LuGu Lake

Lugu Lake (泸沽湖) lies 5-6 hours away from Lijiang, and makes for a really interesting side trip from Lijiang. Because of the long journey there, a minimum of 2 nights stay would be recommended. So what's so interesting there?


Lugu Lake is home to the Mosuo people, one of the more interesting minority groups of Yunnan province. They are a matriarchal society and their customs and practices are strange and often accounted. One of the more famous customs of the Mosuo is their marriage-less system. Men and women are free to have their love affairs and single mothers are common. Children grow up with their mothers and uncles and most don't even know who their father is (they take their mother's surname)!! Traditionally, women who are interested in a particular man will invite him to her house/room to spend the night. Usually, the man will come after dark, and leave in the morning. Both are free to continue or end this "arrangement" as they please! Talk about ancient conservation China!



There are a couple of villages or settlements in Lugu Lake, with Luoshui probably the most "touristy". There are no lack of guesthouses, and common activities around here would be hiking around the mountains and taking boat rides to the islands on the lake. While the Mosuo do not wear their traditional attire in their daily life anymore, many of the communities around the villages will dorn their traditional clothings and dance and sing around campfires for the tourists. And if there is enough demand, you could even roast/grill a whole sheep over the campfire (烤全羊)!



The lake itself is of course beautiful, with different hues at different times of the day. The morning mists is just beautiful, and overall a wonderful place to just chill out too. So really, 2 nights is easily the minimum you would want to stay here!!

Stirling Range National Park

Most Singaporean travellers I know visiting Western Australia and Perth would inevitably do the coastal road trip down to Margaret River wine region, and probably all the way south to Albany. This is really a great route to do, and one I did and enjoyed tremendously. However, there is another place well worth visiting in that region, and that is Stirling Range National Park.


There is another route down to Albany from Perth - an inland highway, that passes by a park known as Stirling Range National Park. The best time to visit is spring, where flowers of all kind bloom. There are, of course, hiking opportunities in the park, and thus, with the abundance of flowers along the hiking trail, makes for a really enjoyable "walk in the park"! :)



There are accommodations in the Park itself, which is recommended if you want to enjoy the full day in the park instead of commuting to nearby towns. An example is here. If you are planning a driving circuit down southern WA, esp in spring, then this is definitely a good stopover. You start from Perth and come down via the inland road to Stirling Range, enjoy a couple of days here, and continue down to Albany and from there, do your usual route back upwards via the coastal Margaret River region. If you are a wine and flower person, you have the best of both worlds! :)

Meili Snow Mountains

One of Life's most awesomest experiences - watching dawn light falling onto the 13 peaks of Meili Snow Mountains.


The Meili Snow Mountains (梅里雪山 ), or the Prince Mountains is a range of mountains situated in the northeast region of Diqing county in Yunnan China. It's main peak, Kawa Karpo, is one of the holiest mountains of Tibetan Buddhism. Like Mt Kailash, thousands of pilgrims would undergo a kora (circumambulation) round the mountain. While "only" 6740m, Kawa Karpo has not been ascended.



Flanking Kawa Karpo on both sides, there are 12 other snow capped peaks. Every morning, when the sky is clear, the rising sun's rays will fall onto these peaks, bringing the mountains on fire. The prime location to view this spectacular phenomena is a village/town of FeiLaiSi. Transport can be arranged in the town of Deqin, and guesthouses are plenty in FeiLaiSi. It is said that clear days are a rarity here, so I stayed 2 nights to maximise the chances of viewing. And I got 2 days of clear weather!


And so, I managed to enjoy one of Life's most awesomest experiences, twice. :)

Hemu

Hemu is a delightful village situated in the northern regions of Xinjiang China. Set amidst forests of birch & poplars, the village bursts into fields of yellow and orange during autumn and draws many Chinese photographers all over.




The village is accessed mainly via private vehicle or trekking. There is a very popular 2-day trek from Hemu to Kanas (or vice versa), another even more popular Chinese retreat. The main draw of Kanas is Kanas lake, which is turning out to be too touristy for my liking. However, the trek is fabulous, and while most travellers do the trek on a horse (a horse trek), those who wants flexibility for photography should do their trek on foot. The trek passes through beautiful valleys of the Altai mountains, and the typical overnight stays are in local yurts, hosted by nomadic Kazaks. The most common overnight location would be near Black Lake, and even in autumn, the place would often snow, so appropriate clothings should be prepared.

Hemu village itself comprises mostly of Kazaks. In the height of autum season, every morning before the sun rises, hordes of photographers would make their way up a hill which overlooks the village. Early morning mists would cover the village, and when the sun rises, it dissipates the mists and casts its rays onto the wooden houses of the village. Sandwiched between the golden forestry, it's a scene that will easily bewitch anyone, let alone photographers!



While there are many local (Chinese) photographers/tourists/travellers, foreigners are still almost non-existent there. Whichever the state the village will eventually become, I am glad I managed to see its current beauty.

Kashgar

Kashgar, or Kashi in Chinese, is an important city along the silk roads during the days of old. Inevitably, today, it is now one of the major stops for tourists/backpackers travelling the Silk Road route. However, most people on a tour package would only have a day or two here, which is a shame really, as I think here is place which you should savour at a slower pace.




Two widely known attractions in Kashgar would be its Sunday Market and Abakh Khoja's Tomb. The latter, one of the holiest place in Xinjiang, houses the remains of Abakh Khoja, who was a powerful ruler of Kashgar, and the leader of the White Hat Sect of Islam. However, it is his grand-daughter, who was also entombed here (as was 71 other relatives/descendants), that has gained more fame than him today. She is supposed to be the Fragrance Concubine of the Qing emperor QianLong, and so most people know this attraction as Xiang Fei Mu (tomb)!

As for the Sunday Market, it is indeed an eye opener for many. However, certain parts of the market have succumbed to the tourist boom, and there is now a huge mall-like structure that houses scores of stalls selling the same stuff. Better to stick to the stalls outside, where you see all kinds of foodstuff and services being marketed. In particular, the livestock market should not be missed. Apparently, it has been moved further away and separated from the main market (possibly for hygiene reasons?). But it sure is far more interesting, as you can literally see the locals selecting/haggling over sheep, horses, cows and the like! Definitely one of the highlights of Kashgar!

The other highlight for me, is a walk into the Old Town of Kashgar. Here, away from the bustle of commerce and other tourists, you can see the real daily life of the locals. What's more, if you wander around at the right time, you can catch a glimpse of the children going/leaving school, and they are a delight to capture! They just love to have their pictures taken (and shown to them)! I could spend a day walking around just like that!



It certainly helps that Kashgar is also the start/end point of the Karakoram Highway, which attracts lots of travellers. But even if it's not, this city is worth a visit in its own right.

Karakuli Lake

The journey through the Karakoram Highway into Xinjiang China typically ends at Kashgar, a fascinating city to visit in its own right. But in between that and Tashkurgan, the border town of China and Pakistan, lies a gem of exquisite beauty that simply deserves recommendation.


Karakuli Lake, a highland lake at 3600m, sits below the majestic grandeur of the Pamir range. The reflections of the ice-covered peaks of Mt Khongur and Muztagh Ata on the lake itself is certainly one of the highlights of the visit. Treks can be done round the lake, and even to the base of Muztagh Ata itself. However, due to the altitude, make sure you are properly acclimatised.



Around the lake itself, small pockets of Khirghiz living in their yurts can provide for an interesting night stay in Karakuli Lake. However, the ugly side of tourism has emerged as the Chinese government seems to be building a fence and some "resort" round the lake and charging for entrance fees! My stay outside the fenced area, with a Khirghiz family was alot more authentic I feel. But of course, you'll have to live with its basic facilities, which means no heater in the cold night, and enduring nature's calling if its gets too cold outside. It actually snowed in the night even though it was late summer/early autumn!



Transport to Karakuli can be easily arranged in Kashgar, with many travel agents providing the service. If coming from Pakistan/Tashkurgan, the bus from Tashkurgan to Kashgar passes by Karakuli lake, and you can easily get the driver to alight you here. Again, highly recommended for me!

The Karakoram Highway

The famed Karakoram Highway or KKH as its affectionately known, is one of those places that many a traveler rave about. Connecting China to Pakistan, it cuts through beautiful rugged mountainous terrains, and at its border at Khunjerab Pass, it is the world's highest paved border crossing!

The highway is built jointly by Pakistan and China, and its construction took 20 years and hundreds of lives. Most of the casualties are due to landslides, though somehow, the Pakistani workers took the bulk of the numbers : 810 to 82!! (according to Wikipedia). But when the highway opened, it brought in commerce and better livelihood to the people in northern Pakistan.




Most people starting the journey in Pakistan would either start in Islamabad or Rawalpindi. While there are public buses and minivans thoughout the stretch of the Karakoram Highway, the best transport in terms of flexibility would be a private jeep hire. Northward, the most popular stopover would be Fairy Meadow and Nanga Parbat before reaching Gilgit, the true hub of the Karakoram Highway. Here at Gilgit, you could continue northward along the Karakoram, turn west to Chitral, or turn east to Skardu where K2 beckons. Moving further north, there are plenty of delightful stopovers at various towns, notably Karimabad and Passu. After Passu, you'll reach the border town of Sust, before finally crossing Khunjerab Pass.

There are both buses and jeeps that cross the border to reach Tashkurgan, the border town on the Chinese side. Khunjerab Pass itself is surrounded by snow-capped mountains whole year round and its beauty and scale easily engulfs you. If it doesn't, the altitude sickness probably will (it's at 4730m). Certainly one of the highlights of a journey through the Karakoram Highway.



The "endpoint" of the Karakoram Highway would be Kashgar, Xinjiang China, though there are plenty of people who do the journey the other way round - ie start in Kashgar and down to Gilgit/Islamabad etc. Whichever the way, the journey itself would be the experience of a lifetime....