Chiranjib Chakraborty 3/20/22 Chiranjib Chakraborty 3/20/22

QINGHAI ADVENTURE

This is an amazing photographic tour at north west of china covering Qinghai , Gansu and Inner Mongolia. Amazing landscapes and formations are observed along with absorbing night sky.

#photography #landscape # landscape photography #milkyway #qinghai #chaka #gansu #rainbow mountain #binggou hill #badain jaran desert #china #adventure #shenzhen #xinning #zhangye #travel #tourism #heimahe

2021 summer AnotherMile team decided to explore North West of China for its outstanding landscapes , exotic milkyways and definitely thrilling desert. We decided to travel across three provinces of China - Qinghai, Gansu and Inner Mongolia. Teaming up with my photographer friend Manas, we decided to go for this photographic trip.

Adventure Begins with Myself and Manas at Xining Airport

Our itinerary was

Day1 05 Jun/21

1. Arrive at Xining

2. Visit Taer Monastery

3. Visit Xining TV Tower in the evening

4. Overnight stay in hotel at Xining

Day 2 06 Jun/21

1. Drive to Qinghai lake in Erlangjian Secenic Area

2. Drive to Heimahe and stay overnight

Day 3 07 Jun/21

1. Drive near Chaka Lake to Sky Pier No. 1

2. Sunset view at Main Chaka Lake

Day 4 08 Jun/21

1. Drive back from Chaka to Xining

2. High Speed rail to Zhangye and stay overnight at Kaoshan Tent

Day 5 09 Jun/21

1. Sunrise view at Binggou Valley

2. Afternoon drive to Rainbow mountain for sunset

Day 6 10 Jun/21

1. 3 hour drive to Badain Jaran Desert

2. Watch Alxa Right Banner Geological Park -> Bataan Lake -> Yikli Obo->Tamaying-> Dagetu (Honghaizi) camping

Day 7 11 Jun/21

1. Dagetu to Hudugejilin

2. Fairy Peak -> Yinderitu Sprint -> Bilutu -> Badain Jaran Teample

Day 8 12 Jun/ 21

1. Drive back to Zhangye and high speed rail to Xining

Day 9 13 Jun/21

1. Departure from Xining

A view from Binggou Hill Gansu with first ray of sun

Day 1 – Arrival at Xining

We were really excited to visit Qinghai for the first time. We had taken our DSLR, wide angle and telescopic lens, Drone, Go Pro, Giimble and were ready for an exciting photographic tour.

For the shoot following equipments were taken

1. DSLR body Nikon D850

2. Nikor lens 16-35 mm wide angle, 24 mm prime, 70 -200 mm telescopic lens, 1.4x tele converter

3. DJI Mavic Air drone with ND filter

4. GOPRO 8

5. DJI Giimble

6. ND Filter and Polarizer for the Nikor lens

We took the fight for Xining from Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport. We reached Xining by afternoon. Our guide came to Xining airport to receive us. From airport we first went for lunch at a local restaurant. Not just photography, but local food lured us also. We finished the lunch with some sumptuous local dishes including some cold lamb and spicy roasted potato.

After lunch we went for a visit to Ta’er Monastery.

Ta'er Monastery, known as Kumbum Monastery, is situated in the Lusar Town of Huangzhong County, 25 kilometers southwest away from Xining, capital city of Qinghai Province. The monastery was built in 1379 with a history of more than 600 years. It sits on the slopes of a mountain, covering an area of 600 mu (40 hectares).Ta'er Monastery now ranks as a national 5A tourist area, the highest honor of China's tourist attractions.

Admission: 80 yuan (US$12.56)/person

As one of the six famous monasteries of the Gelug Sect of Tibetan Buddhism, it is the birthplace of Tsongkhapa, founder of the Gelug Sect of Tibetan Buddhism. Therefore, it is a well-known holy land for Buddhist pilgrims. We were amazed with architecture of Ta’er Monastery specially Golden headed stupas. We took some videos and close shots of Buddhist Temples inside. We also went to an upper platform to take picture of the monastery from top. Another good location is to take the whole view of the main gate.

Our next target was Xinning TV tower from where we could see the whole city. However we were very tired and decided to drop it. We had a long drive planned the next day to Qinghai Lake and decided to rest early.

At Xining it is suggested to take the hotel at City Center.

Day2 – Qinghai Lake and Heimahe

Qinghai Lake is the largest lake in China. It is almost 4317 Sq. km with an average depth of 21 m. Our plan was to reach Qinghai lake early and find a suitable spot for sunset. Before travel we looked for best sunrise and sunset positions around Qinghai Lake. We found for sunset the best position at Qinghai Lake is Erlangjian Scenic Area（青海湖二郎剑景区）and for sunrise it is Heimahe which is also on the shores of Qinghai lake. Our driver suggested to have a detour through the Lachi mountains as the road is surrounded by green meadows and offer excellent views for drone shots. We took that route. Unfortunately it was raining and hence we couldn’t fly our drone. However, we could take some good shots under rain. There we visited a Buddhist temple at mountain top. The journey via Lachi mountain it took us 3 hrs to reach Qinghai but it was absolutely worth it.

We reached Erlangjian scenic area by lunch time. We had some excellent local lunch, especially the spicy potato and chicken. After lunch we entered the scenic area. Driver dropped us outside and we had to walk up to the lake. One can take a cycle to go near the lake or battery cars are also available. The first sight of Qinghai lake was just “wow”. It was so vast and beautiful. We decided to walk by the shores of Qinghai before taking good pictures. We walked through the wooden platform and finally reached a place where one could board the boats. There was a beautiful stupa made of colorful paper flag and some beautifully positioned trees within lake. White sea gulls flying around made it more majestic. We found a very good spot where there were two lonely trees standing near shores of the lake partly submerged in water. We took some drone shots and some DSLR shots using polarizer and ND filter. However the sky was bit cloudy and chances of good sunset was very doubtful. So by late afternoon we decided to go to Heimahe. The road from Qinghai to Heimahe was excellent and we took some DSLR shots stopping the car on our way.

Heimahe is a very small town and there aren’t many good hotels around. We stayed at Hucuican XingchengHotel local 2-star （黑马河璀璨星辰宾馆. It was nice cozy hotel. After checking in we quickly went to the sunrise spot to see how the sunrise will look like and also checked the milky way spot.

We decided to come to the same spot by 2:30 am. Initially it was a bit cloudy but by 2:00 am we saw the sky was full of stars. We reached the spot by 3:00 am. The spot for viewing the milky way was near lake shore with a view of the city at a distance. It is very difficult to locate the exact spot but it is on the way to the sunrise point and the locals are well aware of the spot.

The moment we got down the car we were greeted by the beautiful milky way - as if it was waiting for us. I was so awestruck for first few moments I couldn’t decide what to do. That was my first view of the milky way. After getting little accustomed to that immensely dark nights we switched on our head lights, located a suitable spot around where we could place our tripod and took some milky way shots. Ideally milky way shots need to be taken by using 1/500 rule. I used my 24 mm prime lens and used manual focus to infinity. While we are taking the milky way, Manas suddenly nudged me to look at my left. The moment I looked, I saw a beautiful golden moon popping out from the lake in the sky full of stars. It was a heavenly scene. At dawn we drove towards the sunrise spot.

The sunrise at Heimahe was majestic. Apart from some DSLR and Drone shots I also took some time lapse using my GOPRO.

After Heimahe sunrise shots we were now ready to go to Chaka.

Chaka is a salt lake which is in Ulan county , Haixi Prefecture , Qinghai . It is a major tourist destination and a key salt mine at Qinghai. It is famous for its blue water and reflective bed. Morning, we decided to go to Sky No.1 where Chaka’s reflective bed is best seen but ideally between 8:00 am to 10:00 am when sun is at a certain angle. By the time we reached it was already 11:00 am . We got some reflection but not very distinct. After lunch we went to Chaka Lake main spot. We took the toy train till the end of Chaka lake. The main spot is so vast that walking and going up to the end is very tiresome. Many people walk till the end and come back by toy train. The toy train has few stops. We just explored one spot and I mainly used drones for my photoshoots at Chaka. However, due to the strong wind I couldn’t fly much but managed to get some good shots.

Evening we had a great roasted lamb leg. That is a must at Chaka.

Day 4 – Chaka to Xining to Zhangye

Today it was time to go for great Gansu province where we could see the beautiful Rainbow mountain. From Chaka we returned to Xining and took the high speed rail to Zhangye. It takes two hours from Xining to Zhangye. When we reached Zhangye, it was raining and we were little upset that may be we would not be able to see proper sunrise at Binggou Valley next day. We decided to stay at Kaoshan tent which is out of city and near the Rainbow Mountains. Some of those colorful rainbow mountain rocks are there in the mountain near Kaoshan tent. It feels like you are staying inside Rainbow Mountains and hence that place is so special. Though initially it was raining, but out luck wasn’t that bad. The sun came out as soon as we reached Kaoshan where we were greeted by a beautiful rainbow in the backdrop of a red and glowing sky. I hurriedly managed to take out my drone and take some video clips of setting sun over rainbow mountain. Now we were optimistic of a blockbuster milkyway as the sjky had cleared up completely.

I used my photopill software and tracked the milky way path. I calculated by night 2:00 am we will have the milkyway directly on top of nearby mountain and the spot to get that view will be behind tent number M6. At night, we went to that place and boom the milkyway was up and ready for us to shoot. We initially struggled to get a clear view but then Manas got a higher platform it was magic. We got a beautiful shot.

Day 5 - Binggou Hill Sunrise and Rainbow Mountain Sunset

Whole night we were awake as early morning we had to go for sunrise shoot at Binggou hill. The park officially opens at 7:00 am but it is too late for a summer sunrise which was at 6:30 am. However, there is an option of special permission which allows one to enter at 6:00 am. The Binggou Hill authority will arrange a special car for the sunrise spot. After reaching the sunrise spot we really had to trek fast to get to the top to get that perfect light of rising sun. The idea here was not to take the sun rising directly but to take the shoot when the sunlight first falls on the distant snowy mountain peaks and also on million years old rocky valley. You can also take time lapse of sun slowly spreading over the Bingguo valley.

After Binggou Hill sunrise shots we came back at Kaoshen tent and took rest for the rest of the day. Evening we went to Rainbow Mountains. Ideal shooting time of the Rainbow Mountains is at sunset when the sun is at the lower horizon and the sun’s rays fall on the rainbow colored rocks at an angle making it colourful and glowing. Rainbow Mountains area has four spots in which the fourth spot is the offers the best view during sunset. So make sure that you are visiting the Rainbow mountains during the evening and with sufficient time in hand so that you cover first three spots and then go to fourth spot atleast one hour before sunset. Go to the top and set your camera towards the Rainbow colored rocks. One can use telescopic lens to take the rocks closely under glowing sunset light. Initially it was cloudy and I was worried about the zing moment. But suddenly just before sunset the sun peeped out of the clouds for ten minutes. This offered a magical colourful effect and I got an opportunity to shoot glowing Rainbow mountains. it disappeared behind the clouds after that and the light was bad again robbing the mountains off its color. However, even if it is cloudy, don’t lose hope and wait till the very last moment.

Next day was another big day as we were going for our desert safari.

Day 6 - Badain Jaran Desert

After early morning breakfast we started for Badain Jaran Desert which was around 3 hours drive from Zhangye. On our way to the desert, we stopped in a small town to pickup our guide and to buy some dry food and snacks. From there we went to the main entrance of Badain Jaran . At the main entrance we changed from our tour guide’s car and boarded the desert SUV with Badain Jaran Authority’s driver and guide. The SUV along with driver and guide needs to be booked in advance. This was my first desert experience and I was just spellbound by sheer vastness and beauty of sand curvatures created by nature. We had to stop at one place to register our entrance in the desert. There was a beautiful hotel there, so if anyone is not much interested in staying inside the desert can stay there. After registering and picking up equipments like shoe covers needed for desert trekking, we started our desert journey. The driving experience through desert was nothing less then a roller-coster ride. There are no proper roads and the cars follow the tyre marks of other cars to not get lost in the vastness of the dunes. The sand dunes at some places make an angle of almost 45 degrees, so the cars through the dunes also at times travel at 45 degrees. However, soon you will get accustomed to it . If you have motion sickness issues, ut us recommended that you take some medication before entering the desert and also sit at the front. We stopped at several places for taking photos. This resulted in a little delay and we could not reach our hotel which we had booked earlier. We ended up staying at a guest house the belongs to Arbo Hong.

After early morning breakfast we started for Badain Jaran Desert which was a 3 hours drive. In between we stop in a small town to pickup our guide and then went to the main entrance of Badain Jaran . At the main entrance you need to leave your current tour guide’s car and took the Desert SUV with Badain Jaran Authority’s driver and guide. The SUV along with driver and guide had to be booked early. Riding that grand Toyota SUV we entered the desert . This was my first desert experience. I was just spellbound by sheer vastness and beauty of sand curvatures done by nature. We first need to stop at one place to do entry. There was a beautiful hotel there. Somebody who don’t want to go deep inside the desert can stay there. After registering and taking equipments for desert trekking we started our desert journey. The driving experience through desert was not pleasant at all as it was full of ups and downs and sometimes the SUV was going down the sand dune almost at vertical 45 degree angle. However soon you will get accustomed to it . One who has vomiting tendency may sit at front of SUV. We stop at several places for clicking photos. Since it got little late we could not goto our desired place for night stay but ended up staying at a guest house belong to Arbo Hong.

Day 7 – Badain Jaran Desert Sunrise and Trekking

After taking the milkyway at astronomical twilight, around the dawn we headed for a sunrise near Arbo’s place. We were accompanied by our guide.The cars took us to the base of the sand dunes and then went for a steep climb. We needed to climb fast as we had to reach the peak before the sunrise so that we could capture the first rays of light on the sand dunes. Luckily we reached on time and waited for the sun. As the sun peeped over the dunes, the whole desert was lit up with glowing soft sunrise as if the whole desert had decorated itself with gold ornaments. It was an amazing scene to experience and it left me spellbound for few seconds. I deliberately took close shot of sandune curvatures of half shadow and half light. It was time to descend the dunes. After coming down, I flew my drone for some nice sand dune shots in golden light . After the shoot we came to Arbo’s place for a breakfast and then went for some good spots for further photo shoot . We visited Dagetu ( the beautiful pink oasis) , Yinderitu Spring , Fairy Peak ( didn’t climb) and finally to Badain Jaran Temple. In between we did some hikes which were tough but gave a true feeling of the desert.

Badain Jaran Temple is a nice place and we stayed at the guest house nearby. The rooms were good, with all basic amenities and clean.

The guide name was Li and driver name was Xie Hu. You can always ask for them.

Day 8 – Back to Xining

Next day morning I went for sunrise around Jaran temple and took some video shots . After breakfast we headed for Zhangye. In between we saw the Bataan Lake and few other places. As we came out of main entrance our driver was waiting for us. We headed for Zhangye and then took high speed rail to Xining.

After reaching Xining, we had a sumptuous dinner to celebrate our tour.

Day 9 – Back to Shenzhen

After breakfast we headed for airport and took our flight back to Shenzhen

Must Dos

Overall it was a great trip. You can follow the same itinerary or can add more places of Gansu or Qinghai. Our trip was mostly focused for photography.

Here are few tips

1. Take lighter clothes and some light jacket for desert. Don’t make luggage too heavy. However during winter it will be extremely cold so take warm clothes accordingly. Even in June at desert and Heimahe it was slight chilly. So even at summer time better to take some warm vest and gloves.

2. Take the DSLR and Lens in proper cover . Just keep in mind the desert sand is very fine and it may get into camera.

3. Take some Light snacks with you for emergency.

4. Take some insect repellent specially for desert.

5. Take a flash light with you incase you are going for milkyway

6. Take some desert shoes or atleast some nice trekking shoes and definitely hand and face guard for desert.

7. You can place your Go Pro at top of your car and take some cool road shots.

For the travel agency you can contact Wonder Ph : +86 15882165320

Wechat ID wangzhen7525

I hope you like this adventure from AnotherMile. Please share your feedback in the comment section below.

Sanghamitra Chakraborty 2/6/22 Sanghamitra Chakraborty 2/6/22

On The Roof Of The World-TIBET

Amazing travel experience in Tibet. This blog by Sanghamitra Chakraborty covers where to travel in Tibet , how to travel and what precautions to be taken. Also covers a pictorial journey through the lens of Chiranjib Chakraborty (instagram @chiranjibc).

The very mention of the place ‘Tibet’ takes us to a dreamland where the sky is magnificently blue, the sun shines brightly on the snow-clad mountains dotted with countless monasteries inhabited by monks of all ages and the Buddhist hymn humming in the backdrop.

In October 2021, during the Chinese National Holiday, after months of planning our dream of visiting Tibet came true. There are a few different ways you can visit Tibet. However, to enter Tibet, you first need the tourist visa for China followed by the special permit to visit Tibet. There are agents in China who can help you with the permit for Tibet and for China visa you can check with the local Chinese consulate or embassy.

For reaching Tibet, you can either fly directly to Lhasa via Nepal or you can come to China and then take a flight to Lhasa – almost all major cities in China like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu and many others have direct flight with Lhasa. The third option is to take a train from the Chinese city of Xining to Lhasa. The Qinghai-Tibet railway is the highest passenger railway track in the world and passes through one of the most breathtaking landscapes and takes around 24 hours. The highest point is around Tanggula with an altitude of 5,068 meter.

Our trip was from October 2nd to October 9th. The itinerary looked as follows:

October 2nd – Reach Lhasa early morning and leave for Yamdrok. Overnight stay at Yamdrok.

October 3rd – Visit Yamdrok lake and travel to Shigatse – overnight stay at Shigatse

October 4th – Start from Shigatse and reach Old Tingri – overnight stay at Old Tingri

October 5th – Reach Rongbuk Monastery near Mount Everest Base Camp – overnight stay at the monastery.

October 6th – Back to Shigatse – overnight stay at Shigatse

October 7th – From Shigatse to Namotso Lake – overnight stay at Damxung

October 8th – From back to Lhasa – overnight stay at Lhasa

October 9th – Back to Shenzhen via Guangzhou

October 2nd

We reached Lhasa from Shenzhen via Guangzhou – Chengdu in early morning at around 8 AM. We were greeted by our agent Mr. Tashi in a very traditional Tibetan way. The airport is slightly in the outskirts of the Lhasa city and it takes around an hour the reach the main city from the airport. Once we reached the city center, it took us some time to complete all the permit related formalities after which we visited the main shopping street of Lhasa to buy the essential medication which might be needed for the trip and also to have a traditional Tibetan lunch at the oldest coffee shop of Lhasa. It is around 200 years old and quite famous for its Thupka and Tibetan tea.

From Left to Right Lhasa Airport , AnotherMile Team , Tibetian Thupka , Mighty Brahmaputra River , With Great Tibetian Mastiff Dog , 200 year old Tibetian Tea House

Post lunch we had to hire our camping equipment which took around an hour and we started for our journey towards Yamdrok Lake which is approximately 108 kms from Lhasa. The road was picturesque with the Brahmaputra flowing alongside for a considerable distance and vast Himalayan range on other side of the road. Yamdrok lake is situated at an altitude of 4,441 meters which meant that we were moving higher in altitude. It is important to mention here that the height of Lhasa is 3,660 m which itself is quite high for most people. Hence, it is advisable that you stay in Lhasa for at least 24-48 hours to acclimatize to the local weather before moving to higher altitudes.

We reached Yamdrok Lake at around sunset. It is not a very popular destination for night stay but we wanted to capture the milky way and also the sunrise on the snow peaks behind the lake. We stayed at a local hotel in the village, however there was no dearth of basic facilities like room heater, hot water in the bathroom and warm water for drinking. Breakfast and dinner were also available in the hotel. The hotel balcony and the terrace provided a beautiful view of the lake along with the snowy peaks behind.

October 3rd

After a midnight photoshoot of milky way and early morning photoshoot of sunrise, we headed towards Shigatse. On the way, a few kilometers from our hotel, was the main viewpoint of Yamdrok lake where we stopped for some time to capture some more breathtaking snaps of the crystal-clear turquoise water of the lake. Yamdrok lake is also known as Green Jade Lake or Coral lake for the color of its water and smooth crystalline surface. We also visited the Kamba La Pass and Karola Glacier on our way to Shigatse. We reached Shigatse towards the evening. Shigatse is the second largest city of the Tibetan region and we stayed at the Tashi Choe Ta Hotel in the city center. We decided to have a relaxed evening as we had to start early next morning for Old Tingri.

October 4th

Excitement was at all-time high this morning as we were finally on our way to see His Highness Mt. Everest. We started early from Shigatse but the base camp permit took around 2 hours. Shortly after lunch, we reached the entrance of the Mount Everest National Nature Reserve. Mount Everest is called Mount Qomolangma in Chinese. The entrance was at a height of 5239 m situated at 87 east longitude and 28 north latitude. From there it took us around 3 more hours to reach Old Tingri, our home for that night. There is one check-point on the way to Old Tingri which takes around 30 minutes to cross and an additional stop to pick up the oxygen cylinders which we might need in the base camp. Just after entering Old Tingri, our tour guide drew our attention to left and we could see the Mount Everest standing tall. Honestly, we all had goosebumps on our first sight of the magnificent.

Entering Mount Everest National Reserve Area

Old Tingri is also not a popular destination on the way to EBC. Our main purpose of staying overnight at Old Tingri was to shoot the milkyway and the magnificent Himalayan range from a distance at sunrise. The hotel was small but nice and clean with a clear unobstructed view of the Mt. Everest.

October 5th

After an early morning photoshoot and a sumptuous breakfast with dumplings and Tibetan tea, we started on our journey to EBC.

Private vehicles are not allowed in EBC, so we had to change to the shuttle bus service managed by the National Nature Reserve authorities. It took us around 3 hours to reach the Rongbuk monastery which was 8Km away from the EBC. This is the farthest normal tourists like us were allowed to go. Since we reached quite early, getting a room in the monastery was not a problem. The rooms are given on a sharing basis – we had a room for 5 people and since we were a group of 5 people, it was just right for us. The rooms are basic with common toilets but had room heating arrangements and provided thermos for hot drinking water. After a relaxed lunch in the monastery, we went ahead to the Mt. Everest viewpoint. Words cannot describe the feelings we had when we first saw the Everest and beauty of the place. From the Tibet side, the south and west face of the mountain is visible, hence sunset was gorgeous. We were extremely lucky to get a clear weather for the sunset.

After dinner we went outside to have a look at the starry night sky and the Milky Way. We have seen Milky Way many times before coming to Tibet, but the sky we got at EBC was unparallel and mesmerizing…we have never seen anything like it before. A small disclaimer needs to be added here for those who are interested in night sky and Milky Way photoshoot – the ideal spot is on a small hillock just at the front of the Rongbuk monastery. There are very few people there and almost no neon lights. The Mt. Everest viewpoint area is too crowded and people use laser lights and flashlights – so there is a lot of light pollution.

October 6th

After experiencing a gorgeous sunset and a memorable night at the base camp, we were really looking forward to a sparkling sunrise the next morning but His Majesty Mt. Everest had decided not to show up that early. A thick cloud had completely covered the summit and the sunrise was a total dampener. Anyways, we didn’t have much time as we had to travel all the way back to Shigatse, so after waiting for a while for the fog to clear up we decided to have breakfast and leave.

108 Hair Pin bends at 5 peaks at Gyawo High Pass

On our way back to Shigatse, we traveled through the famous one-hundred hairpin turns and also stopped for the scenic view of the entire range of the 5 eight-thousanders that include Mt. Makalu, Mt. Lhotse, Mt. Everest, Mt. Cho Oyu and Mt. Xixibangma. We reached Shigatse early in the evening and retired for a well-deserved good rest for the night.

October 7th

Today we were off to experience another beautiful lake – the Namtso Lake. We had to start early as the distance was around 600 kms from Shigatse to Namtso Lake. We reached Dumxung around 4 pm. From there we had to take a shuttle bus to the lake. Our plan was to spend the sunset there. The spectacular beauty of the lake is beyond any description. At an elevation of 4,718 m, it is a salt water lake and is the largest lake of the Tibetan region. The water is sparkling blue with a vast expanse of green meadows on one side and snowcapped ranges on the other side. A huge flock of migratory birds were flying around the lake adding to the beauty of the lake. The sunset was definitely one of the most spectacular ones that we have ever seen. We took the last shuttle bus from the lake to Dumxung and after having dinner reached our hotel quite late at night.

October 8th

We were at the last leg of our journey. After a relaxed breakfast at our Dumxung hotel, we started our journey back to Lhasa. On the way we visited the famous Tsurphu monastery. An honest confession here, although Tibet is a land of monasteries, we had not really visited a single one in our entire trip as we were more interested in experiencing the natural beauty of Tibet.

The Tsurphu monastery was around 70 kms away from Lhasa at an altitude of 4,300 m. It used to be the seat of the 17th Karmapa who had left Tibet in 2000. It was quite an interesting experience visiting the monastery, listening to the stories of the 17th Karmapa and other monks who resided there.

After reaching Lhasa, we checked in to Gang-Gyan Lhasa Hotel which was quite near to the Potala Palace. After dinner, we walked to the palace, watched the Potala Palace in all its night-time glamorous avatar and spent some time in the garden opposite to the palace.

October 9th

The last day of the trip and we had planned to end it in style by visiting the Potala Palace. Entrance to Potala Palace is quite a task and you have to be perfectly on time as per your ticket. There are multiple checks and you will not be allowed inside if you are not on time.

Potala Palace is beautiful and but it takes around 3-4 hours to go around the entire palace, however it is totally worth it. So, it is recommended that you visit the palace with sufficient time in your hand. After a sumptuous lunch, it was time to go to the airport to catch our flight back home.

Few important information about Tibet travel

1. For a trip to Tibet, you need to have few permits (depending on the places you plan to visit). It is difficult for us to apply for the permits ourselves, so it is better to go through to an agent. Most of the tour companies that you can find on the internet are based in the mainland China. They will make the contract with the customers and then sub-contract them to local guides and companies who are based at Tibet. We have also gone through such an agent but we had an amazing guide who went out of his way to make our trip comfortable.

Our guide’s name was Tashi and his email ID is tsampa_tashi@hotmail.com. He can speak fluent English, Chinese, Tibetan and a little Hindi.

2. Do not ignore the acclimatization stay in Lhasa for at least 24 hours and preferably 48 hours.

3. Carry portable oxygen cylinders in your bag/backpack as they may come handy in times of emergency.

4. Public toilets in Tibet are not very clean. So please carry hand sanitizers, sanitized wet tissues in sufficient amount.

Tibet is a must visit and once in a lifetime experience.

All photos taken by Chiranjib Chakraborty. For more photos visit instagram @chiranjibc.

Sanghamitra Chakraborty 3/28/21 Sanghamitra Chakraborty 3/28/21

Changbaishan Travel Story

During the 2020 Christmas and New Year vacation AnotherMile team decided to travel to Changbaishan, a small town at north east of china to capture beautiful snowy landscapes, enjoy the serene beauty and experience the extreme cold weather.

Shan in Chinese means mountains and Changbaishan, as the name suggests, are a major mountain range that extends from the northeastern provinces of Chinas – Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning across the Chinese border with North Korea. They are also referred to as the Jangbaek or Ohnan Mountains in Korean, and as the Šanggiyan Mountains in Manchu. Most peaks exceed 2,000 meters (6,600 feet) in height, with the highest being Paektu Mountain. Changbaishan scenic area is adjoining to the Baishan town in Jilin province.

Struggling with holidays, as we always are, we tried to make an itinerary that fits within 7 days and visit some of the gorgeous places around the Changbaishan scenic area. Our itinerary for 4 days and 5 nights was as follows:

1. Dec 29 – We flew from Shenzhen to Beijing. Overnight stay at Beijing airport hotel.

2. Dec 30 – We took the morning flight from Beijing to Changbaishan Airport. Overnight stay at Erdaobaihe Town, Changbai Mountain at Lanjing Hot Spring Resort.

3. Dec 31 – We visited Changbai North Scenic Area , Tianchi lake , Lvyuantan , Changbai Waterfall. Overnight stay at Baishan City.

4. Jan 1st – early morning we visited the Jianhua Pinggang , Orchard Folk Village and in the afternoon we roamed around the small town of Baishan.

5. Jan 2 – Visited the Swanlake Scenic Area , Tashan Park

6. Jan 3 – Flew back from Changbaishan Airport to Shenzhen.

Arrival At Changbaishan Airport … AnotherMile Team

Changbai North Scenic Area

This was truly an amazing place. The weather in the morning was clear and the sun was shinning brightly but as the day progressed it got worse. However, even in the morning, there was a strong wind blowing which gave a real-feel temperature ofas against the actual temperature of. The hotel bus dropped us off to the base of the Changbaishan Scenic area where we were greeted by a severe gust of freezing wind. Somehow, we braved through the wind and got into the jeep that was supposed to take us to the top of the mountain near the Tianchi lake. The trip took around 20 minutes through the vast stretches of beautiful snow-covered mountains. When we got down, we probably experienced the most extreme cold weather that we would ever experience in our entire life. The wind was so chilling and strong that it almost cut through us and tried to blow away the 7kgs camera kit. We somehow reached Tianchi lake but unfortunately it was covered with thick fog with no visibility at all.We waited there for sometime expecting the fog to clear but we were in no luck that day. So we had to move ahead from that spot with no good pictures. Here, we need to give you an idea of the Changbai scenic area. There are multiple spots along that mountain and Tianchi lake was one of the spots. Other spots are the Changbai waterfall and Luyuan Tan. When you book a trip to the scenic area, the ticket will cover the expenses of visiting all the different spots. The jeep that we took from the base of the scenic area to the Tianchi lake was a part of the scenic area transportation. From the Tianchi lake, there are buses at short regular intervals to take us to the next scenic spot. Our next spot from the Tianchi lake was the Changbai waterfall. Fortunately, in between, there was a huge cafeteria where we could warm ourselves up. The Changbai waterfall was completely frozen. When the bus dropped us off to the Changbai Waterfall spot, our guide told us that we had to trek for sometime to go up to the mountains. The trekking fully covered with snow and the strong freezing winds made it even harder. Along the way, we could see the trees with hanging ice crystals,hot waterwhere the locals were boiling eggs without any fire. It was nature at its utmost beauty. For us it was like heaven in earth. Although the weather was foggy and cloudy, we managed to get some pretty good shots those actually bear a testimony to the freezing cold. Other than our DSLR camera, our mobile phones and GoPro had completely stopped working by that time. By the time, we returned to the base of the scenic area, it had already started snowing.

Changbai County

From the Changbaishan Scenic Area, we headed to Baishan City administrative town of Changbai County which took us almost 3 – 3.5 hours. It is a small town bordering North Korea, but extremely well planned, beautifully decorated and very peaceful. People are very friendly and local food was amazing. We stayed in a nice hotel Changbai County Hotel at the city center. During the winter, the sun sets by 4:30 PM and by 6:30 PM, the roads become empty and quiet.

Jianhua Pinggang

Jianhua Pinggang is not a tourist spot. It is actually a vast stretch of open land on the top of mountain fully and during the winter, it is fully covered with snow. All the trees are covered with ice crystals and it makes the whole area beautiful as heaven. However, we were not that lucky. This year the snowfall was less and the trees barely had any snow on them, although the ground was covered with snow. In spite of that, the overall beauty of the place was mesmerizing. The weather had also cleared up after the snowfall the night before and this time we were lucky to capture some great composition with the morning sun.

We spent a lazy afternoon by visiting a small but beautiful garden in the Baishan City followed a great dinner at a local restaurant.

Swan Scenic Area

The next morning we went to the Swan Lake Scenic Area. This was another amazing place full of full of snow and ice. The area is to the outskirts of the Baishan town and the road to the scenic area was as beautiful as the area itself. The weather was clear and the sun was shinning brightly, which made everything even more beautiful. On the way, there was a spot, where all the tree had ice crystals on them shinning like diamonds.

The entire scenic area was actually a hike with the mountains on one side and river on the other side. The waterfalls from the mountains were completely frozen creating unique patterns and ice caves. The ground along with the small bridges across the river, the wooden cabins were all covered with thick snow and made a unique combination. It took us almost three hours to cover around 60% of the entire area, however, we were very slow as we preferred to enjoy the serenity of the place rather than rushing through it. The hike along the snow-covered trail was a new experience for us. The river was not completely frozen which made it even more beautiful and we could actually see the snowflakes floating on the ice-cold water.

Journey Back

This was the last day of out trip and the next morning we started our journey to the Changbaishan airport saying goodbye to our guide and driver who had become our good friends in those few days.

Overall it was an amazing and new experience for us. We are very tropical people and have never stayed anywhere with a temperature below the freezing point. That probably made it a bit more difficult for us to acclimatize, but again the first experience is always very special. There is natural beauty everywhere and there are great opportunities for camera shoots.

Things to take with you:

1. Camera Kit – Take with you both tele photo and wide angle lens. Your mobile battery will die very soon, so don’t depend too much on mobile or equivalent battery driven camera. Best is to use the DLSR. Take atleast 2-3 spare camera batteries.

2. Clothes – Take ultra-warm inners, heavy winter jacket designed for temperatures below , two or three layers of woolens, woolen caps and scarves, two layers of gloves, woolen socks and snow shoes, and hiking sticks.

You can contact Mr XUI of Changbai Mountain (international)Travel Services for car and tour guide. Contact 13904498495. Also contact Ms. San Mao for photography guidance. You can ask Mr. XUI to connect to her.

All photos taken by Chiranjib Chakraborty

Sanghamitra Chakraborty 8/23/20 Sanghamitra Chakraborty 8/23/20

LONGJI RICE TERRACE

Longji rice terraces are famous for their picturesque landscapes created by wavy patterned paddy fields layered along the hillside. They are located in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous region of southern China, widely known for its varied and spectacular natural scenery comprising of crust mountains, rivers and waterfalls and lush greenery.

The word ‘longji’ means ‘Dragon Backed Mountain’. During the months of April/May when the paddy crops are sown, the fields are full of water. It is said that they resemble the ‘scales on the back of a dragon’ when sunlight shines on them. However, the rice terraces are beautiful all through the year, with the beauty changing with seasons. From mid-April to mid-June the villagers are busy with filling the rice fields with water followed by planting the rice seedlings. During this time of the year, the rice fields shine like mirrors when sunlight falls on them. You can also have a glimpse of the hard work of the local people at this time of the year. From mid-June to late-September the seedlings have grown above the water level to give an appearance of a lush green carpet being spread all over the mountains. From late-September to mid-October just before the harvest, the color changes to golden yellow resembling a vast ‘yellow sea’ stretching from one mountain to another. This is also the peak season for tourists and it usually coincides with the Chinese National Holiday. This is followed by the post-harvest winter season when the fields are covered with frost and snow giving a sparkling white appearance. However, most parts of the rice fields are inaccessible to the tourists during this time as it is extremely difficult to walk through the frosty fields.

Rice terraces like scales on the back of a dragon

The rice terraces are nestled within the traditional villages of the minority communities of Zhuang and Yao and provide us the glimpses of rural China. The entire terrain has a gentle slope and a trip to the rice fields involve easy to moderate hikes.

The Longji rice fields are comprised of two separate rice terraces – the Ping’An terrace fields and the JinKeng terrace fields. Ping’An Rice Terraces are the earliest and the most developed and is considered to be the core area. It is inhabited by the people of Zhuang community most of whom are farmers and also operate small hotels in the Ping’An village. The JinKeng Rice Terraces, on the other hand, covers the largest area Longji. It is inhabited by the members of the Yao community and offer magnificent panoramic views of the rice terraces.

Location and best time to visit

Both the rice terraces come under the Longsheng county which is about 100 Kms from Guilin, a major tourist attraction of Guangxi Province. They vary in altitude from 300 m to 1100 m above the sea level. Best time to travel is from April to late October (till the end of harvest season) and it takes around 2-4 days to cover all the major viewpoints.

Getting there

The main gateway to the rice terraces is Guilin city and from there travelers need to transfer at either Longsheng town or Hepping village. Hepping village is one village before Longsheng and it takes about a couple of hours to reach either of these locations from Guilin through the twisty mountain roads. Ping’An village and JinKeng rice terraces are about an hour from these two locations. There are multiple ways of reaching Longsheng/Hepping from Guilin. You can either take the public transport from Guilin station direct to any of these locations or else can book a cab. From there you can buy tickets for the whole of Longji Rice terraces and the cost per ticket is RMB 80 per person. This ticket gives you access to the whole of rice terrace fields.

For foreigners, it is highly advisable to hire a guide and a car for the entire trip. Almost none of the local people understand English. Moreover, the directions are also in Chinese and there are no proper roads through the village to guide you to your destination.

Once you reach Guilin either by train or flight, you can start your journey towards Longsheng. The best option will be to reach Longsheng by the lunchtime. So, if you reach Guilin in the morning, you can straightaway head to Longsheng and if you reach in the evening, then better to stay overnight in Guilin and start the next morning.

Ping’An Rice Terraces

It is always better to start the trip from Ping’An rice terraces. Your vehicle will take you to Ping’An Zhuang village parking lot. Since no vehicles are allowed beyond that point inside the Ping’An rice terraces scenic area, so from the parking lot you need to hike to the rice fields. In case you need help to carry your luggage, the local women are available to carry those in bamboo baskets attached to their back for a nominal charge.

The Ping’An rice terraces have two viewpoints – Viewpoint 1 (also known as Nine Dragons and Five Tigers) and Viewpoint 2 (Seven stars with moon). While the names should ideally resemble the views that are seen from these points, your imagination will have a significant role to play if you would like to justify them. Viewpoint 2 is normally called the sunrise viewpoint and viewpoint 1 as the sunset viewpoint and they offer two very distinct beauty of the rice terraces. It takes around 20 minutes to walk from one viewpoint to the other, and the winding road along the mountains and through the rice terraces offers some breathtaking views of the paddy fields.

It takes around 1-1.5 hours to cover the entire stretch from viewpoint 1 and viewpoint 2 but this time may vary depending on how much time you spend in the viewpoints. Since it is needed to walk back through the rice fields, hence it is recommended to be back in the village by the evening. So, if you reach Ping’An by lunchtime, you can comfortably cover the entire Ping’An rice fields by the evening. If you would like to enjoy the majestic sunlight, then you need to hike to viewpoint 2 again in the next morning.

View Point1 Nine Dragons and Five Tigers

Overnight stay in Ping’An village

While it is not necessary to stay overnight in any of the rice fields, it is highly recommended especially, if you would like to experience the magical sunrise and sunset over the terraces.

There are multiple hotels in the Ping’An village, mostly operated by the local people. The hotels are available right from the entrance to the village up to the rice fields and come in different budgets. Staying near the village entrance would save you the trouble of carrying your luggage all the way up. However, on the flipside, if you would like to enjoy the sunrise, then you need to start way earlier than you would if you stayed near to the top. It takes around an hour to hike from the village entrance to the viewpoint 2. The hotels in the village are not as good as hotels in the downtown but most of them offer basic services like running hot and cold water, air conditioner, TV, washroom, free Wi-Fi and some of them also offer private balconies with beautiful views of the rice terraces.

Ping’An Guest House is one such hotel in the middle of the village close to the viewpoint 2. It is probably the biggest and the best hotel in the village. They have a new building and an old building and some of the rooms offer nice views of the rice terraces. They also have a restaurant that offers delicious Chinese traditional menu and an English breakfast.

The entire stretch is also dotted with cafes and family restaurants that offer both traditional Chinese cuisine and foreigner friendly menu of pizza, pasta, tea, coffee and hot chocolates as well as soft and hard drinks. Some of the cafes and restaurants also have open areas and facilities for small parties and karaoke. Longji rice terrace area is famous for its bamboo food which includes steam-soaked glutinous rice and wind-dry meat, peanuts and other ingredients cooked inside bamboo shoots and popularly known as bamboo rice and bamboo meat. The bamboo meal is easily available at all restaurants in the Ping’An village.

JinKeng Rice Terraces

This part of the rice fields is vast and offers some gorgeous photographic landscapes. It gets its name from its shape which is a normal formed pit, with Dazhai village at the base and Tiantou Village and several other villages at both sides. It is home to the Red Yao Ethnic group, the red Yao women are characterized by long and black hairs and dressed up in colorful and traditional clothes.

JinKeng rice terraces have three viewpoints. Viewpoint 1 also known as West Hill Music is about 1,180 m and is the highest. It offers magnificent views of the terraces specially during the sunrise and sunset and close to 90% of the Longji Rice terrace photos are taken here.

To reach the viewpoint 1 of the JinKeng rice terrace, you can either hike from Dazhai village which will take around 2 hours. However, if you decide to stay in Tiantou village overnight, then you need to hike for only an hour.

The viewpoint 2 is also known as Large-scale Thousand-layers terraces. It takes about an hour of hiking from Dazhai village to viewpoint 2 and 30 minutes from Tiantou village. It also offers a beautiful view of the rice terraces

The viewpoint 3 or the Golden Budhha Peak resembles like a Maitreya Buddha from Tiantou village. It has a super wide viewing platform that offers a panoramic view of the rice gardens. This is the only viewpoint which is connected to the Dazhai Village via cable car. The 20 minute of cable car journey also offers a beautiful view of the rice terraces as they travel over them. For hiking enthusiasts, it takes around 2 hours to hike from Dazhai Parking lot to viewpoint 3.

View Point 2 Large-scale Thousand-layers terraces

From Ping’An to Jinkeng

There are two most popular ways to reach JinKeng from Ping’An. One is by hiking through the Zhongliu village which will take approximately 4-4.5 hours and you will reach Tiantou village.

Other option is to reach Dazhai Parking lot by car from Ping’An village parking lot. If you do not have your car, then you will need to change bus at Erlong village. It may take 1 hour of waiting at Erlong bridge to get a connecting bus to JinKeng.

Overnight stay in JinKeng

Just like Ping’An it is not necessary to stay overnight in JinKeng. But again, it depends on your itinerary, how many days you have and how deeply you would like to explore the areas.

The hotels are mainly in the Dazhai village abd Tiantou village. Apart from these two locations, there are also few hotels near each viewpoint. Most of the hotels provide basic facilites of hot water, AC, TV, etc. while some also offers Wi-Fi and private balcony. Although the outside structures of the hotels are very traditional, some do have modern interiors for a comfortable sleep at night.

Dragon’s Den Hostel at Tiantou village is a peaceful retreat surrounded by the rice terraces and provides affordable and comfortable stay with all the basic facilities and free Wi-Fi. This hostel is a popular choice among the foreigners staying overnight at JinKeng.

An ideal itinerary

AnotherMile team visited the rice terraces during late-June for a couple of days. Based on the visit they can recommend few options for an ideal itinerary for the interested travelers.

An ideal itinerary would depend on how many days you have and how deeply you would want to explore the areas. However, if you would like to explore both Ping’An and JinKeng you need to have at least 2-3 days in your disposal. A day trip would allow to visit any one of them. Here is an ideal itinerary for 2 nights and 3 days.

Starting from Guilin in the morning and reach Ping’An by the noon time. You can spend the rest of the afternoon exploring the Ping’An rice terraces. Enjoy a relaxing evening in the rural settings of Ping’An and next morning head towards JenKing. You can choose any of the aforementioned ways to reach JenKing and spend the rest of the day there. You can stay overnight at JenKing and next morning start for your destination.

Tips for travelers

· The difficulty levels of the hikes are from easy to moderate. However, owing to the conditions of the hiking tracks, please wear anti-skid shoes.

· Hiking through the rice terraces are not advisable at night. However, if you need to do that, don’t forget to carry a flashlight with you.

· Avoid carrying heavy luggage, backpacks are ideal for the entire trip.

· The weather changes frequently, hence carry a raincoat or umbrella with you.

· Please carry both wide angle and telephoto lens. There will be ample opportunities for both kind of shots. Also suggested to take drone for mesmerising video.

· Have sufficient time in hand to reach the airport / railway station from the rice terraces especially during the holidays and long weekends.

· Preserve your ticket to the rice terraces safely as you will need them for the entire trip.

More videos on Longji Rice Terrace can be viewed in our YouTube channel AnotherMile “https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3zx-zfNtFlG_fv29p0vLpQ”.

We were ably helped by Miss YvonneYi and Mrs Lee who was our guide. For tour guide you can contact Miss YvonneYi at +86 15907739926 or email at “ivonneyi@yahoo.com” or contact Mrs Lee at +86 1397837933 or email at “ guilinlee0111@163.com”

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