Sunday, 12 October 2025
Sleep was elusive again and I was up as I had been for the past week after 02:00. There are times when I was up after 01:00 and couldn’t sleep, worrying about the house. Anyway, that’s a different story.
I got up at 05:00, freshened up and performed prayers. I left at 06:50 and it was still dark. The Railway Station was only a five-minute stroll away. There were a few vendors selling hot food outside so I bought something that looked like a pancake and a corn. Then I went into the station and after security process, found my gate.
We boarded just after the earlier train departed and I soon settled in. The train was not full, at least not in my coach. We reached Xianggelila Station at 13:15. I walked out and headed for the bus stop but only bus showed up and it wasn’t going to the bus station. So in the end, I took a taxi to the bus station. It cost 25 yuan but the driver let me off for 20 yuan. I went into the bus station and bought a ticket for the following morning to Hutiaoxia Town for the Upper Tiger Leaping Gorge. The ticket cost 50 yuan. Then I walked to my hotel. The road name is slightly different, perhaps it’s been ’Tibetised’. The hotel is only a ten-minute walk from the bus station. I checked in and it took a short while before I was shown to my room on the third floor. I was gasping by then due to the thin air.
After resting and performing prayers, I ventured out to Sumtseling Gompa/Songzanlin monastery about 25 minutes’ walk away. I started feeling lethargic as I walked on, this due to the thin air. I finally reached the ticket office and paid for a ticket and shuttle bus. No way was I going to walk there and a good thing too because there was a road construction.
After taking photos, I walked in and my heart dropped when I saw the steps I had to climb. Indeed, I had to stop a few times to pause and catch my breath. Even the locals had to stop and some had oxygen tanks too. I didn’t even notice where those oxygen tanks were sold. Anyway, I finally made it to the top and walked around. It wasn’t too bad when you’re already up there.
I made my way down as I wanted to catch the bus out before 17:30. After exiting the complex, I walked until I reached a bus stop and what do you know, it served bus numbers 3 and another and I quickly searched and found that I could ride bus number 3 to Dukezong Ancient Town. The bus came at around 18:10 and I was at Dukezong within ten minutes. Dukezong Ancient Town is an ancient Tibetan town with a history of more than 1,300 years. ‘Dukezong’ is a Tibetan pronunciation, meaning ‘Moonlight City’ and ‘castle built on stone’. I stayed for an hour t before walking back to my hotel.
I did try to find dinner but in the end, bought some vegetarian ramen from a supermarket.
Monday, 13 October 2025
I woke up early this morning and left the hotel at 07:35 for my 08:00 bus to Hutiaoxia Town for the Tiger Leaping Gorge (Upper Gorge). The bus stopped at one point and a man got up. Turned out he was selling entrance tickets so I paid 45 yuan for my ticket. There was some confusion but finally I understood that I could get down at the Upper Gorge and return to the bus for the journey to Middle Gorge which is where I could take a bus to Lijiang. We reached Upper Gorge at 10:20 and after confirming with the driver that he would leave at 12:00 noon, I went down to the platform below.
And my, what a spectacular show of nature that was. It was simply incredible and breathtaking. Alhamdulillah, I felt so blessed that I was able to witness and experience the beauty and splendour of nature. It was humbling too to realise we are all just small creatures in this world and we could be swept away in the currents of life. And the currents at the Gorge was something else. If you accidentally drop something into the water, there is no way you’ll get it back. Nature is always more powerful than us mere mortals if we would only learn to accept it.
Visitors have a choice of going down and up by escalator but I decided to test my leg muscles so I climbed the stairs up. It was nowhere as challenging as the stairs at Songzanlin with its thin air. We left Hutiaoxia and drove on to Middle Gorge. The parking spot didn’t offer much view of the gorge so one would need to walk downhill. I bought ticket for the 14:20 bus which was the first afternoon bus out to Lijiang. There, I also met five Malaysians who are travel buddies. We chatted for a while and they even kindly shared me their lunch of bread and tuna. Yes, they even haul rice cooker and food to be cooked from Malaysia.
The bus left at 14:15 and we reached Lijiang about two hours later. The driver dropped us not at the bus station. I walked about fifteen minutes to my guesthouse and I was so glad I chose to stay there because the neighbourhood was so charming, beautiful, peaceful and quiet. It’s like a little community tucked in and only about five minutes away from the bus station.
After checking in and a little rest, I went to the bus station to buy bus ticket to Yulong Snow Mountain or Jade Dragon Snow Mountain for Wednesday. Then I walked to the Old Town of Lijiang. Actually the Old Town of Lijiang comprises three parts: Dayan including Black Dragon Pool, Baisha and Shuhe Ancient Towns, and it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I spent 140 minutes in there. It was such a huge area.
I stopped at a Busy For You supermarket and headed back to the guesthouse after buying some food.
To be continued
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