Cycle Travel: Li Jiang - Great Place, Great Riding

Written by: Long Dong
Date: Fri Jun 11 2010

We always love to hear our reader’s stories of their cycling adventures in Asia. Recently Alfred Fong from Singapore had 5 days to spare in China and maximised his time in the saddle.

The beautiful town of Li Jiang with the leg busting mountains in the background

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Take it way Alfred . . .

The author, with his trusty guides, wonder where they left their bikes ...

Our recent adventure tour in May 2010 of Lijiang, Shangri-la and The Tiger Leaping Gorge in Yunnan Province with Tour de China was indeed an eye-opener to the beauty of this region. It is a perfect place for cycling enthusiasts and hikers alike. Although we had only 7 days to spare, Tour de China managed to pack our schedules such that we were choc-a-bloc full of activities and could explore to our hearts' content.

You can see why Li Jiang has earnt its world heritage protection status

The weather in Lijiang was cool and perfect for cycling, whereby we could cover more distance (about 50 km a day) without feeling the heat. Riding through the village, farmland, lakes and wide open fields surrounded by mountains truly made me appreciate nature.

After a hard day's riding, The Frosty Morning Pub has a happy hour from 5 - 7 and free movies.

After two days of cycling in Lijiang, we dismounted and began our two-day trek to The Tiger Leaping Gorge. Although it looked deceptively easy at the beginning of the climb, the terrain became steeper and tougher with each passing hour. Two hours into the climb, I suffered a terrible leg cramp. I was told by our guide Gao Feng that we still had a long way to go. Fortunately, my teammate Eddie stepped up and helped to carry my backpack for the rest of the journey. As demonstrated, teamwork and trust is crucial for anyone contemplating this journey. I was really worried that my legs would not carry me through. However the magnificent sight of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain capped with snow and the deep gorges of the mighty Yangzte River rushing through below soon made me forget about the pain in my leg.

A little bit of rain does not stop the team

After ascending 2500 meters in five and a half hours, we finally arrived at our guest house. Clean and comfortable, we were told that the place was converted from the houses of traditional minority Chinese tribes that used to live there, which explained the quaint architecture. Our guide immediately arranged a sumptuous dinner for us to replenish our energy, in preparation for the trek next day. To our surprise, there were also leg massage services available in this guest house! Without hesitation, we had our aches and pains slowly eased away, ready for another day of trekking.

Its not just the mountains which are scenic around Li Jiang

The second day's trek was much easier as we were going downhill most of the time. Nevertheless, it was still a four-hour trek to our destination. Along the way, we stopped to catch our breath and admired a never-ending, mesmerizing sight of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. We had a good rest at another guest house after the trek, where the owner had a chicken freshly slaughtered for our dinner.

The next day, we were driven to Shangri-la our final destination. Arriving at the picturesque little town in the late afternoon, we were greeted by a light shower of rain that painted the whole place in a misty, reminiscent mood. As Shangri-la is 3300 meters above sea level, we huddled up in the cold. We did not go for our ride as planned; instead we toured the old town on foot and at the same time acclimatized ourselves to the weather. Our final day ride was a very exciting one over the hills, muddy trails and open fields where cows grazed and a panoramic view of the beautiful scenery stretched on for miles on end. Shangri-la indeed lived up to its name.

The scenery around Li Jiang is truly stunning

I must say how much we enjoyed every day of our trip. Accommodation at every stop-over was comfortable with hot showers,. All meals were simple but generous. Tour De China has organized this tour very well and its guide Gao Feng is an excellent and knowledgeable guide. I especially appreciated how they were able to customize the tour according to our needs and physicality. This is the first time we have enlisted their services and I will not hesitate to have them organize my next trip.

Happy days, Alfred Fong with the Tour de China team.

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