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Shangri-la in northern Yunnan is originated from a novel, Lost Horizon written by the British writer James Hilton in 1933. It\’d5s described as a mystical, harmonious valley somewhere near the Himalaya. Often referred to as a paradise, and a place of peace, happiness and rest. An Utopia. \
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Some ISO1600 shots from that
evening.
Sigma SD10 50MM EX
Copyright Carl Rytterfalk.
This utopia is about 12h with buss from Kunming. It isn\’d5t that far in reality but roads aren\’d5t super nice if I put it that way. Shangri-la is a beautiful place, mystical, harmonious plateau with a lot of drunken citizen every night. It\’d5s so bad that driving nighttime or late evening is seen as something you just don\’d5t do as a visitor. You let local people do that. They drink a lot! And I mean a lot. \
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I have some friends, some local friends that I by mistake meet in Kunming. Those friends of course wanted to eat dinner to enhance and deeper our friendship. They brought some friends too and soon we ate great food and drank nice local rice wine. \
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If a local guy wants to drink a cup with you you\’d5re supposed to drink with him. Not a zip, but the whole glass. Glasses aren\’d5t very big but when something has about 52% of alcohol inside then size really doesn\’d5t matter. If you don\’d5t they are all VERY confused about your friendship and you really do act like something the cat dragged in. \
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Everybody wants to be your friend. Everybody wants YOU to be his friend. So drinking never ends. It\’d5s tough. Very tough.\
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This is the first part of my Shangri-la story. I was there for 10 days, traveling around to many different places and bit by piece I\’d5ll make you understand more and more about this mystical place.\
