Shangri-la : Part 11 - Yak Meat - BBQ and Preserved

We were so famished by the time we reached back at the Ancient Village. The walk in Potatso National Park has really sapped my energy. Since vehicles are not allowed inside the Ancient Village, the van stopped at the main road and we just walked across.

In the morning, this place was empty (where we had our breakfast). Now, it's filled with stalls selling food and trinkets. And something different happens at night! Each stall sold similar food and trinkets. I did not buy any trinkets because I have bought similar ones when I was in Tibet. Also, some of the trinkets are similar to the ones sold in Malaysia. But my friend and I tried the food sold there! They smelt so delicious! We tried 3 sticks of yak meat to be barbequed. The seller sprinkled some chili flakes too, which is slightly spicy. And they cost RMB9.

For dinner, we went to a recommended place in Wikitravel - Olive Bistro and Inn. Olive Bistro and Inn is just opposite the place we had our lunch. Can you see the place in the photo? Okay, maybe not exactly opposite. About 15 steps away diagonally. It was written that this place has the best Western food. It was extremely warm when we entered inside. We immediately removed all our layers of clothing.

According to the owner, the famous dish in the restaurant is the beef steak. And that is what we ordered in addition to more dishes - chickpea and macaroni soup, thick tomato soup, pizza, and chicken steak with spaghetti. I did not think the dishes were exceptionally delicious and wondered how did wikitravel categorised it as the best Western meal in town. I thought the lunch we had was even more delicious. Especially the ducky. But I did realise the portion served here was huge. So, maybe that is why it's the best because Westerners have huge appetites.

For desert, 3 of my friends had coffee and I had chocolate. The minute I saw my chocolate drink, I thought of worms. Our total dinner came to RMB305.

The same place where the food was barbequed and trinkets being sold was now replaced with people dancing! It starts at 7.30pm every night, and lasts for 2-3 hours. There was a fast pace of music being played. There were a few locals that led the dance, and anyone can join. I did join along, and I could not keep up. I was trying hard to catch my breath and avoid banging into people at the same time.

Then, off we went to be tourists. We were told that we must buy the preserved yak meat, or our trip in Shangri-la is not completed. So, I bought 500g (250g of original flavour and 250g of spicy flavour) of yak meat for RMB60. Yak meat. Nice. Really.