Were are now in Shangri-la, a city about 6 hours north of Lijiang and one of the last cities before the province of Tibet. The city was formerly known as Zhongdian, but the Chinese government recently renamed it to increase tourism -- directly referencing the idyllic valley described in James Hilton's novel, Lost Horizon. Like the fictional place, Zhongdian, is near the Kunlun Mountains and close to the Tibetan region of China. According to my guide book, the government even commissioned a report which collected a series of facts to prove that Zhongidan was indeed Hilton's Shangri-la (one of them being a real life plane crash in the area in the 1930's). Either way, Shangri-la truly is a paradise for me. The streets of Old Town are just as enchanting as LiJiang, though the grid is smaller and more manageable (i.e. I'm not nearly as lost all the time, the food is amazing (several places specialize in Indian and Nepali food), and Tibetan temples and prayer flags are everywhere. But, probably what I like most about Shangri-la is that it reminds me of a Chinese Colorado.
Huge, snow capped mountains watch over the city, yaks and pigs wander freely through the streets (outside of Old Town), and there are plenty of cowboy-esquse items to be found in the markets (saddles and saddle blankets, cowbells, boots, and -- of course -- longhorn / yak skulls). Chinese cowboy boots and yak skulls shown in the photos.
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