Think around 80 buses,
each with a whopping 40 people inside, each one having to pay the entrance fee
of 65 Yuan (11 dollar) and you can just about do the maths and business for one
of natures most beautiful places… but the hiking trail might just be all yours.
.
I have woken with
chest pains, maybe due to climate changes, exercise and smoke (think hefty
fires in the cabins on our previous treks) and we are not certain that I should
be attractive on the ‘cat bound Gormandize trek’ dispute. Trouble to it, path between the Haba Author Mountain and Yulong writer
Mountain whose peaks reach 3900m this was my gem of China and I box out keep to expire to the negatives of having a lowness
of breath. We standpoint before the entrance in Qiaotao, a large with two white folk in north face jumpers
with smiles glaring.
.
.
100m exclusive we use
‘Janes impermanent accommodation ’ as a foundation for our luggage, swear one
of the paper maps from the counter and disappear. From the look of it there is
a guest house only 2 hours hike away, plenty of time to test my lungs ability.
We take our first steps along a rather dull gravel track.
.
.
“Want a ride?” Well
that would explain the amount of mule poop that swamps the track. Through my 40
breaths a minute I make a sound that somehow resembles a “no” and the
man-with-mule duo leaves us be. 20 minutes later we spot a Chinese couple
striding their mule despite being armoured in purple grip gloves and walking
pole. We take it easy but keep up with the schedule dictated by our map and
enjoy some fantastic views of the Jinsha (Golden Sands) River. At one point our
path is restricted. Progression can only be made if you observe the view point.
To observe the view point you must pay 3 Yuan, but once having paid the Yuan
you are subject to having a photo shoot. A little old lady darts out of her
hut, grabs your camera and positions you in all manner of poses including
scenes from Titanic. Passing this bizarre ritual you are immediately rewarded
with the honour of using the ‘Topest toliet’ before continuing to travel onward
and upward, charming.
It
doesn’t kill me to reach Nuoyu village and the Naxi Family Guest house that is
not only marked on the map but also upon stones on your route. Different
coloured paint overlap one another in an accommodation war. Naxi, like many
cultures, typically form their houses around a central square. From the balcony
we have a fantastic view of the Jade Dragon Stone Mountain. The river, running
between this peak sitting at 5596m of altitude and the Haba (on our side of the
river and thus invisible to us) at 5396m means that the mighty gorge is
recognised as one of the worlds deepest river canyons.
.
.
We meet
two other take-it-easy hikers who encourage us to share there Yak butter tea
(tea leaves, butter and salt) and after having a taste I could see why they
were eager to share. The next day we must combat the infamous 28 bends, known
for being a strenuous way to gain elevation. My fitness today gives us confidence
and we agree to spend 6 hours rather than the designated 2-3. At sunrise the
mountains remained shrouded in mist, eerie and uninviting. 2 hours later and we
are laughing wildly as we reach the summit of the gorge. In part due to the
over exaggeration of guidebooks but also because of a temper filled local woman
who decided that you could only visit the viewpoint if you buy a product.
Thinking we deserve a snickers Prue and I attempt to access the outcrop that
provides the mysterious vista but are halted by yells and frantic arm swinging.
Obviously 1 snickers means only 1 person.
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