Ok so in 24 days I leave for China! I only have 2 weeks, so I was thinking of staying in western China and then hitting beijing for 2-3 days.

I was hoping to maybe stay in Sapa Vietnam for a couple days to relax and exploring western china. So any suggestions? Is Shangri-la worth a visit, or no?

Ahm, what excactely are you referring to when you say 'Shangri-la'? The last time I checked, it was still a fictional place - despite some pathetic renaming attempts by Tibetan and Chinese Tourist organizations.

Western China? I can recommend Kashgar and the Tian Shan and Altau ranges.

A number of areas in Yunnan and SiChuan province tried to claim the title, Shangri-La, though officially it was given to one district but yes, it is fictional. Generally you'll see it advertised for Daocheng YaDing (Dabba) in SiChuan, ZhongDian(now ShangriLa), north of Lijang in Yunnan, and the town of BingZhongLuo near the Yunnan, Tibet border. All have pretty good sceneries, some are more involved to get in than others. Personally I think they are far better than Sapa but you might have problems going alone because of English and access. For terrace fields like that in Sapa but way more grand and scenic, head to YuanYang in Yunnan, and if you are into minority visits, GuiZhou province and the area along
Nu River in Yunnan are the places to go.

Thanks for the tips! Actually I knew that Shangri-la is fictional. lol. I noticed a town in the Yunnan Province with the name and looked it up. The pictures looks pretty cool and thought it might be worth checking out.

23 days....

If you want to see the Shangri-La (or what many believe was the inspiration for it), you have to go a bit further west - to the Hunza Valley in Pakistan. It's actually not completely out of your way. It's a three days trip from Kashgar. Two from the Altau range.

G,day
Westren China you can visit to Kashgar than on the Karkakorum highway to Hunza valley or even to the border great scenry.

Or South
you can start from Hong Kong to China-Yangshuo-Longshen-Yunan Dali-Tiger Leaping gorges-Lijiang if time to Chengdu t


Adi: the pic from the suspension bridge is from my home town stunning.

Cheers Iman

quote:

Originally posted by on_ancient_road:
A number of areas in Yunnan and SiChuan province tried to claim the title, Shangri-La, though officially it was given to one district but yes, it is fictional. Generally you'll see it advertised for Daocheng YaDing (Dabba) in SiChuan, ZhongDian(now ShangriLa), north of Lijang in Yunnan, and the town of BingZhongLuo near the Yunnan, Tibet border. All have pretty good sceneries, some are more involved to get in than others. Personally I think they are far better than Sapa but you might have problems going alone because of English and access. For terrace fields like that in Sapa but way more grand and scenic, head to YuanYang in Yunnan, and if you are into minority visits, GuiZhou province and the area along
Nu River in Yunnan are the places to go.

I agree with you , Yunnan is really worth to visit, so many different ethnic groups and landscapes.

Hi there!
I strongly recommend Yangshuo AND staying at the Yangshuo Culture House. It's a little family-run hostel, VERY clean, about $11US a night(was there last August) including 3 meals a day (if you want them but I haven't seen anyone miss dinner: it's just so good!!!) AND free cultural classes of your choice (tai chi, calligraphy, cooking, etc.).

Wei, the owner, is extremely helpful with organizing activities (hiking, biking, rafting, hot-air balloon,etc.) I really wanted to see the Lonji rice terraces and he was the one who suggested that we leave at 4am. It was the best decision! We had the whole place to ourselves when we got there at 7am and it was amazing!
When we said that we wanted to see a local market, the wife invited us to go with her...
It's a cross between a hostel and a homestay.

Seriously, the place is great! But you absolutely need to make a reservation. I made mine through BNA.

If you want to see a few pictures:
http://picasaweb.google.ca/travelclown/MonVoyage


Have fun!

yes