"The Art of Travel is to Deviate from One's Plan" ......So thats how I started my journey to the Southwestern part of China, where most of the minorities population live.
Friday afternoon, company called me that I have another 14 days leave to burn. Well, nice to hear that, but what am I gonna fill those days then? Pulled out a map and spent 15 mins of thinking, finally pointed my finger to a place where I always want to be and never been there before.
Next morning, which was only 15 hours after I confirmed my leave with company, I was on a flight to Kunming, Yunnan. Nothing much in my head at that moment, no plan, no schedule, just a suitcase and a camera. , and off I went.
Arrived Kunming from Singapore via Haikou, spent a night there. Next day on a flight to Lijiang, where my journey began. Kunming - Lijiang - Shangri-la - Baoshan - Chengdu, 13 days road trip from city to town then to remote area, and from highways to small roads then to mud tracks, a good clean reliable 4X4 served me well throughout the trip.
Temperature ranged from 6 - 30℃, altitude started from 2500m in an old town to 5587m above mean sea level on top of the snowy mountain, driving speed from 120km/h on highway down to <15km/h on a small track in the mountain. All these happened everyday in my road trip, as the locals say "4 seasons in a Mountain", and that means I would experienced 4 seasons while I go thru one mountain.
Driving on a track up and down in the mountain was a lot of fun, with one side up a steep mountain and the other is a cliff where is only 0.5m from your wheels. Every turns would made me feel like driving off the mountain into the valley.
Reaching my destination took me 6 hours of driving from my last stop followed by 2 hours of horse riding and 20 mins walking/climbing thru the mountain, which lead me to an isolated town - Stone Town. Located next to the Jinsha River, away from the outside world. This town is well protected and remote from any commercial influences. Spent 2 nights there resting and thinking will definitely purify and clean our souls.
Beautiful scenic places, nice people, interesting culture and amazing Lama temples are catching my heart as well as opening my eyes. There were too much to say and too much to remember. You gotta be there to expereince and see, then that will be your own memories forever.
The mysterious valley of the Blue Moon, Shangri-la. Hidden from the rest of the world, Shangri-la is a haven of peace and tranquility for the world. The purpose of my trip was end up showing that ideal places to live can and do exist. They may only be forgotten or lost lands which only need to be found. May my journey is to help you find your lost horizon.
ཀྲ་ཤིས་བདེ་ལེགས། Zhaxi Dele !!
