Tiger Leaping Gorge day 2

The roaring Jinsha river.

On the second day of hiking I finished the trail and arrived at Tina's guesthouse. It's the place where you can catch the bus back to Lijiang and also the starting point to go down the gorge. You can take a free shuttle at Tina that will drive you to the start of the trail. You need to pay a small fee to local people that maintain the trail. It's a steep way down to reach the river. Until now I only saw the river from fare up. Getting close make you realize the size and power of the water that has carved the gorge. You can walk along the river and then go back up by another trail. The way up is though, especially after a day and a half of hiking. I got back at Tina's guesthouse and had a cold beer  while waiting for the bus.

One of the best thing about this hike is that you meet other hikers on the way. Even if some goes faster or slower than you, you will bump into each other many times, sharing a meal, a beer or the place you are staying. Even if you are a solo traveler like me, you will find travelling companions on the trail.

Being up close to the torrent is impressive. Some waves were taller than me.


The Tiger Leaping Gorge is close to the border of the greater Tibet. The next city, Shangri-La is part of the ancient Tibet. You can see it's influence in the temples and the use of Tibetan script.






Guard dog.




Cicada.

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