NYFalls.com Talk

Breathtaking!

A small square, surrounded by shops, is another place villagers congregate to dance in a circle.


Walk too far and you'll find yourself out of the old village and into modern streets.




An alley of bars in the old town pumped out Tibetan techno music.

The next morning we wake up early to visit the temple and then eat before our flight back to Lijiang. It seems as though in the Tibetan plateau, things get off to a late start. 9 am and many things are closed. People are just starting their day.

Climbing the steps to the main temple.


Before entering, we circle clockwise 3 times. They are constructing a new temple to the south, I believe. The white stove is burning pine needles.




Even the barrier to the construction is adorned with prayer flags.


Puppies everywhere.


A view of the gate, temple, and prayer wheel.


Entrance to a cafe


Another village square


Cafe


A lot of shops sell Oxygen tanks. We are at 10,000 feet. Also, fresh Yak yogurt.

A performance theater


Constant reminders of how old this village is.


Traditional Chinese restaurants often center around a decorated courtyard. The Tibetan restaurant we chose for lunch was lush with trees and plants.


This is a view from the second floor balcony.


The restaurant's cat relaxes in the courtyard.






Navigation here is easy... just look for the prayer wheel.






This gift shop is selling yak hair dusters, yak bone combs, spices and dried mushrooms.






My hotel's cat.



And that's it for Zhongdian County. I definitely enjoyed my time there and the scenery and culture is beautiful (even though way off tourist season). It's sad that things are developing to quickly and I wish I can visit again before the tourist industry takes over.

Wonderful photos, Matt! Love the kitties too!

These are great Matt. What a trip, what history.

This night shot of the prayer wheel and temple are my favorite.

http://nyfalls.com/posts/china3/shangrila/148.jpg

I wish that prayer wheel was finished when I was there. I would have went up there early in the morning and got that thing spinning enough for the whole day.

the pictures are wonderful, Matt and it looks so colorful there. That's amazing.