April 11: Today we went on a long hike. First, we climbed a short hill. There was a round stone pillar at the top, decorated with bamboo stalks, from which prayer flags were hung, running to the ground. It was a gorgeous view. Vultures and some breed of raptor flew over us, and sometimes so close that I could actually hear their wings flapping in the wind. It was amazing. Then, we had a massive snowball fight, in which very few hits were actually made because of the distance. I did, however, make at least two or three hits.
After our snowball fight, some of us headed off for another peak. It was difficult going, but we made it to the top, and found another stone pillar, this time also with a small shed next to it. It was locked, so I don't know what was in it. There were yaks everywhere, and we could see the small village we'd visited with Trashi across the marsh, with the waterfall in the background. We were out for several hours, and I was tired by the time we returned to our homestay.

On the way back, workmen in trucks and vans continually made a point of saying, "Hello!" to us. I would always smile and wave and say "Hello!" in return. I think they were being friendly and practicing an English greeting. I could have responded in Tibetan, by saying, "Trashi Delek!"

Overall, it was a relatively quiet day. The hike took up most of my time, and then I went to bed.

April 12: What a great day! We said farewell to our host daughter-in-law, who was the only one home when we left, and then we headed off for Lijiang. It the most beautiful drive I have ever seen. For the first hour or two, we drove over relatively flat, muddy land, past Tibetan style homes and quarries and areas where there had been forestry. That wasn't particularly attractive. But then we headed into the mountains, and I could not believe the beauty of what I was seeing. Red and black granite mountainsides, stretching far up into the sky, their snow-capped peaks shrouded by the clouds, with goats and sheep grazing on the greenery covering their lower areas. The drive went on like that for a long time, and I never got tired of looking out my window. There were many areas where the road went along a cliffside, and where boulders or dirt had avalanched onto the road. The driver would honk his horn as we went around curves, in case anyone else was coming around. I saw many retaining walls and cement patterns in the ground to help deal with the massive erosion problems.

We visited Tiger Leaping Gorge. Brian told me that a new area for buses and tourism is being built at the gorge, all while the government is planning to damn the river, which could severely damage the gorge and reduce tourism in the area. I was overwhelmed by the beauty of the gorge. Apparently, it is the second deepest in the world, behind only the Grand Canyon. I could see snow covered mountains in the background, with green,vegetation covered slopes in front, before the dark granite cliffsides which bordered the rushing rapids of the river. Brian said nobody has ever successfully boated the rapids. It was the most beautiful place I have ever been.

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