China Itinerary

So where exactly are all these places? Well thanks to Google Maps it's all nicely laid out in this custom-made map below. Just click on the markers to tell you what is where. On May 3rd I crossed from Vietnam into the city of Hekou and immediately jumped on a bus to Kunming, the capital of the Yunnan province. From there I spent three days in Dali, and if you zoom in close enough you can see the long skinny ear-shaped (if you've got such a creative mind) Erhai Lake. James and I took off to Shangri-La in the northwestern corner, which is labeled Zhongdian on the map. (The name was changed thanks to author James Hilton, but more on than later.) From Zhongdian we took a six-hour bus ride to the town of DeQin where we immediately left for Kawa Karpo, the westernmost marker on the border between Yunnan and Tibet. Two nights in the mountains and on our way to Lijiang, but not without spending a night in Shangri-La first. Lijiang is sort of in the middle of the other markers, and just north of the Lijiang marker is the Tiger Leaping Gorge. Zoom in close enough and you can see the Yangtze make it's U-turn and you'll also be able to notice the massive gorge it's created. From Tiger Leaping Gorge we made a quick stop in Lijiang to pick up our things and then caught a bus to Kunming, from where I flew to Beijing and then back to the states.


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Here's a pretty good photo of Kawa Karpo on a clearer day. Legend has it that if you see the sunrise (or sunset, I can't remember) over this mountain, you will lead a happy life. I didn't see either, but I think from what I've seen I'll be leading a pretty happy life.