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Stepping Out Of Babylon

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Yunnan Province

Food in China… so much choice!

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This is a difficult subject to address given the gastronomic diversity of China and the short visit to the provinces of Sichuan and Yunnan provide good examples, so it is difficult to choose a traditional dish or a typical meal that is homogeneously found in all places.

However, in the visited areas, restaurants can easily be found where the common denominator is the existence of a fridge where the available food is exposed, from vegetables, meat, mushrooms, tofu, eggs… and from where the customer can chooses the desired combinations, which are cook in a few minutes. The dishes the come to the table are always shared among the group of friends or family, gathered around the table, being polite to remove one piece of food at a time and put it in the bowl, from where, after mixing with a piece of rice it’s eaten. At the end of the meal, it is respectful to leave some food on the plates, a sign of the abundance of food.

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Contrary to what is common in Southasian countries, in China it’s unusual to find “street-food”. The most popular and economical option is the small family restaurants, informal and open to the street, where the kitchen is located at the entrance of the restaurant advertising the menu. The most common in these eateries is the noodles soup with all the possible meat variations: pork, beef, chicken, intestines and other internal organs… ghrrr!

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In fact, China is not an easy country for vegetarians, and the concept itself is a kind of unknown is more remote areas, even among the Buddhist and the Tibetan communities. Although, vegetables are a constant presence in Chinese meals that are compost by several dishes where meat is an almost mandatory presence. 

The tofu, as a Chinese intention, is easy to find both in restaurants menus as in snack stall, as it is part of traditional food the tofu isn't seen as a vegetable alternative as in western countries. Mushrooms are also very common and can be a good choice for vegetarian dishes.

However, some traditional Chinese dishes are practically impossible to find without meat, fish or seafood, as is the case with dumplings, steamed buns and the dim sun.
But rice and noodles dishes, stir-fry or in soups, are good alternatives for vegetarians as far as you can order them without animal meat... the communication is always the big issue!!!

The good thing for vegans is that dairy is almost 100% excluded from the traditional Chinese cuisine, and things like cheese and milk are rare. On the other hand, soy milk is very popular and is part of the traditional Chinese food, particularly a the breakfast.

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In Sichuan, famous for its aromatic pepper, the gastronomy stands out for the spicy taste present in almost all dishes, from soups, stir fry or grill. The ingredients, usually vegetables and meat, often cook in a thick of spicy gravy, come wrapped in oil, but with a delicious and aromatic!

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In areas closer to the Tibet Autonomous Region you can find some of the typical Tibetan dishes, although the number of restaurants serving them is small compared to the overwhelming presence of Chinese food restaurants. It stands out the traditional tupka, a soup of vegetables or meat, in a thick broth and with barley pasta cut roughly in pieces. The dumplings that in the Tibetan version are called momos, are also traditional in this area and can be found as a morning meal.

Traditionally from the cold Tibetan areas is butter tea that accompanies meals. The salty butter’s taste stands out in this drink, which as it cools creates a thin layer of fat at the surface.

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Refeição típica chinesa, em que dois ou mais pratos acompanham uma tijela de arroz. Sempre presente está o chá que muitas vezes é disponibilizado gratuitamente
Typical Chinese meal where two or more dishes are eaten with steam rice. The tea is the most common drink and many time is served for free at the restaurants.

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Sopa à base de noodles sobre os quais é despejado um caldo e são acrescentados legumes ou carne, assim como condimentos salgados ou picantes, de acordo com o gosto de cada pessoa
noodles soup

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Legumes no mercado de Dali
Dali Market

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Raiz de lótus, à venda no mercado de Dalí, muito popular na gastronomia chinesa
Lótus root, at Dalí market

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ovos sujeitos a um prolongado processo de fermentação tornando a clara transparente e que lhes confere um gosto muito particular cuja intensidade os torna repulsivos para certos paladares
fermented eggs with a funny smell and taste… that doesn’t suite everyone

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Legumes no mercado de Dali
Dali market

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sopa fria de noodles: encontra-se por vezes ao fim da tarde nas ruas das cidades de Yunnam, onde pequenas banca oferecem um diversidade de noodles, tanto em forma, cor e sabor, que são condimentados com um molho picante, algumas ervas frescas, cebolinho e amendoim ralado
Cold noodles soup: easy to find in the end of the day in the street of Yunnan cities, seasoned with spicy sauce, fresh h and grind peanuts

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Amazing dinner prepared by my two travel mates. The food is an serious issue in China, and is always prepared with fresh ingredients brought everyday in the markets

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dumplings feitos de massa de arroz, geralmente recheados de carne, e cozinhados ao vapor. São uma das mais populares opções par ao pequeno almoço, com os restaurantes fazendo-se anunciar pelas grandes panelas metálicas constituídas por diversos tabuleiros, de onde sai um intenso vapor que se espalha pelas ruas; são acompanhados por um molho picante e por vezes com um caldo feito à base de arroz cozido, simples e praticamente sem sal
dumplings made with rice dough, usually fill with meat and steamed, are the most popular option for the breakfast. the eateries that serve the dumplings are easily spotted by the big metal pans that stand outside the front door

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outra opção de pequeno almoço, com uma sopa de noodles de sabor acre e ácido, acompanhada de ovo cozido e de pão frito, de massa semelhante às “farturas” mas de sabor salgado
another option for the breakfast are the noodles soup with a sour taste, served with egg and fry bread

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panelas para cozinhas dumplings ao vapor e o pão frito em forma de longos palitos, que se pode também encontrar no Laos e na Tailândia como acompanhamento da primeira refeição da manhã
dumplings pan and the fry bread that is also traditional in Thailand and Laos

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Cozinha de um restaurante na China
Kitchen from a restaurant in China

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Cozinha de um restaurante na China
Kitchen from a restaurant in China

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Cozinha de um restaurante na China
Kitchen from a restaurant in China

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noodles frescos à venda no mercado de Chengdu
fresh noodles at Chengdu market

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dumplings de vegetais acompanhando um "sumo" feito de arroz muito cozido ligeiramente adocicado e que constitui uma das populares opções para acompanhamento do pequeno-almoço a par com o leite de soja
vegetarian dumplings for breakfast and a drink made with soy milk

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cabeças de pato e pescoços de galinha, grelhados e condimentados: popular como snack entre refeições
duck heads and chicken necks can be a snack between meals

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Um dos pratos pelo qual a gastronomia de Sishuan é muito popular em que num caldo espesso e oleoso, condimentado com especiarias e pimenta, são cozinhados vegetais, cogumelos e algas, com ou sem carne, decorado com cebolinho e sementes de sésamo, e que é acompanhado de arroz
One of the most popular Sichuan dishes, a thick and oily gravy, seasoned with spices and pepper, where meat, mushrooms or vegetables are cooked

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O tofu encontra-se presente em muitos restaurantes, sendo contudo mais fácil de encontrar nas grandes cidades
The tofu is easy to find in China, and is a good alternative to vegetarians in a gastronomy where the meat is a constant presence

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restaurante junto à estação de comboios de Chengdu que dispõem de tofu confecionado localmente e onde os dumplins são cozinhados nos tradicionais recipientes de bambu
eatery in Chengdu with tofu and dumplings cooked in the traditional bambu baskets

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pão feito de massa de arroz e cozido ao vapor, muito popular nas zonas regiões tibetanas, e que pode ser simples ou recheado de legumes, carne (quase sempre porco), cogumelos ou à base de feijão azuki que lhe confere um sabor ligeiramente doce
steamed bread, popular in tibetan areas, that can be plain or filled with meat, vegetables or with Azuki beans that give a touch of sweetness

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queijo à base de leite de yak, e que no caso de ser fumado adquire um tom acastanhado; apesar do aspecto tosco a este queijo tem uma forte consistência apresentando-se compacto e “borachoso” ao mastigar
cheese made with yak milk

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Hot-pot, muito popular em vários países asiáticos, mas com diferentes cambiantes em relação aos ingredientes, mas reservada para dias festivos ou jantares de fim de semana, em que um caldo é mantido quente com ajuda de carvão ou de um dispositivo elétrico ou a gás, colocado na mesa, e onde os comensais vão mergulhado os diverso ingredientes. Na região do Tibete, este prato é constituído por legumes, cogumelos, algas e algumas tiras de carne que vêm já misturadas com o caldo.
Hot-pot, reserved for special day and family gatherings. Different ingredients are cooked in a stock that is kept war at the table.

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Tupka tibetana
Tupka, tibetan traditional soup that can be made vegetarian

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uma sopa à base de dumplins recheados de legumes na região de Sertar, mais ligada à gastronomia do Tibete... deliciosa para aquecer o corpo e o espírito nos frias noites do planalto tibetano
dumplings soup in Sertar region, a warmer Tibetan version adjust to the colt temperatures

from Shangri-lá to Dao Cheng…by bus

(English version from the text posted in Jun/2014)

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308 kilometers and 11 hours of bus separate these two villages near the border with the so-called Autonomous Region of Tibet: Shangri-la, in the Yunnan Province, and Dao Cheng in Sichuan Province.

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Although since the mid-eighteenth century Tibet was under the administration of the Emperor of China, it was only in 1950, when occupied by the People’s Liberation Army, that it became part of China, with the majority of its territory on Autonomous Region of Tibet. The remaining area was then divided by the nearby provinces of Qinghai, Gansu, Sichuan and Yunnan.

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Given the difficulty of traveling in the Tibet Autonomous Region, which requires specific authorization and obliges to travel in groups, which inevitably push foreigners to travel agencies, that increase significantly the cost of the trip, it gets too expensive to visit Tibet for a backpacker budget. The best option for those who want to know what remains of Tibetan culture and to enjoy the remarkable landscapes of the Tibetan plateau is to visit the villages located nearby the Autonomous Region of Tibet border, where the easiest access is made by the provinces of Sichuan and Yunnan.

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Alternatively, the region of Ladakh, in the far north of India, is also another way to get close to Tibet. In Kathmandu, Nepal, and in the state of Himachal Pradesh in northern India, it is possible to have contact with this culture due to the presence of a large number of Tibetan refugees, including the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala district, precisely at McLeod Ganj village.

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The bus ride, in spite of the poor road conditions, where part of the beaten path, crossing the mountain chain of Meili Xue Shan, also called Mainri Snow Mountains, climbing high passages and descending to the valleys to cross rivers, with the road winding up the steep slopes, offers breathtaking landscapes.

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On the way out of Shangri-la, the landscape is dominated by the green of the pines covering almost every slope of the mountains, except for the highest peaks where the rigor of winter still leaves traces of snow covering these landscapes. In the valleys run streams and rivers whose low level of water reveals a rug formed by stones, rounded by the passages of the icy waters.

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Leaving behind small settlements surrounded by modest agricultural fields, arranged along the fertile banks of water lines, where yaks and wild horses graze, we start to go up the steep slopes. Increasingly the landscape gets more desert, with the human presence disappearing almost completely. The abrupt gray cliffs seem to touch the white of the clouds that decorate the blue sky.

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The settlements lying along the road, which are no more than a few houses scattered along the road, feature a characteristic Tibetan architecture, with buildings consisting of three thick stone walls forming a rectangle, within which are built With aid of robust wooden trunks the habitation, almost always of two floors; Whose main facade is entirely wood; The doors and windows are framed by elaborate and colorful designs painted in wood carved in intricate geometric shapes that stand out in the white of the walls.

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As you enter Sichuan Province, the houses acquire other characteristics, the outer walls being entirely built of stone, with the door and window decorations giving way to a black trapeze frame, making these dwellings more solid and Dark, feeling enhanced by the gray stone walls that at cost stand out from the dry, dusty landscape.

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Crossing the highest points, and moving North, the landscape grows more and more arid, with the forest giving way to sandy and rocky slopes of gray and brownish colors, giving the landscape a wild and inhospitable tone… the typical Tibetan plateau landscape!

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...de Shangri-lá a Dao Cheng
… from Shangri-lá to Dao Cheng

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...de Shangri-lá a Dao Cheng
… from Shangri-lá to Dao Cheng

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paragem para almoço... de Shangri-lá a Dao Cheng
lunch break

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...de Shangri-lá a Dao Cheng
… from Shangri-lá to Dao Cheng

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...de Shangri-lá a Dao Cheng
… from Shangri-lá to Dao Cheng

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...de Shangri-lá a Dao Cheng
… from Shangri-lá to Dao Cheng

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bus ... de Shangri-lá a Dao Cheng
bus … from Shangri-lá to Dao Cheng

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...de Shangri-lá a Dao Cheng
… from Shangri-lá to Dao Cheng

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...de Shangri-lá a Dao Cheng
… from Shangri-lá to Dao Cheng

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...de Shangri-lá a Dao Cheng
… from Shangri-lá to Dao Cheng

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...de Shangri-lá a Dao Cheng
… from Shangri-lá to Dao Cheng

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...de Shangri-lá a Dao Cheng
… from Shangri-lá to Dao Cheng

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Note: photos taken from inside the bus

Shangri-lá (Zhongdian)… reality or fiction?

(English version from the text posted in Jun/2014)

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The city, where clearly dominates the Tibetan culture, was in its origins named Gyeltang or Gyalthang but changed to Zhongdian under Chinese influence since the 50’s. But it was when it was recognised its tourist potential, with the old zone formed by an intricate and narrow set of streets, with its houses showing the traditional architecture of the region, in stone and richly carved wood that starts to be called Shangri-la. The name came from a novel from the British writer James Hilton, that apparently placed the story in this city, conferring to this place a mystical atmosphere, synonymous with paradise.

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On arrival, after the short bus trip from the bus terminal to the old part of the city, Shangri-la show a completely desolate scenery, with a big area damaged by a fire that in January of this year destroyed part of the old city. The landscape is now occupied by the scorched debris and by the machines and trucks that clean and rebuilds the old city, giving to the place an apocalyptic atmosphere.

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In spite of this initial vision, the stay in Shangri-la (Zhongdian) was pleasant, with the days spent between visits to the temple that dominates the old part of the city, next to which there is a gigantic prayer wheel. The gold that decorates the prayer wheel stands out among the grove that covers the modest hill. Strolling through the streets of the old city and making some inroads into the modern part of the city, of Chinese layout and architecture, but where you can find a strong presence of people from different ethnic groups, proudly wearing their traditional costumes often combined with western clothing.

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The negative impression from the first sight was dissipating, and the fact that the fire destroyed part of the city’s patrimony also caused it to remove the commercial and excessively touristy atmosphere that previously existed, and that somewhat de-characterizes the cities of Dalí and Lijiang, visited before.

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Here you can begin to feel the effects of altitude… insomnia, headaches, shortness of breath, and heart beating each time you climb a ladder or a steeper slope.

 

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parte antiga da cidade destruída por um incêndio no inicio deste ano, oferendo uma imagem desolada de Shangri-lá
old part of  Shangri-lá after the fire

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Parte antiga de Shangri-lá (Zhongdian)
 Shangri-lá (Zhongdian) old town

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Shangri-lá (Zhongdian)
Shangri-lá (Zhongdian)

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Gigantesca Roda de Orações situada na colina junto da praça central, onde se encontram mais dois templos budistas, um de arquitectura tibetana e outro, mais moderno de arquitectura chinesa
Prayer Wheel

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Shangri-lá (Zhongdian)
Shangri-lá (Zhongdian)

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Shangri-lá (Zhongdian)
Shangri-lá (Zhongdian)

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Roda de orações e templo budista que encimam a pequena colina à volta da qual se desenvolve cidade antiga de Shangri-lá (Zhongdian)
Prayer wheel and Buddhist temple at Shangri-lá (Zhongdian)

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Mercado de Zhongdian
Zhongdian market

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Mercado de Zhongdian
cooking dumplins at Zhongdian market

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Stupa situada num dos cruzamentos da cidade poupados ao incêndio, mas cuja área envolvente foi praticamente destruida
Stupa in on town

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Templo budista localizado numa colina a sul de Shangri-lá, um pouco mais afastada do centro da cidade que é conhecido por “templo das galinhas” visto situar-se numa zona mais rural
Buddhist temple called “chicken temple”

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Rodas de orações no exterior do “templo das galinhas” em Shangri-lá
Prayer whell from the “chicken temple” in Shangri-lá

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“chicken temple” in Shangri-lá

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“templo das galinhas” em Shangri-lá
“chicken temple” in Shangri-lá

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“templo das galinhas” em Shangri-lá
“chicken temple” in Shangri-lá

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documentos contendo escritos sagrados que são geralmente envolvidos em panos e que se encontram frequentemente nos mosteiros e nos templos budistas
Buddhist holy scripts

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Pinturas em estilo “tankha” com informação relacionada com a medicina tradicional tibetana que recorre ao uso de plantas e minerais
“tankha” paitings

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Templo no museu dedicado à cultura Tibetana existente no centro de Shangri-lá
Tibetan culture Museum in Shangri-lá

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Population: 120.000

Elevation: 3270 m

Sumtseling Monastery… an impressive Buddhist temple

(English version from the text posted in Jun/2014)

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A few kilometers north of Zhondgian is the famous Sumtseling Monastery (Sumtseling Gompa), which is considered to be the most important Buddhist monastery in Southwest China, with more than 300 years, with about six hundred monks.

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The monastery, dominating one of the slopes of the mountains that surround the city of Zhondgian is formed by multiple buildings, mainly destined to the lodging of the monks, emphasizing in the top of the elevation the main temples crowned by the golden glow of the roofs.

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In spite of the presence of large groups of visitors guided by guides that at the expense of small loudspeakers lead the visitors through the various temples, it is possible to find in this monastery lonely nooks that invite to the introspection, while observing Buddha statues covered of antiquity and to appreciate the wind that drags the cold dry air from the summit of the mountains and fiercely shakes the bodies exposed to the implacably intense sun that the few clouds that scatter the sky can not cushion.

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Mosteiro de Sumtseling

Mosteiro de Sumtseling

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Mosteiro de Sumtseling

Mosteiro de Sumtseling

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Mosteiro de Sumtseling

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Mosteiro de Sumtseling

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How to visit the Sumtseling Monastery

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  • Tickets: 140 yuan (ticket includes transportation from the Monastery )
  • For those who want to visit the Monastery for free should take the Bus 3 (2 yuan), which passes close to the Old Town, towards North; the driver requires all tourists to leave to move to gigantic installations ticketing.

To the rear of this building are the buses that transport visitors directly to the monastery.

Skirting the building on the left (the right side is a guard) picks up the road that goes towards the monastery.

The path is always going up but doesn’t take more than 15 minutes, and allows you to make a detour to the left toward a hill where they run the “sky burial” and where it has a phenomenal view, both in terms of landscape as the Monastery.

Continuing the ascent, you reach a high point where you can go straight down the road towards the main entrance of the monastery or alternatively down toward a lake, bypassing it with a wooden walkway; the latter route is longer but more beautiful.

Arriving at the monastery, you must walk to the left side (the main entrance is on you right) to find a secondary entrance that is not guarded.

From here you climb up to the temples.

To exit, one can use the main door because there is no control.

The return can be done by Bus 3 that part of the enclosure opposite the main entrance of the Monastery; ticket price of bus: 2 yuan.

Lijiang… a modern ancient city

(English version from the text posted in Jun/2014)

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While in Dalí dominates the grey stone, in Lijiang the brown of the wood stands out. Larger and more touristy, with a large number of bars and restaurants, an endless number of souvenir shops. The narrow streets, arranged in an intricate mesh, fill up throughout the day, making a walking through the old part of the city in a test of patience.

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With the small streams running gently through the narrow canals that run along the main streets, the shade of the trees whose green scatters with the fuchsia of bougainvillea, the squares where groups of women gather to dance to the sound of folk music and with the intricate wood carving which decorates the buildings, the ancient city of Lijiang is the place of choice for Chinese tourism which found here the ideal setting for photos with elaborate poses, sometimes wearing the colourful traditional costumes of the various ethnic minorities that can be rented in the shops.

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Like Dali, Lijiang’s sinfulness and lack of spontaneity are not expected in an ancient city, where the buildings appear to be new, with some still under construction, where the pavement of the streets is impeccably arranged, where the temples are painted new, where everything was thought to be safe, functional and pleasing to the eye… one might say, with a bit of irony: a modern old town!!!

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pequenas embalagens de chá à venda nas muitas lojas especializadas que facilmente se encontram espalhadas na parte antiga da cidade, onde se pode fazer uma prova de chá servidos com o ritual e o requinte tradicionais chineses
Lijiang
Parte antiga de Lijiang onde as ruas estreitas protegem do intenso sol que rompe o permanente céu azul que cobre a cidade
Lijiang
Lijiang
Lijiang

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Lijiang
Lijiang

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Lijiang
Lijiang

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lojas com a turística iconografia comunista, onde a fotografia de Mao, tendo já perdido o respeitoso significado, faz parte dos merchandising chinês
Lijiang

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loja onde sobressaem os artigos religiosos budistas, muitos de inspiração tibetana, muito populares entre os visitantes chineses que os compram mais por recordação do local do que por devoção religiosa
Lijiang
Chá prensado e embalado em forma de discos, cujo preço varia conforme a qualidade e antiguidade do produto podendo ultrapassar as centenas de euros
Lijiang

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"disco" de chá embalados em folhas de bambu
Lijiang

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Population: 1200.000 (Old town e New town)

Elevation: 2400 m

Dalí… the postcard city

(English version from the text posted in Jun/2014)

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Dali is a small town in the Yunnan region which stands out because it is located on the trade route between China and Burma (Myanmar) and although it has lost importance with the closure of this access it has been able to take advantage of its architectural features to become a tourist place, attracting thousands of visitors, mostly Chinese, who come here on a day trip or choose to stay longer attracted by the picturesque calm of the village.

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The old part of Dali is concentrated in the interior of thick lower walls, forming a square, with a door in each of the faces, oriented according to the cardinal points. Of these ornate doors with elaborate wooden constructions painted with gaudy corrals and which contrasts strongly with the gray of the stones that form the walls, one gets a clear idea of the privileged location of the city, which on the one hand has the massive presence of a seemingly An insurmountable mountainous chain, from where small streams flow through the city, flowing into Lake Dian (Diã Chí) that is on the opposite side.

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The gray of the stone that serves as the base for most of the buildings and the clay used in the fabrication of the characteristic tiles that uniformly cover the houses of Dalí, make the city a gray and dull stain that defers in the blue of the sky that punctuated of thick white clouds frame Almost always the landscape.

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The main streets are exclusively dedicated to the sale of traditional items from the region, between weaving and goldsmith, food products dominated by dried meat and flower-based sweets, amulets and clothes inspired by the traditional costumes of various ethnic groups and many tea shops, by which the Yunnan region is famous.

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In the evening, countless restaurants fill up, livening the streets with live music, along which craftsmen expose their work, in a more creative and alternative approach to the local crafts.

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In Dali, the Bai ethnic group predominates, whose traditional costumes are only worn by guides who lead large groups of Chinese tourists through the city streets, in silent electric vehicles, visiting museums and temples and strolling along the walls surrounding the old part of the city.

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From Dalí lies a touristy and picturesque town, calm and organised, but where a certain spontaneity is lacking, breathing a “postal” atmosphere. The small market located in one of the corners of the wall offers a bit of color and exoticism due to the diversity of the products on display, some difficult to identify in the eyes of a Westerner not accustomed to Chinese cuisine.

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Dalí
Dalí

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Dalí
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Dalí
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Ao fim do dia, numa das maiores praças da cidade reúnem-se mulheres que ao som de musica chinesa praticam exercício que mais se assemelha a uma dança
Dalí

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ao longo de algumas das ruas, correm pequenos riachos
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Dalí

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Um das portas de acesso à cidade antiga de Dalí que se encontra cercada por espessas muralhas
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Dalí

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Uma das ruas principais de Dalí, totalmente dedicadas ao comércio de produtos locais pelos quais esta região da província de Yunnan é famosa, como doces feitos à base de flores, carne seca, e especialmente o chá
Dalí

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Dalí
Dalí

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Dalí
Dalí

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Mercado de Dalí
Dalí Market

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Mercado de Dalí
Dalí Market

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Mercado de Dalí
Dalí Market

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Dalí

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OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
Dalí

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Population: 110.000

Elevation: 1900 m

Kunming… the life around the Green Lake

(English version from the text posted in Jun/2014)

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Kunming, the capital of Yunnan province, breathes a modern and cosmopolitan atmosphere, with wide avenues, organised traffic, some green spaces and which despite its slightly more than 1 million inhabitants offers a calm and relaxed atmosphere.

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The so-called Green Lake dominates the center of Kunming, if one can call this area a center, as most of the Chinese cities practically nothing remains really old, with traditional buildings already being replaced by concrete buildings, some of which are already being demolished to give way to modern buildings, and with huge orthogonal streets, with wide sidewalks where the traffic circulates at the rhythms of luminous signs.

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The state of Yunnan, bordering Tibet, Burma, Laos and Vietnam and its population mirrors these influences well, with the highest concentration of ethnic groups and where nearly half of the population is non-Han, the major Chinese ethnic group.

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A little of this ethnic diversity is evident in the activity around Green Lake Park, where, in the shadow of countless trees, various groups gather to perform dances, forming wheels around modest sound columns, filling the space with color and variety of traditional costumes that many insist on wearing.

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Green Lake, Kunming
Green Lake, Kunming

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Green Park, onde pela manhã muitos dos habitantes de Kunming praticam tai-chi
Green Park, where in early morning people gathering to practice tai-chi

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Green Lake, Kunming
Green Lake, Kunming

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Green Lake, Kunming
Green Lake, Kunming

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Green Lake, Kunming
Green Lake, Kunming

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Kunming
Kunming

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Green Lake, Kunming
Green Lake, Kunming

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Green Lake, Kunming
Green Lake, Kunming

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Kunming
Kunming

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Kunming
Kunming

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Kunming
Guang Hua, the “old street” where the old buildings are being renew

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Kunming
one of the many comercial areas with the most famous international brands

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Kunming
Kunming

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Kunming
Kunming

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Kunming
school kids, Kunming

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Kunming
Kunming

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Kunming
islamic temple in Kunming

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Kunming
Kunming

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Kunming
playing cards is a popular outdoor activity

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Population: 1.044.000

Elevation: 1890 m

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