Days 18-20: Lijiang + Tiger Leaping Gorge

          The cold I caught in Xi’an got even worse as I arrived in Lijiang.  I was incredible tired and miserable as I got off the two-hour delayed flight and had to figure out how I was going to get to the hostel.  I had tried contacting the hostel before I left to let them know I was going to be arriving pretty late, but I never heard back.  When I got off the plan, I was worried.  They might not let me check in and I might not have a place to stay tonight.  I struggle to find their number, and after a few failed attempts, I finally get a hold of someone.  But I can’t understand the majority of what they are saying.  All I get is take the airport shuttle, so I do.  I have no idea where to get off, so I just get off at the last stop.  I try to show a taxi driver the address in english, but he waves me away, apparently unable to read it.  Not sure what to do next, I call the hostel again and I once again can’t understand the majority of what they are saying, but something about getting a taxi and giving them the phone.  So I do, and the Taxi driver drives me a short distance to the alley way and stops and motions for me to call them again.  I try, but no one answers.  I call again and again, not sure what else to do.  Eventually, this old women approaches from the alleyway with a flashlight and talks to the cab driver.  She tells me the fare and leads me to the hostel.  She gives me a banana and says I can check in in the morning, but for now I should sleep.  This is how I met “Mama Naxi”, the owner and namesake of the hostel I stayed at.

          I sleep late the next morning and get up and go through the check in process.  Mama Naxi notices I’m sick and gives a hot cup of tea.  I order a large breakfast and then set out to explore this new city. 

          Lijiang is a stark contrast to what I’ve seen of China so far.  The air is clean, the weather is warm, and the sun is shining.  Off in the distant are beautiful mountain peaks.  I spread the next couple hours wandering around the streets of Lijiang Old Town, a section of town made up of preserved 800-year-old buildings with winding streets and canals.  Lijiang is home to the Nakhi (or Naxi) people, one of the ethnic minorities of China.  Most of the Han Chinese I run into here are also tourists to this city.

          After exploring the city I come back for a family style dinner that the hostel offers.  Together with a couple other Americans, several Canadians, and a French man, we join in on a homemade Nakhi dinner by Mama Naxi.  Over dinner I learn that they are all either English teachers in China, or students there; which makes sense since this is the holiday period for Spring Festival when they would be able to travel.  Also quickly realize they all speak at least a decent amount of Chinese, as they talk with the hostel owners while I sit awkwardly clueless as to what is being said.  I tell them about my trip and my plans.  They ask what I’m most worried about, and I mention that Vietnam is the one country that really worries me.  Several of them then tell me how horrible it is traveling in Vietnam, and share horror stories with me of people coming back beat up after getting into a fight with their taxi driver.  Not quiet the encouragement I had hoped for.

          Enthralled in the conversation and hearing all their experiences, I loose track of time and soon realize the Traditional Music Concert I had bought tickets for was about to start.  I ask the clerk at the front how to get there, and instead Papa Naxi leads me through the maze like streets of Old Town Lijiang all the way to the concert hall.

Naxi Orchestra

          Inside, the concert has already started, and I quickly find a seat.  A couple dozen old men in purple gowns sit on the stage, each holding traditional musical instruments I’ve never seen before.  They play several songs, including several solos, each with a unique sound.  At the end the organizer gives a long speech in both Chinese and English talking about the history of the music and how because Lijiang has remained a region of peace, artist have been able to flourish here and that traditional chinese music has been able to remain uninfluenced here, unlike the rest of China which has been influenced heavily by outside sources.

Tiger Leaping Gorge

          The next day I wake up before dawn to begin a trek of the Tiger Leaping Gorge, the reason I came to this region in the first place.  Several of the people I had met at dinner the previous night, plus a couple of british girls were also doing the same trek.  However they were going to do the two day hike, where I had decided to downgrade my trek to just the one day due to my cold.

          Before we go, Papa Naxi makes sure to give each of us a Banana, and then leads us through the maze like streets again and gets us to the bus.  A long drive through the narrow mountain roads, and we finally arrive.  The bus first drops off the others from my hostel to begin their trek, and then drivers further to my spot.  At this point there are several other people on the bus, who I assume would be doing the same route as me, however once the bus stops in the middle of nowhere, the driver tells me to get off, and no one else comes with.  Guess I’m on my own from here.

Lunch with a view

          I follow a road up the side of the mountain, snaking back and forth.  At the top I find a guesthouse, and stop to have lunch with the amazing view of the gorge right in front of me.  I hike through the mountain trail, passing through small villages and farms built right into the side of the mountain.  Towards the end, I start to panic, as I haven’t reached the end yet and the bus that brings me back would be leaving soon.  I rush down the trail, unsure how far the end is, and suddenly find myself at the edge of a drop off, and the trail just ends.  I back track a ways, and luckily find the correct way not too far back.  After I short panic of being abandoned in the backwoods of China, I end up making it back to meeting point with half an hour to spare.

          The next day, after a short bit of exploring the old city again, it was time to head to the airport for my next city.  But first, Mama Naxi made sure to give me another banana as I headed out.

Mama Naxi and me