Shangri-la

Zhondian (in Chinese), Shangri-La (it's exotic and famous name) and Gyalthang (it's Tibetan name and the name which we choose to know it as), sits at around 3300m asl in a cold and fairly bleak environment dominated by snowy mountains and the Tibetan Songzanlin Monastery. The old and new towns are worth exploring and we enjoyed the fact that even though a lot of locals make a living out of tourists (which souvenir shops etc.) they still carry on regardless. They dance in the main square every evening because they enjoy it and their lounge and dining rooms (and occasionally toilets) are the streets.

As we drove into town we saw a yak in real life for the first time. What I found funny was that by lunch the next day I had eaten a yak curry, had yak yoghurt and sipped on yak butter tea. I'd have to say that all 3 were fantastic but that some might find the tea a tad too salty. We bumped into a guy we'd met earlier in Dali and through him ended up at a party that turned into the highlight of our time in the area. Most of the guests were Tibetan but there were a few Chinese, 4 Thai, 2 Americans and Jacks and myself. The Tibetan wine, that I would describe as being rice wine on roids, was flowing freely and everyone started singing songs of their specific regions. What all of a sudden hit us, even stronger than the wine, was the fact that we'd be required to sing a South African song. We decided on the national anthem and that 1 of us should sing because of our different versions (and words) and due to me having had more wine it became my responsibility. Somehow I managed to pull it off and the crowd went wild. Ten minutes later Jacks was teaching everyone line dancing and the rest is history. The story of the party will bring smiles for a long time.