Day 4 : From Lijiang to Shangrila..

Day 4: 29th June 2011

Early morning, we checked out of Chateau Le Act Hotel in Lijiang to start our road trip to a region in Yunnan which has now been renamed as 'Shangrila'. We first made a stop at a branch of the China National Bank in town - in Yunnan, most establishments did not accept credit card - lucky for us that we had brought along some foreign currencies which we had to change for the renminbi. Changing money in Yunnan was not so simple and fast as with our 'mamak' money-changers at home. Quite a bit of forms to be filled up - somewhat like Spain and Italy pre-EU days.

After bidding good-bye to Ms Beautiful Goose we left for Zhongdiang - the capital city of the Shangrila province. It would be a 200km? road-trip across the mountains of western Yunnan. Lijiang is 2300 metres above sea level and Zhongdiang would be 3300 metres ( 10,000 feet) above sea level. Anticipating 'altitude sickness' we all swallowed our pills of 'Diamox' to prevent becoming giddy, and suffering headache and the worst of all mental confusion.

The rooad to Shangrila, at the best stretches would match our Federal Route 1. On higher mountainous stretches - it was reminiscent of the road up to Cameron Highland. It was a toll highway - but come a year or two from now the super-highway being under construction now should be ready. It would make this trip faster and more comfortable.

The toilet stop was a nightmare. For i yuan, the toilet was filled up with unflushed excretions! Only a knee-height wall hid your modesty from the neighbour. At other places the toilet was simply a dug-out drain with flowing water which helped remove some of the excretions. This description and report was not meant to ridicule or look down at this region - it was meant for would-be travellers of the future on what to expect in case you plan to come this way. Hopefully things would have improved by then.....

one stretch of the Yangtze River photographed from our van....


fertile farmlands....

crossing the Yangtze River that divided the Lijiang province

on one side with the Shangrila province on the other..

a little town where we stopped for lunch and toilet break...