It took three days to get from Dali to Hangzhou on the train. Fortunately for me I met Momo. Momo is a student from near Shanghai who did some educational volunteer work for rural people in Yunnan province. We shared the same compartment on the train. Momo's English is excellent so we had a lot of good conversations. Unfortunately for her she had to translate for me any time I needed help.
Momo introduced me to Linlin. Linlin has a very funny story. A few months back she had quit her job in Shanghai to go travelling. She hadn't told her folks about her plans. She is pretending as if life carries on as normal with her folks, meanwhile she is traipsing around third world Myanmar. The kicker is her younger brother is moving to Shanghai to study. And so the whole family will be in Shanghai. Linlin was forced to return to Shanghai to put up appearances that she is still working. Listening to her story I can fully understand why she has done what she did.
After being on the road for so long it feels weird coming to an end!
My job for the day was to get back to Dali. I'd booked a train ticket from Dali to Hangzhou for the next day. As the transport arrangements from the end of the trek are a little awkward Stu, Sumi and I decided to hitch back to Dali.
Unfortunately I had to leave them in Lijiang as Stu had forgotten his phone in the car of our ride. I felt bad but I didn't have time to wait around.
In the evening I ambled around Dali to get some night shots.
Off all the treks I have done, and all the places I have visited over the past 13 months, Tiger Leaping Gorge is one of the best places I have visited. I would definitely recommend it to everyone. The hike may be a tiny itsy-bitsy little bit strenuous but there is plenty of reason to do it and experience the wonder of the area.
The views are fantastic and the company is great. I enjoyed Alberto and Oscars' company as hiking companions. Nature is also unspoiled with many interesting fauna and flora to take pictures of. The flora actually reminded me a lot of Karoo fynbos.
