Zhongdian was part of Tibet before incorporation into China and the town maintains its Tibetan look and feel. In more recent years it has also been given the name Shangri-La to cash in on the romanticism (and tourist attraction potential) that goes with that name. To further confuse matters, the official name of the local airport on the outskirts of the town is neither Zhongdian nor Shangri-La, but Diqing. Diqing is the highest commercial airport in the world.
We spent an interesting day walking around Zhongdian old town, looking at the very different buildings and the goods for sale at the extensive markets. Unfortunately there was very little hot water at the hotel where we were staying, a fault that the staff never fully explained. One normally placid member of our group was particularly dark about this, and I was glad that she hadn’t brought her dynamite into her room. Otherwise ….
We spent an interesting day walking around Zhongdian old town, looking at the very different buildings and the goods for sale at the extensive markets. Unfortunately there was very little hot water at the hotel where we were staying, a fault that the staff never fully explained. One normally placid member of our group was particularly dark about this, and I was glad that she hadn’t brought her dynamite into her room. Otherwise ….
