The hightlight of the trip to China's Northwest Yunnan province for me was the overnight hiking trek Preston and I took to the Tiger Leaping Gorge. We lucked out with a perfect blue-sky day, contrasting dramatically against the white snow-capped Himalayan mountain peaks. Traversing the steep slopes of the gorge while the Yangtze River plunges below is a view I won't forget soon. We spent the...

Lijiang is the perfect gateway for exploring the Himalayan peaks of China's Northwest Yunnan province. Even though it can sometimes feel like a time-capsule village preserved like some sort of idealized "Chinese Disneyland", walking the narrow cobbled streets while checking out hundreds of small shops is a great way to get yourself into a "Yunnan state of mind". We stayed at the very friendly...

After leaving Lijiang, Preston and I caught a local bus into the Himalayan foothills to visit Zhongdian (Shangri-La). One day, we rented some creaky mountain bikes and pedaled out into the Himalayan countryside to explore the Ganden Sumtseling Tibetan Buddhist monastery. This photo gallery covers the highlights of that trip.