Aside from staying in Dukezong Old Town, I was able to explore some of the natural beauty Shangri-La county had to offer, including Tiger Leaping Gorge and the White Water Terraces. While I lost one of my lens caps to the gorge and was nearly duped into paying for incense a man shoved into my hands at the Terraces, I couldn't help but hang my head out the window as I rode through the mountains and marvel. Every now and then I'd glimpse a snow capped mountain (though none of them seemed to be THE snow capped mountain) behind those that were covered in trees while there were others that appeared bare, revealing gray and red stone. Nestled in the valleys were small towns and terraced fields. In one of these vallyes I tried, for the first time, the red rice grown in the area. (It tasted just like white rice, but the red made me eat it with an enthusiasm that had waned after a few weeks of eating rice so often).

*Tiger Leaping Gorge, Shangri-La, China*

Haba Mountain, Haba, Shangri-La, China — *Haba Mountain, Haba, Shangri-La, China*

*White Water Terraces, Shangri-La, China*

*View from hostel in Haba, Shangri-La, China*