May 2016Lijiang + Tiger Leaping Gorge, Yunnan Province.
Another amazing experience. We spent 6 days in North Western, Yunnan. The plan: Spend some time in the Ancient Town situated within the city of Lijiang; Hike through the iconic "Tiger Leaping Gorge"; the cold on the southern tip of the Himalayas; Engage in a cultural experience with the local Naxi people.
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A quick 5 Yuan ($1) hair cut before our trek
- anything to reduce the weight. |
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| Flying towards Lijiang, North Western Yunnan. |
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| Looking for our hotel in the "Ancient Town". |
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| Morning sun on ancient cobblestones. |
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| Old roofs, New technology |
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| Who are you looking at? |
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| McDonald's, Ancient Town style! |
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The Fire Brigade.
An essential service for all the wooden structures in the Old Town. |
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The local delivery service.
Why hide your engine under a hood? |
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| Jade Dragon Snow Mountain overlooking Lijiang. |
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| Lijiang from Elephant Mountain. |
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| Black Dragon Pool. |
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| A different take on saving the planet. |
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| Our hiking map along the gorge, no mention of "Starbucks"! |
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| Monday morning, we are on our way. |
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| The climbing begins! |
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| Typical terraced farming. |
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| We are heading through there! |
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| And we thought this was the top! |
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| Typical of the track. |
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| Checking out the Yangtze |
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| Much easier going in some places. |
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| Back to normal on the track. |
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| This is why we chose the upper hiking track; stunning scenery. |
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| Happy Hikers. |
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| The Gorge is this wide. |
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| Checking messages at the end of our first day. |
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Hanneke's first beer since picking grapes in the Swan Valley (1979)!!
Very well earned on both occasions. |
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| Loo with a view. |
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| The first hikers of the morning. |
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| And we are off again! Tuesday morning. |
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| Morning shower. |
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| If you climb up, you have to come down at some stage! |
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| Looking West down the Gorge. |
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| Finally get close to the Yangtze river. |
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| A big leap for the Tiger to get across the Gorge here! |
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| Nowhere for the Tiger to leap here! |
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| A hike that will long be remembered |
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| Appreciating the beauty of this iconic place. |
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Our reward for the two days of 'Hard Yakka"-
Yak Cheese Dumplings and fresh Apple Juice |
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| Lobby of our hotel. |
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Glad to finally get back to the Old Town.
A mighty hike, but worth every step. |
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This guy probably hikes twice as far,
and with twice the weight, everyday. |
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| On the cable car to Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. |
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| A different view from the past two days. |
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| and just a few more people!!!! |
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| Darth Vader strikes on Snow Mountain. |
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 Plenty of blossoms at Glacial Blue Moon Lake. |
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Our cultural experience - Over 450 local
performers inspiring our appreciation. |
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| An amazing feast for the senses. |
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If you marry into a different ethnic group you are banished
from your roots forever! |
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| Typical Naxi lunch; yum. |
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| Glad we did not have the fried rice?? |
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| We even shared a consultation with the famous Dr Ho - 94 years young and still keeping his community fit and healthy. |
Even a delayed flight home could not dampen another amazing trip.
We are very fortunate for the unique experiences China is providing.
