Super 8 Hotel Li Jiang Hua Ma Lijiang

... cut from its
stalk that very morning. What better sustenance than to crack a soft
shell and bite into the fresh raw taste of a natural sunflower seed? Or take the humble potato, grown by
every farming household in these parts and stored through the winter
months to augment daily meals. Imaginative stall-holders at the local
market turn the spud into delicious snacks, shoestring bundles frying
gently in a wok over coal ...

... its decline is an early warning of what may ultimately
befall the approximately 18,000 higher-altitude glaciers in the Greater
Himalayas as the planet continues to warm. Because the Tibetan
Plateau and its environs shelter the largest perennial ice mass on the
planet after the Arctic and Antarctica, it has come to be known as “the
Third Pole.” Its snowfields and glaciers feed almost every major river
system of Asia during hot, dry seasons ...

... br>These included singing, performing 25 press-ups and finding his bride's shoes.

"I had to do three kowtows to the sun," Hunt says. "OK, there were three kowtows to the Guardian as well," he says for balance.

An affable figure, who embodies the so-called "Cameroon"
modernisers, Hunt will become familiar to viewers over the next six
months ...

... bus that we hung out with for the next 2 days. There was Nick & Laura on their honeymoon from London. He works in IT & she is spanish & is a producer for CNN in London. Also was, Jung from Germany & Delfina from France both vets working in Bangkok for an Animal Welfare NGO.



We paid our 50 Yuan each ( $10) & were pointed up the hill we needed to start walking. We were ...

... next game I was about to score a ton of points when the wind picked up and was blowing our cards off the bench, plus our bus has been called, so Bill called the game (I ended up narrowly losing the next game, I should have won with that hand. GRR!) We had to wait inside for the bus and then it was a mad rush to get on. Bill and I let everyone get ahead of us and then had to squeeze on. There were more passengers than seats and people were too impatient ...

Started off this morning at 8.30, through the city and like yesterday we were suddenly in rural China riding past the village of Su He and stopping for a shopping stop at Baisha where quite a few purchases were made. Usually bought at less than half the original asking price. Then a short ride out to our morning tea stop at a temple but ...

... straight up the mountain for 500 meters or so. Supposedly, there are 28 of them, the guide books claim more like 34, but I have no idea how you could possible count them. Some are short, some are long, I counted more like 75, not sure what constitutes a bend. The remainder of the trek is relatively flat after the bends. It is here that the locals give up on you and assume you can make it without their help. The views of the gorge are ...

... the other side to come up with another song. The last group standing wins to a round of screams and cries of victory. My "tour group" decided to join in the fun and was welcomed by the locals. In fact, they were one of Lijiang's hottest tourist attractions that night as everyone stopped to take photos of the Lao Wais sitting on Bar Street. Look, look... I met a white person on my trip to Lijiang. I was almost offended that no one wanted to take a picture with me. I ...

... fed until you leave, all in giant communal meals. She wont let you leave the table until you're near death from over eating and the food is some of the finest we've had in China. Lijiang was rocked by an earthquake back in the mid 90's destroying much of the new town but the old town lived on. The chinese government developed the old town and now its like a themed Disney village for chinese tourists. Oh well. The night life is wild tho. There is a stream running ...

... lots of useful information about Zhongdian and Tibet. He likes to do crazy things like walking over the 'border' into Tibet and making documentaries about it. He has incredibly detailed maps of the area. It seems that this region is not for amateurs. I also meet with an Australian called Todd. Together, Todd and I shall attempt the Tiger Leaping Gorge trek, and why not begin tomorrow ? Weather's favourable. Lijiang is crammed full with holidaymakers making it a ...