Tiger Leaping Gorge - Day 2
Andy said we should leave at 9 because any earlier and it's too cold. He's not wrong. It's a chilly -1 degrees when we get up. We layer up and head out to check the mountains are still there. They are and they're stunning this morning, with low cloud slowly making it's way through. We wait around for a bit for the cafe to open at 7:30am (it's currently 7:45am but you know, mountain time) and order two good coffees to warm up. We head down to the restaurant and order some local bread with egg and cheese and a couple boiled eggs. We sit outside the restaurant as there's a big group of students on a school trip having their brekkie inside. While we're waiting for our food, a couple of the students come out to chat with us. They are from Hong Kong (our next stop before home on the trip) and they give us some tips on what to see and where to eat. We share some of our breakfast with them as thanks, we've ordered too much, yet again.
We meet up with Andy shortly after 9am and we're off. The sun will come up over the mountains around 9:30am and the day is clear as. The trek out should take about 3-4 hours and is easier apparently, mostly flat and then some downhill. It starts off lovely and flat and even paved as we make our way through the other villages where you can stay, with hotels of varying degrees of bougieness. The sun peeps over the mountains and we keep turning back to take photos of the snow capped mountains and the river we can now see running through again.
We're a lot more exposed today as the flat parts hug the mountain with no tree coverage and again, a fairly sheer drop to the bottom if you don't keep your wits about you. Once we start the decline it gets pretty hairy and we understand again what they mean when they say undeveloped. It's basically a path of rocks you need to pick your way down and try not to break your ankle or neck. Made even harder when the person behind you is breathing down your neck. The track is a lot busier today and we find ourselves pulling over a few times to let people pass.
We see more goats, including a few that have decided to take 5 in the middle of the path. No worries, we'll go round and take another 85 photos. I think Andy's starting to think there's something wrong with us with the amount of joy we're getting from seeing these goats. And squirrels. And pigs. And geese. Don't get me wrong, the surroundings are also breathtaking. We make it to the end at Tina's Guesthouse which, like the start, is fairly non-descript.
All-in-all its a great hike with fantastic views and the lack of development makes it feel "real". It's tough in sections and the scenery changes enough to keep it interesting. The length of walking on both days is good. Not too long, not too short. And there are enough hairy moments to keep you on your toes. If China decide to make it a more official tourist thing, it would probably be for the worse, so get in while you can.
We've got a car that picks us up to take us back to Andy's car where we started the hike and there's a shuttle bus option as well. Andy takes us to a local farmhouse restaurant for a well deserved feed. We get kung pao chicken (the best we've had so far) and mapo tofu. It does the trick.
It's about an hour and a half drive back to Lijiang and our next adventure, horse back riding. Or more like mule back riding. Courts isn't sure this is very nice for the mules but apparently they can take up to 200kg. Even with the extra dumpling weight she's still well under. Andy gives us some quick tips on how to ride and we're off. It's a pleasant trip through some "dense" forest with a local naxi woman steering the mules. We hop off halfway so we can take a scenic walk around a lake. It is lovely with the lake being surrounded by forest type trees and some open field. Although we're not too thrilled to be offered a bowl of goldfish that we can pour into the lake, for a fee. There are gold fish in the lake so it is unclear if they've been taken from there. Apparently it's some sort of Buddah ritual or offering. Hmmm. We hop back on the horse and it's all downhill from here, much to Jeff and his family jewels' chargrin.
Andy drops us back at our ancient town. We're both shattered (and a bit sunburnt oops) and wander listlessly until we find some snacky foods for dinner. Then it's back to the teahouse for showers and bed, hoping for a much needed and better sleep tonight.
