I am so excited to have seen your post and will certainly follow your adventure with great interest. I have been planing (way to slowly) a similar trip through southern China and reading your first post has motivated me to move forward. I am 65 living in Montana (US) that has similar geography. My wife and I have bought a house in Lijiang but it will not be ready for us to move there until next September. If you send the location of your A yi's guest house we will stay there on our next visit. Your photographs are just excellent and my favorites are of the people that you meet along the way. Your picture of the beautiful little girl contemplating the butterfly is priceless. I wish you an exciting and very safe journey and will follow your adventure with great interest. Thank you for taking the time to share your experiences.