Tiger Shitting Gorge

Tiger Leaping Gorge! Even the name of the place makes me think of feline agility and strength, extreme performance, and Kati-like grace of movement...

Here's the setting: the Yangzi River (aka the mighty Yangzi) surges between the Haba Mountains (aka iso haba) and Jade Dragon Snow Mountains through one of the deepest gorges in the world - 16km long and an impressive 3900 meters from the rapids of the Yangzi to the snowy mountaintops. And along a little path high up on the mountainside surges the mighty Kati and her passe of met-on-the-road Australian and Malaysian traveling companions.

The route itself is well marked and frankly, after Borneo's Mount Kinabalu, it felt like a walk in the park for my highly trimmed physique. Admittedly a steep uphill walk in the park for the whole of the first day, but I plodded on and got there in the end. There being one of several possible guest houses perched on the mountain side with friendly staff, magnificient views, and, as it turned out, giardia-or-some-such bacteria in the food.

Yes dear friends, it was not the Easter chick in the egg that got me, it was something I ate on the way up the mountain. On the bright side, there were magnificient mountain views from the outdoor bathroom, in which I spent most of the first night on the mountain, and not too many people around to be shocked by my offensively loud and "eggy" burps, which outdid even the best efforts I have managed to produce after over-eating at my friend Pipa's summer cottage.

Well, we can't pick and choose when we get the runs, and if the place happens to be high up on an isolated mountain, coming down off that mountain seems like a good idea. So the next day I hiked a considerably easier downhill section and, for some reason, could have sworn it was a lot more difficult than Borneo's Mount Kinabalu.

However by day three and I was full of energy again, and up to frolicking down to the gorge itself to the Yangzi rapids. I do hope the controversial dams, which threated to flood the gorge are not built, and the gorge remains intact for the next batch of happy travellers to conquer.