Tiger leaping gorge cont…

We were halfway… having sucessfully negotiated the 28 Bends. We had heard so much about them and were somewhat relieved when we had reached the top without having totally exhausted ourselves. We were feeling very happy!!

Having reached this guesthouse  we were right in the heart of the gorge and the  views of the mountains across the river were mesmerizing…..

 

A welcoming symbol found on the outside of many of the houses .

bunches of chillies and maize drying….

heading west….

wild flowers ..intense colours……

 

The Yangtze river far off and deep down…..

A steep side valley  stretching up into the clouds…..

This bridge was at Bendiwan Village and spanned a huge gorge and side river which swept down  into the Yangtze river……awesome!

 

looking out towards the end of the gorge…..

An amazing walk….so glad i did it!!

Tiger Leaping Gorge – Amazing

It was early morning as we drove through the streets of Lijiang heading roughly north west up into the mountains. We travelled along  a triple lane highway , long tunnels, smooth roads through a landscape that in parts was dotted with farms being intensively cultivated, past hills covered in pine forests in various stages of growth, there were small villages, the odd clump of highrise buildings mostly unfinished. We travelled  125 kms reaching Qiaotou in less than two hours. By the time we arrived it was steadily raining mmmm. Not a good start. We purchased our tickets, unearthed our rain gear from  our packs donned both and headed up the road out of town. Even having read masses of info about this place i was unprepared for the reality of it.

it was an uphill slog getting to our first sign  post…

view from the naxi family guesthouse…

the sun still shining on the tops of the mountains….

Views of the yangtze river….the colours of the wild flowers were intense….this pony followed us up up and up around the 28 bends.

our horseman and his pony who patiently followed us up through the 28 bends

And steep it was!!

Awesome landscapes wherever you looked!

more wild flowers….. more views and we are now about halfway through. To be continued : ))

 

Black Dragon Pool Park Lijiang Kunming China

Lijiang was definately atmospheric. In the old part of town just about everything was designed to catch the tourist eye. The Black Dragon Pool Park certainly did that. A mixture of old and new coupled with water – stilland expansive or flowing over small rapids. Flowers galore. The older generation was out in force   dressed in traditional Naxi attire ..small groups doing local dances accompanied by small handheld drums. It is also know as the photo hotspot for views of Yulong mountain. Unfortunately for us only a beautiful mild sunny day with blue skies and decorative clouds….

Strolling along the side of the river early morning….

If you look closely in  the background is a boat made of flowers.

Tranquility….

Rapids and the soft sound of water flowing…..

Yours truly at a photo hotspot! For those of you with a creative imagination…. behind those clouds is a very large and grand mountain! Not to be seen today.

Water is the source of life…

This sign  of course speaks for itself.

I had  great time  standing  behind and trying to figure out the steps. They were good and kept going for ages!!

There were performances on this stage

Some locals waiting in the wings….

A very beautiful and  very old restored temple

This is another photo hotspot…..yes there really are mountains there just shrouded in cloud!

A walk through an old town Lijiang Yunnan

The old part of Lijiang is cobblestones, narrow lanes , canals aand flowers. A smorgasbord of shops, inns, places to eat or just sit and watch the world go by.

The entrance to the old town ….yes a national holiday ….people everywhere!

A profusion of pots filled with colour line the canals the streets, the fronts of shops and eateries.

Photo shoot – gorgeous women in local traditional dress….I think this is Bai.

Fancy a bite to eat??

Or a cup of tea?

Shops full of tea and not a tea bag to be seen!!

Or a tamarind lollie?

A fascinating place to get lost in, find a ‘good cup of coffee’ and to marvel at the buildings, the flowers , the shopping and of course the people.

Sights to amaze Kunming China

We flew in from Kathmandu Nepal to kunming airport in Yunnan province across a sea of lights….a thriving metropolis with highrise buildings everywhere garnished with colourful sparkling lights, moving bill boards with  language characters unknown and express ways that seemed like giant mazes. Lucky for us a guide was meeting us….

The view from my hotel room on the 18th floor….

Evening in Kunming city…..

South of Kunming there is a place called Stone Forest. The area has been turned into a huge park that encompasses many of the more dramatic limestone rock formations. It is no longer a wild open place ….it does however cater for an ever increasing number of tourists from other parts of China. Some more views below….