Today's Shangrila was once known as Zhongdian county in China until 2000 when it got a name change. Extensive surveys ( by the Chinese authorities of course) indicated that this mountain area bore many similarities to James Hilton's "Shangri-la" in the acclaimed novel The Lost Horizon. The place could be fictitious but having seen Shangri-la, I think these Chinese folks may be on to something. You would too if you fill your lungs with Shangri-la's super super fresh air ( a rare commodity in Beijing), experience the life-extending slow pace of life, rigorously exercise your heart with every tiny step ( thanks to the altitude) and drink up the incredible view of mountains cloaked in cloud and snow. Photos can be viewed at http://gingerblossom.spaces.live.com/ or on Facebook.
So the story starts with Adeline & I setting foot in Yunnan Province, Lijiang...in those mere 5 days I came to learn/ draw conclusions on a couple of things:
A. How Yunnan got the 云 in its name 
- Lijiang is located over 2000metres Above Sea Level ( ASL), so having a cloud" descend" onto the town is nothing usual. The higher we went the more common it became. Ascending to 4500m ASL we could see over a sea of cloud!
- It was drizzling the day we arrived so everything was hidden by 云. well actually... mists
- Even on the sunniest day, the sky is still covered with fluffy white clouds!
B. Lijiang's Old Towns are quaint but a tad commercial and all the shops sell the same thing
- Dayan Old Town was packed with tourists. BUT... if you make the effort to wake up before sunrise and walk around the Shuhe and Dayan towns ahead of the hordes of tour groups, you can catch a slice of everyday life among the tribes people who still live in these areas. We stumbled on some old folks wearing tribal costume doing their morning dance and on a local marketplace. That was really nice! 
- The old towns feature mostly shops selling local crafts including handwoven Muosuo scarves and shawls, blocks of pu-er tea, combs made of yak horn, dried yak meat, silver jewellery, tie-dye stuff, leather bags, furry hats...after a while, you realise they all sell the same stuff. For a typical shopaholic Singaporean, this loses its attraction after ...let's say ... 100metres of seeing the same thing? Still there are worthwhile prezzies to be picked up! - The old towns come alive at night with bars, clubs and restaurants which seems rather at odds with the whole "old town" thing. But I guess you have to provide night entertainment otherwise it'll be a dead town. As for the restaurants, the food seems a little pricier than in Beijing for simple dishes such as home style tofu. The good thing, the portions are HUGE. Between 2 girls, it's quite impossible to finish 3 dishes. ( even with me who eats more than most girls!)
C. Yak meat, yak butter tea, yak cheese is not my thing
- We had some of these in Shangri-la as part of a Tibetan dinner/ performance in a local house. I'm sure it was pricey at 180RMB but it was a worthwhile experience!- The Yak butter tea was a little salty. It tasted exactly like butter melted in water. After you drink about 2/3 of the bowl, you can add grounded roast barley and form a pasty mixture. This is eaten with a dip of sugar. Tasted a little bit like sesame paste. Just of a thicker consistency which you can pinch with your fingers
- We also got to try Barley alcohol. I have no idea what is the alcohol content. But one tiny glass was enough to keep my face warm the rest of the night. With outdoor temps at -1 to 8 deg Celsius, the warmth was welcomed!
- Yak cheese had a strong animal smell, a little like goat's cheese except that it tasted more sour. I tried eating it with the barley powder and sugar and it tasted much better. But this is not something I want to eat again!
D. Shangri-la is really beautiful and the cultural/ religious differences from mainland China make it all the more interesting
- The beauty of the place is undeniable. There's a very rugged beauty about the plains and the people. When you look at the surrounding mountains and forests, you feel a sense of timelessness. Hundreds of years ago, these mountains and trees where here and they'll still be standing a thousand years later ( if man doesn't destroy them first!!)
- The people here are mainly of Tibetan origin so they believe in Tibetan Buddhism. Listening to our guide's stories, it appears that they also have more superstitions. I suppose its got to do with the fact that they people are mainly farmers who are at the mercy of nature. As such it seems inevitable that they believe that certain mountains or rivers possess supernatural/ mystical qualities. They are also deeply devote people who would give all their worldly possessions to the temple. A large number of 
young males are sent to the temple from the age of 7 to become lamas. This is one way of ensuring that they get an education. In the temple, young novices not only study scripture but also medicine and languages. There are exams and those who continue on to be lamas into adulthood will learn skills that are meant to help the village people. Some of them attain "living Buddha" status and are deeply respected by the village people.
young males are sent to the temple from the age of 7 to become lamas. This is one way of ensuring that they get an education. In the temple, young novices not only study scripture but also medicine and languages. There are exams and those who continue on to be lamas into adulthood will learn skills that are meant to help the village people. Some of them attain "living Buddha" status and are deeply respected by the village people. - We met one of these "Living Buddhas" and though I'm still skeptical, I can't deny that he identified correctly some of the physical ailments that I have. All from looking and prodding at my palms!I guess Tibetan medicine has to work since it's been curing Tibetans for so long in absence of modern doctors and hospitals.
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