Travel to West Yunnan
Weixi
- Sights : Weixi is a very dusty Chinese farmers village on the border to Tibet. Weixi is surrounded by other small but beautiful villages that have a rather Tibetan than Chinese culture and customs. On saturday evenings it's market evening in Weixi. - There are 2 internet cafes in Weixi with a decent connection where you can surf on the internet for 3 Yuan per hour.
- Weixi has two hotels, although I don't know if they accept foreigners. The impression I got was that people in Weixi are quite relaxed about rules and regulations. I stayed with a Tibetan guest family.
- Weixi is reachable from Lijiang by bus. the bus trip takes 7,5hours. The bus departs at 7:30 in the morning from Lijiang. From Judian the road follows a mountain river. the bus from Lijiang drives through a breath taking beautiful rough landscape, but the road can get muddy. There is also a sleeper bus from Kunming.
- The way from Weixi to Deqin is really worth seeing and experiencing and it's very adventurous. you pass remote villages, follows the gorge of the Mekong river and can clearly see the change in landscape when you approach Tibet. The bus departs at 6:50 from Weixi, make sure that you sit next to the driver (there is place for two passengers next to the driver) if you don't want to get completely dirty from the sacks that the farmer passengers are bringing along.
Deqin
- Sights : Deqin itself is not very attractive, it is claustrophobically situated between mountain sides. The low lying part of Deqin is modern Chinese, while in the high part of the city the wooden pig stalls stand next to the houses where most of the inhabitants are Tibetans. Near Deqin you can make trekking's around the 6740 meter high Meili mountain. You can also make nice trekking's along the gorge that the young Mekong cut in the mountainous landscape. From Deqin you can travel thorough to Tibet.
- Budget hotels in Deqin : The best place to spend the night is in the Tibet Hotel. Follow the arrows with "Hotel Tibet" written on them to the left after exiting the bus station. You reach the hotel after about 100 meters. The Tibet hotel is situated in the main street. It is new and very clean with hot showers, a french toilet with door, very nice rooms with TV. In the reception there is an interesting map of the region around Deqin where you can see how to get to the Meili glacier. The staff of the hotel speak a little bit of english and can give you tourist information over Meili trekking's, walk's, and trek's in the area. The price per night was 50 Yuan for a double and 30 Yuan for a single.
- Budget hotels : If you find the Tibet Hotel too expensive there is also a cheap budget hotel for 15 Yuan per person per night on the inner court behind the A Dun Zi hotel. Walk out of the bus station and then to the right. the hotel is situated about 100 meter away. The beds are clean but the carpet was very dirty and there is no shower and no running water. you can fill a wash basin with the hot water from the tea thermos. On the inner court there is an open chinese public toilet without doors.
- Internet cafes : So far there is no internet cafe in Deqin.
- Walking in the mountains around Deqin :
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you can get a bus at 8:30 to a village situated 7km from the Meili glacier. This bus returns around 16:00 to Deqin (information provided by the Tibet hotel).
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you have a great view on the snow clad Meili mountain from the view point near the gompa, a few kilometres (so you can easily get there by foot) along the main road between Deqin and Zhongdian. The view of the beautiful mountain from in between the colourful prayer flags is fantastic.
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the walking path pad that leads north out of Deqin, has a dead end and you don't reach the valley so no good views there.
- Travel by public transport from Deqin to Zhongdian : This bus departs at 7:30 and 8:40 and costs 34 Yuan, the trip takes 8 hours. Mainly in the beginning you have wonderful views on the Meili mountain and a pass from 4500 meters high. If you catch the bus at 7:30 (and also sometimes with the one at 8:40) you can step over in Zhongdian to the bus to Lijiang that departs at 17:00.
Zhongdian
- Sights : Zhongdian is an uninteresting modern Chinese city situated on a high plain 3200 meter above sea level. To avoid having to sleep here it's better to get the first bus from Deqin to make sure to be on time for the bus to Lijiang.
- Budget hotels in Zhongdian : Hotel Dian Li, has only a board written in Chinese outside. Take a right outside the bus station and walk until the end of the road (just before the old town). Then turn left the building is situated 50 meters further on the right. A room costs 50 Yuan per night (I bargained from 80 Yuan). It is a kind of 4-star Chinese business hotel, with karaoke bar, very clean rooms, luxurious bathroom, beds with special electrically heated sheets, free soap, shampoo, tooth brush, tooth paste, hair comb,shoe soles, tea bags, matches and more! Everything is prepared with the hotel logo. There is a toilet with seat in the room.
- Internet cafe : There are at least three internet cafes in the same street as the bus station, 6 Yuan per hour surfing.
- Travel by public transport from Zhongdian : there are several busses every day from to Lijiang, the last bus leave around 17:00.
