Daocheng Aden Travel Notes 05: The holy and tranquil Dolma Lacuo

Asia Ding Village is 34 kilometers away from Shangri-La Town. The Yading Nature Reserve is named after this village and is known as the last Shangri-La. The village is hidden between the snow-capped mountains and the forest. It always appears suddenly, as if it does not exist at all, and it suddenly appears when your eyes move to it. The village is located on a relatively flat plateau in the mountains, surrounded by undulating desolate mountains. Against the backdrop of the blue sky, the outlines of the mountains are dark and bright. In the distance in front of the village, the towering Xiannairi Snow Peak is bathed in the sun, simple and steep, like a simple drawing drawn with just a few strokes. However, the height, width and texture of the peak are dark and steep, majestic and serene. There are 28 households in the village, and the houses and their layout are very harmonious with the surrounding nature.

Note: Panoramic view of Aden Village

Note: Where we stayed in Aden

Note: You can see Xiannairi Mountain from the door of your residence.

We lived in a Tibetan house in Yading Village. Just like Hohhot was "occupied" by Shanxi people, Lhasa was "occupied" by Sichuan people, and Urumqi was "occupied" by Han people, this once fully Tibetan village has also been "cannibalized" by Sichuan people who are ubiquitous across the country and are not afraid of hardship. ". The house we stayed in was also contracted by people from Sichuan. Perhaps in a few years, Yading Village will become a village entirely owned by Sichuan people.

Yading Village is about 3800 meters above sea level, which is also the highest altitude of our accommodation during the trip. The night before, many of the group members did not sleep well due to altitude sickness. Jun, who had been "living together" with me all this time, was always taking oxygen at night, and I also had trouble sleeping for the first time due to a slight headache. I woke up in the middle of the night, took an aspirin, and sat quietly for an hour or two before I could sleep again. Fall asleep. Little Zhangmei said that as long as we get through Aden, whether it is Daocheng or Xinduqiao, it will be a piece of cake for us, and we can be as active as on the plains. Later facts proved that Xiaozhanmei's experience was always correct.

After a simple breakfast, we entered the Aden Scenic Area again. Today’s route is from Chonggu Temple to Zhuoma Latso. It is 500 meters from the entrance of the scenic spot to the battery car ride point, then 200 meters to Chonggu Temple, and then walk up the plank road for 1,200 meters to Dolma Lacuo. The whole round trip is only 3,800 meters, including a round trip to the lake, which is more than 4,000 meters. Compared with walking more than ten kilometers on the first day, the journey was very easy.

Chonggu Temple is located at the foot of Xiannairi Mountain, 3880 meters above sea level. The original temple was severely damaged, with ruins and walls visible. Chonggu Temple is affiliated to Gonggar Langjiling Temple. Zhaba chants sutras and recites Buddha here. There is a statue of Buddha Sakyamuni in the sutra hall. In the Aden Scenic Area, Chonggu Temple has an excellent location. Standing in Chonggu Temple, opposite are three sacred mountains that have not changed for thousands of years. At the foot is a meadow full of wild flowers, and behind you is the steep and majestic Aden Canyon. Chonggu Temple is like the gate to heaven, guarding the sacred Shambhala Kingdom. When Joseph Locke came here for inspection in 1928, he stayed at Chonggu Temple for three days. Through the windows of the temple, he looked at the quiet and peaceful village of Aden under the moon. This is the beautiful blue scene in James Hilton's "Lost Horizon" The original form of Moon Valley.

Starting from Chonggu Temple and going up the plank road, the end point is Zhuoma Lacuo, which means Pearl Lake in Chinese. Sorry, I got lost again along the way. None of the group members went there, and I was the only one on the long plank road. It was very cold in the mountains in the early morning, and the plank roads and handrails were covered with a thin layer of frost. This kind of frost is completely different from the thin frost in winter in the south. It is as hard as small thorns. Wearing professional hiking shoes, the soles of my feet were also slippery, so I had to walk carefully. However, I enjoyed this short 1,200 meters very much, even though the uphill road still made me feel out of breath. I even sat down comfortably in a resting pavilion, lit a cigarette, and enjoyed my quiet time alone. whether smoking is allowed).

Nowadays, the design of plank roads is very environmentally friendly. The plank road is not built directly on the ground, but is built in the air, leaving enough gaps on the ground to protect vegetation and leave a passage for small animals to pass by. If a tree is encountered, it will not be cut down or removed, but a hole will be left for the tree trunk to pass through. This design and construction method, which is said to have been introduced from Australia, has replaced the past method of using cement or stone slabs to build steps.

superior When you reach the ridge and turn down, the holy Zhuoma Lacuo and the towering Xiannairi Mountain appear before your eyes. A emerald green lake lies quietly at the foot of Xiannairi Mountain. It is so peaceful in the mountains that you can't bear to disturb it. The forests are colorful, and the blue waves reflect a colorful world. The beautiful lake and the reflection of the Xiannairi Mountain are so natural that it is fascinating.

Note: Do you need words to explain such a beautiful scenery? What kind of words can describe it well? Disclaimer: The photos were taken with an iPhone and were not post-processed.

Faced with such beautiful scenery, we lingered over it. The group members cheered in front of Pearl Lake and even twisted the "little apple" in excitement. I followed the plank road by the lake and walked around the lake in a clockwise direction according to Tibetan tradition. The air in the morning is very cold, with temperatures around freezing, especially in forests where the sun doesn't shine. I wore fleece pants and a jacket, and put two magic hoods on my head, one around my face and neck, but I still felt chilly. However, the scenery is beautiful, how can this coldness stop me from going to the lake? !

Note: Do you recognize this is me?

I have always been very, very, very disgusted with the explanations given by tour guides in many scenic spots. I like to use metaphors such as "a boy worshiping Guanyin", "an old man carrying his wife on his back", "a turtle climbing a mountain" and "a monkey picking peaches" to intuitively understand the natural scenery. Symbolic interpretation. Whenever the tour guide explained this, I wanted to rush forward, pinch their neck tightly, and yell "Shut up". The beauty gifted by God, when spoken of like this, seems vulgar and depraved. We were very lucky. The leader of the group, Little Deer Girl, would never tell us this. She was just a guide, and that was all. At least this made me feel very appropriate. I am also glad that this place is far away from the intrusion of Han culture. There are no so-called legends, no couplets, no poems, and no songs. Everything is very simple, only the beautiful scenery, only the gods and Bodhisattvas in the sky, everything else, just follow your thoughts and fly freely!

We had plenty of time today and we stayed here for a long time. The group members were still taking pictures, with various cameras, lenses, postures, jumping, and expressions... I saw a lot of squirrels gathering in the woods nearby, so I went to play with them. . Probably these squirrels are well-informed and don't take us seriously at all. As long as someone has something to eat, they will just take it and chew it. When no one feeds them, they open the bags placed by tourists on the ground and look for them themselves.

Iremembered the law of diminishing marginal utility in economics in a very strange way! This law can be said to exist at all times and in all worlds, including the material and spiritual worlds. This is also the reason why we will suffer from aesthetic fatigue after seeing too much beautiful scenery. However, nothing in Aden made me feel that way. The marginal utility was diminishing, at least it failed during the two days in Aden. As the saying goes, if there are rules, there must be exceptions, and Aden is an exception.

After leaving Aden and returning to Daocheng, I said in the WeChat circle of friends: "Daocheng and Aden are so peaceful and beautiful. Beautiful things need someone to appreciate them, but if there are too many people to appreciate them, it will be a disaster for the beauty, such as now Jiuzhaigou. This is a paradox, and I don’t know if Daocheng Yading can break it in the future.” I sincerely pray and hope so. Since the law of diminishing marginal utility can temporarily fail in two days, this paradox of beauty and disaster can also be broken. The holy mountain bless you, the Bodhisattvas bless you, I hope so.