The Tiger Leaping Lijiang

 It’s been a couple days since we were in Lijiang and we hiked the Tiger Leaping Gorge. In a way, a lot has happened since and at the same time not much has happened at all; but, I’ll recall the hike as best I can.

We left our cozy little lodge in Dali and headed for Lijiang around 4pm on Monday the 14th (I think). As soon as we got to Lijiang we didn’t really like the look of it. On the one hand, it reminded us of Disneyland (downtown Disney); on the other hand, it was all the crowds and anticipation, but without the satisfaction of seeing Mickey or Ariel. It took us forever to find our hostel on that first night. The map and directions we got off the internet were grossly incorrect and we walked, weaving in and out of the masses of people, with massive packs on our backs, for about an hour before we stopped at another hostel who called our hostel. They sent someone to fetch us, and it was another ten minute walk to a place we never would have found on own. (As soon as we got there, the two that came to find us were sent off to fetch some other lost souls as well.) In that first hour and a bit of walking, all we passed were stores and bars and stores and bars and stores and bars with the occasional store and bar. With the World Cup in full swing, the noises that hit you like a slap in the face as you walked by was a combination… more like a battle... between the Chinese sports announcers, off-key karaoke, various forms of music and singing, and the occasional soliciting call. You have to hand it to them though the Chinese do know how to party. An all out party district isn’t the first thing you’d normally think of when you hear of Old Town Lijiang, but that’s what it is. It’s where the locals go to let loose on the weekends and celebrate after exams. When we arrived, it was a long weekend and the end of the school year, but apparently it’s always that busy. As soon as we checked in and dumped our bags, I was pretty hungry and extremely unpleasant to be around, so I went off and wandered the streets, had some Naxi fried rice and read my book. (On my way out the door, there were roses everywhere and someone was lighting a bunch of candles. Apparently, not long after I left, someone at the hostel proposed to his girlfriend there. I saw pictures. It was funny… so much effort into roses and candles and the kid was wearing ratty jeans and a t-shirt. Ha ha ha… It was still sweet.) Before I left, Darren had already started asking about the Tiger Leaping Gorge, an overnight hike which we’d have to leave for at 8 in the morning. We’d just gotten off a very bumpy six hour bus ride (they were doing construction), then walked through town for an hour with a very heavy pack on, and when I told him I didn’t know if I wanted to go and that I was exhausted, and he asked me how I could possibly be exhausted, I lost it. He tossed me a fifty (RMB) and we didn’t talk for an hour or so. I was still a little peeved when I got back, but much more tolerable and we discussed the hike again, and decided to go. I’m glad we did.

The bus picked us up at 8 am. There were seven of us to a bus (eight with the driver) and ours consisted of Darren and I, a brother and sister from Vancouver, Luke and Claudia, and a girl named Angela, originally from Columbia, now living in Main, and a guy from Mexico named Erik (we gave him a hard time about his very un-Mexican sounding name, and from then on we had to pronounce it with a rolling “r”). It was an interesting group of people and a lot of fun. We all got along really well, and had a lot to talk about; politics, health care, and of course, travel. The bus dropped us off at one end of the bridge where we changed buses and drove over to the other side of the bridge. Apparently the bridge is more or less a border crossing between Lijiang and Shangrila, and drivers are only allowed to drive on their own respective sides. They were also doing construction on the stretch of road that normally leads to the actual section of the Tiger Leaping Gorge, so “yay for us”, no entrance fee. By the time we actually started our hike, it was about noon, and I think Claudia and I sort of took the lead and started strong. (Claudia was a sprinter/middle distance runner for UBC—she basically lived out my dream years and we had lots to talk about.) I really like Claudia… anyone who carries a constant supply of Snickers is worth keeping around in my books. Like myself, she needs a constant intake of sugar or she too becomes somewhat unpleasant (or so she says because I didn’t notice… or she just never went hungry). She was also, with the influence of a little Baijo, able to tell Darren that while his beard isn’t bad, it is a little “pre-pubescent” (she denies ever saying so), we got along quite well. The first stretch of the hike is a decent climb and by the time we hit the Naxi Family Guesthouse we had worked up quite an appetite. The group of us stopped for lunch (which was excellent) and tea, and kept on truckin’. Walking along the rugged trails, we kept our way by following the green and red arrows spray painted on rocks and trees. The next stretch ahead of us was the “28 Bends” which was a series of 28 (who woulda guessed) steep switchbacks (not than anybody actually counted though). Just before hand there was a woman selling water and snacks and, what else but little bags of weed with labels that said “Good for the 28 bends”. That gave us all a laugh. The 28 bends were pretty intense, but once passed them the trail levelled out, fairly flat, cutting straight across the mountains. We stopped at the “Tea Horse” (which I kept mistaking for “Tea House”, I thought it was just incorrect spelling at first) for tea and snacks before continuing on our hike. A little more relaxed with the levelled out trail, we were able to really take in the beautiful scenery, and the views were spectacular. After a couple of hours, maybe around six or seven, we stopped for the night at the Halfway Guesthouse. They have a deck/patio that looks right out onto the mountain across from it, and it is quite a sight. I tried capturing the magnificence of the mountain with a pano, but I couldn’t quite get it. Just look at the pano, then think ten times more amazing. We never were able to see the tops of the peaks because the clouds were constantly floating in and around them, but that was part of what made it so amazing. As you were eating, dinner or breakfast, the clouds would slowly weave their way through the peaks, constantly changing the look of the mountains. It was fantastic. I think we could’ve stayed there forever.

That night at the Halfway Guesthouse was a fun one too. It started with beer but ended with Baijo, which is a 46% rice wine (Tanya and Frank, we’ve got a little taste to bring home for ya). We started playing Russian Cheat, and ended with Spoons. Poor Jorge (another Mexican friend), he really had a tough time with Spoons and consequently took quite a few shots. The one time he did win though… I’ve never seen anyone look more proud or more elated! It was awesome! “I love Spoons!” The rest of the night included interpretive dancing, dramatic monologues, some solid Mexican serenading on Jorge’s part… into a spoon of course, and a few other shocking and hilarious one-liners only for the brave of heart. It was a great night spent with great people, and despite the noise complaint and Claudia’s incessant banging on the table, we really enjoyed ourselves. Kudos to our little group, you guys were awesome!


The next morning, we got up bright and early (some of us didn’t even really sleep, poor Jorge) and had a wonderful breakfast. Before I forget, the Halfway House makes an incredible pancake. Banana and chocolate was my favourite, though the apple and banana was also delicious, and the banana and honey Claudia had for breakfast (which I had to taste test) was also amazing. If you ever go, don’t leave without having a pancake. We kinda hurried out, trying to beat the group of students on the trail, and the hike only got more amazing. We were told that people generally like to take their time on that last leg of the hike, between the Halfway Guesthouse and Tina’s, and we can see why. What would normally be a pretty quick hike, probably almost doubled in time with all the picture taking. There were beautiful views of the mountains, the local rice fields and waterfalls. That leg of the hike, for the most part wasn’t too steep, though it had its moments, and for some of our hikers (given their state the night before) they were some tough moments. We made it down to Tina’s though, grabbed a snack and some fluids and then made our way down to the “Middle Gorge”. Some people stop at Tina’s and grab the bus back to the bridge and back to Lijiang, but we wanted to keep going.

Now, there are two paths to take down to the Gorge, there is the “safe” path and the ladder path. As per the advice of the “gate keeper” (there’s no gate, but she’s the local woman whose family created and maintains the first half of the path and so you can’t get by without paying her 10 RMB), we went down the safe path and would circle around and come up the ladder path. The safe path was steep and along the way you’d see these make-shift stretchers which weren’t convincing. At least I think they were make-shift stretchers. They were basically legless wicker chairs strapped to two long pieces of wood. The daunting trip down was totally worth it though. The view of the Gorge from the path was slightly blocked by trees, and once you came out into the clearing and onto the little bridge the rush of water and high cliffs takes your breath away. There is so much water forcing its way through that Gorge that you can’t help but feel a surge of energy. It’s actually a little intense, it’s very loud, and at the same time, it’s extremely calming and peaceful. I actually video-taped a full two minutes of the gushing water (which you’ll have to wait and see until we get home). When we first got there, we were all sort of running around taking pictures and climbing rocks, until at one point, I looked around and everyone was just sitting, somewhere, watching and listening. That place was amazing. You could stare at the thundering water forever. There was so much force there, I’m glad they decided to cancel the contract to damn it up, but who knows how long that’s going to last.

Hesitantly, we pulled ourselves away from this wonder of nature and headed up to the “Sky Ladder path”. Along with stretchers, there’s also a sign at the foot of this path which says that the path is dangerous, to be careful, and that those who successfully climb this path are said to be lucky. There’s also a woman, selling water, red bull and other fluids who was stationed at a cross roads where the ladder and the safe path intersect. Her way of expressing the two different paths was priceless. Body language is highly effective, and quite amusing. She pointed to the safe path and exclaimed “hao” (good) and then pointed to the ladder path, motioning a ladder and then clutching her body and shaking as though she were cold but then making the shuddering sounds you might associate with fright. She then proceeded to point and wave her hands at the ladder path while frowning, then pointing to the “safe” path and smiling. We decided to take our chances. Bring it on! It was an intense climb. The first ladder was quite long and literally ventured straight up the side of the mountain. There used to be an old wooden ladder, which they’ve left there but reinforced with re-bar, and a rebar cage (who are they kidding though, that’s not going to stop you if you fall). I’d like to tell you how high it went, but you couldn’t see all the way to the end from either the top or the bottom, and at no point was I dumb enough to look down while actually climbing the thing. Each and every one of our hearts was pounding when we got to the top. The second ladder wasn’t quite as steep, and once you’ve climbed the first the second one feels like a breeze. I’m actually glad we took the woman’s advice and went down the other way and up the ladders, because it would’ve been terrifying climbing down those things. That wasn’t the end of it though. While the fear of dangling from a few sticks of rebar may have passed (sorry Mom, we’re being safe, I promise), there was still an intense climb ahead. We were all sweating and breathing heavy—even for Claudia who’s only been retired for a year and is still quite active. It was steep, and it was hard, but it felt amazing. There’s another guesthouse at the tope of the trail and as our head peaked over the steps we rejoiced! I think we were all pretty proud of ourselves. As the other half of our group (the smoking half—sorry to out you guys ;)) got to the top of the stairs, we were all gathered to applaud and congratulate. It was a fantastic two days, and a tough two days, but it was amazing.

To spend two days, out in the middle of the mountains, away from the swarms of people who seem to be ALMOST everywhere, was a breath of fresh air… literally actually. You see, if it’s difficult, if they can’t do it in a pair of high heels, the Chinese wont. There were maybe six Chinese people we saw on the whole hike, and they were the exceptions, in their rain gear and hiking boots. Harold, we know you did the hike, you know how beautiful it is. We loved it and it would recommend it to anyone who heads out this way. I think part of the amazing thing was just to be really moving again, to break a sweat and not because of the heat. We do walk a lot, but most of the mountains/adventurous excursions we take-on have nicely paved paths of wooden walkways. It’s only since we’ve been in Yunnan that we’ve been able to head out onto a mountain and actually go for a real hike. It’s nice to feel that burn in your legs… even if it means that you smell really bad for two days because you didn’t pack anything but extra socks and underwear. (Deodorant couldn’t even mask the stink that Darren’s dry-fit decided to exude full force.) I think the Gorge is going on our list of favourites in China.


The bus back to Lijiang was long and bumpy and we were all pretty exhausted and hungry (we ran out of Snickers and refused to pay 10 RMB to buy more). With the construction and condition of the roads, apparently, only locals are allowed to drive on them, because only they are capable of “reading” the roads and responding effectively to anything that might go wrong (ie. rocks falling from above you, or the rocks/road falling out from underneath you). It was raining when we left and the mountain sides weren’t looking so stable. Luke said he saw one massive boulder being propped up by a stick no thicker than my arm (don’t worry Mom). We did get back eventually, and in one piece, and after showering off the stink and changing, we went into town for some hot pot. (Claudia hadn’t had hot pot yet and was leaving in a few days). As we were about to sit down, we ran into a Frenchman who we had also seen on the hike. (He had actually made friends with an elderly local man at the Halfway Guesthouse and they got into quite the conversation. Though neither of them could understand each other, body language did the trick; however, the interpretations might have been a little off. The bit about hunting bears and lions across the Gorge was accurate, but apparently the Frenchman’s interpretation of the Chinese guy hiding up in the mountains and hunting Japanese was a little less accurate. An American/Chinese traveller had a hard time understanding the man because of the dialects, but assured the Frenchman that he was talking about installing the cables and wiring up in the mountains, not hunting Japanese. I like the Frenchman’s story better and so did he.) Anyway, hot pot was delicious, and in the way it should be done, we spent the night exchanging travel stories and filling our tummies. I don’t think we could’ve ended our adventure with our new friends any better than that.


Darren and I were unable to get a train directly to Kunming for another two-three days, and because we weren’t all that fond of Lijiang to begin with, we were easily persuaded (by ourselves) to take the bus back to Dali and head to Kunming via another bus. We arrived in Dali early in the evening, enjoyed some delicious dinner at Namaste (mmmm… samosas, vindaloo, butter naan, and chilli paneer) and just took the night off to rest (at the Sleepy Fish Lodge again, we love it there). It was the next morning that we got in touch with family and updated on everything that was going on at home, and so spent that day with our own thoughts. I’m glad we were in a familiar city, in warm and welcoming accommodations. I would’ve hated to be in the city that day. Our second trip to Dali was a few days off from the outside world. Inside the walls of the Old Town you really can just shut off for a little while, which we did. Yesterday, we took another bus to Kunming, and we are currently on a train to Guilin.


As a side note, I have no book to read because “Mandarin Books” (in Kunming) is a rip off. I bought a used book from them (“The Time Traveller’s Wife”—which was amazing) for 65 RMB, which is expensive. They have signs everywhere that say that they buy used English books, and when I brought it back to trade in, they told me they’d give me 6 RMB—no, that’s not a typo, that’s a 6.0, six= just less than $1. I knew I wasn’t going to get a lot for it, but I figured at least 30 RMB or so… but no, they offered me 6 and wouldn’t budge. So, instead of giving it to them for 6 so they could sell it for 65 again, I kept it. I’d rather just give it away. At least I would save someone else from getting ripped off. I could also trade it in if I ever find a decent book exchange. Not wanting to give them any more of our business, I didn’t buy myself a new book. So a 20 hour train ride, no book, and only 3 hours of battery remaining on the lap top. Oh well! You win some you lose some… but we’ve got a pretty good idea of why they say “never do business with a Chinaman” (no offence anyone).


Once there, it’ll be about two weeks exploring Guilin, Yangshuo and the Dragon Backbone Terraces before we’re back in Hong Kong and leaving for Bali. Hope everyone is well, especially back in Prince George. We send you all our love and are thinking about you guys all the time. Sounds like you’re doing pretty well though. Tell Kong Kong we’ll bring back some Baijo for him too ;), and Frank and Joel, that BBQ looked DELICIOUS! Miss you all and it’ll be regards from Guilin next. (Mom, get Vinni to e-mail me Ayla’s number so I can call her on her birthday. I haven’t heard from you guys in a while and you’re never home when I call. Love you!)

PS- For those of you who haven't figured it out (ie. Erika), I've stopped posting pictures in the actual blogs because it takes too long, but there are links to albums and slideshows at the bottom of the page!