This is our final post from China! We can’t believe our trip has already come to an end. I am writing from the inside of a sleeper train. It’s 6:30AM, the lights are on and the “wake up now” elevator music is playing.  We arrive in Kunming at 7:30AM and, after breakfast; we’ll drive to the airport and fly to Beijing. Our last meal together will be none other than the world famous Peking duck 北京烤鸭. Tomorrow morning, we’ll return to the USA with plenty of stories, jokes, memories and gifts to share.

Our final days definitely held our biggest physical challenge – Tiger Leaping Gorge 虎跳峡.  Unfortunately, Mother Nature did not appreciate that we only had 6 days left in China or that we would be hiking and it has rained almost every day this week.  Before we tackled the gorge, we had a few more relaxing days in Shangrila. The rain interrupted our photo scavenger hunt but Will and Ian still pulled out a victory and earned a milkshake. I’ll let everyone share the picture that won for “Chinese Fashion” on his or her own!

On our last day in Shangrila, we took a ride out of town to Daguan Temple 大观寺. An old woman and a young monk maintain the temple. Daguan Temple is set back in a forest (supposedly 180 different species of trees grow around the temple). As we walked up the steps, we turned the golden prayer wheels. Multicolored prayer flags hung between the trees, the winds carrying the prayers up to heaven. The 5 Buddhas of Wisdom hung within the temple, painted on large scrolls. The old woman showed us the giant prayer wheel and Lynn, our guide, explained that prayer and movement go hand in hand.

On Friday we said goodbye to the quiet, lazy days of Shangrila and drove south to Qiaotou 桥头, the entrance to Tiger Leaping Gorge 虎跳峡. The powerful waters of the Jinsha River 金沙江 created the gorge and its peak is over 5000 meters high. On our first day, we climbed over 3,000 meters. In less than 5 hours, we made our way up the mountain passes, around the 28 Bends and finally back down to Tea Horse Guesthouse, where we spent the night. Ian, Will and Aaron climbed like goats, quick and sure-footed, Kevin and Tori climbed like horses, slow and steady and I climbed like a stubborn donkey, stopping to graze every few meters!  We were all amazed by the pristine surroundings and the awesome power of nature. On our second day, we hiked for 3.5 hours down to Tina’s Guesthouse, where we had a much-deserved rest.

After braving the elements, we indulged in a little luxury and traveled to Shuhe 束河, a small village outside of Lijiang.  We stayed in the beautiful Moon River Guesthouse. We got a great night’s sleep in comfortable beds and prepared for our long journey home.

And now we’ve come to the end of a long journey. We have overcome many challenges, celebrated many victories (mostly in Low Life) and grown as individuals and as a group. We have expanded our knowledge of the people; history and culture of China and the insights we have gained will undoubtedly influence our future. Time will tell in what ways.

For Lan, Bieber, Tori, Kevin, Aaron and Angela – The China Group 2010 – A Final 再 见!