Tiger Leaping Gorge, China
We caught an early bus to Qiaotou. We had been riding for about 3 hours when all of a sudden the bus driver told us to get off and buy tickets to the “park.” A frantic woman with an Austrailian accent ran up to us from out of nowhere and quickly told us that it was 50 Yuan per person or half off if you can prove that you’re a student. We later found out that this woman was the infamous Margo who runs the Gorged Tiger Cafe that we had read about in our Lonely Planet. After purchasing our foreigner tickets for the walk, we walked into Margo’s cafe and saw about six other backpackers leaving for the trek. We decided to have lunch and each had the “tomato cheese melt.” For a pita with some cheese, chunks of tomato, and a sprinkle of oregano cooked in the microwave, it wasn’t too bad. Margo was a bit flustered or scatter brained, but she had good advice about the trek and the surrounding area. We left our big bags at the cafe and set off with a change of clothes and our rain gear. We could safely pack this light because guesthouses are scattered along the trail.
Using Margo’s advice, we skipped the spray painted graffiti stating “best high trail this way,” and continued to road marker 194 and started up a dirt trail. It was a steady climb upwards for about three hours. For almost the entire time, a man followed us on a horse just in case we got tired and decided to use his service. Eventually he must have realized that we were not going to rent his horse and he turned around. At this point, we had reached the “24 bends,” which was the steepest part of the climb. There were definitely more than 24 switchbacks, and it was tough, but the views were magnificent. After reaching the final bend, it was smooth sailing, and a gradual downhill hike the rest of the way.
The entire length of the path winds through the mountains and high above above the turquoise colored river. It would have been even more spectacular had there been some sun, or if some of the dry waterfalls were flowing as in the rainy season. We followed the path down through a small village and pine tree forest. After about four hours, we reached Tea Horse Guest House. At this point it was about 6pm, and so we decided to spend the night at this guest house. The place was nice and had a surprisingly large number of rooms with more under construction. Our simple room had a double bed and concrete floor. We ordered our meal from a wooden, roll-out menu. We devoured the homecooked stir-fried brocolli, chicken with chillis, and of course a big bucket of rice. After dinner, we were pretty tired from the hike, and decided to go to bed early. The guesthouse had hot showers with abismal water pressure, but they did provide us with towels.
The next morning we hit the trail at around 9am after a few banana pancakes packed with honey. The path continued to wind along the gorge and through a second village. We were both amazed by the old women working in the fields below, gathering wood, and carrying supplies that have to weigh more than they do strapped to their backs. The women in these minority villages scattered throughout Vietnam and China certainly work hard. At times the trail was confusing because some parts of it made use of existing, paved village roads; however, scattered along the trail were arrows or ads spraypainted on rocks for further guesthouses, which made it difficult to get lost. Failing that graffiti, we were also able to follow the mounds of horse crap along the trail. Although we hardly ran into anyone, the trek must be gaining popularity since new guesthouses were being built everywhere along the trail. Some villagers with a keen business sense also set up stands next to the best viewpoints to sell supplies and charge you when you take a photograph.
We wandered downhill, passed a few waterfalls, and descended down to a paved road. This was the location of Tina’s Guesthouse where we had lunch. We had the option of continuing another hour to “Walnut Grove,” but chose to finish the trail here, and shared a mini-van back to Qiaotou. We picked up our bags from Margo, and stood on the side of the road waiting for the bus to Zhongdian. After about 30 minutes, we flagged the bus and we were off once more.