A Place Called Shangrila & Tibet Not Likely

I’m now in Shangrila. It’s an old city that changed it’s name to attract tourist to a 10,000+ ft. rarified air environment full of Tibeten culture. Yeah, it’s touristy but not too bad and it still retains a certain kind of charm. It reminds me a lot more of the American west than some idylic mythical Shangrila. The area consists of a broad filled valley surrounded by hills and distant mountains under a crystal clear blue sky. The nights are cold, the air is dry, and the days are just right. Tibeten temples, stupas, and prayer flags decorate the surrounding area. The people are low key, nice, and the Tibetens always seem to be smiling.

I was hoping to make arrangements to travel into Tibet from here but China is not making it easy. It now takes 10 days to acquire a permit and unless I want to fly. I’ll have to depart out of Chengdu if I want to go overland. The travel agencies here are saying I will also be required to hire a guide at around 1,000 rmb a day which is outrageous when I know I could hire a guide on my own for about a 100 rmb day. Supposedly everything has to be set up through an agency beforehand. Tibet is looking unlikely. Too expensive and too much hassle. As of now I’ll pass through Chengdu anyway so I’ll check the situation there. However, 10 days to get a permit really makes planning inconvenient. For one, I don’t want a guide and I generally don’t like to plan too much beforehand. Plans have a way of getting in the way. Apparently foreigners are not allowed to travel anywhere in Tibet wihtout a guide. My only real chance now would be to stumble into a group of backpackers trying to put something together out of Chengdu.

My curretnl plan is to travel western Sichuan, off the tourist track, on local busses to some high villages. Some above 13,000 ft where real Tibetan culture can be found. I really like the gentle nature of the Tibetan people as there is a lot of Tibetan culture where I am right now. Not to mention the Yak yogurt and Yak meat is amazing. A Tibetan man told me last night that Yak meat is very powerful and I have to agree. In this part of the world I’m sure it’s all range feed, all natural, and quite healthy.