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| bridge to the Shangri La side of the Yangtze River |
 |
| Whiplash Express |
We
were so impressed with Nongbu, our guide to Jade Dragon Snow
Mountain, that we engaged him again for another eco-tour to a gorge
on the Upper Yangtze River called Tiger Leaping Gorge. Nongbu picked
us up at our hotel in Shuhe at 8:45 a.m. for the 2-hour drive to the
gorge. The first hour was on a relatively fast and smooth tollroad
until we arrived at a point on the Yangtze where a bridge crossed
over to the Shangri La (from the Li Jiang) side of the river. We didn't cross the bridge
but continued straight ahead on a road whose condition I can only
call the Whiplash Express.
 |
| terrace farming along Whiplash Express |
This
road was partially under reconstruction and in a condition that was
partly dirt road, partly broken asphalt, and potholes some of which
were full of water. We were jostled and thrown around the rear seat of
the van for the better part of an hour (try taking photographs), passing through old towns and
wide vistas of terraced farming and always the Yangtze river that we
were riding parallel to. It was hard to believe that this was the
only route to a well known tourist attraction, yet there it was. I
have to say, though, that arriving at your destination this way makes
you appreciate it all the more.
We
finally arrived at the entrance to the Upper Gorge. This course is
relatively easy for older folks like us. There is a 2.7 km. path cut
into the cliff along the river that is wide, smooth enough, on a
level without ups and downs to hamper easy strolling and a chain rail for
psychological security. The scenery (especially rock textures) becomes increasingly spectacular
as you walk along, first the smooth flowing river and, as the gorge
narrows, increasingly squeezed into a narrower channel with white
water rapids beginning to occur. There are a couple spots along the
path where tunnels were dug into the rock to circumvent dangerous
passages where rocks can fall and there have been a few deaths
according to Nongbu.
 |
| . . . go around rockslides |
 |
| tunnel cut to . . . |
The
Upper Gorge is a popular tourist attraction of both sides of the
river. On the Shangi La side there is a relatively short hike from
the parking lot above, but it consists of some 600 steps. Coming down
isn't bad, but going back up, I hear, is a bitch. We, being on the Li
Jiang side only had a relatively short set of steps to negotiate
since the approach path is much lower than the Shangri La side where
you can get to the gorge by motor vehicle. On our side to have to
walk the 2.7 km., but the climb down to the rapids is much easier.
 |
| Li Jiang (our) side |
 |
| Shangri La side (600 steps to climb down and UP) |
The
river is low at this time of the year so the water was blue green in
color. When the snow melts later in the spring the river rises and
turns yellow and submerges some of the rocks in the main gorge that are visible today.
After oohing and aahing and taking I-was-there photos we walked the
2.7 km. back to the entrance, and took the van for the outbound run
along Whiplash Express (which hadn't improved over the inbound
run).
 |
| Tiger Leaping Upper Gorge |
 |
| the fabled tiger leaping across the gorge |
 |
| the lunch |
 |
| traditional kitchen |
Soon
we stopped at a local restaurant in the shadow of Jade Dragon Snow
Mountain that was run by some friends of Nongbu's and ate a delicious lunch.
In fact, the best meals we had during our entire stay in the region
were had at Nongbu's friends' restaurants which were included in his very
reasonable tour prices.
 |
| in the shadow of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain |
 |
| pear blossoms |
I
mentioned in previous posts that we wanted to see some pear tree
orchards after seeing some photographs at an exhibition in Dali without any success.
Nongbu may have heard us talking about this because he took us along
winding rural roads through the Lashi Lake region of farmlands and
fruit orchards on our way to Ziyunshi Tibetan monastery. Spring had
come to the valley with flowers and fruit trees in full bloom. Particularly
beautiful were the pear tree orchards (which we finally got to see)
with their branches ablaze in white flowers.
 |
| field of Rape Blossoms in the Lashi Lake valley |
 |
| Ziyunshi Tibetan Monastery |
Ziyunshi
Tibetan monastery (like the Chongsheng Temple in Dali) was destroyed
during the Cultural Revolution and rebuilt with private donations and
some 20 or 30% funding from the government. It is a concrete replica
of the original, very colorful in red and yellow and gold. It is
reached by climbing numerous steps as it is on a mountainous site (as
are many Buddhist temples), and commands a wide panoramic view of the
Lashi valley below.
 |
| Lashi Lake valley from Ziyunshi Monastery |
 |
| the high lama Gamba |
 |
Dapeng Bird - a Dongba deity
resembles a Balinese Garuda Bird |
We
learned from Nongbu, who is both a Tibetan Buddhist and a
practitioner of the ancient Naxi religion called Dongba (he claims it
is 18,000 years old), that there are different kinds of Tibetan
Buddhism designated by colors. I noticed that there were no pictures
of the Dalai Lama and asked him why. He gave two answers: one,
that the Dalai Lama is a “Yellow” Buddhist and the local high
lama here (called Gamba something I couldn't quite catch) is a
“White” lama; the second was that probably the government doesn't
permit mention or images of the Dalai Lama (a political topic I didn't care to
pursue).
 |
| Garuda - Bali c. 1983 |
We
finally arrived at the entrance to the Upper Gorge. This course is
relatively easy for older folks like us. There is a 2.7 km. path cut
into the cliff along the river that is wide, smooth enough, on a
level without ups and downs to hamper easy strolling and a chain rail for
psychological security. The scenery (especially rock textures) becomes increasingly spectacular
as you walk along, first the smooth flowing river and, as the gorge
narrows, increasingly squeezed into a narrower channel with white
water rapids beginning to occur. There are a couple spots along the
path where tunnels were dug into the rock to circumvent dangerous
passages where rocks can fall and there have been a few deaths
according to Nongbu.
I
mentioned in previous posts that we wanted to see some pear tree
orchards after seeing some photographs at an exhibition in Dali without any success.
Nongbu may have heard us talking about this because he took us along
winding rural roads through the Lashi Lake region of farmlands and
fruit orchards on our way to Ziyunshi Tibetan monastery. Spring had
come to the valley with flowers and fruit trees in full bloom. Particularly
beautiful were the pear tree orchards (which we finally got to see)
with their branches ablaze in white flowers.
Ziyunshi
Tibetan monastery (like the Chongsheng Temple in Dali) was destroyed
during the Cultural Revolution and rebuilt with private donations and
some 20 or 30% funding from the government. It is a concrete replica
of the original, very colorful in red and yellow and gold. It is
reached by climbing numerous steps as it is on a mountainous site (as
are many Buddhist temples), and commands a wide panoramic view of the
Lashi valley below.
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