I order porridge for breakfast, but end up with muesli. It’s pretty tasty, so I don’t complain. There are about 15 of us heading to Tiger Leaping Gorge to do an overnight trek, so we take up 3 vans and make our way there. The buses stop to make one stop, which has a pretty scenic view, so we take some photos, then continue to the gorge.
Several of us are leaving bags at the first guesthouse we come across, which is called Jane’s, and run by a ladyboy. We decide to eat lunch there too – but it takes forever. Finally, with everyone sorted, we head out towards the gorge. In tow are Kim and Kim, from Korea; Ruriko from Japan; Anna and Anna from Holland; Aidan, Alan, and Wolfy from Ireland; Daniel, a fellow Canadian; Jonas from Finland; Kathy from England; and Craig from England, but living in China. Not content to wait for lunch, the Dutch girls had set out before us, but eventually we run into them at the Naxi Family lounge – part way up the 900 metre ascent (we’ll eventually be at 2650 metre elevation).
We branch off into different groups, and I seem to be a part of all of them at some point. The Korean, Japanese group is going a little slow, so I move up with Craig and Jonas, and then eventually we catch up with the others. We stop several times along the way to relax and enjoy the view. Our destination is Halfway House (which is really 3/4 of the way House) and we make it there eventually. The guesthouse advertises scenic bathroom views, and they’re not kidding. Quite nice. We all shower, then grab some food and drinks and stare out at the gorge. Quite a lovely view, and the price is good – with only Alan, Wolfy and myself in a dorm room for 20 yuan (less than $3).
