Yunnan Province
Yunnan Province is home to Tiger Leaping Gorge and, according to one guidebook, “Yunnan is without a doubt one of the most alluring destinations in China. It’s the most varied of all of China’s provinces, with terrain ranging from tropical rainforest to show-capped Tibetan peaks. It’s also the sixth-largest province and home to a third of all China’s ethnic minorities (nearly 50% of the province is non-Han) and over half of all China’s plant and animal species. If you can only get to one province in China, this might as well be it.”
And, Yunnan Province is where I’m taking my lungs and my friend Mike who is visiting China for the first time this coming Saturday. We haven’t got an exact itinerary as of yet, but I’ve got a general plan and figure we will more or less stick to this with slight alterations. The first thing I’ve accidentally done to him is schedule a THIRTY-HOUR train trip from Wuhan to Kunming, the capital of Yunnan. Funny story, really: I went in to purchase the tickets, thinking we could expect 14 to 16 hours on the train. Turns out the trip is 30 hours long. We’ll leave Wuchang station at 11:30pm on the evening of the 4th, spend all of the 5th on the train and arrive in Kunming around 5:30am on the 6th. Mike notified me just yesterday that he’s got an arsenal of sleeping pills, antibiotics and muscle-relaxers so I know what he’ll be doing for entertainment.
Anyway, here’s the itinerary, thus far and links to some of the places where we currently have reservations. The websites are very informative and you can even see photos of rooms, restaurants and in some cases, the environments surrounding. This way, all of YOU can come on the trip with us! Enjoy! (Credit to Lonely Planet China for almost all of this information)
TRAIN: (February 4th-6th)
KUNMING: (February 6th-7th) According to the guidebook, this used to be a really lovely city but modernity has reared its massive-building head and for the most part, the city is like any other in modern China. It is considered the gateway to many of the minority pockets of China, though, and will be our first and last stop in Yunnan. I’ve chosen the Camellia Hotel as our resting spot here, as it comes highly recommended, seems equipped with the kind of information we’ll need to begin our trek towards Lijiang and Tiger Leaping Gorge and can help with airline tickets. http://www.kmcamelliahotel.com/English/home.htm
LIJIANG: (February 7th-8th) We will fly from Kunming to Lijiang and work our way back down. Lijiang used to be a tiny, well kept secret spot for preparing for a trek into Tiger Leaping Gorge but in recent years, the area has opened up to make way for all types of travelers wanting to get a piece of the experience. Lijiang still has an Old Town, though, and we will stay at Mu’s Mansion Hotel, which is well situated there. Lijiang’s minority population is Naxi. The Naxi are descendants of ethnically Tibetan Qiang tribes and lived, until recently, in matrilineal families. There is a traditional Naxi Orchestra that plays nightly in the Old Town and many people still wear traditional Naxi clothing, which consists of indigo blue cloth and simple forms. It sounds as if the Old Town is built on the side of a hill, and that there are beautiful views of the nearby mountain, Yulong Xueshan, around every turn. http://www.gotoshangrila.com/jianjie.htm
TIGER LEAPING GORGE: (February 9th-11th) After a night or two in Lijiang, depending on how we like it and how long we can wait to get to the gorge, we’ll head for Qiaotou and begin our trek towards Walnut Grove (also known as Walnut Garden), a –sort of– halfway point between Qiaotou and the finish of the trek in Daju. TLG is said to be one of the deepest gorges in the world. The trek follows the Yangzi River as it pushes its way between Haba Shan (Haba Mountain) and Yulong Xueshan (Yulong Mountain). For a better idea of what the gorge is like, simply type it into Google and read about some experiences others have had. The gorge is in danger of becoming over-used due to the conveniences of modern tourism and might disappear altogether if the government continues with its plan to build 11 major dams along the Yangzi river. There are several tiny guesthouses, farmhouses and villages available to the weary hiker along the trail and we’ll pick one as we get tired or find a good spot for enjoying sunset in the gorge.
DALI: (February 12th-15th) After finishing up TLG, we’ll return to Lijiang and push our way back south to Dali. “This small town is a perfect place to tune out for a while and forget about trains, planes and bone-jarring buses. The stunning mountain backdrop, the lovely Erhai Hu (lake), the intact walls of the old city, the Bai markets (another large minority group in Yunnan), and the general pace of life are truly a vacation from traveling.” We’ve got a great place to stay in Dali (Jim’s Tibetan Hotel) and the Web site shows the kind of culture and scenery we’re in store for. Take your time viewing all that the Web site has to offer, as I don’t think you’ll find a better source on the Internet. We’re even going on a cormorant fishing trip on Erhai Hu (lake)!
http://www.china-travel.nl/english/guesthouse.htm
KUNMING: (February 15th-17th) And, after chilling out in Dali for a couple of days, we’ll return to Kunming to take in some of the city’s big sites: Kunming theater or opera, Kunming city and art museums, temples (Buddhist, Taoist and local minority religions), bird and flower markets, parks, mosques, pagodas, the list goes on! We’ll most likely stay at The Camellia Hotel again; barring any unfortunate experiences the first night of our trip! (Well, not the FIRST night, as that night we’ll be on a TRAIN!)
From what I’ve seen of the hotel Web sites, we’ll be easily reached or available throughout the whole trip except for our time in the gorge. I’ll have my cell phone; the number is: 13986084236. (To reach me, use China’s international code 086, I think, and simply dial the above number. It’s that easy!) We’ll keep in touch as often as possible, too. Mike’s bringing emergency rope so we shouldn’t have ANY problems!
And, Yunnan Province is where I’m taking my lungs and my friend Mike who is visiting China for the first time this coming Saturday. We haven’t got an exact itinerary as of yet, but I’ve got a general plan and figure we will more or less stick to this with slight alterations. The first thing I’ve accidentally done to him is schedule a THIRTY-HOUR train trip from Wuhan to Kunming, the capital of Yunnan. Funny story, really: I went in to purchase the tickets, thinking we could expect 14 to 16 hours on the train. Turns out the trip is 30 hours long. We’ll leave Wuchang station at 11:30pm on the evening of the 4th, spend all of the 5th on the train and arrive in Kunming around 5:30am on the 6th. Mike notified me just yesterday that he’s got an arsenal of sleeping pills, antibiotics and muscle-relaxers so I know what he’ll be doing for entertainment.
Anyway, here’s the itinerary, thus far and links to some of the places where we currently have reservations. The websites are very informative and you can even see photos of rooms, restaurants and in some cases, the environments surrounding. This way, all of YOU can come on the trip with us! Enjoy! (Credit to Lonely Planet China for almost all of this information)
TRAIN: (February 4th-6th)
KUNMING: (February 6th-7th) According to the guidebook, this used to be a really lovely city but modernity has reared its massive-building head and for the most part, the city is like any other in modern China. It is considered the gateway to many of the minority pockets of China, though, and will be our first and last stop in Yunnan. I’ve chosen the Camellia Hotel as our resting spot here, as it comes highly recommended, seems equipped with the kind of information we’ll need to begin our trek towards Lijiang and Tiger Leaping Gorge and can help with airline tickets. http://www.kmcamelliahotel.com/English/home.htm
LIJIANG: (February 7th-8th) We will fly from Kunming to Lijiang and work our way back down. Lijiang used to be a tiny, well kept secret spot for preparing for a trek into Tiger Leaping Gorge but in recent years, the area has opened up to make way for all types of travelers wanting to get a piece of the experience. Lijiang still has an Old Town, though, and we will stay at Mu’s Mansion Hotel, which is well situated there. Lijiang’s minority population is Naxi. The Naxi are descendants of ethnically Tibetan Qiang tribes and lived, until recently, in matrilineal families. There is a traditional Naxi Orchestra that plays nightly in the Old Town and many people still wear traditional Naxi clothing, which consists of indigo blue cloth and simple forms. It sounds as if the Old Town is built on the side of a hill, and that there are beautiful views of the nearby mountain, Yulong Xueshan, around every turn. http://www.gotoshangrila.com/jianjie.htm
TIGER LEAPING GORGE: (February 9th-11th) After a night or two in Lijiang, depending on how we like it and how long we can wait to get to the gorge, we’ll head for Qiaotou and begin our trek towards Walnut Grove (also known as Walnut Garden), a –sort of– halfway point between Qiaotou and the finish of the trek in Daju. TLG is said to be one of the deepest gorges in the world. The trek follows the Yangzi River as it pushes its way between Haba Shan (Haba Mountain) and Yulong Xueshan (Yulong Mountain). For a better idea of what the gorge is like, simply type it into Google and read about some experiences others have had. The gorge is in danger of becoming over-used due to the conveniences of modern tourism and might disappear altogether if the government continues with its plan to build 11 major dams along the Yangzi river. There are several tiny guesthouses, farmhouses and villages available to the weary hiker along the trail and we’ll pick one as we get tired or find a good spot for enjoying sunset in the gorge.
DALI: (February 12th-15th) After finishing up TLG, we’ll return to Lijiang and push our way back south to Dali. “This small town is a perfect place to tune out for a while and forget about trains, planes and bone-jarring buses. The stunning mountain backdrop, the lovely Erhai Hu (lake), the intact walls of the old city, the Bai markets (another large minority group in Yunnan), and the general pace of life are truly a vacation from traveling.” We’ve got a great place to stay in Dali (Jim’s Tibetan Hotel) and the Web site shows the kind of culture and scenery we’re in store for. Take your time viewing all that the Web site has to offer, as I don’t think you’ll find a better source on the Internet. We’re even going on a cormorant fishing trip on Erhai Hu (lake)!
http://www.china-travel.nl/english/guesthouse.htm
KUNMING: (February 15th-17th) And, after chilling out in Dali for a couple of days, we’ll return to Kunming to take in some of the city’s big sites: Kunming theater or opera, Kunming city and art museums, temples (Buddhist, Taoist and local minority religions), bird and flower markets, parks, mosques, pagodas, the list goes on! We’ll most likely stay at The Camellia Hotel again; barring any unfortunate experiences the first night of our trip! (Well, not the FIRST night, as that night we’ll be on a TRAIN!)
From what I’ve seen of the hotel Web sites, we’ll be easily reached or available throughout the whole trip except for our time in the gorge. I’ll have my cell phone; the number is: 13986084236. (To reach me, use China’s international code 086, I think, and simply dial the above number. It’s that easy!) We’ll keep in touch as often as possible, too. Mike’s bringing emergency rope so we shouldn’t have ANY problems!
