www.tibettrekking.org
When arriving in Deqin there have been three usual choices, either stay in town or in the Fei Lai Si area or go to Mingyong town?
With the opening up of Tashi's Mountain Lodge, you now have a fourth option. The Lodge is situated half way between Deqin and Fei lai Si on the main road to Tibet. The benefits of staying at the Lodge will be dealt with in another post. Here I will stick to the other options.
Mingyong Town
To get to Mingyong town, you will either need to catch a bus or get a small taxi. You can rent a taxi from 100-200RMB, depending on how hard you bargain. Either way, if there's a group of you it's a bargain as you can easily fit 4 people with big packs into one taxi comfortably. It's a long way from Deqin to Mingyong, at least one and a half hours and you will drive past Tashi's Lodge and Fei Lai Si.
When entering Mingyong, via the main road, you will also have to pay the entry fee to the area. This is about 60-70RMB each. If you arrive late at night the office maybe closed and you can slip through.
Mingyong town is certainly no "one horse town." There are more ponies than people, and they wander up and down the streets like gangs of bored youths. There's a long line of Chinese-style hotels along the only street, that have token Tibetan decoration on the outside, they're all about the same as each other, and vary according to price. You can expect to pay around 50-100RMB for a double room, with bathroom, TV and loads of other gizmos that either you don't use or don't work.
The main reason to go to Mingyong Town is to go to the Glacier, which is well worth it and I will deal with that in another post.
You can also get to Mingyong by bus. This isn't as straight-forward as you would first think, so I will explain.
The main bus station is at the bottom end of town. If you imagine that Deqin is shaped like a T, then when you get off the bus you are located at the bottom end of the T. To find the bus to Mingyong you have to walk back up the road and take a left turn at the the T-junction. Carry on along the road, past a scruffy Chinese hotel on your left and a couple of yak butchers on your right. There’s no actual bus stop, but there’s normally buses parked up in this area and you can ask which bus it is and when it is leaving. Last time I checked the bus cost 15RMB and takes a good while.
Staying in Deqin
The majority of people who stay in Deqin stay at the Deqin Hotel, mainly because it has the best write-up in the Lonely Planet. As far as Chinese style hotels go, with a lick of Tibetaness, then the place is completely ordinary and run of the mill, but if you have to stay in Deqin then stay here. To find it, take a left out of the bus station and it’s about 200metres down the road on the right.
As far as other hotels in town go, I’ve heard scary stories about most, even the so-called 3stars, but if all you care about is cheapness or convenience, then take your pick.
Apparently, there’s also a new, big, swish hotel just opened-up at the bottom of town. I haven’t been there yet but will go check it out at some stage. Apparently it’s the talk of the town and like no other hotel around. This probably signifies the coming of greater tourism to the area.
Fei Lai Si
What can I say about Fei Lai Si?
I’ll be completely honest and fess-up that I think it’s a complete waste. When the views are clear, there’s no place like it on earth, it’s just so spectacular that it spins you out, that is if you are facing the mountains. However, if you swing round 180’ you can then soak up the pathetic excuse for a street that is Fei Lai Si. There’s neither a restaurant or hotel/guesthouse that is really worth mentioning. Yeah, some are ok, but I guess they’re relying on their spectacular views. The problem is, is that 7 times outta 10, Fei lai Si, doesn’t have the breathtaking views! Even the Migratory Bird (MB), which is about the most decent place there, leaves you wanting. To me the MB is a bit of a conundrum. It is so well done, has such a great spot and the interior resonates like it should be a hotbed of trekking and mountaineering news, but the thing is it’s not! The MB has everything but soul and that’s what makes it such an enigma.
Most people stay in Fei Lai Si to see the sun rise over on Meili, which is very spectacular, but is rare to see in some months. If you really want to get a guaranteed, picture postcard view of Meili, then you have to go in winter. I’ve had numerous conversations with people who were adamant that they were going to see the sunrise, despite me telling them about the daily weather patterns and conditions not being favourable. Unfortunately, simple staying in Fei lai Si and getting up early isn’t enough karma to witness a spectacular sunrise, you also need timing.
Saying this, making the effort to travel up to Deqin in the hope of seeing Meili is well worth it and one of the best things you can do in Yunnan, so don’t be put off, by the chance of not seeing it.
BTW, the sunrises, in front of the mountains and casts its rays over the faces in the early morning, and then the sunsets behind the the mountains, creating some stunning shadows .
If you want a spectacular rare, treat, then try viewing the mountains on a clear night with a full moon, that really is something to behold, with all the peaks and glaciers illuminated by the milky, crisp light.
Fei Lai Si is also a good place to start a few treks in the area. If you want to trek, you should stay at Tashi’s Lodge, I will write about The Lodge in another post.
No comments:
Post a Comment