Travelling the ancient trail at Leaping Tiger Gorge

The following pictures were tricky to take. The sunlight was exceptionally bright and as a result it was sometimes difficult to get a good exposure, especially when looking down into the gorge. I hope this selection illustrates the natural beauty and shear size of the place.

This shot should give you an idea of the scale of the trail in comparison with the gorge. The red dot is India on her mule. Click on the image, it's far better full size.

As we were approaching our destination for the night the sun caught Snow Mountain with it's dying rays. The result was a brilliant golden moment ,topping off the mountains in all their splendor.

Parts of the mountain face are covered with bamboo. It looks so graceful and delicate in this strong winter light ,covering vast areas of the mountainside with a pale soft green haze.

This shot offers one an idea of how cold it was on some parts of the the trail. The girls were wrapped up to keep the mountain air at bay but once back in the sunshine we bathed luxuriously in the suns warming rays. On this occasion we had to get off our mules to travel down the hill unassisted.

Here is Shelly,our interpreter and guide,always smiling and full of energy.
Shelly was our voice to everyone we met in Yunnan and also helped answer our constant queries. If you are ever considering such a trip I strongly recommend this type of professional support. It gets one out of the tourist bubble and into the community,which is the only way to travel if you wish to connect.

Our head muler. He is skinny as a rake and as tough as old boots and immune to the bitter cold. A terrific guy with never ending energy. He kept pointing out to the girls that I was very big and it would be far better if I were half the size. As a result I rode on a number of mules to give each one a rest - because of my weight he told me .I think the mules were simply out of condition and only used to carrying rucksacks.

The end of the trail at Leaping Tiger Gorge

We had traveled for one and a half days high up on the trail. First staying at the Naxi family guest house,which I thoroughly recommend. It's very simple but comfortable with lovely people -Sorry no pictures.
We spent our second night at what is called the Tibetan guest house. The guest house part has been recently built and very comfortable. Don't think twice if you are considering an overnight stay and you won't be disappointed .

The following images are of the our happy band of mulers , the Tibetan guest house and a few shots taken of the girls as they made their way down the footpath and iron ladders to the gorge itself.

Our happy band of mulers who have an abundance of humour and energy that kept us all going and me laughing even if we didn't speak their language.


Yes ,this is not a mule but a tea trail horse. Trust me the other were all mules.I really like the colourful saddles. I only wish I could provide a sound track of the Mulers signing.

Our host with her son at the Tibetan guest house .

The Tibetan guest house plus our mini bus driver ( looking away) and his trusty van.

India and Iona making their way down to the foot of the gorge where the narrowest part is 25 meters.



This picture appears as if Melissa and Iona are close to the bottom.Wrong.

Look very closely and you can see the bridge on the rock in the middle of the gorge. I hope this illustrates the scale and magnitude of the river.

Life around Lashihai lake

After two days traversing Leaping Tiger gorge it was time we made our way to our next far flung destination, 'Lashihai lake'. This is a seasonal lake close to the town of Lijiang. Christmas day was nearly upon us and we were to stay with the parents of our trip coordinator Lily. Lily's parents are from the Naxi tribe and I think it is fair to say their village is a classic example of the Naxi way of life.

The following shots were taken during our stay. They are not necessarily in chronological order but I hope they paint a rich picture of life on and around the lake .

During our journey to Lashihai we were determined to collect shots that best depicted the perfection of the local countryside. These patchworks of terraces must have taken generations to develop and I wish I understood more about who controls the water, when they are flooded and how they are generally managed .

Lily's parents house. More to come later .

This water Buffalo was very angry and tried to have a go on a number of occasions.I'm just glad he was tied up securely. What is it about water Buffalo's and their bad temper?

Shelly arranged for her brother to pick up some bikes in his truck and drop them off nearby.This gave us the opportunity to ride around the lake and experience some of the delights of the local villages and nearby temple.

For those architectural geeks I've included some building details. If you are not interested just scroll on.

The mural on the left of this picture depicts Naxi allegorical stories.

This Persimmon tree displayed a magnificent golden crop of fruit in Dec!!. The Naxi leave their fruit on the tree and pick it when needed.

We came across this workshop while walking around the village. This couple are making 'made to measure quilts '.The diagonal threads hold the cotton wadding.

The architectural geeky bit is coming up. If your you're interested in vernacular architecture her is a small feast.

This symbol can be found on the cable end of most buildings. It represents good luck for the household.






There is an abundance of Cob walling around the lake. As an alternative here is a wall made from mud bricks covered with a simple scree. I would love to know the general lifetime of such walls.

Lily's parents and our host for few days. The following shots are a selection taken of their life and home during our short stay.

Lily's parents main building. We slept on the first floor.


I understand this outhouse used to be the main house before the current home was built.

Lily's parents eating supper where a great deal of general domestic life takes place. Wonderful people and great food


This type of range is very common in this part of Yunnan and perhaps China. The wood is stoked from the left and right.

The main barn where all manner of goods are stored for safe keeping and to dry.

One of our escapades ,during our short stay with Lily's parents, was to visit the local Buddhist temple. To our surprise one of the living Buddha's was also making a visit from Tibet, accompanied by a retinue of priests.The following pictures are a snapshot of what we experienced.

This is not a scramble for the living Buddha's attention but an orderly queue of people waiting to be blessed and that included us.Wow!

These Naxi ladies are all wearing their traditional costume ,depicting the seven moons on their backs. If you look carefully you will see the back part of the costume is made from a fleece. This is to take the pressure from their back when carrying heavy loads.

This group are from Tibet all enjoying a picnic on the grass after the blessing.

Inside the buddest temple sits this alter with offerings to the Naxi God. It is quite common for different religions to share the same temple in China.

The last part of this entry is about life on the lake and the fisherman we encountered when looking for birds.

This is our boatman who sang nearly the whole time we were with him. Melissa found him entertaining, it took me a while to get used to his repetoire.

This fisherman demonstrated amazing skill at coordinating his dugout while letting his nets out. I found the whole thing fascinating.