Guanglingsanlideshuiyun
# Review of [Hotel Name - assumed to be 'Jianglu' from the context, as it's not explicitly named as a hotel in the title]
1️⃣ Check-in
1.1 Shuttle Service
Tell the Diqing Jiaoyun bus driver to stop at the Deqin Tunnel entrance, in the direction of Wunongding. Around 10km before (check your phone map for distance), inform the hotel, and a hotel butler will pick you up at the tunnel entrance in Wunongding.
For your return trip, buy a bus ticket departing from Wunongding. The bus driver will call you to ask where you want to be picked up. If you're boarding at the Wunongding observation deck, it's right downstairs from the hotel. If you're at the tunnel entrance, the butler will need to drop you off there beforehand.
1.2 Arrival & Welcome
Upon arrival, you'll be offered a warm ginger tea to help with altitude sickness. You'll also receive a Hada (Tibetan ceremonial scarf).
1.3 Room Environment
Overall, it's very clean, and the facilities are new.
Oxygen supply is sufficient; it's kept on constantly, so I didn't experience severe altitude sickness. Only when moving quickly outdoors did I feel a bit breathless.
Drinks include grape juice and a mini-bar. The Guizhou Cili (Roselle) juice in the mini-bar was quite tasty and not too bitter.
The room also provides Himalaya Snow Lotus facial masks from Chando, which were quite soothing.
From the room, you get a panoramic view of the snow-capped mountains. You don't even need to leave your room to watch the sunrise illuminate the Golden Mountain; you can see the full view right from your bed (as shown in my video).
2️⃣ Dining
2.1 Breakfast (8:00 AM - 1:00 PM)
Breakfast is a buffet (P1-2).
You can enjoy a panoramic view of the snow-capped mountains from the 3rd-floor restaurant during breakfast.
2.2 Dinner (6:00 PM - 8:00 PM)
On the first night, we had stir-fried Erkuai, braised chicken, and blanched choi sum (P4). On the second day, we tried 'Lotus Pond Moonlight' (a dish name) and braised local chicken with Matsutake mushrooms, both of which were good.
Two dishes are usually enough for two people without leftovers; three dishes might be too much.
When ordering, you get a complimentary small copper pot of rice.
Dinner is also served with a panoramic view of the snow-capped mountains from the 3rd-floor restaurant. Even though it was foggy and snowing heavily that day, by dinner time, the full view of the snow mountains became visible (P3).
Dinner expenses for the stay are settled upon check-out.
2.3 Evening Dessert (9:30 PM)
The passion fruit tea jelly was quite delicious and available for self-service at the 3rd-floor restaurant. There was also congee.
2.4 4th Floor Café
The juices and Basque cheesecake at the 4th-floor café were both good.
On the second day, I ordered a coffee, perhaps overestimating myself. After a couple of sips, I felt chest tightness and shortness of breath, so I had to give it up (a bit wasteful). Later, I rested in a chair, ordered some juice, and felt a little better. It's advisable to consider your own physical condition before having coffee, as it can deplete blood oxygen at altitude.
The café also offers panoramic views of the snow-capped mountains.
Additionally, there are several selfie sticks available on the shelves, which is quite convenient. One floor up is the observation deck.
The café also has a few books. I read "Tibetan Buddhist Symbols and Ritual Objects Explained" (P5), which is great for those new to Tibetan culture. You can read it while enjoying juice and dessert.
3️⃣ Cultural Experiences
3.1 Sang Offering (P6 - Highly Recommended)
Book this a day in advance; the session is from 9:30 AM to 11:00 AM.
A hotel butler (local Tibetan) will take you and explain the process. The Tibetan blessing prayers are also recited by the butler in Tibetan.
It takes place at the Sang stove by the Wunongding observation deck, facing the snow mountains. You can scan a code to pay 8 RMB, which includes cypress branches and highland barley.
I went again by myself the next day without the butler and made more wishes. I even added the rose brown sugar I brought from Lijiang into the stove. My wishes did come true one by one, manifesting daily, which was quite effective.
It's important to understand what Sang offering is before doing it. If you're not familiar with someone, you wouldn't just ask for a favor without a gift. Similarly, all things have spirits, and they will know if your intentions are genuine.
I was in high spirits the day I arrived. It snowed heavily on the bus ride up the mountain, turning Wunongding entirely white. As the hotel butler drove us to the hotel entrance, the sun suddenly came out, and some of the fog dissipated.
Once I settled into my room, the fog completely cleared, revealing the full snow mountain. Soon after, the fog covered it again. But by dinner time, the fog seemed to intentionally gather, leaving only the snow mountain visible.
On the morning of my departure, I witnessed the entire process of the Golden Mountain sunrise without any obstructions. So, the trip was definitely worth it.
3.2 Prayer Flag Rubbings (P7 - Recommended)
You can experience printmaking on the first floor, with prayer flags and wind horses.
Walking down from the Wunongding observation deck, you'll see many prayer flags with characters, strictly arranged in the order of blue, white, red, green, and yellow.
Therefore, some 'large prayer flag photo spots' in Yunnan are not actual prayer flags. Real prayer flags have inscriptions and follow a specific color sequence.
If you encounter genuine prayer flags, do not step over or on them; instead, carefully lift them over your head.
If you're interested, research their history and uses online before experiencing it; it will enhance your appreciation.
3.3 Coffee Soap Making (P8 - 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM)
This experience is held at the 4th-floor café. It's a hot process soap using a melt-and-pour base. You can make a smaller one to take away; making a large one felt a bit wasteful of materials to me. In terms of skin feel, cold process soap is better, but it requires months of curing, which isn't feasible in a hotel setting. So, a hot process soap experience is fine; from a practical perspective, a small one is sufficient.
3.4 Tibetan Incense Making (P9 - 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM)
Mainly conical incense using molds. Their binding powder is quite fine. This experience is on the first floor.
3.5 Fireside Gathering (P10 - 6:30 PM - 10:00 PM)
There's a charcoal grill where you can roast potato slices, purple sweet potatoes, and sausages. You can also use an iron kettle to boil tea at the 4th-floor café.
🎋 Suggestion: The hotel could prepare some small tangerines for roasting; they cook quickly and taste great.
Also, just roasting by yourself can be a bit dull. It would be even better if there were local Tibetan song and dance performances or some introduction to Tibetan culture during the fireside gathering.
Further down in Shangri-La, there's even an experience of making hand-churned yak butter tea. If I visit Jianglu again, it would be even richer to learn how to make it with locals.
The hotel could develop more unique activities related to Tibetan culture.
4️⃣ Souvenirs
The cheese given by the hotel was delicious 😋.
Upon departure, they also provide glucose and anti-motion sickness patches, which is very thoughtful.
5️⃣ Timely Communication & Sunrise Reminders
Many people come to see the snow mountains, which is definitely a highlight, so the hotel's daily sunrise time reminders are excellent. In contrast, when I visited Dali, the prices were comparable, but the staff attitude was much worse. For example, the East Erhai Lake is known for sunsets, but the staff there never reminded guests from check-in, even saying "it depends on luck." This reflects a lack of adequate staff training. Jianglu, on the other hand, is great. This hotel's service training seems very thorough.
6️⃣ Friendly Staff
While I don't know the names of many staff members, I remember Duo Duo and Cici were introduced. Overall, the front desk and butler staff from April 15th-17th, as well as the experience facilitators, café and restaurant staff, and the cleaning staff I encountered, all seemed very friendly. My mood was excellent throughout my stay. I wish everyone peace, happiness, and prosperity.
7️⃣ Hotel Surroundings
You can see the village below the hotel.
There are small squirrels near the Sang offering platform.
The hotel also has a cat that isn't afraid of people, but seems a bit lazy, either sitting or sleeping.
Downstairs, you can often see locals herding cows. The cows wear bells around their necks, so you hear them clinking as they walk. Their eyelashes are so long!
Near the Wunongding observation deck, there are also some local dogs, probably pets. The black dog was quite peace-and-love, seemed well-socialized, and didn't bark incessantly at people.
The hotel is right below the observation deck, where parking is available. It gets crowded during sunrise.
8️⃣ Regarding Altitude Sickness
You can acclimatize in Lijiang for a few days first and observe if you experience altitude sickness there. Take Rhodiola capsules daily at noon as a preventative measure.
On the way from Lijiang to Shangri-La, you can drink Gaoyuan Weineng, a product of Yunnan Baiyao. However, I still felt a bit unwell at Shangri-La High-Speed Rail Station. My luggage was heavy, and after lifting it through security, I immediately felt chest tightness and shortness of breath. I also felt a bit dizzy on the bus. After a few puffs of oxygen and a nap on the bus, I felt fine upon waking.
To buy tickets for the snow mountain, purchase them from Diqing Jiaoyun. After exiting Shangri-La High-Speed Rail Station, find a staff member to board the shuttle bus, which will take you to the main bus.
Only "Oxygen Guard" is sold on the shuttle bus, at 20 RMB per bottle. You can bring one bottle up the mountain; you can search online for the correct way to use an oxygen tank. Personally, I think "Naqin" is better, but it wasn't sold outside the high-speed rail station.
Carry some sweets to eat, and drink hot water to replenish sugar and hydration. You can also bring a few glucose shots.
The hotel's oxygen supply is good; keep it on constantly, and with sufficient oxygen, you should be fine the next day for normal walking, as long as you avoid strenuous activity.
On the last day, I took the bus down the mountain and only drank one bottle of Gaoyuan Weineng and the hotel's ginger tea, and I didn't feel unwell. The ascent might be the first time experiencing rapid altitude changes, so the body isn't yet adapted.
As for wearing contact lenses: I did wear them for several hours at the Wunongding observation deck without issues, but my eyes did feel dry. I use 4INLOOK yearly disposable lenses and brought eye drops. I took them out on the bus. I read online about someone who wore them for too long, and they became stuck to their eye, couldn't be removed with eye drops, and ultimately required anesthesia at the hospital to take them out. This made me quite worried. So, don't wear them for too long, and you should be fine.
9️⃣ Regarding Drone Travel Photography
If you're looking for a photographer yourself, be very cautious. Some external photographers are highly irresponsible; if they don't get good shots, they might trick you into thinking you can reshoot, then stop replying to messages or answering calls, leading you to completely miss the Golden Mountain sunrise on your last day. On the day I was leaving, I managed to find someone to shoot for me at the last minute, but it could only be during the daytime.
The hotel currently doesn't seem to have partnered photographers. If they do in the future, it would help eliminate personal risks.
I'll probably come back to stay again to see the snow mountains; I have a great fondness for Kawagebo.
Original TextTranslation provided by Google
