First, we visited the Songzanlin Monastery, which climbs 143 steps and consists of three adjacent main temples and several other buildings. Inside, it’s important not to point, wear sunglasses or hats, and, of course, no photos. However, there is a donation box with a QR code for WeChat Pay…
“Built in 1679, the monastery is the largest Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Yunnan. It was extensively damaged in the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) and subsequently rebuilt in 1983; at its peak, the monastery contained accommodation for 2,000 monks, it currently accommodates in its rebuilt structures 700 monks in 200 associated houses.” (Wikipedia, also with photos from inside)
You can see monks praying, some with tablets, some by heart, truly religious people mixed with tourists imitating prayer postures, a man restoring paintings, the rooms full of symbols, and a lot of money lying around, but seemingly draped in a symmetrical arrangement
We went on, had an early lunch, and took two more breaks at viewpoints like the Dragon Bridge. Finally, we reached a beautiful spot overlooking Meili Snow Mountain, again without pointing fingers at it, as it’s sacred. In fact, we saw only the highest part of the peak peeking out of the clouds.
We had dinner there, although many weren’t hungry at first, but the food was simply too good to resist.
On the way to the hotel, some bought a miracle cure for the symptoms of altitude sickness, and then we saw that there was a power outage in the street in front of the hotel. Checking in and finding a room were a bit awkward, but once that was over, the power came back on.