| So James Hilton wrote a book about this land of perfection called Shangri-La.
Shangri-La is a place where you will find everything that you need to be
at peace and harmony with the world. Baloney. I got the worst case of altitude
sickness ever the night after we got there. I had one shot of a harsh local
rice wine and went dancing for a little bit then developed this pounding
intense headache, nausea, bowel problems, and shivering cold. That lasted
all throughout the night and into the next day. I had to spend the next
morning on a bus sucking on an oxygen bag to relieve the swelling in my
head. Consequently, I missed the Buddhist temple we stopped at and a famous
dry lake bed. dammit. Apparently, the temple was really old and worn-down
but still fascinating as it dates back centuries. During the day before
I got sick we visited a tranquil lake and drove through the dry arid land.
Because the land is so dry, the farmers group wheat and turnips and raise
cows and lots of black pigs. They say the land is pretty during the spring
because all of the azalea bushes lining the hills bloom. During the fall,
however, it's brown and dreary. We walked around part of Old Shangri-La
where we saw a house that dates back a few centuries. It was remarkable
because it had markings from the Ming Dynasty up to the Cultural Revolution.
That night we went to a local's house and witnessed local song, dance and
roasted goat! Except this is where I got super sick. All-in-all none of
us were impressed by Shangri-La. It certainly was not everything we wanted
it to be. During the dinner the night we before flew back to Kunming, we
were sitting next to three tables of businessmen who were celebrating some
big deal closure. A lot of drinking, everybody toasts everyone else three
shots of alcohol. Then they toast the next person three shots, then the
next person three shots, then the...dammit Chinese people know how to drink...how
come our tolerances are so low then...or maybe just mine. |
