Equality

Out here in the countryside, the women seem to do all the hard work, while the men sit around and smoke cigarettes.


Words fail to describe the awesomeness of this picture.

Reed Flute Cave

The sheer size of this cave is pretty amazing. It looks like several football fields can fit inside. The artificial lighting is pretty cheesy, but I guess it's better than not being able to see anything in the dark.

 

The cave is about 3 miles north of the city center of Guilin. It took about 15 minutes on a motorcycle carrier. The guy drove us there, waited till we were done, then drove us back to the city. All for 3RMB (~40cents). Gas must've cost more than that!

"Horses will not commit suicide"

 
As we were riding along a narrow path with a cliff drop off on one side, the guide said "don't worry, horses will not commit suicide." That's a good thing to know! Also, it is very difficult to hang on to a camera while trying to ride a horse at the same time. When we were galloping, I almost had to make the choice between saving the camera, or my neck.


A short hike up a steep hill reveals the city of Lijiang below. I wish I'd brought a real camera on this trip instead of relying on this crappy video camera to take stills.

Tiger Leaping Gorge

1) Place statue of tiger near a gorge.
2) Give the place a catchy name like Tiger Leaping Gorge.
3) Charge admission.
4) Profit!

 

 
How many tourists unknowingly walk off the end of these stairs each year?

Which way do I go now?

Tibetan Culture

 
Tibetan houses all look exactly the same - 2 levels with massive wooden posts. They put rocks on the roof to keep the shingles in place. Interesting. Is it because rocks are free and nails aren't?

 
I wish I had one of those furry hats. I was completely unprepared to be in sub-zero temperatures. I wore every single piece of clothing I had with me. None of the buildings have insulation, so it's just as cold inside as it is outside. I would've frozen to death were it not for the electric heating pads they use to keep warm at night.

The Air is Thin Up Here

I didn't realize how high we were. Zhongdian sits at 10,500ft. This picture was taken from the window of our car - not an airplane! For comparison:

Rogers Pass, BC: 4,400ft
Denver, Colorado: 5,280ft
Peak of Whistler/Blackcomb: 7,160ft
Lhasa, Tibet: 12,000ft
Everest: 29,000ft

 

We pulled over the side of the road to get a better look at this mountain peak. I wanted a more unobstructed view, so I decided to run up the side of this road embankment. Halfway up, I remembered that we're at over 10,000ft, and should probably take it easy, so I walked the rest of the way up. I probably could've used one of those oxygen cans at this point. It was a lot scarier on the way down - the ledge was only a foot wide and it would've been a nasty tumble onto the freeway had I fallen.