"I suppose you're calling to cancel your trip?" Yinjie, our friend and travel agent said.
"On the contrary. China and Southeast Asia are probably good places to be right now." I replied. This was in late October only five weeks after 9-11.
In the next month, we would be making a total of twenty-one take-offs and landings with carriers ranging from Cathay Pacific to Mandalay Air. My husband Chris and I were hunting for 'Shangri-la' just beyond Lijiang in Yunnan Province or at Inle Lake or Bagan in Myanmar, or at Halong Bay in Vietnam or at Angkor Wat in Cambodia - and if all else failed - at the Shangri-la Hotel in Bangkok.
Latest Update
Where Yunnan meets Tibet: Deqen
Deqen is a border town huddled below Meili Snow Mountain. Will this be the place where Chris will find Shangri-La?
Zhondian
The road to Shangri-La hits a speed bump in the form of tourism overload, but Chris believes that the only obstacle to having a good time is yourself.
Catch Up On The Journey
Beyond Lijiang
Tiger Leaping Gorge is a beautiful stop on the way to Zhondian, a frontier-like town with enough energy to make you forget its gangly growing pains.
Lijiang, Yunnan Province
Not a "remote, idyllic hideaway", Lijiang does not meet the definition of Shangri-la. However, Chris found that the World Heritage Site had plenty to offer just the same.
Kunming, Yunnan Province
Kunming has enough sights to keep you busy for a long time. However, don't leave the city before you've tried a bowl of "Crossing the Bridge Noodle Soup".
