First bend of the Jinsha river

Its been photoshop'd to cut out the afternoon glare - so it now looks just like the real thing!

Dongzhulin monastery

On the way back from Deqin county back to Zhongdian, we dropped by at the Dongzhulin monastery. The monks here are quite friendly and welcoming. Unlike some of the monasteries i've visited here, who only care about whether you make donations, the monks here were very sincere and took me on a tour around and inside the monastery to see the beautiful mandelas and statues.

Painting on the outer wall of the monastery. These wall murals are done by the monks themselves. While staying in the monastery, apart from learning Buddhism, the monks also learn reading, writing and art. Life here is simple and spartan but at least they receive an education! Many tibetans drop out of school at an early age to start supporting their families, especially in the rural areas. Even if they do stay in school, they do not study the Tibetan language but only the Han chinese language. As a result, these tibetans grow up missing a pice of their culture! The only place you can learn it , it seems is the monastery. The novice monks here have "vacation" time where they go home to visit their families for about 2 months a year. They also have to provide their own necessities, such as robes, stationery, toiletries etc.

The pilgrims of Markham

Since the Mt Kawa Karpo is one of the most holy mountains in Tibetan Buddhism, the waterfalls from this range, it goes without saying, is by default also one of the holiest. Naturally ;-)

Seriously, though, Tibetan Buddhists try their best to make a pilgrimage at least once in their lives (annually if they have to means to do so) to this site to offer their prayers to the spirit forces inhabiting the mountains. Traditionally, Tibetans will perform a Kora - which is a circumambulation around the peak. This will take about 2 weeks, depending on the circuit chosen. Bringing basic food supplies with them like barley flour, pots, pans, and firewood, they walk a portion of the circuit each day, and sleep in tents or in temples or the houses of local villagers. Oh, and a few mules might come in handy for carrying all those luggage.

They believe that completing a kora amounts to gaining merit (something like brownie points) and having all past sins forgiven. This should be enough motivation for me to embark on one, really. The kora around Mt Kawa Karpo takes pilgrims around a sacred waterfall, some lakes and a glacier.

Given the limited amount of time i could spend in this area, i had to choose between a day trek to the waterfall, or the glacier lake. We were told that the waterfall route was more scenic, and also shorter and flatter than the trek to the lake. Considerably cheered, we decided on the waterfall. All in all, it would be a 6-7 hour trek.

En-route to the falls, we passed a small village at the bottom of the valley called Lower Yu-beng village. Yu-beng is already quite a well-known and well-regarded trek route amongst local Chinese outdoor enthusiasts, not least because of all sacred sites. As it is not in any of the English guides (yet), (e.g. Lonelyplanet and Roughguide), it is still relatively low-profile amongst Western tourists and well off the beaten route. As we circled round the stupa 3 times for good luck (everything is done in a clockwise circle with Tibetans, it seems), i noticed the surroundings were so peaceful, and tranquil. The animals grazed quietly in the farms. We met the occasional villager and they were all friendly and curious at the Western tourists amongst us. We returned their greetings with a “Tashideleg!" and this would never fail to bring on a surprised smile on their faces.

The breeze blowing across the village came from the Meili Snow mountain range and was crisp, fresh and so icy cold it felt like there was an air-conditioner blowing in our faces. We had to scramble to put on our gloves, hat and extra layers of warm clothes before continuing our walk. Still, the calmness and tranquility of the surroundings was amazing.

Soon, the path turned into a climb again. At an altitude of >3000m, i became breathless and tired easily, stopping frequently just to take deep breaths.


The road to the waterfalls is adorned with prayer flags

We met a few hikers and locals on the way back from the waterfalls - and when we asked them how far more to go, the standard answer would always be "not far, about 20 more minutes and you're there". Well, several "20 more minutes" passed and still no sign of the waterfall. At each bend, we were greeted with more bends, and upward slopes. Oh, the pain of being so unfit!

Out of nowhere, a sprightly group of Tibetans in their traditional dress appeared from behind us. There were about 15 of them, mostly elderly women on a pilgrimage to the waterfalls. Armed with bamboo poles and prayer beads, they walked energetically and bantered amongst themselves. There was a purposeful air about them. We exchanged our greetings, and it wasn’t long before they over took us, disappearing into the distance.

Finally, 4 hours after we started from upper Yu-beng village, we reached the waterfall. Someone neglected to tell us that at this time of the year, the waterfalls are rather dry and the water coming down was more in drips than gushing falls - much like the leaky faucet of our crappy hostel. Oh well. I plonked myself down on a piece of rock - too tired to do anything else but rest my jello legs and admire the view of Mt Kawa Karpo. It was even more majestic from this close up.

The Tibetan pilgrims had already reached much earlier and begun preparing for their praying ceremony. They came prepared with rolls of prayer flags and started a fire to burn some incense. Smoke began billowing out of the juniper branches.

Soon, all of them gathered near the foot of the waterfall and the ceremony began. At first, their voices were low, but slowly gathered in volume. A slow, lilting melodious chant rose in the air. It sounded mystical and yet strangely soothing. As they chanted, their hands were in prayer pose clasping their beads; their heads gazed up at the waterfall.

A few of us decided to join in and stood respectfully behind them. We all watched quietly, perhaps aware that something unusual was about to happen. I felt as though I was in the presence of something very powerful.

Suddenly, the wind kicked in, and a fine mist began to blow over the top of the waterfalls. The mist billowed gently in the wind like waves before disappearing into the air above us.

The pilgrims took a few steps forward, still chanting,their eyes never leaving the top of the waterfall.

Ever so slowly, the spray thickened and it wasnt long before water started to drizzle down the falls.

The pilgrims began to walk in single file towards the base of the waterfall. As the first pilgrim stepped into the drizzling water, it thickened into a heavy downpour. One by one, everyone entered the falls.

Arms outstretched some pilgrims prostrated in front of the waterfall. A few touched their foreheads against the rocks as they muttered their prayers. Some collected the holy water with their hands to drink, while others came prepared with plastic bottles to collect it for their family back home. All this time, icy-cold water rained down on us and we were all getting soaked. It was a very spiritual moment, which I feel I still cannot describe completely in words. The pilgrims were singing, praying, laughing, their faces were blissful and contented. They had successfully completed yet another part of the kora.

After about 15 minutes, the head of the pilgrimage signaled the end of the prayers and everyone formed a single line to walk around the waterfall (you guessed it, clockwise) 3 times before stepping away. Almost immediately as the last pilgrim left the waterfall, the downpour slowed into a drizzle again. It wasnt long before the drizzle became just a fine mist again, billowing in the wind.

Ceremony completed, the pilgrims sat down near the falls and unpacked their food. Sat in a large group, they generously broke off large chunks of bread and offered them to us. In fact, they almost forced it into our hands despite our polite declines. Some of them can speak a little Mandarin and repeatedly urged us to join their group. We could not refuse their offer and yet we felt a little guilty taking their food, when we knew they had so little and couldn't afford the luxuries (ok, pot noodles and Pepsi isnt exactly gourmet but...) we enjoyed on our trek. We hadn't brought any food with us to share with them either because there were rest stops along the way to fuel up.

From somebody's conversation, I learned that these pilgrims were from 2 small Tibetan towns of Markham in east Tibet. Together, they had pooled some money to hire a van to drive them across to northwest Yunnan to perform this pilgrimage. They were staying at a temple in lower Yu-beng tonight and moving on to the Mingyong glacier (another part of the kora) the next day.

We sat in the sunshine and enjoyed their company, trying to refuse as much of their food as possible. We did not speak much because of the language barrier but our body language, lots of smiles and bits of sign language were enough to get by.

With their weather-beaten faces and toothy-grins, these grannies were at once curious and self-conscious in front of the cameras. They were shy and somewhat unaware of how to smile or behave when taking photos but would be amazed and explode into innocent giggles and laughter when they saw their own images on the playback. One of them carefully adjusted her hair and urged me to take another photo. Again, they collapsed into peals of giggles when I showed them the result.

Soon, it was time to leave. The pilgrims packed up quickly, stubbed out the fires and gathered their bamboo poles. We waved our goodbyes as the group started their descent in a single file. As I navigated my way gingerly down the steep slopes, I was again amazed how these mountain folk deftly skipped their way down, seemingly unfazed by all the slippery loose gravel. One of the grannies came up to me, put her arm around mine, and gestured at my backpack. I figured out pretty quickly she was offering to carry it for me AND help me down the slope! I was so amused I couldn’t stop laughing. Did I really look so pathetic and awkward that a sweet, old granny took pity on me?! I refused her offer because I was afraid she might drag me down the slope at the speed she was going!

Back at the lodge, I reflected on the whole day’s events. It was one of those times where I was (and still am) at a loss of words because I would not believe the spectacle I had just witnessed if I didn’t see it for myself. So I don’t expect everybody reading this to be convinced and perhaps some of the more scientifically inclined can offer some explanations, or convenient coincidences...

The exchange with these women was simple, and yet so profound. I was touched by their kindness and generosity, moved by their faith, the simplicity and uncomplicated-ness of their lifestyle. No hiking boots for them but just simple cloth shoes. No high-tech Goretex windbreaker but homemade woolly sweaters. For them, it was quite straightforward. Even so, they didn’t see us as rich, camera-wielding trekkers decked out in fancy gear. On that day, we just happened to be making the same journey to their holy site and they shared their joys, their faith and their food. I have much respect for these mountainfolk who have so little and yet shared everything with us unconditionally.

Gang of 7

I've probably mentioned this before but i'll say it again anyway. One of my favourite aspects of being on the road is that i get to meet different peopleand travel with them all the time. Yingtze and I collected 5 other travellers along the way to Diqing county and we all banded together to trek around Yu-beng village. They were some of the nicest, most kind and generous people i had met while on the road. There was Qingmei -a cool, boho and spirited Zhejiang girl, quiet Ah Hui from Hongkong, Will and Hazel from Wales/Ireland respectively, fatherly "Big moustache" from Chongqing, and us 2 from Singapore.

Even though most of us were strangers at the start and there were some language barriers between the Chinese and the English-speaking folks, the overall chemistry in the group was much better than i expected. In 4 days, we developed a close bond, chatting and swopping travel tales as we walked, and shared dorms, meals, rations, sun-block. We marvelled at the scenery together, helped each other up a steep slope or two, and mostly just laughed and joked our way through.

"Big moustache" was always reminding Qingmei to eat her vitamins, and stuffing fistfuls of milk candy into our pockets. He had a wealth of knowledge and we all looked to him for travel advice. Yingtze was designated "wake-up call" officer and Hazel was the official instant coffee procurer. Ah Hui would drive some hard bargains for our large (and very penny-pinching) group for hostels and transport. We made a great team!

The motley crew

With Yingtze, Hazel and Will

Sampling the local cuisine

Small eateries and street stalls here offered a "real" taste of Chinese cuisine and atmosphere. They were noisy and rowdy (a sure sign the food is good) local hangouts that opened all day and late into the night. No english menufor tourists - just point and ask for whatever you want them to prepare. Here, it is ok to customise your noodles with lots of instructions (less chilli/more spring onions/no parsley! etc.) without getting a death stare from the chef. Best of all, they are easy on the budget traveller's wallet!

"You mean, you don't have this in your province?!"

I raised a few eyebrows in the shop when i had my camera out and the waiter had the kind of look that said "Which planet are you from that doesn't sell knife-shaved noodles?!" Finally he blurted it out and all the other customers in the shop waited with baited breath for our answer.

Thin slices of dough are shaved on the spot and flipped straight into a boiling pot of soup - hence giving it the name "knife-shaved noodles". This type of noodles originated from Shaanxi province but has since been exported to various parts of China., including Lijiang, where this photo was taken.

Our "Local-Chinese-visting-another-town" disguise blown, we then had to explain that this is a novelty in Singapore.

2 bowls of noodles and a beer for 9.5 yuan- thats about SGD$2, or USD$1.30!

Sometimes, we took a chance to try the food even though the shop doesn't look exactly very er, classy and discovered the best dumplings ever in this little dingy hole-in-the-wall. Fresh home-made and delicious dumplings sold by the dozen! And did i mention they were cheap too?

Me looking grumpy and hungry after getting off an overnight bus

Corner shop in Lijiang's old town selling brekkie. The Chinese here live on staples like rice congee, boiled eggs, noodles or fried onion pancakes, washed down with hot tea. After a month of this, i am craving and almost hallucinating about wholemeal bread, cheese on toast, and coffee.

Sichuanese-style barbeque stand in the town square of Zhongdian... Watch out for the chilli! The spices here pack a punch and you can end up tearing uncontrollably if you are not careful.

...And the glitzier and fancier night market version in Beijing, near Wangfujing

Meili Snow Mountain range

Northwest of Zhongdian, about a 7 hour drive away on some winding, bumpy mountainous roads stands the Meili Snow mountain range. The range is in Diqing, the most westerly county of Yunnan and consists of 13 peaks.

The 13 peaks of the Meili Snow mountain range

Standing majestically at 6740m, the Kawa Karpo is the highest and one of the holiest mountains in Tibetan Buddhism.

View of the range from Feilai temple. At dawn, several Tibetans can be seen here circumnabulating the stupas, praying and burning juniper as offerings.

The "Official" Shangri-la

"Shangri-la" was first mentioned in James Hilton's novel "Lost Horizon" where it was described as a mystical paradise on earth amidst the Tibetan mountains. This book is fiction by the way, but that minor detail doesn't seem to bother the Chinese government who have designated and re-named Zhongdian and the surrounding county as the "Offficial" Shangri-la.

Zhongdian (known as Gyalthang in Tibetan) county is indeed very beautiful - especially in this season. The mountains are awashed with trees and shrubs coloured yellow, brown and red. Yaks graze lazily amidst the golden fields while farmers stack bales of hay out to dry on big wooden racks . At an altitude of 3,300m, it enjoys a mountain climate of blazing hot sun during the day, and shivering cold winds during the night.

Fields of Gold- Zhongdian countryside

Ganden Sumtseling Gompa (Songzanlin) - a 300 year old Tibetan monastery complex

A Naxi tribe granny walking along the old town in Zhongdian, with a cow tailing behind. It is not uncommon to see yaks, goats and obstructing traffic in this part of the country as they seem to have a licence to roam free on the streets.

Tiger Leaping Gorge trek

The high trail took 2 days to complete - the trek was tough but the views of the gorge and the Yulong mountains were well worth it!

"arrrrrrrggghhh - Are we there yet?!!"

On the first day, we hiked about 18.5km - we were blessed with good weather but it was blazing hot! This was me taking a rest while climbging the 24 bends section - a steep and seemingly endless path upward!

I knew there was a reason why i came - it was for the great loo scenery!(For the record, the view was nice, but it wasn't the kind of toilet you wanted to linger for long at in the first place!)

We had to hike pass some waterfalls -pretty slippery.

The 2nd day's hike was an easy 7km trail to Walnut garden. It was relatively flat and we were rewarded with the view of the lower and middle rapids of the gorge upon completion. Yayyyyyy!!

Horseriding

Today we went horse-riding around an area called "Lashi hai". The Naxi horsemen led us through villages, past the small farmhouses, fields of corn, and patches of chilli and cucumber to the waterfalls. I was a little nervous at the beginning. Now, lets see- no helmet, no instructions, no safety guidelines whatsoever provided.. and the Naxi horseman seemed unperturbed when i told him it was my first time on a horse! He just threw the reins at me and said - "You'll be fine". And even added somewhat airily that "just yesterday, a 60 year old tourist rode on this horse". Gulp. Is that pressure or what?!

It didn't help that my horse was rather jumpy and liked to stray away from the horseman! Not that i blame it- if i were the horse, it'd rather eat grass then trudge up the hill with a sack of potatoes too! Anyhow, after about 20 minutes, i calmed down and started to enjoy the view around me, and the horse seemed to be alot better too - it probably could sense i was nervy at first! My butt was all sore in a few hours and seeing the rest of the people galloping off at top-speed in the plains didn't make me feel any better. I'm rather glad my horse crawled along at a steady rate, and just trotting occasionally -not trying to prove it was of some racing breed. I guess i just survived. yayyyyy!

Lijiang in pictures

Part of the old town was destroyed in the 1996 earthquake but the government took pains to rebuild it after seeing it had tourism potential.

All is quiet in the alleys around 8am, before hordes of day-trippers invade..

With Yingtze -obviously she wasn't put off enough travelling with me the last time in Hanoi to do it again in Yunnan! ;-)

Old Naxi woman along the streets. The Naxi used to inhabit most parts of the old town until tourism came calling. Lots of them then moved to the newer part of town and let out the shop space to the Han Chinese to set up souvenir shops and restaurants. Lijiang is relatively wealthy because of the high tourist traffic but several Naxi in the surrounding rural villages still depend on small-scale subsistence farming for a living.

Yunnan province

After spending a week in Beijing, i took a plane to Kunming to be reunited with Yingtze, my Hanoi travel-mate. We will be spending the next 2 weeks exploring Yunnan, southwestern province of China together, and trying to bag some nice mountain scenery!

Currently, we are chilling out in the picturesque Lijiang, a UNESCO world-heritage listed city -and with good reason! Lijiang is home to several minority tribes, including the Naxi. The old-town section is a maze of alleys full of beautifully preserved old wooden houses, stone bridges over the waterways and graceful willow trees lining the streets.

The day after tomorrow, we'll be going to Tiger Leaping Gorge for a 2-3 day hike. Check out the following:

http://www.tigerleapinggorge.com/

Photos to follow soon!