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Entry from: Lijiang, China
Entry Title: “Tiger Flying Jumping Leaping Gorge”

Entry:

“The journey from Chengdu was typical China – can’t they make this country any smaller??? We took an overnight train and then 14hours later, half-asleep, emerged into another city which has two names, neither of which are pronounceable. Right outside the train station we were glad to see the no.64 bus which we needed to catch to take us across town so we jumped aboard – but not as quickly as the locals who bagged all the seats. We then stood for 40mins watching for anything that looked like a bus station, wondering if we had missed our stop, until finally the bus station appeared and the conductor motioned for us to get off. We always think we are on a big adventure in these foreign countries but in reality all the backpackers head to the same places so the locals know exactly where you are going even without asking! We bought tickets to Lijiang (no thank you, none of that expensive air-con – we want the cheap bus!), bought some dumplings for breakfast and then sat in the waiting area along with all the locals who had decided that the no-smoking signs obviously didn’t apply to them. The bus journey was 8 hours into the heart of Yunnan Province and amazingly we gradually left behind the smog which had seemed omni-present throught China. On arriving in Lijiang we were met by about 15girls surrounding the bus shouting ‘hotel’ and ‘cheap room’ but a quick blast of “buenas tardes, habla espanol???” confused them for long enough for us to get our dusty bags off the top of the bus – I knew that my limited Spanish would come in useful again! After being directed onto a very short local bus ride (we would have walked the 600yds up the hill but most people obviously don’t…) we made our way into the old town of Lijiang. The old town is amazingly well preserved with narrow cobbled streets, lots of little c****s filled with goldfish and trout, water-wheels, little scenic bridges and flowers aplenty. All these things combine to attract what seems like a million chinese tourists each trying to carry several shopping bags of souvenirs while taking pictures of everything. Not the quiet oasis we had imagined…. but luckily we did find our our own quiet retreat at the Old Town Carnation Hotel where the staff were friendly, the courtyard was sunny and the rooms very comfortable – all for 50yuan a night (4pounds UK). The next few days were spent relaxing, walking around the town and sampling the traditional Naxi food. My (Paul) Chinese visa only had a couple of days left so I eventually tracked down a very nice policeman at a small office on the main street. Ten minutes later and for the sum of 160yuan he filled the last blank page of my passport with a 30day visa extension… any new countries from now on can have fun trying to find space for a stamp! The next day we took a 2hr local bus to Qiaotou, the starting point for the hike along the mountains above Tiger Leaping Gorge. After a few helpful tips (and a map) from Margos Tiger Gorge Cafe we headed off up into the mountains in the bright sunshine. The scenery is spectacular with vistas of the gorge and river with snow-capped mountain peaks in the distance. Luckily there are small family guesthouses every couple of hours and so plenty of opportunties to stop for a rest and some food and drink. The first day we walked for about 4 hours including one very strenuous section called the ’28bends’ (it felt more like 50..) which we handily timed right in the midday heat and just after a huge lunch. On hand were local women in traditional dress to tempt you to stop for cold drinks and fresh honey which was great for an energy boost! You could also hire horses to take you up the steep sections but we resisted and made our …”
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Photos from this trip:
1. “Mandy at waterwheel in Lijiang old town”
2. “Lijiang – full of Chinese tour groups!”
3. “By the stream, Old town Lijiang”
4. “View of Lijiang from our room”
5. “Mandy in Lijiang square”
6. “Naxi horseman in traditional dress”
7. “Tiger Leaping Gorge – start of the trek!”
8. “Paul at Tiger Leaping Gorge”
9. “Lunch stop at Naxi Guesthouse – day one”
10. “Dinner with friends,Tea-Horse Trade Guesthouse”
11. “Mandy making friends with the goats”
12. “Hiking through the mountains..”
13. “Waterfall across the path!”
14. “View back along the gorge and river”

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