'''Ganzi''' (___y: ''G?nz?''), is the capital of Ganzi county in Sichuan Province in south-west China. It was an important city in the now defunct Tibetan province of Kham. Situated in a large valley with grassy hills at an elevation of 3400m, Ganzi is north-east of the gorgeous snow-peaked mountains of Gongga Shan range. Tibetan life is abundant here, and the friendly people won't let you go by without offering the Tibetan greeting 'Tashi Dele'. The town is set along the main road passing from east to west.
Get in
Buses from Kangding leave for Ganzi at 6:00 a.m. for around \120. The ride takes 12-14 hours, depending on the condition of your bus and the number of times it breaks down. Try not to book a seat in the back of the bus, especially on smaller buses, as you'll be thrown around violently through much of the trip.
Get around
The main street is '''Chuanzang Road''' (___U_H). You can easily visit the town on foot. For longer distances, you can use taxis. The fare should not exceed \6 to any place in town.
See
'''Garze Monastery'''. A short walk north along the river dividing the town or the street running parallel to the west leads you to the Tibetan quarter of the town, which lays at the foot of the monastery. Follow the narrow paths between the houses to reach the site. Look out for little chapels containing giant prayer wheels circambulated by devotees on the way. Though being the most important of its likes in the Ganzi region and being more than 540 years old, Garze Monastery is not as spectacular as other monasteries in Kham, since the greater parts of its temples had been rebuilt using han-chinese-style white-tile facades and plastic-pane windows. Still the views over the valley from its terraces and the gaudy mix of Tibetan and chinese architecture make it worth a visit.
:<div style="font-size:smaller;">(Information as of 20 June 2005)</div>
'''Den Gompa''' is much smaller but the structures are supposed to be more traditional. It's in the southern part of Ganzi.
'''Dontok Gompa and Dingkhor Chörten''' make up for a nice half hour walk across a suspended bridge over the Yalong Jiang. To reach there, head south from the bus station and follow the right path after crossing the bridge. The complex is currently under construction but has distinctive features to its buildings, including vertical white, grey and crimson stripes on the walls surrounding the houses. The friendly monks will show you around the place.
There is a new '''Chörten''' built on a small hill on the eastern edge of town. The adjacent temple houses a Buddhist library. Although the building itself does not bear that ancient flair you might be looking for, its a nice place to catch views over the valley and the city.
Do
Buy
Small shops downtown provide typical Tibetan clothing and jewellery and accessories needed by the herdmen frequenting the town. Look out for stores selling antiques. On the road leading north from the bus station, you'll find several shops catering for monk's outfits and religious artefacts, as well as selling the beautiful curtains adorning windows and doors in that region. There are even shops selling traditional Tibetan hand-carved furniture.
Supermarkets on main-street sell food and toiletries, you can also buy bottles of beer and decent Chinese wine to make up your own nightlife.
Eat
Plenty of small restaurants are to be found on the road next to the bus station.
Drink
There is not much nightlife in town. To have a beer, simply visit a restaurant.
Sleep
Budget
'''Chengxin Binguan''' - Just across the street and south from the bus station at No. 27. With friendly and tidy doubles or triples. Room rates are negotiable but are listed as ranging from \70-150. some rooms have en suite bathrooms, while the condition of the shared bathrooms are varying according to the patrons currently staying in the place. Using the shared showers is an extra \10. Beware in winter, there is no running water in this hotel.
Mid-range
'''Golden Yak Hotel''' is inside the bus station compound. A bed in a dorm \15 and doubles with bathroom, that has low water pressure, go for \80. More luxurious accommodation offering en suite bathrooms and western style toilets is also available. The hotel also has a restaurant and tea room.
'''Himalaya Hotel''' [http://www.himalaya-hotel.com/] is west from the bus station in the Dongda Jie road. The hotel is built in 2005 with single and double rooms, nice tea room, medicinal herbal baths and sauna. The hotel manager is German-speaking.
Stay safe
Beware of altitude sickness if traveling here straight from the Sichuan lowlands.
Contact
Internet
There is an Internet place with decent connection speed (though no printer). Walk to the road bridge crossing the river in the middle of town and follow the stream north (away from the big river towards the monastery). After 300m, you will pass a pedestrian bridge on your right hand side. Shortly after that, there is a small concrete 'picnic' sitting area on the right. The entrance to the second floor Internet cafe is up the private looking staircase just opposite that place. There are no signs advertising the service, so if in doubt just ask the neighborhood.
Cope
Laundry
There are small laundry shops located at at numbers 223, 239 and 239 on the main strip, Changzang Road, that will wash clothes. They are easily identified by the clothes hanging from the ceiling. It generally costs \2-5 per article/pair of clothing and you can pick up your clothes the next day. If you're in a hurry the clothes can be dropped off in the afternoon and picked up in the evening, but they will still be moist.
Get out
Public Bus
The Bus Station is in the center of town just south of the main road.
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