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I won't bore you with the details of the many buses etc that we had to take to make our way down to Qiaotou where you begin the trek through TLG. With our rucksacks we tried to leg it past the government ticket office where they charge you to do the trek. A very loud man ran after us up the street demanding that we pay for two tickets. We pointed at our accommodation for the night just up the road 'Janes Guesthouse' and told him we were just staying the night that we weren't going on the trek, and off he went back to his office to charge more tourists to walk through nature. We stayed that night in Janes and it was a great place to begin our trek they really know how to feed you!!! We left our big bags there and the next morning off we went. We turned up the road and so managed to avoid the ticket men again whahaha!

The first day of the trek was very sunny for us and is all about the ascent. Up and up and up we went. It was quite a challenge especially in the heat. As you climb higher the views across the gorge get more and more breathtaking, every now and then you come across a little old woman sitting under an umbrella on the side of the cliff selling fruit and marijuana. We also passed out a few little old Chinese men on donkeys with suspicious looking pipes in their mouths. We eventually reached a small path after two hours of climbing which led to a guesthouse where we stopped for a coke and an apple to catch our breaths. It was time to keep going so off we went again. We climbed onwards through trees and over rocks all the while marvelling at the scenery surrounding us. You need to pause every now and then to take it all in as if you look around while your walking you can easily trip over a rock and well, it's a long way down!

We eventually reach a little hut with a loud woman trying to sell chocolate, fruit and of course bags of weed. She has a big sign saying 'rest here and reserve your energy for the 28 bends'. We had read that this was the most difficult part so we sat on a rock beyond the hut and had quick break to gather ourselves. The bends are steep and full of rocks and there are of course 28 of them. It is certainly not a walk in the park trying to make your way up them. We clambered up through the bushes and I tried to ignore the giant spider webs swaying in the slight breeze above us. Nice big black and red spiders clinging to the middle of them yuck!! We eventually made it to the top and it wasnt easy but it was well worth the view when you get there! Of course there was a young woman with a stall on the cliffside trying to sell drinks etc and she also had a sign saying it would cost you 8 yuan to take photos off the view point which we noticed she had strategically placed her stall in front of. It's not a lot of money so being out of breath and hot we decided to avoid hassle and just gave her the money. Well she was snap happy then and took my camera off me to take photos of me and roy off her rock! As we gathered ourselves to go on another couple arrived at the top. They read her sign and decided to ignore it and not pay the money. As they attempted to  walk out onto the rock with the best view the women ran in front of them and placed a large log across their path to stop them and then picked up a large stick and began to use it as a weapon shouting and swishing at them demanding the money! Well they didn't pay her but they didn't get to go out to the view point either!

We walked on until we reached the guesthouse at the halfway point where we stayed the night. Our room had a view of the huge mountain peaks and there were plenty of other tired trekkers staying there. The views were crazy and it was strange to have no technology with us for once!

The next morning we began early and made our way over log bridges and through pine forests and across a few waterfalls, never a dull moment. The descent was steep and long and you need to concentrate the entire time to avoid twisting a knee or an ankle. Two hours later we had made it down to the road where we grabbed lunch to prepare for the next bit which is a further descent down to the river to see the famous rock where it is believed a tiger once leaped over the river - hence the name. Off we went, this was the steepest yet. Literally climbing over rocks hanging over the cliff edge with only a wire the locals had placed there to hold onto, it was a challenge with the sheer drops to your side! There were even a few parts which involved climbing down a few ladders!

Every now and again some rather large insect would decide to land on me and I would predictably scream and carry on like a loon and roy continuously turn around thinking I had slipped off the edge from my ridiculous screaming.

We eventually reached the bottom and stood in awe of the powerful rapids crashing around the rocks in the Yangtze river. It was mad to think we were now all the way at the bottom! You know what that means though, more climbing to get back up! We chose to go up a different path which turned out to be very scenic and a few points even took us through some farm lands and we found ourselves walking through tall corn fields. We met a few lizards along the way and herds of goats. Getting to the end at Walnut Garden felt really good. We were wrecked and every muscle was pissed off with us but it was all totally worth it and we sat staring out over the gorge with a great sense of accomplishment while we waited for a bus to drive past and bring us back the beginning. Its been the best part of our trip so far.

We have made our way back to Lijiang now and are staying here two nights in the old town which is all cobbled streets and little streams and very authentic looking Chinese buildings. It's really lovely and all pedestrian streets. Of course roy managed to find the rugby again and it's on at a nice time for us 4pm so we were delighted to see the boys in green beating Australia and Roy has had a smile on his face ever since, strolling around Lijiang in his Leinster jersey : )

Hope all is well back home, chat soon

Sarz xx