Tag: Kham Tibet

Tibetan Craft Beer – The King of Yaks

The King of Yaks is a Tibetan Craft beer brand founded by the young herdsman Norbu and his team in 2016. The brewery is located at the junction of the G318 National Road and S215 Provincial Road at Golothong Village, Xinduqiao.

The King of Yaks Tibetan Craft Beer

Brewed on the roof of the world, their creation is a Tibetan Highland craft beer made with a combination of pure, filtered mountain water, refined natural ingredients, and traditional European techniques. It is a delicious and refreshing local craft beer, brewed on the roof of world.

Norbu and his team started the world’s highest craft beer brewery as a dream of a new generation of Tibetan entrepreneurs from Garze Prefecture. Many said they were crazy to brew craft beer at an altitude of 3,500 meters above sea level. But after more than two years of research, study, and hard work, they successfully brewed ten different types of craft beer, all under the King of Yaks brand name.

Food and Beer The King of Yaks brewery

From their initial experiments with ten different flavors, they’ve chosen five to present to the public, all of which are beloved by local people and international connoisseurs alike.

They didn’t just stop at making excellent craft beer. The King of Yaks brewery is not only a brewery; It is also a community space open for people to visit, study, and experience both local culture and international-quality craft beer.

Developing and marketing the perfect product is not the sole mission of King of Yaks. They also strive to create a brand that is open to all people, without distinguishing between nationality, race, wealth, or background. Additionally, we hope to create a new appreciation of high-quality craft beer while promoting traditional Tibetan culture and values.

They also opened Café Namsa on the second floor of the brewery on 20^th April 2019. They call the new space a “retro café,” as it embodies a combination of traditional and modern styles that create an atmosphere where people can relax, enjoy craft beer and delicious Tibetan cuisine, as well as improve one self through reading and discussion of different ideas.

The King of Yaks brewery

For years, they have distributed their draught beer to local restaurants and hotels in the surrounding area, but now after building a successful brand, they are excited to introduce their beer to a wider audience this month through the release of King of Yaks canned beer. Soon you will be able to enjoy the delicious and refreshing taste of the་Tibetan highlands at home!

The King of Yaks. A Poem by Norbu, the Founder.

We brewed our past memories

We brewed our best wishes for the world

We brewed our love of the highlands

We brewed our dreams for the future

King of Yaks, born of snowy mountains

With seeds in clouds of pure white

And sunlight woven through its body

King of Yaks, elixir of the Tibetan highlands

A craft beer sprung from unpolluted waters

A craft beer with the essence of natural Tibetan ingredients

King of yaks, a delicious drink for all humankind

The best companion for young people

The greatest happiness for the connoisseur

All friends! Let’s drink King of Yaks!

Let’s drink and taste King of Yaks with heart and soul

Every cup of craft beer filled to the brim with Tibetan flavor

Every cup of craft beer filled to the brim with Tibetan love

We will drink and feel it all!

All friends! Let’s drink King of Yaks!

Adress:Xinduqiao,Kangding city,Sichuan Province,China

phone:+86 17780364591

December 10, 2019
Kadhak

How many uses are there for yak milk? Whatever your answer, you’re sure to have missed high-end organic balms and moisturizer creams made by the up-and-coming social enterprise, Kadhak. Established in 2018, Kadhak is a socially-conscious, Tibetan-run company founded by Sonam Chodron, and her co-founders Dolma Lhamo.

Sonam is a highly-energetic Tibetan woman from Dege, Kham Tibet. Sonam and her team recognized the trap that most Tibetan women on the plateau fail to avoid without safe and sustainable economic opportunities, women remain subjected to the outdated norms that define what they can and cannot do. At the same time, they had always valued the harmonious, communal, and natural way of life of her nomadic community and wanted to find a way to preserve her traditional holistic culture. After a long time, Sonam realized the solution to both of these problems was staring her in the face. She found local organic ingredients, like yak milk, organic apples, raw honey and herbs that are hand-harvested in the wild, and began making moisturizers, perfumes, jams, cider vinegar, and apple wine. Then, instead of keeping these skills to herself, she decided to share them by teaching other women how to make the same products. By empowering others in this way, Sonam noticed how these women grew in economic independence, confidence, and self-worth.

A local Tibetan Woman is making products at Khadaks’ workplace

Kadhak (ཀ་དག།) means ‘inherently pure’ in Tibetan language. It describes the state of basic goodness which is common to all beings. As the name implies, Kadhak is dedicated to working towards creating a better world in its own small way to make a lasting impact. Kadhak’s vision aligns with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and works within this framework to address some of the world’s biggest challenges: lack of access to education, growing inequality, high youth unemployment, unprecedented migration and conflict, and pressure on our natural resources. We each have a responsibility to play our part in society. By supporting SDGs, we can create a better world for every person on this earth.

Kadhak’s Shop in Chengdu

Kadhak’s products are handmade with love and care using the most natural local ingredients, all the way down to the beautifully-designed paper packaging. Kadhak not only has a positive impact on the plateau but also creates an ethically sustainable alternative for customers who want to purchase a product that is great to use and good for the environment. Their organic products include soaps, moisturizers, chapsticks, perfumes, lip balms, apple cider vinegar, apple wine, and jams.

Khadha’s Products

Kadhak has a workspace located in Litang County in the Kham Tibetan Region. They have a retail shop in Songxianqiao near Qing Yang Gong in Chengdu. Visit Kadhak to purchase high quality organic products and support the empowerment of Tibetan women. More info: website www.kadhak.com

88 Caotang East Rd. Chengdu Sichuan China
Postal code 610072
Contact +86 138-8226-8302

中国四川省成都市青羊区草堂东路88号
邮编610072
联系+ 86 138-8226-8302

July 25, 2019
Kailash Restaurant & Bar

In the heart of Shangri-la Old Town, down a stone paved street and through a small alleyway, there lies a modest and vibrant Tibetan restaurant—the Kailash Restaurant & Bar. Though surrounded by low buildings, it is easily found because of the large, white stupa outside its front door. The restaurant’s wooden frames and large windows hang like rare paintings in an art gallery. The warmly lit world within pulls passersby in through its open doors. The inside is simple and artsy. The Kailash’s atmosphere is set with intricate lighting, elegant artwork, and pleasant Tibetan music.

The Creator and His Food

Samten, the owner of the restaurant, started his business in May of 2008. With the help of his family, who each take on different roles in the business, the Kailash has blossomed into a restaurant of renowned fame. The family farm, eighty kilometers away from the city, sources the fresh livestock and vegetables used in their dishes. Though Tibetan flavors dominate their offerings, the menu is also infused with Indian elements as the family spent a decade in that country. Samten works hard to please the palate of his customers without losing the intensity of the original flavors.

Local Tibetan Hotpot at the Kailash Restaurant & Bar

The Famous Yak Hotpot

The Kailash is known for its large clay pot yak hotpot. The yak meat is tender to the point of falling out of the bovine meat category and qualifying as a type of fish. The soup base magically transforms anything it touches into more of that thing. The radish becomes more of a radish. Potatoes come out more like potatoes. The soup incorporates their distinct notes, and the flavors keep compounding!

Although the restaurant is already known for its innovative dishes, Samten is constantly trying to update their menu to keep creating and offering new local flavors for visitors to Shangrila. The Kailash Restaurant & Bar is a prime destination for tourists looking for savory food to please their taste buds (and fill their tummies!).

People enjoy local Tibetan food at Kailash Restaurant &Bar

Kailash Restaurant is a perfect place to enjoy Local Tibetan food: Yak Hotpot, Yak meat momos and Yogurt.

Contact Info:

Address: Beimen Road Yi Mulang 19-B1, Shangri-la Old Town, Diqing, Yunnan Province

Phone:139 8879 8788

地址：云南香格里拉建塘镇独克宗古城北门街依若木廊19-B1号（香巴拉老街）

April 19, 2019
Three Brother’s Café

Three Brother’s Café is nestled into the heart Shangri-La old town and offers a wide variety of Indian Food. The current owner moved to India in order to explore his Buddhist Heritage. While there, he discovered his passion for the Indian culinary arts. After twelve years of cooking experience, he returned to Yunnan and worked as a chef at two different hotels. All the while, he kept honing his skills. In 2015, he and two of his friends decided to open Three Brothers Café. The name comes from these three close friends who want to share their passion for Indian culture and food. Their strong work ethic and excellent food have made it one of the most popular restaurants in town.

The Gate of Three Brother’s Café

More Than Great Food

As you enter the restaurant, you are greeted with warm hospitality and a delicious cup of tea. From a comfortable seat at your thick wooden table on a balcony that overlooks the heart of the old town, you tap your foot to the beat of the evening Tibetan dancing below you. Three Brother’s Cafe does more than food. It creates an authentic cross-cultural experience.

Mind-blowing Deliciousness

The menu offers a wide variety of options, ranging from specialty bread to Indian-spiced steak. Two must-tries are the eggplant and sweet and sour pork. Your mind will be blown. However, be careful that you don’t offer your firstborn to a lifetime of volunteer dishwashing in exchange for your regular fix, because the best is yet to come. Their myriad curries stand out like champions among all of the competition—like Meili Snow Mountain stands out among her jealous sisters.

Inside Three Brother’s Café

A Home-Away-From-Home Feel

If you fear the embarrassment of not knowing the local languages, run as fast as you can to the Three Brother’s Café. The owner’s wife speaks good English and is always around, like a homestead Mama sweeping the porch and waiting for your return. Here is every traveler’s home-away-from-home…and their “home-cooked” meals will melt your heart as they tickle your bellies.

Address: Yi Ruo Mu Lang Old Town Shangri-la County

Phone: +86 150 0886 1247

April 18, 2019
Pelyul County

Pelyul County (or Pelyul- དཔལ་ཡུལ་རྫོང་།) is located in Kham Tibet and is one of eighteen counties of Ganzi Autonomous prefecture in Western Sichuan Province. In Tibetan, Pelyul means “a holy and happy place.” Pelyul is on the border with the Tibet Autonomous Region and is roughly 3,000 meters above sea level. There are over 50,000 people here with 94% being Tibetan and the rest are Han Chinese and other ethnic minorities.

Getting to Pelyul

Traveling to Pelyul from Chengdu is very doable with a little bit of patience. It’s roughly a 900km journey and takes around 18 hours by bus. A new highway from Ya’an to Luding is now open to private vehicles and will be available to public bus traffic in June of 2018. This cuts at least four hours off the journey, making the total ride possible in one day. This is still not recommended though, as it is always best to ascend elevation slowly with regular periods of acclimatization. We suggest spending at least a night or two in Kangding on the way up.

Well Worth the Trip

The landscape and scenery are so worth the trip: nomadic grassland, glaciated peaks, deep river valleys, stunning mountain lakes, diverse Tibetan architecture, and the unique culture. Pelyul is only 97 kilometers (a 2 hour drive) south of Dege. Dege is the center of culture, art and medicine in Kham area. It’s one of the best places to experience Tibetan religious culture and learn Kham Tibetan history.

Sights to See around Pelyul

You can easily spend two to three days in Pelyul visiting monasteries and nunneries. Pelyul and Katok Monasteries are one of the three biggest Nyingma-tradition monasteries of Tibetan Buddhism in the Kham Tibetan region. Pelyul monastery was founded in 1665 by Kuchen Sherab in Pelyul County. After Pedma Norbu Rinpoche’s death, Karma Kuchen Rinpoche became the monastery’s twelfth leader. The monastery is located in a hillside above the county town and is within walking distance. From the monastery you can get the whole view of the town.

Katok Monastery was founded by Katok Dampa Deshek in 1159. It’s located on a hillside in a town called Horpo 51 kilometers away from Peyul county. It has a nearly 850 year history and the greatest scholars in Tibet have come out of Katok. Katok is a must-see if you want to dive deep into the history of the Nyingma sect of Tibetan Buddhism.

Yarchen Monastery was founded by Achuk Rinpoche in 1985. It lies in an isolated valley 4000 meters above sea level. The monastery is associated with the Nyingma traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. It’s the largest concentration of nuns and monks in the world. Nuns drastically outnumber the monks, so much so that Yarchen is also known as “The City of Nuns.” The place is covered with thousands of small huts where nuns do their meditation. Yarchen is an amazing place to learn about Tibetan Buddhist nun’s lifestyle and religious customs. Yarchen is between Pelyul County and Ganzi County, roughly equidistant from both. Traveling from either Pelyul or Ganzi to Yarchen takes about three hours by private vehicle.

April 4, 2018
Minya Konka (Mount Gongga)

On the eastern edges of the Tibetan plateau, in the Kham region south of Kangding and Xinduqiao, lies Mount Gongga (Minya Konka), the 7,556-meter sentinel of the Mount Gongga mountain range. The mountain is the third largest peak outside of the Himalayas. At one point in the 1930s, its height was miscalculated and thought to be over 30,000 feet, which would have made it the tallest mountain in the world. The myth was short-lived as the National Geographic Society quickly disproved the claim. It does stand head and shoulders above every other peak in the region and its prominence from some of the deep, surrounding gorges make it easy to understand how some might have mis-calculated its height.

Viewing Minya Konka

Minya Konka lies shrouded in clouds amongst the other peaks of the Gongga Range

Catching an unhindered view of Mt. Gongga’s peak is a rare occurence as it typically carries with it its own weather system. Even when the rest of the sky is relatively cloudless, Gongga will still wear a shroud of clouds. The steep valleys surrounding Gongga make it difficult to see even though you may be walking through its own foothills. There are a few common vantage points available for viewing Gongga, though you still need a good dose of luck to see it. The Kangding Airport road provides a clear, though distant view of Gongga and the surrounding mountains. You can also potentially view it from the Riewuqie pass on the Gongga through-trek. There are parts of the 318 Highway between Yajiang and Kangding from where you can also see the mountain. But the best viewing spot for Gongga is at the pass above Zimei village.

A Wonderland of Adventure

Surrounded by awe inspiring landscapes

During late spring and early summer, Tibetans comb the valleys and mountains around Gongga for caterpillar fungus. More and more trekkers are finding their way to Mt. Gongga. There is a popular trail hike that begins just to the south of Kangding and ends in Zimei village, which visits one of the most isolated monasteries on the planet. Visitors have the option of even staying the night at the monastery itself, which was build over 700 years ago nestled into a steep valley on the western side of Minya Konka. It typically takes 5 to 8 days to traverse the 70-kilometer journey.

This 700 year old monastery is one of the most isolated on the planet

There have been many attempts to summit Mt. Gongga. And many fatalities. It has been successfully summitted only a few times, most recently in the summer of 2017 by a group from the Czech Republic. But for the average adventurer, Minya Konka is a veritable alpine playground. Boasting some of the most inspiring and breath-taking landscapes in the region, the Gongga Valley is a trekker’s, and mountain biker’s, dream. It doesn’t get any better than this.

Trekking through the Gongga Valley

February 23, 2018
Desti Youth Park Hostel

Kelsang Phuntsok is a young Tibetan entrepreneur who is the owner of Desti Youth Park hostel. He was raised and very much influenced by his great-grandfather Richan Pizu, who in his younger days worked on the tea road as a horseman. Kelsang grew up listening to Richan’s endless and marvelous stories about the tea road, its folk tales, and ancient songs. Stories that had such a strong impact on young Kelsang, that he was aware of the richness of his Tibetan cultural heritage even as a young child. Kelsang has always embraced the Tibetan ideals of benefiting other sentient beings as a core principle of his behavior: he dreamed of becoming a Buddhist monk when he was a young child.
Dormitory room at Desti Youth Park Hostel

When Kelsang graduated from school, his parents passed down his family’s old house to him. Most of his relatives and friends suggested that Kelsang should tear down the old house and build a new house, as all the other households in the village have built new houses. He was reluctant to demolish his family’s old house, because his great-grandpa built the house and he had spent his childhood growing up in the old house. Not only was the house the place where he spent his childhood, but it also shows an important part of his family history. When looking at the house, one can see the house shows the aptitude and hard-work that went into building it. Kelsang thinks that young Tibetan generations have to remember the spirit of their ancestors. As a result, Keslang decided to use the house as a hostel where he can receive people from all over the world and show them local Tibetan culture, architecture, and lifestyle.

Beautiful night at Desti Youth Park Hostel

In a peaceful Tibetan village in Shangri-La, visitors will find a breathtaking hostel. The Desti Youth Park hostel is situated in Chengni Village, near Shangri-La International Airport. It is enclosed by bright flowers and seemingly endless grassland. Visitors who go to Chengni will find themselves temporarily transported away from the real world, into the colorful fairy tale kingdom that is the village. In this mysterious fantasyland and spectacular landscape, you can choose from amongst an assortment of activities that should appeal to a variety of interests. Watch a movie, barbeque a meal, join a campfire party with local Tibetan dancing, cycle around the village, or take a Thangka painting class.

Room with single bed at Desti Youth Park Hostel

When staying at the hostel, you also have the option of choosing a room according to your travel budget. The hostel has family or single rooms with private hot showers and internet, or dormitory rooms with public showers. All the staff speaks English well, and the food is delicious. They also provide a van if you want to visit Shangri-La Old Town or some of the other local places.

We would highly recommend Desti Youth Park Hostel if you are looking for a peaceful and authentic place to stay in Shangri-La.

Contact Info: No.54 Chengni, Shini Village, Jiantang Town, Shangri-La County 674400, China

Phone: 0887-8065355. 13038608855

地址：香格里拉市建塘镇尼史村妄尼组54号

电话： 0887-8065355. 13038608855

November 29, 2016
Bodhi Inn (Boutique Hotel)

Bodhi Inn boutique hotel is just at the entrance of the charming Shangri-La Old Town. The hotel is also situated very close to the bus station. When you enter the hotel, you notice the beautiful Tibetan-style decorations right away. It is obvious that the Bodhi Inn gives special attention to detail, and they have done so in very good taste and with a desire for authentic style. The fireplace is a great place to hang out at night to relax, or to catch up over a meal. The owner of the hotel, Tashi, speaks excellent English and he is a very helpful guy. He is always happy to help his costumers with travel information and the best ways to discover the local food. Bodhi Inn also provides free pick up from bus station and airport, just be sure to let them know you arrival details ahead of time.
The gate of Bodhi Inn

Tashi is a Tibetan guy who was born in Nepal, but visiting Shangri-La was one of his biggest whishes. Fortunately, his wish came true in 2005. Tashi fell in love with this amazing place from the day he arrived, so he decided to work there as a guide. Tashi has received so many guests-turned-friends, from all over the world. They love Shangri-La and some of them even come back almost every year. That inspired Tashi to build a home for visitors and himself. He opened the hotel in April of 2014. Ever the entrepreneur, Tashi now also runs a coffee shop and handicraft shops. In total, Tashi has 11 staff work for him who speaks English well, and they are very friendly and welcoming to guests and shoppers alike.

Inside Bodhi Inn

The rooms at the Boddhi Inn are clean and charming, have free wifi, are well equipped with electric blankets, new A/C, and have a modern bathroom with a nice shower. As a guest, you’ll be offered a tasty cup of ginger tea on arrival, which is freely available 24 hours per day. You have three options for breakfast in the morning: American, European, or Tibetan. True to your travel experience, we would highly recommend trying the Tibetan breakfast at least once with a cup of Yak butter tea.

Family style room in Bodh Inn

If you’re visiting Shangri-La Old Town, consider Bodhi Inn if you’re looking for a pleasant and comfortable place to stay.

Contact Info:

Adress: No.14 Yiruo Mulang, Beimen Street, Dukezong Old Town, Shangri-La County 674400, China.

Phone: 0887-8226566 13988745770

地址：云南省迪庆藏族自治州香格里拉市独克宗古城北门街依诺木廊14号

联系电话：0887-8226566 13988745770

November 29, 2016