Prayer wheel in golden light

The Dukezong prayer wheel lies in the heart of Shangri-La’s old town and stands over 24 metres tall (80′) atop Guishan (which translates as Tortoise Mountain).  It is a small hill but along with this massive bronze Tibetan prayer wheel is adorned with two beautiful structures that are the main buildings of the Dukezong Temple.

I arrived in Shangri-La earlier in the day and went exploring with a recently made photographer friend once unpacked.  We made our way to the old town, which is a siren’s call for most visitors to Shangri-La, and was charmed by the vibrant people and character buildings.  Jorge needed a coffee and that sounded like a great idea.  We retired to a second floor coffee shop which afforded a great view of the street and Guishan.  With great coffee soon in hand, the clouds offered us a gift by parting to the west. With the sun close to setting, the warm light glowed on the wheel and the temple.  The coffee was forgotten for a few minutes at that point in favour of photographing.  A great start to my visit to this most interesting of places.