Tigers leaping over snow capped mountains

Been a busy few days since I started the tour. Its been fun but I dont think tours and me are good matches. I quite like planning what I am going to do and if I like a place staying that extra few days. Saying that though we've been to some awesome places, eaten some really good food and had some big nights out.



We started the tour in Kumning a large city in western China. The first night of the tour involved all of us drinking a bottle of scotch in a nightclub that had so much bling my eyes hurt. Every now random things would happen around the bar like scantily dressed dancers, people dancing with snakes, fireworks and a bar show that would leave the actors of cocktail out of a job.



Then it was onto 2 old towns called dali and lijiang which both had their charms and both like everything in China was touristed up to the max but mainly for the chinese tour groups which traverse the country like a large army going to war.



Dali was a little lakeside town which was an old walled city. We went horseriding up the hill and the next day on a boat/bike trip around the lake cycling through rice-paddies and small villages.



Lijiang is described as the venice of China with canals running throught the old city and beautiful slanting roofed houses/buildings. The night-life was hilarious with multiple clubs on each street trying to outdo each other in the decibel range. Acoustic bands, doof-doof dance floors complete with traditionally dressed Naxi girls/boys dancing to the latest crappy chinese techno beats.. AWESOME! And of course the obligatory Karaoke!

Our next stop has to be my favorite place we have visited in China so far. Tiger leaping gorge. Words can't really describe this place. The first day the weather was fairly crappy but the sun came out the next day. Basically its a narrow gorge within the upper reaches of the yangtze river surrounded on both sides by snow capped mountains. We took the high path on the second day and our guesthouse overlooked mountains and the number of stars was phenomenal. The hiking was pretty easy but at times a little hairy but we had our trusted guide a little maltese dog lead us from one place to the next.





OUr final day in Lijiang saw us join the hordes and take a cable car to the 4600m (some people required oxygen) to the peaks of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. I felt like I was on a ride in disney land but in the end the views and amount of fun people were having mate it all worth it.





Bus and flight later we are in Yangshou....