香格里拉／Shangrila

天是蓝蓝的，草是绿绿的，这就是香格里拉。

Shangrila - where the sky is blue and the grass is green.

原本想要到西藏和四川去，但可能与它们无缘，一个局势紧张，一个还正在尝试走出地震的阴影。没有办法，只好以从丽江出发的两天一夜游来满足自己对香格里拉的向往。

我知道，天本来就是蓝色的，草也本来就是绿色的，可是看到香格里拉的天空和青草地，还是会忍不住惊叹，从来没有看过如此蓝的天，如此绿的草地。再加上绽放着的白色、黄色和紫色花朵，你会立刻爱上这个地方。

Originally, the plan was to go to Tibet and the surrounding area. But the unrest arising from protests before the Olympics, and the huge earthquake that took thousands of lives in Sichuan meant that I have to make do with a 2 day tour from Lijiang to satisfy my curiosity of Shangrila.

Yes, I do know, no matter which part of the world I go to, the sky will always be blue and the grass will always be green. But standing in Shangrila, you can't help but be amazed at how blue the sky really is and how green the grass is. Coupled with the lovely flowers in bloom, you will fall in love with this place instantly.

停停走走拍了一天的照后，傍晚到了中甸一个藏民家体验一下藏民生活。虽然全团的人都觉得得多付180元（约36新元）有被坑的感觉，但最后还是抱着花钱买个经验的心态，享受了在藏民家的过程。一到那里，就有漂亮的小姑娘捧着酒杯迎接我们。才一踏入他们的家，晚餐就立刻上桌。面条、鸡汤、西藏糕点、酒……“主角”都还没有上场，我们就已经七分饱了。

After a day of stopping and taking pictures, we were brought to a Tibetan house to so-call experience the Tibetan way of life in the outskirts of Zhongdian. Although most of us felt that the 180RMB(about SGD 32)extra for this so-call Tibetan experience seemed a bit too much, we thought we might as well do it after travelling for so long. We were warmly welcomed by the Tibetan family with the traditional white scarf and wine. Upon stepping into their house, we had barely warmed the seats when they started serving the food. Noodles, chicken soup, yak butter milk, biscuits.....the whole table was filled with food.

然后主角就上场了——烤全牛和考全羊。

Finally, the "main cast" of dinner arrived,ie.roast yak and goat, Tibetan style.

晚餐下肚后，接下来就是藏式歌舞表演。虽然听不懂他们在唱什么，但还是很投入，因为歌曲都很好听。一边喝着美酒，一边啃着羊肉，一边欣赏藏民们的表演，真的是很享受。

Next up, was song and dance, the Tibetan way. Although we could not understand what was being sung, we were still captivated by their lovely voice. Wine cup in one hand, roast goat on the other, it definitely made the money worth. 隔天一大早就起床，来到了这个香格里拉之行的最后一站——普达措国家公园，中国的第一个国家公园。天不作美，一直下着细雨，气温特别低。虽然影响了游玩普达措国家公园的兴致，但却遮盖不了这个地方的美丽。

The sun was barely up the next morning, when we had to set off for the final destination of this two day tour, ie. Pu Dacuo National Park. The continuous drizzle meant that we had to walk around the park in the cold with the umbrellas over our heads, but that could not spoil the beauty of this place. 虽然在这短短的两天看到的“游客骗钱商店”比什么都还多，看不到香格里拉真正的美，多少有些失望，但一路上所看到的景致已经足以说服我，一定要再来香格里拉！　　～伟

Although we saw more of tourist trap shops than the real beauty of Shangrila, the lovely scenery we saw from the bus is enough to convince me, one of these days, I must be back! ～wei