Report from Yunnan

From Mr. Yu [with links added by your blogger)

6/24
We left the beautiful town of Shuhe (near Lijiang) in the morning. From the hotel we were able to see the snow-capped Jade Dragon Mountain which evaded us in our previous trip to Lijiang last summer. After a day of rainfall, the air seemed a little fresher and the clouds that usually shrouded the high mountain peaks drifted away to reveal a breath-taking scene of greenish farm fields dotted by colorful Tibetan residential houses with rows of snow-capped mountain peaks shining in the distant background. Even the most talkative kids stopped their heated debates to enjoy what nature had to offer. After two and half hours' drive through mountain valleys and rolling hills, we came to a place known as the Tiger Leaping Gorge---a narrow gorge in upstream Yangtse where it was believed that a tiger could jump from one bank to the other.

To get close to the roaring rapids beating against gigantic rocks in the river, we had to go almost 1000 steps down. After many pictures were taken, we left for lunch which was held on the rooftop of a restaurant by the river where we had a commanding view of the mountains and the river valley. The kids graded this meal higher than other tourist meals but Mr. Yu was reluctant to agree with their consensus. It could be that the kids were more hungry after almost two hours of intense physical activities.

We arrived in Shangrila in the afternoon. The name of the place was borrowed from a fiction entitled Lost Horizon by John Hilton in the 1920s. The elevation is above 3000 meters. There is also an replica ancient town here like in Lijiang and Shehe. The kids strolled around the stores. More souvenirs were bought. Some kids tried the spicy barbecued tofu and potatoes. Eu-k had pictures taken with two genuine Tibetan dogs after paying 20 yuan. Then we checked into the hotel.

6/25
Leejay has reactions to this high elevation. He puked a few times at night and has had headaches and stomachaches. These are considered typical symptoms of high altitude reaction. Mr. Yu accompanied him to the local hospital where he is receiving oxygen Tiger Leaping Gorge treatment. The doctor says his reaction is mild and he is expected to fully recover in a few hours, but advises him not to visit the Pudacuo National Park which is 1200 meters higher in elevation. Right at this moment, the rest of the group is traveling with Jackie to the national park while LJ and Mr. Yu are in the hospital. Hopefully LJ will recover soon enough to make the trip to the Songlinzan Buddhist Monastery in the afternoon.
It is a sunny day today but the temperature is very chilly. The kids have been reminded to bring their jackets and to pack a lot of bottled water. A few kids (like Eu-k) have been asked to purchase oxygen cylinders as a precaution.
Roof-top Lunch

I will have the students write a separate report on what would happen today later.

Photo of Tiger Leaping Gorge from Wikimedia Commons.