I am in Lijiang just now, getting another sleepy bus back to Kunming tonight. Spent the day at Tiger Leaping Gorge yesterday, it was absolutely stunning, although we totally underestimated how tough it would be.

We left Lijiang at 7.30 am yesterday morning and after a three hour trip through the mountains arrived at a small village called Qiao Tou. This is where we began our trip up the gorge. By the first hour we were absolutely sweating and I had taken off my three jumpers. The views even from the bottom were amazing. After 2 hours we made it to a traditional Naxi (Chinese minority people) house where we had a rest and some lunch.

About an hour after we left there we made it to the infamous “28 bends", a particularly steep climb which includes 28 sharp bends. By that time Sarah had already decided that she was going to take one of the horses (many men with horses had been following us up the whole way waiting for us to collapse in a heap and say “OK OK I’ll give you 60 kuai to take me up the mountain!") and managed to get the price down to 30 kuai. I was determined to make it up myself but was pretty exhausted so Sarah took my backpack on the horse with her. By the time I got to the top I was ready to collapse …. one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, but the views at the top were worth it.

We knew we had to keep moving as we were supposed to get to a guesthouse called Seans… in a little place a couple of hours past the halfway point called Walnut Grove. Everyone we had spoken to had been raving about it, but it didn’t look like we were going to make it before dark. We got to The Half Way House about 7pm and Sarah was going to the toilet, however, when sat down and spoke to some travellers they said that Seans was a good few hours away, the path was pretty hairy from here to there and we wouldn’t make it before dark. So we decided just to stay at the Halfway House. The views there were also stunning. I don’t think I would have made it to Seans, I’d gone over my ankle and pulled various other muscles in my legs and my back was aching from my pack. A couple of times Sarah had tripped up and just about tumbled over the edge … which was cms away from where the path was as it was very narrow.

Kim was physically sick last night, I think just from exhaustion, as we had trekked 8 hours uphill. We had to get the bus back to Lijiang today as none of us were in much fit state to go the rest of the way. Most people take 2 or 3 days to do the whole gorge trek. Bit annoyed we didn’t make it to Walnut Grove but, despite everything, it was definitely worth it, probably the most beautiful scenery I’ve ever seen and got some nice photos of the views. Going back to Kunming to chill out and wash some clothes before going to Laos on Sunday! Can’t wait to see Fi again.

That’s me back in Kunming now, after a 14 hour bus journey with a difference. It was so bad we just had to laugh ..

When we got on there were lots of families with little kids, the bus stank. Despite the no smoking signs, several men were smoking. We found three bunks that were close together, but as soon as a Chinese couple got on the bus, we were told to move so they could be next to each other. They are still only single bunks, so Sarah had to move and ended up at the back of the bus where there were other passengers who weren’t staying on the bus all night and so just sat on her bed. There was a screaming baby on one side and a woman who looked and sounded like she was dying on the other side … they had to take her off the bus after a couple of hours, maybe to a hospital, I don’t know. Behind her were four beds, all put together, and a man who was obviously part of the communist army as he had a green uniform and did as he pleased, smoked, made a lot of noise and was kicking the headboard on Sarah’s bed. But he did start speaking to us (rather shouting) and one of the men who was sitting on Sarah’s bed (who she had been moaning about as she didnt realise he spoke English) translated bits and pieces.

The other sleeper buses we had been on didn’t have toilets, but they did make regular toilet stops. This bus had a toilet, but although we stopped several times so the bus driver or someone else on the bus could get off or look at something or other, there were no toilet stops so we had to use this toilet. It was a like a box with a squatter, I could hardly stand in it let alone squat and two seconds after I shut the door the light would go out, no matter whether I locked it or not. I managed to go to the toilet then open the door so the light would come on, so I could see how to flush it …. I did so but didn’t realise that when it flushed it splashed all over the floor …. on my feet and everything and I was wearing flip flops!

Around 10.30 they put a violent Chinese film on which blasted out of the speakers just cms above my head. Then, an hour after that we stopped again … this time a group of communist army soldiers came on, started searching high and low, peoples’ bags, asking questions. It might have had something to do with the fact the bus was going from Ruili, which is on the border with Burma, and there were quite a few Burmese people on the bus and a family of another nationality. They were asking us where we were from and what we were doing here etc. Sarah and I managed to explain what we were doing, and they seemed satisfied with Sarah and Kim’s passports …. mine was still at the Laos consulate. An hour later, at about 12am, another group came on and this time they headed straight for us and were asking questions again and wanted to see my passport, not satisfied with Mei Yo (not have). So I gave them the slip of paper from the Laos consulate, which shows that I am waiting for a visa … but they couldn’t understand it for some reason. After various mimes and a discussion in bad English and Chinese I think they understood that we weren’t a threat and left!

I have been in a little town called Ruili for Chinese New Year, it’s been absolutely crazy. It’s in south western China on the border with Burma. The owner of the Hump (the place we have been staying at in Kunming), Mo, organised for a big group of us to go down to Ruili and stay at his hostel here. Its right on the Burmese (now known as Myanmar) border and yesterday we crossed the border to visit a school which Mo has helped to set up through raising funds and stuff …. it was really another world there even though we were mins away from China and I have pics of me crossing the border and stuff.

Last night we had an all night party at some nearby hot springs here in Ruili and that was really fun. Everything is much simpler here. We are staying in a hut thing and because a huge group of us came down at the same time (24) there wasn’t enough beds so there was 8 of us sharing 6 beds! The showers don’t have doors and there’s just a tap in the wall (which actually fell off when I was in it) and the girls’ toilet has been out of order since we got here. We have had an amazing time and we’re going back to Kunming on another night bus in about 45 mins.

Got another 10 days left in China , going to try and go to Dali, Lijiang and do the tiger leaping gorge trek which is supposed to be absolutely stunning but I may not have time as I have to be back in Kunming for my flight into Laos on the 20th.