Tiger Leaping Gorge

There was no disagreement, we all planned to sneak in to the gorge to avoid depositing further into the Chinese government coffers, which ended up being the first of three heated confrontations during that first hour of the trek. Our 45 minute journey to the gorge wound through a scenic mountain pass and we hopped off just before the entrance gate to avoid to ticket office. Trying to casually stroll in behind one of the tourist buses failed miserably so we found a path that led along side a mountain behind the entrance area. Being spotted as we ran hunched commando style  along a wall did not dampen our spirits, we snuck through a few gates and across a stream only to find some angry Chinese officials waving their walky talkies about while pointing back in the direction of a ticket office, I don't think they liked our excuse that we wanted to climb a different mountain.

Not far up the road a blue sign indicated we were to veer off to the high route, away from the buses full of lazy Chinese who take the low road which provides the opportunity to take pictures of themselves at a seemingly adventurous destination, minus any of the hard work. A little further up the trail we were taking pictures outside a food stop when I accidentally bent one of the small branches on a plant. The 'owner' who was standing around with us said nothing until we went to leave and bent another branch to show us what was done before while demanding 100RMB, an outrageous price even if the plant had been broken, which it wasn't. We apologised to the lady but she started getting rather angry picking up large stones as a threat, which had us in hysterics until we decided to make a run for it (up the wrong path of course) as the first few came flying at our heads. Realising we had to cross back past the psychotic geriatric, we armed ourselves with rocks and sticks, none of which deterred this little old lady, much to the amusement of a few Chinese men standing around watching. She managed to swipe two of us on the pass (drawing blood!) then blocked my escape where I pulled the classic wallet reach, spin and run (down yet another wrong path) with rocks whizzing past our heads. This time we had to cross a corn field to get back on track and to her credit she was already waiting on the other side with a fresh arsenal that followed us until her stamina finally gave out. The crazy woman might have been able to get a small compensation out of me, but her outrageously amusing antics gave us little option.

One of the bends in the next section provided a great outlook over the valley which the boys were busy taking photos until another little old lady came over with a sign saying that we had to pay her money. Unaware of this likely unofficial revenue raising tactic, we attempted to move on but the lady blocked our path trying to grab our cameras, her shouts could still be heard as we continued further along the canyon, she will have to try her luck on other unsuspecting tourists. Not long after we arrived at the '28 bends' section which is a steep twisting climb, rumoured to be the hardest part of the trail. Huffing and puffing our way to the top, a group of Chinese must have noticed our struggle and kindly shared their Snickers bars, wishing us luck. The view along the high trail is contained within a staggering cliff face opposite, within  the snow covered peaks of Jade Dragon snow mountain and Haba snow mountain, passing through quiet villages, shady forest and rocky precipices.

Tiger Leaping Gorge is a large canyon on the Jinsha River, located 60km north of Lijang in China's Yunnan province, most people will complete the gorge in two days. The favoured rest point being the Half Way House which is a picturesque hostel that not only has amazing views, but also a famous toilet from which you can enjoy them. No time was wasted ordering Dali beer on arrival and well in to the evening, ensuring everyone in our dorm  was included in the late night banter. Our room looked out over the stunning canyon as a thunderstorm battled it way through the middle, one of those places I wish we could have enjoyed for a few more days.

The next morning we set off for the final two hour journey down to Tina's guest house, where I decide to continue on with Mauro to Shangri La and booking our bus ticket for later that afternoon (unfortunately my backpack had only been packed for the one night). We ventured the steep climb down rocky steps and ladders to the deafening roar of the Class 6 rapids where the legendary tiger apparently evaded it chasers and leapt across the gorge.