Lijiang Favorites

Favorite thing: From Qiaotou you basically have the choice of hiking a trail high up in the mountain, or walking along the main road.
As you can imagine, the "high" route is much favoured, although you see also people walking on the main road, which give more close-up views down on the water but the disadvantage is the traffic. Starting from Qiaotou at 10.30am along the high route, your normal prospect would be to reach Half Way Inn in around 6 hours, excluding lunchtime.

If you just have 1 day for the Gorge, you can hire a taxi from Qiaotou (ca. max. RMB 50) that brings you to any desired point along the 22+km. road, or from the road back to Qiaotuo. Most such tourists opt to be dropped at the Middle Gorge (near Tina's GH), then descend to the river and go slowly up along a quite stunning trail that leads to the village called Walnut Grove from where you can arrange your taxi back. You can do this as rushy daytrip from Lijiang but you may always regret not to have spent more time here...!!!

Favorite thing: Once you're on the "high" trail it's difficult to get lost, but to find the trail in the first place is totally different piece of cake.

The only direction in Qiaotou we got was to go "left" after 1 km on the road at the school. We did find the trail, but then we arrived in some kind of farmland and it had a dozen of branches left and right. We walked in the wrong direction twice, and both times were luckily but routinely pointed to the right direction.

Tip: until you can see the river, try to involve locals in your pathfinding!

Once you see the river on your right side, there's only one main trail and you will see Guesthouse signposts on every diversion. The trail goes up gradually but steadily and within one hour you already have fantastic views from impressive heights!

Favorite thing: The most common starting point for the Tiger Leaping Gorge Trek is Qiaotou. This is a big village along the main road to Zhongdian (also referred to as: Shangri-La). You can reach here in about 2-2,5 hrs by public bus or faster in private transport from Lijiang.

Qiaotou has a well stocked supermarket and at least one good guesthouse so you can take this into consideration for your planning. Some travellers store their excess luggage here and pick it up after the trek.

We started Day 1 from Lijiang on the 7.30am bus so it was already towards 10.30 when we had fulfilled the formalities (i.e. paying a moderate entrance fee) and could started walking.

Fortunately I met a few nice folks on the bus and we grouped together on our first steps on the trails. The staff of the ticket office had given us a few general directions of how to find the trail...

Favorite thing: Hand drawn old town maps can be purchased for 2 RMB from street vendors. It's well worth the money. The map provides you with things to see and do in the old town and around Lijiang in both Chinese and English. Obviously the Chinese explanation is much more detailed. However the English explanation provides you with a better idea than the Lonely Planet guide, which in comparison was too general.

I thought the map is nice for framing once your get home.

Favorite thing: And several months into the competiton we have another VTer making an attempt to guess what this picture is of. Their comment...?

" Is this a ten spot Lady? Lol...Blu"

Well at a glance..you COULD just be right!!! Congratulations to you!

Favorite thing: This time however.... HERSHEYBAR DOES not get full marks for sending THIS reply!!!!!

"The creepy crawlies are catepillars! They munch away at things that are green like leaves...... and you know how they eventually turn into butterflies?"

I DID know that these were caterpillars, but I was wondering if anyone could tell what TYPE they were!!!! I'm not that stupid!!!!!!"

Favorite thing: We have a winner!!!! Coming all the way from The United States Of America...... HERSHEYBAR is the first one to come up with an answer! Is there anyone else out there ready to contest his view!?

"The yellow "delicate beauties" appear to me to be St John's Wort. There are lots of yellow flowers but here the leaves are what I recognized!"

Favorite thing: The most expensive public toilets in China?(but worth it)At first I felt ripped off, 5 Mao!! to take a leak? And the lady even smiled. (the smile cost and extra.04 RMB?)I could not believe my eyes, WOW! what a clean rest room, marble floors, clean toilets, hot water in the sink..It is like I have died on got to haven, or a motel 6. but seriously, just about every Public WC I went to in the old city was spotless and the attendants were friendly. But when I was back at the bus depot, it was back to toilet reality, 1moa, and a dirty pit.

Fondest memory: Clean toilets. In this one bathroom there is even a miniature urinal for small people, only about 12 inches of the ground. Is it for a child or a small adult? there is even a build in ash try, so your child can smoke while taking a leak!