Live Your Best Lives
Before the main text: This article was drafted in September 2020. Due to the long travel time, extensive geographical coverage, and length, it has been divided into three chapters. If you are interested, please refer to my other two travelogues. Thank you to those who have read this!
On Day 11 of our trip, we headed to Shangri-La, a dreamland I had long dreamed of since my youth. Because the Xiangli Expressway was not yet open to traffic, the best option was to enter via the overland route, the Xijing Route (National Highway 214). The scenery along the way was breathtaking, with one section accompanied by the Jinsha River and the other on winding mountain roads.
The Xiangli Expressway, currently under construction, is visible in the distance. This will make travel to Shangri-La much more convenient and comfortable for visitors. However, while it saves time, it also means missing out on the opportunity to savor the scenic scenery along the way. I think if I ever have the chance to visit Shangri-La again, I'll definitely drive myself, taking both national and provincial highways, to see the scenery along the way. Jinsha River, with the Xiangli Expressway under construction in the distance. The Tiger Leaping Gorge Jinsha River Bridge (main span 766 meters) is under construction. Reports indicate that upon completion, this bridge will have the longest span of its kind in the world.
We arrived at Shangri-La at noon, and the ride-sharing driver said he wanted to pick up guests at Napahai. Napahai was also in our itinerary. The driver said he could give us a ride there for free. Since we would have to go there in the afternoon, we decided to just drop our luggage at the inn and follow the car. When we arrived at the entrance of Napa Seaview Scenic Area, the driver said that the scenic area is very large and you can ride horses, and he can help us get a discounted price. Although I knew he would definitely take a commission, the driver gave us a ride for free, and I also like horses, so I didn't refuse. The original ticket price was 260 yuan, but we actually paid 160 yuan per person. The person in charge of ticketing repeatedly reminded us not to tell other people in the park, and then we got on the horses and went out to have fun under the vast sky and wilderness.
This is my horse, hehe... 
I've always wanted to take a photo with my horse, but he always refuses to cooperate. We stayed overnight at Youjian Inn in Dukezong Ancient Town, less than 100 meters from the east gate. The double room had an electric heater on the mattress, which was very cozy. It cost 74 yuan per night. From the window, we could see the huge prayer wheel in Guishan Park. Downstairs was the main commercial street of the ancient town, so it was very cost-effective.
In the evening, of course, we spent some time strolling around the ancient town and eating. Turning right out of the inn and about 50 meters away, we saw the huge memorial archway at the east gate of Dukezong. Illuminated by the lights, it looked magnificent and quite majestic. Shangri-La borders southern Tibet and is already part of the plateau. My dad had a mild case of altitude sickness. There was a pharmacy across the street from the inn, and on their recommendation, he bought a small bottle of anti-altitude oral solution. I personally felt fine, with only slight chest tightness and dizziness at first. The innkeeper said we were doing quite well. They had two passengers from other provinces fly directly to Shangri-La a few days ago, and they stayed in the inn for two days after getting off the plane. Therefore, it's best to travel by land to Yunnan to gradually acclimate to the plateau, or to fly to Kunming first and then travel north.
The gate of Dukezong Ancient City. 
Night view of Guishan Park. 
Dukezong Ancient Town - Guishan Park, Shangri-LaA street in the ancient town with minimal crowds. The temperature in Shangri-La is slightly lower than in Lijiang and Kunming. Before coming here, I bought a plush coat in Lijiang, worried that my autumn coat wouldn't be warm enough (and it certainly wasn't). In early September, the temperature was only around 12°C at night, so I used the electric heater on my mattress to sleep.
For dinner, I randomly picked up an M group at an "Adunzi Tibetan Restaurant" in the ancient city. As long as the restaurant is not crowded, it's generally not bad. It was my first time having butter tea. I'd read online that it was very strong and flavorful, but I didn't expect to love it the first time. The restaurant said it comes in two flavors: salty and sweet. Since I already feel that Yunnan cuisine tends to be strong, I preferred something sweet.
I didn't order a set meal this time; I ordered from the menu on site. I have to give a thumbs up to one of their dishes here—pipa meat, deep-fried Tibetan pork. It's crispy and delicious. I still miss it a little, but I'm very prone to getting a sore throat. During the second half of my trip to Lijiang, I took three Niuhuang Jiedu tablets every day. Sweet butter tea. It tastes a bit like milk tea, but with a distinct milky aroma (I suspect yak milk) and a rich flavor. It's 20 yuan a pot, enough for at least two cups each for four people. Meal times are always irregular on trips. By the time we finished, it was already 10 p.m., and seeing the magnificent night view of Guishan Park, we decided to hike up the mountain to help digest our food and get some exercise. The high-altitude character of Shangri-La was evident even while climbing the stone steps. Climbing three or five flights felt like seven or eight, leaving me breathless. The world's largest prayer wheel. It's as tall as a five-story building and is estimated to weigh about 16 tons. It requires the combined efforts of at least a dozen people to turn it (I thought it was electric when I saw it from a distance at the inn). It's said that three full rotations can ward off disasters and bring blessings. I turned it three times with my dad as a sign of respect. The majestic temple gate. 
Shangri-La Grand Theater.
Shangri-La Grand Theater. At first, I thought it was a religious tower like the one at Guishan Park, but it wasn't until I chatted with a ride-sharing driver on my way to Pudacuo National Park that I realized it was actually a theater. Actually, from Guishan Park, you can overlook the entire ancient city, and the night view is also magnificent. It's a pity that I only have a mobile phone, so I can't help it ╮(╯▽╰)╭! Please allow me to steal a picture from elsewhere to embellish it.
I don't know which traveler took this photo, but it's so beautiful~ 
Han Temple in Guishan Park. Let me say here that, probably due to customs or religious etiquette, temples or religious sites in Yunnan should be visited in a clockwise direction. I saw an inscription stating this when I visited the Three Pagodas of Chongsheng Temple. Less than ten minutes after arriving, the scenic area closed and all the night lights were turned off. I was so pissed. But it was getting late, so I went home to shower and sleep, ready for tomorrow's "finale"!
Currently, only the Shudu Lake scenic area and another small area are open to the public in Pudacuo Park. After buying a ticket at the entrance (160 yuan per adult), you need to take a bus to enter, which is quite a distance. It is said to be the first national park in mainland China. 
I bought a traditional Chinese-style linen short-sleeved shirt and jacket in Yunnan. They are simple and natural, and I really like them. 
On the bus into Shudu Lake, the view outside was mostly pristine mountains, forests, wooden houses, and streams. I don't know why, but I was so happy to see the yaks and horses roaming freely in the mountains. 
Awesome, awesome, awesome... so awesome! 
I envy the free-spirited horses.
The bus stopped after driving nearly halfway, and a tour guide said that in Pudacuo Park, only the core scenic area, Shudu Lake Scenic Area, and another small area are open. There are two hiking routes of 3.3 kilometers and 2.2 kilometers respectively. Those with weak physical fitness are advised to take the shorter route, and those who are willing and strong can go to the core area of Shudu Lake. We have come a long way, it would be a waste if we don’t go into the core area.
Before coming, I took a look at other people’s travel guides and saw that someone said that there were squirrels begging for food in Pudacuo Park. I forgot to buy food outside. Fortunately, there was a service area where I got off the bus. I bought a pack of finger biscuits. My dad said that I could take more packs of shaqi ma so that I could bite a piece when I was hungry. The price was definitely a bit of a rip-off, 10 yuan per small pack of finger biscuits and 10 yuan per small pack of shaqi ma.
It was cloudy that day, and the scenery of green mountains, clear waters, blue sky and white clouds was missing. But after all, the view was wide, the greenery was everywhere and the air was fresh, which made people feel very comfortable. 
Various trees, such as spruce and fir, looked like they were covered in beards.
After walking about a kilometer toward Shudu Lake, I saw three or four little creatures hopping around under a small pavilion, begging for food from tourists. Hey, my finger biscuits came in handy. Look! What are you looking at? There's something delicious for you. Quickly, he pulled out a finger biscuit from his backpack. A little timid, little biscuit, come here quickly. 
I have to say, these little guys might be spoiled. They ran away after smelling the finger biscuits because they didn't have much fragrance. I quickly took out the shaqi ma and finally lured them over. 
I have to say, these little guys might be spoiled. They ran away after smelling the finger biscuits because they didn't have much fragrance. I quickly took out the shaqi ma and finally lured them over.
A towering tree, so thick that two people couldn't hug it, cast a shadowy light between its shadows. 
The south is rich in beautiful scenery, and every province has fine trees. 
The pristine mountain forest, with its streams, moss, trees, flowers, and grasses, is spotless. 
If you love this kind of environment, you'd be lucky to build a small cabin and live there for the rest of your life. 
The weather was bad, so I couldn't do anything about taking great photos. 
I completely agree with the saying that mountains of gold and silver are not as good as green mountains and clear waters. 
A map of Pudacuo. Shudu Lake is at the top. The two yellow lines represent two hiking trails (3.3 km and 2.2 km respectively). As for the entire Pudacuo National Park, you can imagine how large it is; some say it's larger than Hong Kong. 
In the evening, we returned to the Ancient City for some food and shopping. Were the women and tourists at Moonlight Square preparing for a bonfire party?
For dinner, we returned to a restaurant near "A Dun Zi." I've forgotten its exact name, but I looked it up on Baidu Maps and it said it was a "Tibetan Restaurant." The medium pot was enough for four people. The Tibetan pork was tender, fragrant, and tender, fatty but not greasy, and incredibly flavorful. The local driver who gave us a ride said that the largest Tibetan pigs there only grow to a little over 80 kilograms, making the pork incredibly valuable!
On September 13th, our itinerary concluded, with a visit to Ganden Songzanlin Temple.
The scenic area is only 5-6 kilometers from Dukezong Ancient Town. Taxis and rides are very affordable, or you can take bus No. 3 from the ancient town. We chose a rideshare, and after using the coupons to offset the fare, the actual fare was 1.88 yuan. We were shocked...
First impression of the main entrance to Songzanlin Temple. Overcast weather again! 
Climbing the stone steps at Songzanlin Temple, often called the Little Potala Palace, was unavoidable. We followed the guide who was a little ahead and listened to his introduction. I won't go into detail about the details, but it's important to note that when visiting Songzanlin Temple, walk clockwise. Even when climbing the stairs, go up on the left and down on the other side.
The sky finally showed a hint of blue. You can see the town in the distance. 
The sky burial platform, where the prayer flags are hung in the middle of the photo, is a bit eerie when you think about it. 
There were many black birds circling above the temple. I initially thought they were crows or vultures, perhaps related to the sky burial platform. But after the tour guide explained, I realized they were the local auspicious bird, the Red-billed Falcon. 
A small view of the scenic area. The weather is playing tricks on me. It's been raining intermittently for the past few days, and the sky is always gloomy. 
The flower beds on either side of the stone steps show that even a grown man likes flowers. 
I used my camera to capture a red-billed stork flying by. If the weather was good and I had a DSLR, the photos would have been stunning. 
Ramyangcuo Lake is not a special lake, but from a distance, you can see the whole picture of Songzanlin Monastery from a distance. As the saying goes, distance creates beauty. 
Two fat men + one thin man = The Three Musketeers
The blue-purple flowers blooming on the ground are very beautiful. 
Many of these unknown plants resemble red beans. If you know them, please share them. After circling Lhamoyangcuo Lake, it was already past 3:00 PM. We left Songzanlin Monastery and headed back to the city to find food and prepare to board a long-distance bus, thus beginning our journey home. Although Shangri-La has an airport, there are no direct flights to Zhuhai or Guangzhou. The high-speed train also requires a round trip back to Lijiang, and both tickets are quite expensive. So I chose a long-distance bus, slept on the bus, and arrived in Kunming the next day and flew directly to Zhuhai (still 348 tickets).
As a child, my favorite sleeper car was the rocking berth. It was so comfortable to lie down and sleep. Now that highways are becoming more and more developed, sleeper cars are becoming less and less common. 
It's 624 kilometers to Kunming West Bus Station, a 8-12 hour drive. We originally calculated the longest 12 hours, leaving at 7pm and arriving at 7am the next morning, but it actually took much longer (passenger vehicles are not allowed on the highway between 2am and 5am, so everyone has to rest in the rest area). This caused us to miss our flight the next day, wasting our air tickets. We ended up staying one more day near Kunming Airport and flying the next day (the airfare and hotel cost 348, so why spend more money to change the ticket?). I hope other friends will learn from this.
Goodbye, the land of colorful clouds. Looking forward to our next "romantic encounter."
The beautiful mountains and rivers of our motherland. 
This trip, round trip, totaled no less than 3,600 kilometers, and suddenly I felt a little bit adrift.
Number of days: 2 days, Average cost: 2000 yuan, Updated: 2021.05.06
Number of days: 4 days, , Updated: 2025.04.06
Number of days：3 days, Average cost: 1800 yuan, Updated: 2024.08.05
Number of days: 12 days, Average cost: 2400 yuan, Updated: 2025.05.11
Number of days: 1 day, , Updated: 2022.07.31
Number of days: 15 days, Average cost: 10,000 yuan, Updated: 2022.01.04
