Go to Shangri-La to see the sun and moon in my heart

Number of days：4 days
Time: November
Average cost: 3000 yuan
With whom: and friends
Updated: 2022.12.01

I've wanted to visit Shangri-La for a long time. Due to the mask issue, this trip was postponed for nearly three years. Although the vacation wasn't long, I still felt very fulfilled and happy during those four days.

To make our trip more efficient, we even booked a Golf from a certain company. I'd rented the car before our departure, and upon landing, we picked it up right in the airport parking lot, which was super convenient. Note: If you're a new user like us, remember to claim their new user gift package, which gives you NT$100 off your first day's rental—a super deal.

Tiger Leaping Gorge Tour

Our trip started at Tiger Leaping Gorge, one of China's most famous canyons. Before the mask issue, many people from abroad came to Tiger Leaping Gorge for hiking. The steep peaks and surging river are truly spectacular. Note: The entrance fee to Tiger Leaping Gorge is 45 RMB. I think this is a very reasonable price, considering it's such a large attraction. As we climbed the mountain, we gazed at the majestic Jinsha River. We walked along the famous Ancient Tea Horse Road. In ancient times, transportation was not so developed, and this road could only accommodate horses carrying tea or salt for transportation. It must be said that modern transportation has indeed been of great help to people, and mountain dwellers can finally walk out of the mountains more freely.

The scenery here is particularly beautiful. The hillside has already begun to show signs of autumn. It's strange that it feels like early autumn here even though it's winter in the north. The mountains are lush and green, and the snow-capped mountains in the distance are clearly visible. Look at this waterfall! It's so spectacular. The water flows over many peaks and just jumps down bit by bit. It's really spectacular.

And precisely because the water flows through the small steps formed by many peaks, you can hear the roar of the waterfall from a long distance away.

The most beautiful thing is the splashing water droplets, which look like strings of pearls. And when the sun shines on them, they can emit colorful light.

Continue moving forward and walked all the way to the ladder. I have to say, the ladder here is really steep. We were also scared when we climbed up. The point is, I saw that the ladder was made of wood.

Then, I saw the waterfall again. I think that although the Tiger Leaping Gorge waterfall isn't well-known (it doesn't even have a proper name), it's definitely worth seeing. The waterfall splits into several streams, and from a distance, they look like tree roots. The feeling is even more pronounced from a high vantage point. Even at the peak, the streams constantly mix and separate—it's truly spectacular.

In the evening, we drove to Lijiang Old Town. Because of the masks, the old town wasn't crowded. Actually, if you're brave enough—in other words, willing to take the risk—now is actually a great time to travel. Mainly, there aren't many people around.

Lijiang Ancient Town should have been one of the most popular tourist attractions in China. I sent my current photos to my friends, and they all said it felt like “it feels like just another day.” In 2019, a friend visited Lijiang Old Town, and the photos from that time really showed the "crowd" scene.

Now, most of the shops in the old town are still open, but there are almost no customers inside.

We randomly found a restaurant to eat, and it wasn't crowded either.

One of the advantages of living in the south is that even in winter, it is full of flowers. While people in the north wear down jackets, in Lijiang, people still wear simple coats. Now I like looking at flowers more and more. Look at the flowers here, all kinds of colors. Some of the flowers were so beautiful I even thought they were fake.

The river in the ancient town is also very clear, you can even see the riverbed. I think this is rare. After all, the water in the ancient towns of disasters I've seen is always quite turbid.

The Little Beauty of Baisha Ancient Town

The next day, we moved to Baisha Ancient Town. Baisha Ancient Town is also a town full of art. I love the graffiti walls here; they are so beautiful. The key point is that the graffiti here looks like stick figures. It's not large-scale graffiti. It's these scattered embellishments that make it interesting. (Note that many of them are hieroglyphs)

There are not many people in the ancient town. The weather was really good when we came. The sky was incredibly blue, and the white clouds were floating in clusters, so ethereal, like cotton candy in the sky.

We stayed at an inn this time. There was a small coffee table at the entrance, with a beautiful flower arrangement on it.

When walking in Baisha Ancient Town, don't walk too fast. Because those small museums and famous local buildings are hidden in these alleys. For example, the stone houses. Although they look rugged and irregular on the surface, they are actually very solid. Lijiang is famous for its embroidery skills, so you can see several embroidery schools here. We went inside to take a look. These fabrics were embroidered entirely by hand, making each one custom-made and unique. Furthermore, the embroidery was vivid and lifelike. The flowers seemed to be emitting fragrance. The small fish seemed to be about to jump out of the fabric. This is why I was so captivated by Lijiang and couldn't bear to leave. After leaving Lijiang, we returned to Shangri-La. This time, we chose Yubeng Village. Yubeng Village is a very famous village in the area. It is located on a mountain with a famous waterfall next to it. Pilgrims would come here specifically to receive the baptism of the gods. The Yubeng River here is very famous. Snow accumulates atop the Five Crowns Peaks, and when this snow melts, it flows down the Five Crowns Peaks, forming the source of the Yubeng River.

Even though these are extraordinary times, I never expected to meet an international friend here. They had come all the way to the Yubeng River specifically to receive the baptism. It seems I'm just too surprised. Yubeng Village doesn't even have such an important international status.

Look at the thick fog in the mountains—it's so captivating. At first, we didn't see any prayer flags. We thought they were gone because of the masks. As we walked further, we began to see large numbers of prayer flags. These are exactly what our Tibetan friends believe in.

Walking along the road, seeing the prayer flags filled us with awe. I personally believe that faith is something worthy of respect.