iPlay @ Shangrila, Yunnan - Part 2

We have visited Fei Lai Si monastery. It was walking distance from our hostel. It is a beautiful temple that nestled high above the Mekong valley at an altitude of 3300 meters on the road to Lhasa. This is the place for Tibetans to pay homage to the sacred mountain.  Feilai Temple has a viewing platform for tourist to enjoy the view of Mount Kawagebo. October and May is the best season to see golden sun rise hitting on snow capped peaks of Mount Kawagebo. We are not lucky enough to see it as we went to there on Jun.

Fei Lai Si monastery

White blanket of the snow covered the mountains

We left this beautiful town and headed to Pudacuo (or Potatso) National Park. The national park is qualifies as a natural wonderland. It contains endemic species of fish found nowhere else in the world, rare and beautiful.  The entrance fee is 258RMB per person including the shuttle bus fare in the park. Pudacuo has two huge lakes which is Bitahai and Shuduhu lakes. The park shuttle bus will take you from visitor centre to Shudu Lake and follow by Bita Hai Lake. Visitor can either take a boat ride (RMB 50) around the lake or walk down the roughly 2km path to the exit of the park.  

We estimated to spend around 4 to 5 hours at this place. So my friends and I decided to walk along the park instead of taking a boat ride as we can stop by anytime. We have stopped by a few time to capture the photo and enjoyed the quiet and leisurely of this park. But unfortunately, rain and hail started to fall before we exit the park! “Run!!!” We ran as fast as we could to the exit. That was how we end our visit at Pudacuo national park. It was a fun though *Crying*

I still can manage to take few nice photos while rushing under the heavy rain and hail.

Bitahai Lake

The Beard trees, Shuduhu lake

Rainy view at Shuduhu lake is still beautiful

At the evening, we reached ancient town of Dukezong in Deqin. Dukezong means moonlight city in Tibetan. It is a Tibetan town in Shangrila, Yunan Province. The town is over thirteen hundred years old.  Although it is a very old town, but that don’t impress me much. The town has been destroyed by the huge fire in Jan 2014. Most of the building is still reconstructing. Thankfully, the Guishan Dafo Templein Dukezong is well maintenance after the fire last year.

Religious architecture of Guishan Dafo Temple

The 60-ton prayer wheel is one of famous tourist destination in Shangri-la. Tourists and local residents twirl the giant prayer wheel to submit prayers. Remember, do it only clockwise, as religious tradition dictates.  

The prayer wheel. 

Guishan Dafo temple and the eye catching prayer wheel. 

This is where we spent our last night at Shangri-la.