Tiger Leaping Gorgeous
times ten. The site, famous for being (possibly? depending on the
source?) the longest and deepest gorge in the world, is more massive
than anything I've ever seen.
I negotiated a ride (280 RMB, too much in retrospect) for us that went
as far as Qiaotou, near the southwest entrance to the gorge and about
two hours from Lijiang. Because of rivalries between drivers in
Lijiang and Qiaotou (or something!), we had to switch to another van
for the 20 RMB final stretch to the gorge.
Armed with a couple of relatively abstract maps provided by
guesthouses, we trekked along the high path, with jagged snow-capped
mountains and the gorge to our right.
The trail is harsh, though, and the distance between guesthouses can
be a couple of hours--we're lucky we stopped for lunch right at the
entrance. The 28 Bends portion proved particularly grueling, twisting
uphill in the blazing sun. But I bonded with the other exhausted
hikers along the way (including one who was pregnant and made everyone
else feel wimpy), and our reward was a guest house (the Tea-Horse
Guest House) with a view like this.
The next day we hiked to the middle gorge—an easier walk, but
the downhill path was full of rocks and, at one point, cut by a
waterfall!
If you're going: Take your time and pack water (very few places to buy
bottles). We stored our bags in the guesthouse in Lijiang, packing
just our cameras, bathing suits, and a little clothing. (I wish I'd
packed flip-flops, something to read, and my flashlight.)




