For New Year's Eve 2021, I avoided some of the most popular destinations and opted for a more secretive and niche route. During this New Year's Eve trip to Rainbird, I encountered sacred lakes and waterfalls, sunrise over snow-covered mountains, and the Milky Way, and each of these breathtaking views made me feel the true joy and relief of traveling at the beginning of the year.
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The highlight of the trip
Before the trip started, I had arranged for myself the most important and not-to-be-missed experience of the trip: the secret visit to the golden monkeys of Yunnan! I've been a wildlife enthusiast since I was a kid, and I'm well aware of the preciousness and mystery of the Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys, and I've long been enamored by the wild and naive Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys. When I arrived at the first stop of this trip, the first thing I did was to "fulfill my dream".
The Yunnan snub-nosed monkey is endemic to Yunnan, China, and is a specially protected species. The Yunnan snub-nosed monkey lives in the heart of the Three Rivers National Nature Reserve and is considered a national treasure along with the giant panda. Since the Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys only come out to feed in the early morning, you have to get up early if you want to see them. So we chose to stay in Tacheng, which is more convenient for both entering the mountain and arriving at the monkey-watching spot.
Once the shuttle bus arrives at the spot, you have to get off the bus and hike into the mountain. Because the conservation staff feeds the monkeys at regular intervals, the monkeys are generally in a more fixed spot, and you don't need to walk very long to see them under normal circumstances. But on the day we went there, we walked for 40 minutes until the altitude climbed to 3200 meters, when a group of people were gasping for breath, before we finally saw the figure of these "hairy children".
The Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys are very gentle animals, without any aggression. Just looking at them squatting and eating pineapples and swinging on the swings is extremely therapeutic.
After watching the monkeys, I chatted with an uncle at the Yunnan Snub-nosed Monkey Reserve, and learned that he has been working at the reserve for 27 years. His job is to record and supervise the monkeys on the mountain every day, and he has named every one of them. He says he looks at these monkeys as if they were his own children. But this love is not exaggerated at all, you can feel it from his words and eyes.
On the way down the mountain, I had a bowl of freshly ground bean curd from a farmer's house, and I didn't realize that this spoonful of it became the first taste of the year that I couldn't forget. The sweetness of the beanstalks with a touch of chili was simply amazing. In the end, I asked the owner for some chili peppers to pack, so that I could keep the flavor for a little longer.
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Eating in Pagoda City
Because of this trip, I stayed at Songtsam Pagoda Mountain Resort for two days because I had arranged to have a "close encounter" with the golden monkeys. This mountain house is almost universally recognized as one of the best in the Songtsam series.
This is partly due to the consistency of the chef's skills, and partly due to the fact that most of Songtsam's restaurants use locally sourced ingredients, and the richness of the region's produce brings a wealth of possibilities to the cuisine.
Songtsam Tashkent's unique poha
The poha served at Songtsam Restaurant is superb in taste. In addition, the famous local ham can be found in stews and stir-fries. Tacheng ham is more flavorful than the well-known Jinhua ham, so I personally think it would be better in soups. A Ham and Kidney Bean Soup is a great way to warm up your body and heart on a cold winter day.
Rainbow trout is also on the menu, and grilled rainbow trout is the most common dish here. Although the meat is not very tender, it is simple and not overly seasoned, which brings out the freshness of the rainbow trout itself.
In winter, you can also enjoy ice wine from the Tacheng Hada Ice Winery. There are not many manufacturers in China that have the craft of making ice wine, as it is difficult to mass produce it due to the almost demanding requirements of grapes and climate, so this winter qualification is even more precious. If you are interested in ice wine, you can visit the ice wine factory located on the hill behind the hotel.
The production facilities of Tacheng Hada Ice Wine Factory
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Prologue of Avalanche trip
On the third day, I was ready to leave Tacheng to join the group and kick off my New Year's Eve trip. After leaving Tacheng, our first stop was to Penziran.
Benzilan, which means "the place where the princess dances" in Tibetan, is located in a warm canyon on the banks of the Jinsha River, a 75-minute drive from Shangri-La's Diqing Airport. At an altitude of 2020 meters, it was not only an important stop on the Tea Horse Road, but also one of the key components of the secret world of "Shambhala" in James Hilton's "Vanishing Horizon".
The unique location and comfortable altitude of this place has endeared it to many, which is why I made Penziran my first stop in Shangri-La, as it's perfect for an altitude-acclimatization stop before entering Meili.
The Great Bend of the Jinsha River
The Nitin Primitive Forest hike was the first real interaction with the group.
The light hiking in the forest allowed me to breathe in the fresh air throughout. After all the walking and laughing, there was a fondue picnic by a forest stream waiting for those of us who took the time to walk in.
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Scenery on the road
The next stop was Songtsam Yupeng tented camp in Yupeng village, a 3-hour drive from Penziran, followed by a change to a special off-road vehicle in the scenic area, about 40 minutes before arriving at Yupeng. It was followed by a 20-minute walk downhill before finally arriving at the campground.
Although the road was a bit long, the weather was clear along the way. On the way to the camp, Kavagabo suddenly came into our view, which became a minor highlight of the trip.
Because of the weather, Kawargbo is surrounded by mist all year round, and only in winter, the probability of watching Kawargbo will be much higher. This time, we were lucky enough to get a glimpse of what this sacred mountain really looks like. The white snow-capped mountains against the blue sky are so clear that it's easy to take a picture of them.
When it comes to the "sunrise" of the Meili Snow Mountain, almost everyone on the Yunnan-Tibet route is unwilling to miss the stunning scenery, and Wunong Ding Village is one of the best viewing locations on the entire route.
The popular Both Downhill-Meri Hotel is located in the village of Wunongding. The entire hotel has an entire floor of the Merry View Lounge, where you can witness the full sunrise during most of the winter months. With time to spare, an extra night or two here is well worth it.
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Arriving at Yupeng Village
Since the official opening of the Yupeng Highway in 2019, Yupeng has ceased to be an unattainable destination. The 10 tents Songtsen set up in Yubeng Village touched my curiosity even more and was the most attractive part of the trip for me.
It was evening when we arrived at the tented camp, and due to the big temperature difference between day and night, the lowest temperature at night here was as low as -5 degrees, which made it especially important to stay warm in the camp tents overnight.
But the camp staff had already prepared cotton shoes and oil lamps, and after a brief introduction of how to use them, we were taken to our respective tents.
Immediately after entering the tent, we were greeted with a warm feeling, yellow lights are very cozy, the space is arranged in a compact and practical way, and the bedding is also from the same model of Songtsam Hotel. In addition to the basic toiletries, the disposable footbags and the rechargeable oil heaters for continuous heating are placed in one corner.
Disposable foot soaking bag
Hygiene is a concern for many people. Songtsam Rainforest Tented Camp currently has two areas with restroom tents, one near the dining tent and one near the living tent. No matter where you are in the camp, it is easy to reach. Although there are no shower-related facilities available yet, construction was already underway when I visited and is expected to be operational by early this year.
Toilet at the camp
On the day of check-in, which happened to be the last day of 2020, the camp prepared a special beef fondue dinner. The soup was simmered for 8 hours and served with soft yellow beef. It was a warm and healing end to the magical year of 2020.
On the evening of New Year's Eve, a small party was held at the campground, where we learned to dance the pots and pans with the camp staff, drank red wine, and put all the unpleasant and unsatisfactory things of the year behind us, just enjoying the moment.
A picture of me with my hand-printed streamers
Watching the sunrise
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Hiking in Avalanche
The first half of the Cascade Route is a lot of flat roads with occasional uphill slopes, but the second half of the route is a lot more uphill terrain.
Hiking up to the Five Fingers Peak
About a kilometer from the Cascade of the Gods is the hardest part of the hike. Interestingly, at this "edge of despair", there is a sign on the side of the road that reads "Despair has its own power of despair".
It's a great way to experience this phrase underneath the sky and the earth.
In the waterfall below the hanging streamers (waterfall has been frozen)
After this line, it is also completed the life of the first plateau for a long time hiking. The altitude climbed 600 meters, and the total distance traveled was 15km, which is very satisfactory for a hiker like me. However, those who have no outdoor hiking experience and don't know their own physical ability don't have to worry too much, because the hardest part of the trail can be traveled on a pony. And after you really get here, maybe you'll realize that you can actually walk down this seemingly long route.
2021 The first trip of the year ended successfully with natural beauty, wildlife, and people. Although it was my first time in Shangri-La, the people I met along the way, whether it was the hotel staff who provided simple but attentive service, the friendly local villagers who loved to share, or even the passers-by who kindly said "Zaxi Dele" to me, all made me feel like Shangri-La was an old friend. The first time I visited the city, I was able to get to know Shangri-La as an old friend. Perhaps, as Songtsen keeps saying, this is our home away from home. So, welcome home.
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Show you a different world.