ghee, there is no huge golden Buddha statue in the center of the temple hall, there are various Buddha statues along the wall, the Buddha statue is not big, the name of the Buddha statue is written on the base, some banknotes and coins are thrown in front of each one, and in the middle is a row of narrow beds, covered with colored mattresses, and an aisle is left in the middle, Master Yu said that it is a stool for monks to meditate and chant.

Going up the narrow wooden staircase, the second and third floors are enshrined with Buddha statues, in the middle of the second floor is a ukiyo-e made of gold (I don't know how to call it), the third floor is Shakyamuni, next to it is a retreat room of the deceased living Buddha, the door is open, there is a simple bed, tables and chairs and other furniture, a picture of the living Buddha is enshrined on the table, with a simple tribute, a kind middle-aged man wearing glasses. I don't believe in Buddhism, but the door of this room made me feel awe, far more than all the Buddha statues, and I only dared to stand at the door and glance at it from a distance.

East Bamboo Grove

Temple

After coming out of Dongzhulin Temple, we decided to go to the town of Benzilan at an altitude of 2,000 at night to recover the physical strength consumed by the high anti-reaction. China-TravelNote chose the No. 1 Shiyi Manor, drove to Benzilan Town, and on the way, Master Yu took us down the road, walked a thrilling mountain dirt road (it is said that locals worship the sacred mountain), appreciated the Jinsha River bend that originally required tickets, and gradually got used to the layers of mountains here, and the shock of the scenery began to weaken, but the mountains and rivers, the sky and clouds are still moving.

Baima Snow Mountain

Benzilan Town

Benzilan Town is in the valley, the altitude of 2,000 meters immediately swept away our fatigue last night, Master Yu sent us to Shiyi Manor, he said that the ancestor of this hotel owner was the former chief of this area, equivalent to the township chief or county magistrate. A pair of stone lions at the door, through a long corridor of rows of small houses on both sides to the main building of the hotel, is a two-story wooden building, the glass-roofed patio in the middle is lined with pure wood furniture, the first floor is the living room, but also the living room of the owner's whole family, with a variety of local wooden and black pottery handicrafts, Buddha statues, tributes, a small tape recorder looping the sound of chanting, we can't understand, it sounds like the owner himself recorded. In the yard outside, there were small bridges and promenades, and there was a huge tea table made of whole trees, and an old lady was cleaning with a one-year-old child on her back. The yak beef hot pot that was eaten on the small table in the living room for dinner, and the local black clay pot was stewed in a really fragrant pot. While eating and chatting with the little girl next to her, she looked like she was only 18 or 9 years old, and her family ran the hotel, and the old lady she saw in the afternoon was her grandmother, as well as her sister and brother-in-law.

After resting for a while, I felt that it was still early, and my physical strength recovered, we walked 1.8 kilometers to the waterside temple, the mountain road was winding, the stone walls on both sides stood, and after walking for a long time, we finally saw a circle of red walls surrounding the mountain hollow, and the plants inside were dense and colorful. When I arrived at the door, I only saw construction vehicles and workers inside, neither monks nor managers, a stone stele at the door was engraved with the introduction of the Zatang Living Buddha Quiet Room, and a yellow shadow wall wall like a Buddha niche was built in the small courtyard inside, and the stone platform in front of the Buddha niche was enshrined with a photo of the Zhatang Living Buddha, and there were green plants next to it, which should have been spontaneously sorted out and worshipped by the villagers. The building next to it was tall but dilapidated, and we went around the door but couldn't enter, thinking it was the Living Buddha Retreat.

Breakfast in Pudacuo National Park

The manor has Tibetan-style fried highland barley and yogurt residue, which is like the fried noodles I ate when I was a child, and the yogurt residue tasted bitter. After breakfast, we set off for Pudacuo, and this time the mountains along the way were no longer steep and steep, but became gentle and dense. The car stops at the entrance of the scenic spot, buys tickets, takes a bus, walks half a circle along the lakeside plank road, and returns by boat, which is the standard itinerary for tourists. This season misses the most beautiful time, the mountains and lakes are still beautiful, the sky and water are blue, the vines and trees are lush, and the beauty of Pudacuo surpasses Lake Lucerne in Switzerland. However, the traces of man-made are not as good as the natural landscapes on the road, and the richness and pristine ecology of the Napa Sea is superior.

In the afternoon, we returned to Shangri-La City, found a local supermarket to buy yak jerky and other local products, and had dinner at a beautifully decorated restaurant called Minju Ram Shangri-La Kitchen recommended by the hotel, and our trip

ended

perfectly