We got up this morning and walked down the street to a little shop where we had noodles and meat buns for breakfast. Food definitely seemed different. The meat buns had the same name as the soup dumplings we ate in Shanghai and Kaohsiung but this time the wrapper was more like white bread than thin dumpling dough and the filling was juicy and tasty but without actual soup. Then we went back to the hotel and packed up before heading out to explore the old town part of Shangrila. They call it an old town but truthfully most of it was rebuilt a few years ago after it all burned down. Still it looks very much like old Tibetan buildings with all sorts of Tibetan restaurants and shops. In the center is a big plaza where you can get your picture taken with a yak or Tibetan Mastiff or dress up in costumes. One end of the plaza has a hill with a Buddhist temple and there are monks roaming around. We ate at a little place advertising Tibetan noodles. Inside was one local family eating and the 3 women working there. One was an old grandma lady who helped us make tea and showed us how to get condiments for our soup. She also let me take her picture.
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| Shangrila old town |
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| Tibetan Mastiff |
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| Tibetan Yak |
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| Nice old lady in the Tibetan noodle shop |
After that it was time to drive to Tiger Leaping Gorge. More about the gorge tomorrow but it is a bit like the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. A narrow steep gorge thousands of feet deep. This one is 3000 meters from the tops of the highest surrounding peaks to the bottom of the canyon so definitely one of the deepest. The drive in started fine but by the end the road was littered with boulders and damaged areas and was only one lane wide. There were places where waterfalls came straight down on to the road. We'll do a little hiking tomorrow and then head to Dali the next day.
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| Little building next to the bridge is our hotel and this isn't even the main canyon. Just a side canyon. |
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