Tiger Leaping Gorge

It's morning. You open your eyes.

About 500m from your room's wood-framed window stands a 2,000m tall wall of rock. Mostly grey, with breaks of whitish-yellow, and some patches of greenery, mostly on the lower slopes. 

The window is at about 2,000m altitude (or so I figure), while the river down below is at 1,800m and the peaks at its other side are gaining on the 4,000 mark.

I'm the only guest in this guest house today, so it's a perfectly quiet morning, the only sounds - a dog barking 500m or so away from one of the Naxi-village houses down in the valley below.

In pockets of rock, some white clouds have settled in and are resting lazily. One of them warms up to the morning and slowly lifts away. A few minutes later, another small white cloud is slowly drifting in front of the mountain with the soft breeze.

I sit up on the bed in front of the window. I now notice some bird chirping added to the dog's distant barking. Noticing some curves of white limestone exposed on the mountains where the water are usually gushing through after a downpour.

I can now see the guest house's (= G.H.) little yard. Some small trees. Some bamboo. Stone tables. Beyond, the valley slopes down towards the river, with fields of corn and sunflowers, in between - some small wooden houses. From one of them the dog continues.

On the side of the yard, I notice the roof of the "restaurant"" area of the G.H., the roof-tiles are held in place by stones resting on them. A memory of yesterday's soup comes back. I was in real need of a proper soup, but none was to be found on the menu. I mentioned the lack of soup in a cracked disappointed voice to the lady here, and she told me that it's not on the menu, but of course the can make soup.

I have no idea if that soup falls under the "Naxi food" category, but that was an amazing "village/ farmhouse" vegetable soup, heavy with tasty chunks of vegetables, just a touch of chilly for added flavor, and amazingly no oil floating on top.

The G.H is probably the last down the road (at the moment), called "Woody".

Now, before going back for some details of the road leading to this point, let me go right ahead and give my recommendation for a visit to the Tiger Leaping Gorge. By now I gave these recommendations to a number of people I met later on, and twisted their plans a bit.

First thing. If you have no other interest to come to this area - you are not planning to do the back-door route, no interest in Shangrila, Lijiang, Dali, you just heard that this is THE hiking trail in south-west China ... cough-cough "BullShit" cough-cough.

Give it up, and don't waste too much time to get all the way here just for this.

If you are here, and passing through - it's a nice place, go for it.

So here's the main recommendation, fitting most of you:

Come in, find a minivan going through the lower path all the way to the "walnut garden" area (currently 180 Yuan for a car), and settle in one of the G.H's. Woody's is a good option, but you might want to tell the driver in advance - if he drops you off at Tina's, it's another 2 km down the road from there.

If by the time you've settled it's already 15:00 or later, just take out a book, sit in front of the mountain, and relax. Have a dinner and a few beers.

The next day (or alternatively, if you got here early enough - after a light lunch), go down to the "Middle tiger leaping stone".

Start from stairs going down in front of Sean's G.H. It's 2 km down the road from Tina's, or 10 mins walk up from Woody's. You will have to figure out some parts of the route, as signs exist (pointing towards were you just came from) but are sporadic.

In no time the "trail" goes right into some sunflowers/ corn fields - you will go right through them, in what seem to be the farmers' working trails rather than your designated path, and then through some villagers' back yards. After about an hour along the path, you go through a little wooden cabin - this means you've reached the "site" proper, and they'd hassle you for some passage money. It is very unclear of who can charge money for what there - it seems like these kind of gatekeepers appear and various spots with a sign that says you're to pay them money - supposedly this is for the maintenance of the path in the rock coming after that point - but supposedly you've paid an entrance fee for the whole area.

The path beyond that point was built into the rock, for the next 100m or so, and leads towards a view of the stone, and further towards a normal trail again.

You can actually see two stones - they both look like stones, and it's quite difficult to tell which one it is you're supposed to be excited about. Either way, while the stone makes for the story of the place, you're not here to see the stone.

You'll soon get to a point in which you can pay to climb up ladders built into the stone wall and stone steps. The person there will convince you that's the best way to go up, and that you can't really get further down to the rock. You can sit down for a break on some wooden benches there, and move on to the other side of the clearing. I personally missed that part, but you can go down very close to the river, and enjoy the powerful water running nearby.

You then have 3 options. Easiest is probably to just track back. If you don't mind a steep intensive climb, and for some reason would like to speed things up, go back to the ropes-and-ladders option, pay 10 yuan and climb. 

Alternatively, you can continue up the valley on the other side - this should go all the way up to Zhang's G.H, from which you will have to go back down the end of the "high trail" about 2 km to Tina's and on to your G.H.

The ropes-and-ladders option will take you 60-90 minutes depending on the amount of break-time. The way to Zhang's with getting back to Tina - will probably be about 2 hours.

If this is your arrival day, now's the time for a shower and a dinner, if it's your second day, you can take another relaxing day, or just get a shared van at Tina's with people coming off the higher trail, and head back to Qiaotou and hop on a bus to Shangrila/ Lijiang.

Option 2: If you're really really into hiking, then go for the higher trail. It's a nice trail all and all, and will give you a nice workout. If you're really into hiking, and fit to accommodate that - go for the full challenge, start bright and early, and finish in one day the whole thing including the second part that goes up to the "bamboo forest" and the waterfall, with a view to another gorge - this part starts to go back up just after you came all the way down and almost reached Tina's. Finish it all for a well-deserved dinner with drinks at one of the G.H.'s at the walnut garden area.

The next morning go down one of the paths (above) to the Middle stone before getting a shared van back or heading on east to some of the other options.

Option 3: is kind of the middle road - you're not an athlete-hiker, but feel in descent enough shape, and would like to sweat a bit for the views (although you know you don't really have to). See the story below for details of this option.

The option you do not want to take (!): Go for the higher trail although you do not really feel like doing much climbing, and then opt for riding  horse all the way up. Riding a horse up a steep rocky trail when you're tiered, scared, and not in shape is probably not that much fun anyway, and really - if you don't want to go through with the climb - there's no reason to do this - just go for option 1.

So what's the story?

Why did this gorge get attention, when really, you can probably pick any random mountain along the road to Shangrila or Litang, and get the same quality of scenery.

As a tourist - the reason is transportation, markerd trails, and available G.H.'s everywhere. But why here?

Legend has it that a Tiger one day ran across the mountain ridge, and decided for some reason to Leap across the Gorge to the other side. Nothing special, only that this Tiger was apparently not in proper shape, and did not really make it through to the other side.

In normal days, this would have been the end of that Tiger - plunging into the gushing river below and drowning.

But not this Tiger - he was lucky enough - as it happens, where he fell down (the ridge comes quite low here, so it might only be about 500m to 1 km worth of a free fall), he actually fell down on a solid rock rather than into the water - and that apparently saved him.

Right, so there you have it. I'm waiting for the cable cars that will take people soon up to the ridge, so that they can jump down to the stone and be saved as well.

The higher trail:

Or at least the first part of it ... Hopefully I'll be able to upload a few pictures soon enough.

I guess I have a special thing about attracting errr... stories. Maybe, again, it's the fact that when I climb on a steep hiking trail on a humid day I tend to take off my shirt and show off with my big sweating belly. Yes, I know, I'm not drawing a nice picture here - but that's the kind of picture that attracts them - it smells of money for those who make a leaving from helping you up the trail with a horse, or offering to carry you on a scary-looking stretcher or on their backs.

I am not against this kind of entrepreneurship, or generally against having such services on offer.

 

Indeed I politely smiled and said no-thank-you to the first 2 or 3 people along the path that were offering me a horse-ride. They were very nice to offer, and I politely declined and continued.

The last one I ran into, however, gave me the once over, and then tried to explain to me there just is no way I will be able to make it through on my own (no better way to get to a man's heart and make a sale). He even produced a small map (that encouranged me that I'm still on the right track), and showed me the dreaded/ notorious 28-bend climb, for which I will definitely be in a need for his services.

I tried to do the thank-you-but-no thing, and continued, but I quickly realized that the guy decided to follow me just the same. It was not difficult to find out - the horse had a little bell attached, so I was now accompanied by that annoying sound. I managed to make the guy realize I was not happy (without too many words at this point - the main exchange was "I'm not interested" answered by "no problem. Later."), so he quieted the bell - at that point I only heard the horses breathing at my ass as I was walking.

 

I tried to tell myself to just ignore the dude, and enjoy my time - or alternatively to enjoy the comfort of a free guide/ escort ... but I could only fool myself for that long - this was really killing the fun of walking along this magnificent path enjoying the quiet and nature (plus there was this implied insult with the guy believing that I will pay him at some point - surely he did not understand Israeli stubborness).

At some point, I had to start using the "opportunity" for some language exchange. I decided to keep it on nice words for now - which did not mean I was nice. I started shouting at the guy that I do not want to see or hear him. When I asked him if he understood, he started to say "Yes, but ..." "There's no but!" (没有但是). I tried to explain to him, that even if I will die trying to climb I will not pay him - I'll die in pain or use someone else...

But nothing helped. This was one of my breaks, and the guy moved up ahead of me on the trail, and for a few minutes I thought that maybe he got it. But apparently he took "not hear or see" in a different interpretation, and just moved 50m ahead to wait for me to pass him there, then waited, followed me 50m behind, and moved ahead when I rested again.

 

At some point, we got to the first G.H. on the trail ("Naxi G.H."). I decided I need to go beyind my current Chinese language abilities, and asked them there, as I was sipping my tea and Redbull if there's someone who speaks English. And there she was - very kind and helpful. I pointed at the guy waiting for me outside with his horse, and told the nice lady: "you see this nice gentleman sitting there? Can you please tell him that if I see him anywhere near me on the path I will throw stones at him?".

She made some clarifying questions, and then translated what I said into "he's not interested". right.

 

So there we were past the Naxi G.H., and the guy continuing on my tail.

The story ended when we reached the 28-bend climb. He was not about to continue up there once he saw me go ahead and not giving up beyond that point, so he was to make his last stand there. Only that I did not realize that we were at that crucial point on the trail.

All I knew is that on that very required break I was taking, the guy decided again to park his horse next to me, and sit right in front of my face. Even that little 50m-off thing was not happening.

So at that point, I started to resort to another part of my Chinese vocabulary. My Chinese teacher (bless her soul) gave me a few key phrases to be used for exactly these kind of occasions (originally, when I asked her - I had in mind people in bars that take friendliness a step or two too far).

 

"Gun!" I told the guy.

Now this might not sound like much, but from past experience, this word has a strong effect - unfortunately it never seem to be the desired one ... the meaning is all-encompassing, something between "get lost", "get out of my face" and "fuck off".

It seemed that they guy understood what I'm saying finally, but he was not taking it lying down" "you Gun!!" - and he was pointing the way back down the path. He did not stop there either, but continued with saying that that was HIS mountain. He was saying that he built that path himself, and if I was to climb and use this path I had to pay him. As he was saying that, he was repititively making signs of sticking a pole into the ground - I have no idea what's the significance of that.

 

When he was finished, I more or less realized that we will not get to agree on that fine day. I gave myself a few more minutes of rest, took some pictures of him, telling him it's for the police (maybe not the smartest thing ever, admittedly), and then stood up, and put on my backpack ready to move on. I had to pass right in front of him and was wondering how that will work out. As I was approaching, he asked "you're not going to pay me?!" I smiled mildly and moved on. He did not follow.

 

As if by magic, although throughout the day so far we ran into no other traveller on the trail, as soon as the guy left me, I started to pass and be passed by mmany other travellers.

The climb was - as expected - tiering, but with a few resting stops, I miraculously did make it all the way up the 28 bends, ending them at the right timing to join an Israeli couple for another couple of hours to the next G.H. (can't remember the name right now, butit was the first one out of ~3 around the "mid-way" area. I thought I'd call it a day at that point.

 

Though the couple decided to move on a bit, and I was left at that G.H. more or less alone - before long I found myself playing after-dinner cards with 7 other Israelis - an older couple, a mother-daughter duo, and a between-semesters Trio.

 

The next day, as I ended up not going for the second climbing part was rather straightforward, mainly going slowly downhill. Leaving quite early, while the others were mostly still sleeping, I found a new companion for the road - but this time it was a welcome ompanion - a little dog that decided to adopt me for a couple of hours - he was marking for me the vintage photo-op points as well.

 

The trail is supposedly well marked by red signs/ arrows - or so I was told at the outset. It can still get somewhat confusing at times. The signs have a tendency to be there at the most irrelevant points, and not really there when you'd appreciate a clear arrow. They seem to have been done by the various guest houses around, so that at this point they are in various colors, and not always 100% consistent. Generally, it seems that there is no higher power involved that regulates who should write what and where, and the authorities - as such - allow the market economics to take care of the trail's maintenance, while they focus on contunuously trying to build that road through the lower trail, and the mega-hotels that will come with its completion.

 

At some point, the Israeli young couple overpassed me, and I enjoyed their company for the reminder of the road to Tina's. Later in the afternoon, after having settled in Woody's, I went down to the Stone - but we've talked about that already.

 

You can try this link as well, and get the same story in pictures. Since the views are not changing that oftern, you'd find that it's spiced up with some "wildlife" additions. The quality is obviously signifianly lowered - due to the space-saving uploading the pictures. I might consider upoading the pictures in full scale for later batches, but that will probably mean I will kill my allocated space within 20 pictures.

 

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