I'm creating a new phrase: luxing yuanfen (travel fate). Even though we ran into a bit of unpleasantness Tuesday, as a direct result of some people we met along the way, we changed our travel plans yet again. After spending the morning tooling around Shaxi, we made a spur-of-the-moment decision to head to Lijiang. Convinced that the owner of our hostel was wrong that tickets would likely be sold out at such a late hour, we ignored his advice and took the 45-minute ride to Jianchuan, the closest city with a major bus station. I don't recall why we were so insistent, but of course, we were so, so wrong. Jianchuan is not a place people really go; people mainly just pass through. I don't think I'm exaggerating to call it a little bit of a hell hole. Instead of going back to Shaxi, which several locals recommended, we asked a little old man at a noodle shop if he knew of a place to stay in Jianchuan. He walked us to the only hotel in town, across the street from the bus station. Even though the room reeked of smoke, we really had no choice. We took it. Our guide continued to wait for us even as we checked into our room, a 20-minute process. After, the staff -- two women in their 30s -- asked us to sit with them in the lobby. There, we talked and talked and talked until they invited us to dinner at a Sichuan hot pot place. One of the women brought her son; we played hide and seek. The restaurant owner's kids had a baby rabbit that they let me hold. I had the best hot pot I've ever eaten. Our host also convinced us to skip Lijiang, saying it was too touristy. Instead, we picked up the next day and hit Shangri-la. Somehow, a travel disaster was redeemed. Crisis averted. And even though Shangri-la is much more developed than I thought it would be, it has plenty of its own charms, including some amazing Indian food. (Dear Tamil Nadu, I miss you.) Today, we hit the top of Shika Mountain and tomorrow we'll begin Day 1 of hiking Tiger Leaping Gorge.
