Jan 2004. Kangding is about 7 hours drive west of Chengdu. It is a ethnic Tibetan town and marks the true beginning of Tibet. The town is nestled in a valley surrounded by steep mountains, with a rapid natural river flowing down it's main street. I was here during the middle of winter and it was freezing! I think it was a sunny -8 degrees C. Jan 2004. The Ganzi Autonomous Prefecture is a wonderfully beautifull and remote Tibetan area. It is filled with majestic mountains which at times makes the bus journey a bit heart-stopping. The altitude is quite high (3000m) so it was always going to be cold! The town's population is predominantly Tibetan and the area is earmarked for Tourism by the PRC. The bus journey took us through the Tibetan rural towns that seemed quite untouched by the modern world. It was truly a great journey. May 2002. During my year long stay in Kunming, I spent a week in Zhongdian, a Tibetan town in the north of Yunnan. Zhongdian and Deqin had just been announced by the PRC to be Shangri-la and I was lucky enough to be at the official festival celebrations. I managed to take some great photos of the Tibetan leaders in their full traditional ceremonial costumes. I lucky once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!