Matt in China - 2012 - Shangrila

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Matt
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I flew from Rochester to Chicago O'Hare for an overnight layover and was lucky to pick a hotel that I first thought was near the airport, and turned out to be IN the airport:
Here's the view from my room at the Hilton.

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I flew into Shanghai for a 4 hour layover and then to Guangzhou (formerly Canton) to do 3 days of work
Here's a morning view from my hotel: Holiday Inn Guangzhou City Center.
I took a lot of detailed panoramics on this trip. Click to zoom to full screen.
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Day view from the hotel.
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It's hot in Guangzhou. Hot, humid and everything is sticky... I could never live there.
I took the high-speed train to neighboring Shenzhen to meet with companies. The train experience was excellent. Fast, easy, smooth, quiet ride, comfortable, clean... inexpensive. The US needs to get a modern train system in place.
Shenzhen is even more hot and muggy. I didn't get to see much of either city and I didn't take many photos. I was working.
One clear observation was that these cities are very diverse, with many cultures and races here to live and work.

A flight to Chengdu, overnight stay, and then a flight to the mountain city of Lijiang. A cab ride to from the airport to the Lijiang bus station and then a 5 hour ride up the mountains to the Shangrila valley. It was nice to be on a modern bus, have some excellent weather, and not be sick for a change.
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Matt
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Zhongdian county (中甸县) is primarily a Tibetan region located in Yunnan, in southwest China. Located in the Tibetan plateau, the elevation here is well over 11,000 ft. The air is thin, and the weather is unpredictable. Around a decade ago, this town was yaks, pigs, and poverty. A crossroads for agriculture and logging routes, it was known for its beauty, but so remote and undeveloped, that it drew little in the way of visitors. With the conservation of headwaters and unique geological eras in the valley effectively banning the logging industry, leaders had to turn to another industry to sustain the region. With Neighboring Lijiang booming from floods of tourists, officials renamed Zhongdian after James Hilton's fictional "Shangri-La" from the novel The Lost Horizon and began planning for a tourist infrastructure. A decade later, hotels have sprung up, parks established, and shops and bars have taken hold.
The Chinese officials have their reasoning for naming the valley after the fictional paradise. It has been speculated that stunning photos of this region were published in National Geographic at the time of the book's authoring. As well as the description of the location, as well as many features seem to be a match for the geography of the valley. Famous name or not, Shangrila, Lijiang, and Dali together make one of the most scenic and culturally-rich areas of the world.

Although the snow-capped mountains, Tibetan temples, grass prairies spotted with horses, lakes and hot springs will last an eternity, the real attraction to this remote valley, its undeveloped state, is dwindling fast. Hotels were springing up, streets becoming paved, and opportunists flooding in to open cheap souvenir markets. Everything is turning into a business now, and parks are starting to charge large fees, non-local artists are selling their wares, and restaurants are diluting the local cuisine. Now is the time to visit before the peacefulness and calm of this beautiful valley turns into a boiling mess of tourism like Lijiang.

The best time to visit Shangrila is during the summer bloom, where the grass prairie, surrounded by mountains, blooms with yellow and blue flowers. Tibetan horses and yaks will eat many of them, a great deal are used for medicines and teas, and some are even baked into pastries. I came too early for the bloom, and
the tourists that flood in for it. I was also way to early for the fall change, when the dry gasses, iron-rich soil, and forest-covered trees paint he valley red. Maybe I will return for that. Right now, I was here to experience remoteness, quiet, and the culture.

I took more photos in my trip to china this year than I did in my past trips. Not every shot is a winner, but I wanted to document the experiences even if I couldn't get a decent shot.

My hotel was a fusion of traditional colors and style with modern art and fashion. It definitely won on style, but bombed on service and comfort. I guess they have a lot to learn Shangrila.
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A bar outside my hotel
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Waking down the alley from my hotel into the old town. The alleys are cobblestone, very old and polished to the point of slippery by hundreds of years of millions of shoes stepping. Autos are not generally allowed on the old town cobblestone.
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Wall of a Tibetan restaurant.
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In the evening, the villagers leave their nearby shops and stalls, gather in the square, and sing and dance in a circle.
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What's noticeable about Shangrila is the darkness. Outside of the old-town center, things get dark... very dark. The rest of China is so well lit day and night. Here, things turn black at night.
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The Courtyard of my hotel.
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Fascinating! I was surprised when I first saw you use the term "Shangri-La" because I didn't realize that it had been officially renamed.

Anthony Bourdain has often commented about how bringing areas like this to light ultimately results in their destruction.
Finger Lakes Mill Creek Cabins
http://www.fingerlakescabins.com
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Matt
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Here's a satellite picture of Shangrila, all alone in the mountains.
[gmap=11]27.83333,99.70167[/gmap]

The first morning in the valley I head up the long road to Shika Snow Mountain. The road is lined for miles with an alternating pattern of reddish Mani Stone Piles and large wood racks (for drying grasses).
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The Tibetan-style gateway to the valley, lined with brass prayer wheels.
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As you walk by, spin the wheel clockwise, which counts as a recital of the mantra on the wheel (there's actually a scroll inside the wheel too).
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Matt
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The best way to get around the valley is by Tibetan horse. They are a bit on the small side, but strong, and well adapted to the thin air.
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Me with Jing's horse
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Jing with my horse
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Me with my horse
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We pay a fee at the stable, get a license tag, and head across the valley in the scorching sun.
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Here's a panoramic view of the horses at the stable.
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Women sewing wool saddles.
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A Tibetan alter we passed.
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An old clay foundation we were told was from a large estate of the region's royalty, dated 400 years ago.
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A view of a village in the distance.
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We found horses grazing along the hills.
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Matt
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The flowers that will soon take over the valley (I don't know what they are)
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Heading through a birch grove. Birch is a successional tree--a sign this area was logged.
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It's hot and my ass is numb. Time for a break.
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Back on the road, Jing and I are getting used to shooting from horseback.

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Pile of shit.
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New Tibetan-style home being built.
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Matt
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Entering the village
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This is evidence as to how popular basketball has become in China. A place that has dirt roads, dirt walls and no sewer, has a cement full court.
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Drying racks for grass line the roads.
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My first doorway shot from horseback.
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A lot of homes here are painted by pouring paint over the concrete walls to create this dripping pattern.
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A roundabout created to look like a mani pile
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Several other similar villages further out in the valley.
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Matt
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How does one get to the top of Shika Snow Mountain?

...via a rusty swaying cable car, the longest in Yunnan.
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It doesn't quite get you to the top.
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It's a relaxing view on the way up, when it's not shaking, clanking, and putting the fear of death in you.
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We arrive at the Yala Green Wave Ranch, a emerald pasture on the side of the mountain where a small bunch of yaks eat grass and poop.
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Looks like we are about half-way to the top. The yaks don't seem to care.
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It was really quiet up here. All I could hear was the wind and the bells on the yaks.
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The rancher and his herd.
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