Chinese New Year in Shangrila

Chinese New Year is officially Feb 10 but lasts for several weeks.  You see and hear fireworks everywhere for days on end.  Sometimes right outside the bedroom window.  Quite a show.

We were fortunate to travel with friends to the NW corner of the Yunnan Province (our Province) which is a county that is designated a Tibetan Autonomous District.  The architecture, customs, culture and language are different there.  On the way we stopped in Lijiang, that has a nice touristy "old town" area, for lunch at The Prague Cafe.

The main city for our time was Shangrila which sits at 10,700 ft elevation and is a huge plateau surrounded by mountains.  At this altitude one does not get nearly the same amount of oxygen per breath as your used to.  And don't push yourself!  We stayed is this area for 5 days.  Don't forget there is no central heating.  You only get hot water if the sun was shining that day.  Lots of yak, pigs, goats and chickens.

On the way to Shangrila we stopped in Lijiang.  The city has a very nice "old town " tourist district

More of Lijiang Old Town with a river running through it

Restaurants and shops running all through old town along the river

We had lunch at the Prague Cafe...they had a western menu

Famous water wheels along the river in Lijiang old town

Scenery on the way to Shangrila

Shangrila....Old Town

Shangrila...This is the largest Buddhist prayer wheel in the world.  People pay a lot of money to go inside and make that lower cylinder rotate.

Linda and friends overlooking the valley and mountains from the village outside of Shangrila

On the way back from the village we saw this waterfall. 

Back in Shangrila...local Tibetan's preparing for a dance on stage to bring in the  New Year.

Tibetan dancer

More Tibetan dancers

On stage

The Big Stage

Linda with a stuffed Yak

And to finish off the day...a nice pot of Yak Butter Tea.