Hiking is like walking, except when it's like going up 10,000 stairs

We hiked Tiger Leaping Gorge yesterday and the day before. Spoiler alert: I didn't see any tigers leaping anywhere. However, I did see amazing scenery along with some goats (sadly, they didn't leap either). The gorge is beautiful, complete with bamboo forests, waterfalls and a path right on the edge of a cliff. Everybody had warned us about a certain part of the trek called the 28 bends which consisted of switchback turns going straight up. I dreaded that part of course, but we passed it without any problems, chatting the whole way up about things we had seen here in China (a man with a squirrel on a leash. True story).

After a wonderful evening at the Tea Horse Guest House, we set about our second day of hiking, which had the best scenery as the views weren't obstructed by so much foliage. We could see straight down to the (unfortuantely) brown water very far below. I was done hiking about noon, but alas, we didn't finish until 3:30. The saddest part was that the most intense and physically challenging part of the hike was the last 2 hours. I think Hbf couldn't help but notice my discontentment those last hours.. But let me back up. We came to the official end at noon. I was stoked! We had done it! And it wasn't even that hard! Hooooold up there Booty, we aren't done yet. You can actually hike down to the water, which is a mile straight down. With the utter delight that lit up Hbf's eyes, I couldn't say no. Down, down we go, with A LOT of Chinese tourists.. We walk down for more than an hour and we finally reach the (disturbingly) brown river with very large rapids. While I am walking down, I am hoping there is some sort of elevator up.. There's not. We decide to go up another way, where there aren't as many tourists. This way entails ladders, so I'm thinking we just climb a ladder all the way up. I think something was lost in translation because there are only 2 ladders, and they only took us up about 50 feet. The rest of the way was filled with incredibly steep steps. Good times! There were times I didn't think I was going to make it.. I think I told Hbf to go on without me and he actually started to, but then I hastily yelled that I wasn't serious and please carry me. He wouldn't. Moral of the story is: the 28 bends are nothing compared to going down to the water and coming back up. Hikers be warned!

I'm alive though, and after thinking about it, that hike was nothing compared to Yosemite's Half Dome (HELL Dome I lovingly like to refer to it). We are back in Lijiang, which is prolly my favorite place in China so far. I have actually found some very delicious food, western style, of course. The rooms here are cheap and nice and have a real toilet! It's kind of sad to think that my criteria for a nice room is that it has a toilet, but that is definitely what it has come to.