Getting to Shangri-La is not easy. Before we began our hike, we flew into Lijiang and took a day to adjust to the altitude. Lijiang exists at the boundary of the Tibetan plateau and the interior of China, at around 8,000 feet. While there, we toured the Old Town, which has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. For over eight hundred years, it has been a confluence of trade on the Old Tea Horse Caravan Trail. Its cobblestone streets, arched bridges, and wooden architecture recall the Song Dynasty. Culturally, this area is known for the number of ethnic minorities still in existence. While Han Chinese dominate much of China, the mountainous landscape of this area rendered it less accessible, preserving traditional cultures more thoroughly than in other areas. For example, this was the seat of power for nearly five hundred years of the Naxi people, who accompanied us on our hike. It's also the home of Bai culture, which includes the intricate woodwork on doors prevalent on so many homes (pictures below).
We stayed at the Han San Ge Hotel, a fixture of the Old Town, and ornate representation of the various cultural traditions that have merged there.
The hotel had an inner courtyard, common in homes of the area.
These window panels are representative of the Bai woodwork mentioned above.
After a good night's sleep, we headed out for a tour of the town.
The winding streets diverge from other Chinese cities' traditional grid-like layout, making it much easier to get lost. Still working off some jet lag, I spent about two dawn hours wandering the streets on this particular morning, getting so turned around that I had to ask a police officer for help getting back to the hotel.
The canals channel the run-off from nearby mountains into the city.
Though it's a tourist destination, the city still conducts normal business. I passed markets opening, kids on their way to school, and street stalls sending the smell of freshly baked breads out into the town.
One of the highlights of our time in Lijiang was the "market challenge." We were given ten yuan (~$1.50) and a piece of paper with pictures of a variety of goods. The team that could obtain the most items in a half hour won. Some of the goods on display:
Later, we headed toward the district cultural museum over streets that were essentially museums themselves.
In the distance, you can see the mountains, where we were headed the next day.
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