Ah, China! Absolutely stunning scenery, history, food and people. We have dined on eel, glass eggs [somehow the white of the egg is cooked so that it is clear not cloudy....], sliced braised pig ears, tree bark fried with egg [Jack quipps "so they use every part of the dog"], hotpots, drunken chickens, blood sausage of duck, pork crackling pancakes… Our guide Tracy delights in taking us to hole in the wall places where you sit in the kitchen with the family and choose what to eat from the buckets on the floor, not a menu.
Tiger Leaping Gorge, despite the crowds, is deserving of every superlative ever given to it. We managed to be there on a rainy day when the treacherous paths up and down the cliffs were slippery and all the harder to climb. Jack has to promise the photo taken on the way back up the gorge of Jon breathless and covered in sweat will never see the light of day.
Yes, that is a sheer drop to the river below, and Jack, Tracy and our local guide are wandering along as do about a hundred people most days.
it looks every bit as stunning in real life. The majesty of the mountains, covered at the top in clouds, adds a scale that photos [well, my photos...] do not capture.
The Chinese believe that the clouds cover the top of the mountain to add to the mystery and majesty of the peaks. A little left to the imagination is not a bad thing, but the real deal here is impressive enough.
This bit of the path is the only dry part, the overhang of the rock offering relief from the rain.
We were totally drenched at the end. I was exhausted, but our guide wandered along with his umbrella as if he was out for a stroll on a rainy afternoon in the park. He lives 10k over the mountain top and walks to and from work each day as well as trekking with the tourists. We head off to Kunming tomorrow morning, and will post some more as soon as we get a chance.
]…as usual guys stunning… Thankyou (ps) i think your eating habits are nothing short of *brave* !!! vicki