Go Deep in Lijiang: Guesthouse provides pleasant overnight stop

Night fell at the Tiger Leaping Gorge (Hutiaoxia) and it was the end of their walk for the day.

The Tea Horse Guesthouse offered an impressive menu of dishes. There was a restaurant on the ground floor and a cafe on the upper level. Both far exceeded their expectation of a simple eatery one would usually associate with lodges tucked away in the mountains.

During his trek in Annapurna（the world’s 10th highest peak), Nepal, the older walker was introduced to a catchy rhyme: “Daal Bhat Power, Twenty Four Hour”. That catchphrase extols the energy-giving properties of the daal lentil and rice.

At the Tea Horse restaurant, despite being presented with an array of choices, the two opted for potato and rice dishes. They wanted carbohydrates which could be rapidly converted into energy.

Rice is a staple among many populations in China’s southern regions and in the neighbouring Southeast Asian nations. In the province of Yunnan, rice is cultivated in several areas, including but not limited to the cultural landscape of Honghe Hani Rice Terraces - inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2013.

With the importance of this food in mind, and in anticipation of possible rain the following morning, this phrase seemed apt for their situation:

“Grain Gain, Walk in the Rain”

The cafe just above the restaurant offered a good selection of freshly brewed coffee. She ordered a latte. And he got himself a cup of Yunnan black coffee without sugar. He just wanted to savour the aroma and the taste of the coffee grown in the province he had so admired. The cozy cafe delighted them not just with the coffee but also with the panorama of the rugged mountainous landscape. Few coffee places could beat that of Tea Horse’s.

The following morning they woke up to misty rain.

He opened his window and caught sight of a solitary man on the platform outside the cafe. The man happened to be the guest in the room next to his. The neighbour was aptly dressed for the weather and he held a lamp in one hand. For a while, he looked as if he was lost in enchantment staring at the majestic landscape. Then he moved to his camera which was perched on a tripod. And he started shooting away.

What a thrill it is for all hikers of Tiger Leaping Gorge today - to be able to record its grandeur - both cognitively and digitally!

When the neighbour returned to the veranda of the rooms of the Tea Horse, he told the walkers he would start his hike at a later time due to the rain.

On the other hand, the two walkers were pumped to soldier on, be it rain or shine. They wondered if the potatoes and rice they had eaten played any role in that.

They purchased better quality raincoats from the owners of the lodge, donned them, bid farewell and headed to their next pit stop - The Halfway Guesthouse.

Just as there is allure in every season of the year, there is charm in all weather conditions. To some, including the two, perception played a key role in how one saw beauty. There was indeed splendour in Hutiaoxia, even in the rain. Or could it have been the potatoes and rice and coffee they had consumed? The question flashed across his mind.

If a drone had flown near the cliff faces of the canyon- from the Tea Horse to Tina’s guesthouse that day - its lenses would have captured two figures in blue moving steadily onward - with occasional stops along the way.

One of many depictions of the Tea Horse Road in Lijiang

Why is the guesthouse called “Tea Horse”?

Yunnan has a fascinating history about tea trade. The route of the barter and exchange took many a merchant and their horses from the southern part of the province and Sichuan to Xizang (more widely known as Tibet to people elsewhere). No less enthralling and romantic than the Silk Road, the Ancient Tea Horse Road has its records traced back to the Tang Dynasty (or some say, earlier). In terms of distance, tea from Yunnan was exported to as far as Nepal and India through Xizang.

The two walkers were already full of gratitude to have visited some places along the Tea Horse Road, and to have had the opportunity to stay in the guesthouse that bears that name was an added delight.

Reporting by Yang Piyuan; Editing by Mo Yingyi; Photos provided by Yang Piyuan