Shangri-la : Part 12 - Tiger Leaping Gorge

28 Oct 2012 : Today, we are headed for Lijiang. We started our ride at 9.30am because we wanted to try the Western breakfast. It the same place we had lunch the day before, and the restaurant opens at 9am. For my breakfast, I asked for tea, and we were surprised it was Chinese tea. It was funny because the other option was coffee, and I mean, the first thing that come to your mind is definitely NOT Chinese tea! Haha! Each breakfast set came with bread, butter, and a slice of orange.

My friend's breakfast set is pancakes. RMB26.

My roommate and I shared this breakfast set. Also RMB26. So not worth it. And to think we shared this meal. I was still hungry. Plus it was cold. Makes me even hungrier. 

At 9.30am, we were all ready to go to Lijiang. We had booked the ride the day before. I was very surprised that it was so easy to hire a ride at such short notice. All you need to do is just ask around. It cost us RMB700. The estimated distance was 173km. 

There was a short gate blocking the van from going through. Well, vehicles are not allowed in the village anyway, but our driver did not know since he is not from Lijiang, and he came pretty early and the path was clear for him to go through. So, a local told us that you just need to push the gate.

The scenery along the way to Lijiang. The driver was driving at 40km/h, and my friend was commenting that it was too slow. The driver said that safety comes first.

We got sight of Haba Snow Mountain. Our driver lives by the foot of Haba Snow Mountain. He is actually a mountaineer, and he has conquered many 6000m and above mountains. He said that he has the stamina to go to Mount Everest but it was expensive, and he could not find any sponsors. 

While I was snapping this view, I heard a snorting sound. I thought I must be hearing things.

My friend shouted - Look, a pig! I was so surprised to see a pig, all alone, I believe, that has climbed up so high up.

We reached Lijiang Town by noon, and it was time for lunch. The restaurant belongs to the driver's friend, which was an expensive choice of place to eat.

The dish that is different from our usual dishes is pumpkin which is in the 2nd photo. For 5 dishes (chicken soup, mixed vegetables with pork, 3 fried eggs, stir-fry vegetables and spicy beef), it costs us RMB191.

In Lijiang town, we bought our tickets to enter into Tiger Leaping Gorge. The ticket costs RMB65 per person. One can actually trek along the gorge too, but we did not have sufficient time to do it. We were just going to be there for a few hours. 

Here is the a map in the tourist center on the geography of the gorge. It gives an idea of what I am describing in my photos. If you can't see it because it is a very small photo anyway, you can click it and the photo is enlarged. 

It was about a 5 minutes' drive from the ticket center to the main entrance. This is a 5A tourist attraction.

Tiger Leaping Gorge got its name from the story of a tiger crossing the river over a huge rock in the river. You will see the huge rock in my photos as you scroll down this post.

From the entrance, it was about a 10 minutes' drive to the actual place. See the little place at the bottom. That is where we were heading. The driver parked at the allocated parking lot and told us that he will wait for us while we ventured the place.

From the top at the parking lot, this was the view of the river, Yangtze River. So calm I see.

We walked down the stairs. With the glare of the sun, I could not identify clearly the next step from the other. I was stumbling a bit and held the wooden bars tightly, because in my mind, I was rolling down the stairs.

From the top, I could see people being carried. I did not think the walk will be that difficult. Boy, was I wrong as I walked up the stairs. I was huffing and puffing. Stopping to take breaths. Anyway, we walked  down the stairs towards the lowest platform. Getting closer to the strong current.

Can you see a bridge on the opposite side of the gorge? That area is under Lijiang, while we are looking from Shangri-la. The view from the other side, according to the driver, is not as good as our side. See the huge rock in the middle. That is the rock that the tiger supposedly jump from, hence earning this gorge the name Tiger Leaping Gorge. Look at the water. No one can survive the fall. From where we stood to view the large rock, it was Upper Tiger Leaping Gorge. Tiger Leaping Gorge, as printed on the ticket, is the largest gorge on this river.

There was even a short path made of glass. Just to freak out people like me.

There was a huge difference at the Middle Gorge and the Upper Gorge. See the water is so calm at the top, and at the below, the water is a killer.

Upon walking back, we had to walk up the steps. And a carrier was waiting for anyone. This attraction is just 2500m above sea level, but I was so tired walking up. Then, my friend suggested walking up 2 steps each time, and it does slightly help. Now, I agree that the carrier is a better option.

  

And our next stop - The Old Town of Lijiang. Our place of stay.