Rochelle's Travel Blog- Undiscovered China & Tibet

For the traveler who has experienced the typical China tour of Beijing and Xian and would like to see a more undiscovered China, my recent trip is perfect. 

I planned an itinerary that took us off the beaten path, and we saw more of the China you read about in travel magazines.

We began in Chengdu, visiting the home of the giant pandas. Native to central China, there are only 1,600 of these beautiful animals left. The Chengdu Panda Breeding Center works hard to keep the pandas well fed and support their reproduction to increase their population. We learned many panda facts, including that they eat bamboo 12 hours a day, and enjoyed watching them in their natural habitat. It was a worthwhile, interesting visit. 

Two hours away, we drove and then took a boat to visit the Giant Buddha in Leshan. This Buddha was carved out of a cliff face overlooking the confluence of three rivers and is 233 feet high. It is the tallest Buddha statue in the world and is now a UNESCO World Heritage site. 

After a short two-hour flight, we found ourselves in Lhasa, Tibet. Our home for the next three days was the beautiful St. Regis Hotel. This remote destination is one of the highest elevations in the world. At 12,000 feet above sea level, we definitely had to pace ourselves in our activities. We visited the beautiful Summer Palace, as well as the famous Potala Palace. It was a challenge to climb the 335 steps at high altitude. Inside the hilltop palace, there were beautiful antiques as well as artifacts from the 14 Dalai Lamas. We learned a lot about the cultural and spiritual history of Tibet. 

  

Shangri-La, which is located in the Northwestern Yunnan Province, was our next stop. We felt much better coming down to 10,000 feet! This area was written about in the novel Lost Horizon and had become known as a Himalayan utopia. The people there live much longer lives than others and appear much younger than their years. We were excited to visit a Tibetan home to learn about the lifestyle of the people who live there. The homes are built in levels with the bottom level for their animals so they do not freeze outdoors in the winter.  A highlight was having Yak milk tea and bread with the lady of the house. Although we could not communicate, she was very charming and hospitable. 

Moving south, we stopped in Lijiang which was also in the  Yunnan Province. Lijiang is a stunningly preserved ancient Chinese town connected by bridges and waterways.  More than 800 years old, the town takes visitors back into time-  except for the few fast food restaurants that have been added! Nearby was the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, and we relished the fantastic views from  The Banyan Tree Resort.

Our final stop was Shanghai. The largest city in China, its population is now over 24 million people. The Bund, a bustling waterfront area, has many upscale hotels, great options for dining and fun shopping. 

This was a culturally interesting trip, brimming with surprises, beautiful scenery, open and friendly people, and Chinese food prepared in so many different ways. From the mountains to the lakes, from the villages to the big cities, we were not disappointed by this great adventure.