There is a place in China which never fails to take my breath away. As I turn the bend into the gorge that squeezes the Yangzi (Yangtse) tributary to its narrowest my heart leaps into my throat and I never fail to be moved (and almost deafened) by the roaring of the river as it rushes through the gorge and those immense peaks towering above me. There would seem to be no other feeling of smallness and "rightness" of scale as can be felt here. Everyone should feel this small. On the last day of (brother) John's you-can-sleep-when-you're-dead visit to Yunnan [see previous Kunming in 5 Days blog notes] we decided we were just too close to Tiger Leaping Gorge to miss seeing it. We also decided to splurge on a car and driver to give us a bit more agility and buy a little time. Having paid $8 a night for excellent and cosy accommodation in Lijiang we could now afford such lordly extravagance and at $70 for two cars, two drivers (that is, one vehicle from Lijiang to the Qiaotou park entrance and another local vehicle for the short drive in to Middle Gorge) and a journey total of 250 kilometres we considered those $70 supremely well spent. And it is indeed a beautiful drive. The Gorge This was to be a very brief visit so without enough time to overnight in the gorge we decided to drive right into the gorge to the point where my previous treks had finished. Here we were able to take a different tack and climb the vertiginous and quite complicated rocky track straight down to the river's edge known as Teacher Zhang's trail. In intensity and difficulty this feels like the upper mountain track of roughly 20 kilometres compressed into one and a half kilometres. Take another look at this photo (above). Find the tiny white dot on a winding road on the left hand side of the river just left of centre. That is a car. Now you have a scale to work to. The track drops away into an apparently dark chasm although in fact the entire climb was in blazing hot sunshine. The track descends possibly 300 metres in elevation, in parts almost vertically, and includes a latched together series of rough old iron ladders "nailed" to a 90º rock face and which to even hardened climbers and trekkers is a nerve-breaker. The Tiger on the rocks On the return climb this time using the so called "sky ladder" I could be seen quietly talking myself through each rung of the last ten to fifteen metres in rasping whispers and with the legs turning to jelly wobbles. I had to ensure always that neither the angry water and jagged rocks (the size of houses) far below me nor the soaring rock faces on all sides of me could be caught in my peripheral vision. My safe arrival at the top of the ladder depended completely on my skinny tremble-free arms and a steady state of mind. We both agree now that we do not need to ever climb that ladder again. This is not the "sky ladder" Neither is this the "sky ladder". All the tea in China (...) couldn't have made me release an arm to take a shot of that ladder. I don't need one. The image and sensation of climbing it remains seared in my memory to this day. A little more about the "sky ladder"
Or the horse option.... Back near the village of Qiaotou and a quick walnut tasting courtesy of a shy local woman.
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There is nothing like getting your hands on a slower vehicle (be it bike or horse) to wander out into the Chinese countryside. If only to remember the faint taste of dust and pollen, the rich farm smell of cow (or yak?) dung and from every village house the ever present sizzle of frying chillies that makes the throat burn and the eyes water, the familiar spluttering cough of the diesel trucks, the face chilled by the winds coming down off the snow covered peaks nearby, and the delicious feel of the winter sun on our backs. The sensory pleasures are endless, none of which any photo can ever hope to convey. Yulongxue Shan (Jade Dragon Snow Mountain) [Click photos to enlarge] The uphill ride out to Yulongxue Shan (Jade Dragon Snow Mountain) and the meandering ride back via ancient Baisha village and pretty (but touristy) Shuhe village would have left us both tired and very happy with our day, however there were one or two other distractions and great photo opportunities along the way (see below) . In all we would have covered about 50 kilometres including about 2 kilometres of cobbled stone paving, which on undersized, and under-geared rental bikes at an unaccustomed to high altitude (approx 2400 metres) was a big ride. A gorgeous day and ride regardless. Magic! To see a few more images of a similar ride undertaken in summer click here.
To read more go to Kunming in 5 Days: Day 5 Days 1 and 2 [see earlier Kunming in 5 Days notes] had been all about exploring a little of Kunming and the nearby Western Hills. Every opportunity was seized to also explore some of Kunming's simplest and best street food: the local Muslim barbecue stand for some spicy lamb and spectacular barbecued mushrooms, a bowl of 卤面 at Kunming's best noodle bar, a pot of Kunming's famous hot and spicy fried potatoes, and not forgetting those delicious grilled veggie parcels wrapped in a very fine dough to be found at the Bird and Flower market, all finished off with the not so edible but equally delicious blind massage at day's end.
* Thanks again to John for some of the photos reproduced here without his permission.... welcome to China.*
After Sunday's prowling through the streets of downtown Kunming (see Kunming in 5 Days: Day 1) we opted for a day close to, but out of town and made our way to Dianchi Lake to catch the cable car across the lake and up to Xishan (Western Hills) for a day of walking in the hills above Kunming and almost-crawling through the grotto-like tunnels and cliff face paths of Dragon's Gate. [Click on photos to enlarge.] [Click here for more summertime shots of Xishan] * Thanks to John for his photos * Kunming switched up a gear for me last week with the visit of my (you-can-sleep-when-you're-dead) brother John. Some glimpses of our 5 cracking days in and around Kunming. [Many of these shots are worth a closer look: just click to enlarge] Sunday: Kunming Bird and Flower Market
Ling Xing Gate Confucian Temple 文庙棂星门
华山西路 Hua Shan West Street (West Magnificent Mountain Street) Lucky Air Inflight Magazine Dec 2012 Who would have thought we'd be so lucky!
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