UPDATED October 9, 2026 BY Henry Gold IN The Road to Shangri-La no comments On My Way To Shangri-La (By Bicycle)Tea is the taste of the wind, the fragrance of the mountains. Chinese proverbTea tempers the spirits and harmonizes the mind, dispels lassitude and relieves fatigue, awakens thought and prevents drowsiness. Lu YuWhats your next tour? This is a question that participants asked each other me included as the Road to Valhalla Cycling Tour wound down.I am fascinated by China. If you want to know why, read the book The Man Who Loved China by Simon Winchester. I highly recommend it. I first went there in 2006 to scout what was then going to be our companys 3rd transcontinental tour, the Silk Route Cycling Expedition. At that time, China was in the midst of a great transformation and my eyes were often open wide in wonder. The following year I cycled the inaugural Silk Route tour, including two months crossing China from west to east, an adventure in every sense of the word.Henry in Beijing in 2007 on the Silk RouteIn 2013, I had an opportunity to cycle a different part of China on our Bamboo Road Cycling Adventure from Shanghai to Hong Kong and then on to Vietnam. As on my previous visit, there was no end to the surprises and discoveries. In March of this coming year, I hope to be on our companys new tour, The Road to Shangri-La, which will be passing through one of the most fascinating places in China. The riders will enter the country from Northern Vietnam into Yunnan, one of Chinas most culturally diverse regions. Twenty five ethnic minorities live there a personal interest of mine 15 of which reside only in that area.During a recent dinner in Montreal, I asked Max Dionne, who scouted this route before Covid hit, what the highlights were. Maxs face broke into a big grin and he started listing them.The first was the spectacular Honghe Hani Rice Terraces (pictured above) which the riders will see soon after entering China.He went on, pointing out that while all cities in China have gone through modernization, on this route many of them kept their traditional ancient Chinatowns. In particular, he pointed out that the city of Lijiang, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, had thousands of heritage houses and apparently is one of the most authentic ancient towns in Asia.Lijiang Old TownAnother area of interest to me is the worlds second most consumed beverage, of which I drink a lot tea. Tea originated in Southwest China and I recall my first tea tasting in the country, an elaborate and very pleasant event. Afterwards, I felt as if I havent ever drunk real tea before.On the Road to Shangri-La, riders will visit Shaxizhen, home to some historic landmarks where horse caravans carrying tea would often stop. On one of my previous visits in China, I bought a book in English published in China called the Tea-Horse Road which describe how tea was being transported from China onwards, often through difficult and challenging landscapes.This brings me to another highlight Max mentioned, Tiger Leaping Gorge, a scenic and dramatic canyon on the Jinsha river. Max also mentioned the spectacular temples in Shangri-La, similar to the ones in Lhasa and the large praying wheels which apparently take at least four people to move. By the way, Shangri-La in Tibetan, means the sun and moon in ones heart.Tiger Leaping GorgeAnd, of course, there is the food. Max mentioned loving the Crossing Bridge Noodles and in a recent blog, our Operation Manager and former chef, Miles, pointed out a few more things to try in Yunnan. Having grown up on potatoes in Eastern Europe myself, I cant wait to taste Old Grandmas Potatoes! Besides the cuisine, what Max found particularly delightful were the evening activities on the town squares with people dancing and just enjoying themselves and outsiders encouraged to join in.For myself, going back to China is to get a glimpse of what feels like the most fascinating transformation of a society in human history. Returning home from my previous trips in China, I often found it was hard to describe what I had witnessed and experienced. I fully expect this tour will be no different.Going back also means enjoying some great Chinese food and sampling a lot of wonderful tea in the company of a number of TDA riders. Some of them I know from previous tours and some I hope to meet on the Road to Shangri-La for the first time. If you have never been to China, or for that matter Laos or Vietnam, join us for this unique tour. I promise, you will not regret it.RELATEDTOURThe Road to Shangri-La Shangri-La, an earthly paradise cut off from the world in a hidden Himalayan valley, a place where there is no war or suffering and where people live... Related Posts:Leave a Comment for "On My Way To Shangri-La (By Bicycle)" Cancel reply