▼ 旅程第二天，參加「茶馬古道」旅遊團。前一天在古城一間旅行社報名，團費只是人民幣110，包括古城與酒店間專車接送、騎馬、馬伕導遊及農家菜午餐。一部麵包車載八人，團友來自中國各地，沿途有團友分享雲南其他地方的旅遊心得，轉眼就到了草原。
I joined a local tour for “Ancient Tea Route” on the second day of the trip. Organised by a travel agency in the Old Town, the tour cost RMB$110 only. It included free transfer between my hotel and the start of the tour, horse-riding, tour guide and farmers’ lunch. I found myself on a mini van with seven tour members coming from different parts of China. Some of them shared with us with much enthusiasm their happy travelling experiences in other parts of Yunnan Province. Not before long, we arrived at a pasture where our tour started.
▼ 馬兒走了近兩小時，馬伕得給牠們歇歇、吃吃草。我也騎得疪股有點痛，下馬看風景。
After almost two hours of journey, the horsies deserved a good break. So did I after a bumpy horseback ride.
▼ 這小伙子是三位納西族馬伕兼導遊當中年紀最小的一個。
He is the youngest among the three grooms for our horseback journey. They are all NaXi people.
▼ 騎馬走過山岥上峽道、上山下山、穿過樹林、搖到骨都散，終於來到一間村校吃農家菜午餐。正走下梯級的小女孩充當侍應，快手快腳把一碟碟菜從在操場另一邊的廚房運送過來給我們這班餓鬼。
We rode through narrow trails, countless uphill and downhill slopes and quiet forests. After much anticipation, we finally got to a school-converted canteen where we had the promised farmer’s lunch. Running down the steps was the little girl who served us.
▼ 餓鬼食相。必看小後面的幾位阿叔阿嬸，他們是另一個「茶馬古道」旅遊團，我親眼着他們從馬背下來的風姿。
People stuffing their faces after a whole morning of horseback journey.
▼ 農家菜當然是粗菜，碟頭數目多，但每碟都是蔬菜，而且調味一樣，尋寶遊戲是在菜堆中找醎鹹了的肥肉。
Expectedly, the farmer’s lunch was cooked in a simplistic style. It’s an all-vegetable lunch, except a few pieces of salted fatty meat preciously found in the vegetables.
▼ 下午騎馬到一喇嘛寺參觀。 The highlight of the afternoon journey was a visit to a lama’s temple.
▼ 終於可以下馬，到一濕地公園參觀。
Finally we dismounted from the horseback. The last stop of the tour was a visit to a wetland park.
以前騎過兩次馬，都是在沙圈踱步，還未驚完巳經要下馬。這次在馬背上冇花冇假朝九晚四，在草原上、山上都只有去路，侷住上，從緊張到開始放鬆、到學懂配合馬兒的高低步陟搖動自己身體、以至開始享受騎馬的樂趣，是這次「茶馬古道」行的最大得著。
My past horseriding experience was not enoyable at all: it was short-lived paddock trotting. Before I could overcome the fear, I had to dismount from the horseback. This ancient tea route horseback ride was literally from 9 to 4, thrusting me to the trails with no return. What I took away from this tour was that I managed to gradually overcome the fear, learn to synchronise my own body movements with the horse, and start to learn to enjoy being on the horseback.
