Tibet feelings!!

Hello all !

i really dont know where to start this message! Again so much happend...

Now i am in Shangri-La or Zhongdian.. The name Shangri-La is actually a fake name cause of a novel by James Hilton, if im correct! Just google the name if you wanna know more about it.

When i arrived here, i found my hostel wich i had booked 2 days before in Lijiang. Freshed up a bit after a really nice bustrip. Nice views over and over. When i walked into the small city between the shops i heared some Dutch talking behind me. 2 girls it were. So we started to talk a bit where we have bin and all that. Suddenly one said she worked for Chinaonline.com. Then i said i had asked for some information with them to arrange my trip. In the end i decided to do on my own.So one asked my name and she could remember my name. How funny! Its a small world huh?? Later that evening we had some drinks together with a father and son from Australia wich they had met on a trip that day! Funny guys!
One of the girls said that the Aussie guys would go on a bycicletrip to exact the places i wanted too go to. They would leave at 830am this morning. So i wanted to join them, but i really had troubles waking up, so in the end i just went on my own!

I rented a mountainbike for the louzy amount of 2 euros :) Really cool to cycle here in the city. Its all kinda strange cause ofcourse you dont know how all goes here. It reminded me of cycling through ChiangMai last year :) I did had to ask 3 times if i was in the right direction. I asked the hostelguy here to write down the name in Chinese. And all people here in this place really help you. So nothing to worry about!!

Once out of the city the climbing started. Luckally my bike was 10 times better as my mountainbike at home. All gears and brakes worked perfectly. The views again were brilliant! Vast landscapes, mountains, horses and ofcourse the yacks!! The climbing was done so i could go downhill. How cool too go down pretty fast with the views arround you!

I wasnt sure anymore if i still was on the right way. When i saw some policeofficers standing at a gasstation i showed my piece of paper. Then they laughed and pointed towards a huge board 100 meter in front of me wich said NanHapi lake, in Chinese though! Hehehe, really funny.

On the fields there are this huge wooden ' buildings' to dry the grass surrounded by animals. Pigs and baby-pigs around it.. I moved on to a small village. The ladies wearing these bright coloured hats walking around. I give them a smile and a ' ni hao' and always get the same in return! Very nice...

When i passed the village i arrived at the lake...But suddenly i saw a bunch of people wearing these ancient clothes. How lucky i was!! There was a recording of a video overthere!! Together with the locals and a small group of other ( CHinese ) tourists i could watch it! So cool ! On the pics ofcourse...and on video. But the videos are on a 4gd sd-card and not all computers here can handle that! :(

After 45 minutes or so i went on the middle of the lake...Not that much water though, but surely nice to be there. Hearing nothing at all! Except the sheeps that were eating grass!

After that it was my plan to go a monastery here around. But the evening before i heared it was under construction and the entrance fee was 85 yuan. So i decided not to go cause i like it more when its in a normale fase. And also the 85 yuan was maybe a waste then. Actually i was already satisfied.

I went back to the town and had a tasty lunch in a restaurant : Stir fried beef with ginger and onions! Damn...good stuff !! :)

Now back at the hostel and after this i go back into town to check out some souvenirs!

Thanks again for all your messages!! :)

Hope all well in Holland!! Oh and Vinnie, no cigars here!!!

Take care and zai jian!

Jelmer.
:SMS update:: 9 september 2009 :
On my way to Dali in a terrible slow bus! Gonna be a long trip... I deserve a lot of beer tonight! :d