"Deqin- Maybe it's really the Shangri-la!" Deqin by matt10gonzalez

-When Serious Gifted Cousin nearly died! Seriously- while she was on top of her horse, sitted safely in her saddle (With assistance help of course.), she thought she was safe and ready to enjoy! Wrong!
Her horse went berserk! Apparently, the horses here have a bad temper. (Like anywhere else in the world.) So the horse ran down the hill! (And it was a broken road!) Serious Gifted Cousin thought she would never make it back home...

Serious Gifted Cousin: "I was so terrified! I was imagining I was seeing God already!"

But it wasn't her time to go: The assistance came screaming and whacking the horse and she managed to hang on till the horse calmed down. She was very lucky: The horse stopped in a very sharp corner of the hill, if the horse didn't stop, she'll probably be in the crypt right now.

Fun-loving cousin: Wow...if my sister died, I also wanna die too!"
Teenage cousin: (Sarcastically) "Ka lingaw ang kabayo mo Ann. (Your horse is so entertaining. Note: She fought with the girls in Lijiang.)

And final reminder: Don't let this deter you from taking a horse. Many people took it and they all looked fine (And even bored). It's just, well, it happens sometimes and it can happen to in any countries. It's just, well you can never tell your faith!

-The breathtaking view of the glaciers and Mt. Meili- free (except glaciers) and who can't forget?

-All the prayer flags along the way to the glacier- it's spiritual and makes the trip look even more exciting!

-The stompas, the windy road and the scenery, you come to Deqin for this!

-The rowdy atmosphere of the town of Deqin- it made the hair of the parents curl up!
-When a drunk guy here tried to flirt with dad- it really made his blood pressure curl up!
-OUR HOTEL! (I think the name was Che-chung hotel, can't really make it out- it's in Chinese and I lost the calling card but why would you stay here after you read this?) Who can't forget?

IT WAS THE PITS!
-Beside a sex shop, a drunk pool parlor, truly a rough area indeed.
-Staff unfriendly, they scream at you, scream at each other.
-Since in a rough area, drunks go here at night, wandering aimlessly in the hallways and acting like, well, drunk! Also, you could hear screaming, see many rowdy, drunk people around the streets at night; No wonder you're reminded to LOCK your rooms at ALL times and always ask who it is!
-Some rooms were unfinished! (Like the bathroom in my room.)
-One bathroom lacked a shower! (The parent's room.)
-One room had no hot water at all! So it was freezing cold! (The girl's room.)
-One room had no cold water at all! So it was boiling hot! (My room!)
-And our view? A grey concrete brick wall. Very marvelous indeed. I feel like I'm in jail.
-But the rooms are nice- orange lights, beds with TV but still pretty bad.
Costs: 300 yuan (About 5 US per person, 2007) for all 3 rooms. (Because we're 7! Remember?)

-AND YOU KNOW WHAT? We foud a 100x better hotel, facing the mighty Himalayas for the same price compared to this dungeon! It wasn't in the town, it was in a road where all the stompas where. My parents felt like crying! We could have stayed there! Oh well, never mind! It was interesting anyway.

Dad really feels like Indiana Jones doesn't he?

Forget the town of Deqin- it will ruin your appetite. Deqin town, self-proclaimed Shangri-la is amazingly disappointing: A rather ramshackle, rowdy, dinghy town, it somewhat makes James Hamilton, the author who described Shangri-la as 'heaven', appear somewhat delusioned and drunk for him to imagine this 'Deqin' as heaven.

So ditch the town, instead, stay outskirts, into the foot of the beautiful Meili mountains and there you'll find what James Hamilton really meant what a real, peaceful, heavenly Shangri-la is.

Indeed, Deqin county is not only beautiful but rather exilirating. Deqin doesn't miss a trick: From the snow-capped Meili Mountains, to the Toblerone-Dolomites like craggy mountains beside it, to the deep gorges, the melting ice glaciers, the Middle Eastern like Tibetan villages with paddies and top it all with Buddhist stompas & piles of yaks (Though, you can't ride them- unless you know how to deal with them so, too bad!), horses and donkeys, Deqin county may really be what James Hamilton meant : 'The place where you'll never grow old.' - Shangri-la.

Deqin- Maybe it's really the Shangri-la!

Compared to Bacolod- It's more boring- no malls, no arcades, but the scenery here is also 20x more spectacular!

Compared to Manila- Stay here for 3 months straight, the moment you arrive in Manila, it will be the most relieving thing you'll ever see!

Compared to Kunming- Ah... I was kind of relieved to see Mc. Donalds and the shopping crowds in Kunming! But I also like this place, I don't know. I guess you can't have perfect!

Compared to Austria- It's less developed, more exotic (of course!) and harder to navigate than the mountains of Austria!

Compared to Mt. Sinai, Egypt- It's like comparing Mars (Being Egypt) and Earth (Being Deqin.)

Compared to Sikkim, India- The mountain landscape in Sikkim is much nicer: It's craggier, the roads look adventurous, (Yup! All broken roads! Here, it's all modern, paved roads!) more waterfalls, more yaks and more wild than this one. But this one is pretty good already! I'll say, 2nd to Sikkim.

Family's reactions about the place:

Mom: I like Deqin- it's peaceful. But I just don't like the town.
Dad: I like Deqin, but it's a bit modern already, unlike Sikkim (Indian Himalayas) where the road is rowdy, there! It really looks wild! This one is a bit modern but it's still nice.

Kids: (Beware! If you're a good parent, don't take kids here!)

Brother: I hate Deqin! It's boring! What we'll we do there? No malls, and no English bookstore!
It's a place where you'll grow old and rot to death!
Fun-loving cousin: I wanna go back to Kuala Lumpur and shop!
Teenager cousin: I wanna go back home to be with my boyfriend.
Serious, gifted cousin: I like it- it's nice for photography and it's so peaceful.
But I think it's only worth 3 nights. I rather be in Lijiang- it's much more fun.
And I find the Tibetan men, culture rough.

So see? If you're a good parent! Beware! (Actually, my parents where also getting kind of
bored after 3 nights.)

• Pros:Peaceful & beautiful! Also a great base for the surrounding areas!
• Cons:Warning: You might get bored!
• In a nutshell:Maybe it's really the Shangri-la!