Today I cycled through some spectacular scenery in the lovely bright sunshine and the strong headwind. I climbed up to a grassy, sometimes rocky, wasteland where the sun and clouds played beautiful light games. I’m now in Daocheng, ready for a break from cycling – a bus to Shangri La for a visa extension.
Grassy plains
Looking down the pass
View from the top of the pass
Grassy plains
Rocky plateau
Descending from the plains
Many towns in the mountains in Sichuan are huge construction sites. Everything, but everything is being built new. The heavy trucks driving around results in all the roads being a quagmire. I have seen it over and over. China is rebuilding itself. A big leap forward.
Mudbath Litang
In my search for dumplings for breakfast, I saw Litang in all its muddy glory. The main road was nearly impossible to traverse – even just pushing the bike. But, once I left the town, the road was pristine.
Mud bath in Litang
Today was always a bit uncertain. It was 40km to a town, then 80km of nothing, climbing 1000m to the high plains. The 40km town was not far enough, so I proceeded up, planning to camp somewhere. It was lovely and sunny, and the road smooth. Progress was slow due to the sizable headwind, and I called it a day at a little service area where they offered me an empty room.
Hore racing
On the way up
My humble abode
With 1300m to climb, it was an early start. Rain gave way to sun, and it was beautiful climbing and climbing and climbing. Out of the valley and onto a rolling green mossy landscape. The high plains.
The mossy plains
And into the construction site town of Litang.
View from the high pass
View from the top of the pass
At the top of the pass
Clouds
Litang
Last night I didn’t sleep much. Next door there was a hard-rock club playing until the morning – in this monastery town. Then the road continued in the sun, up and down along this steep sided canyon. I’m at the base of a massive climb. Tomorrow will be an early start.
The valley
Prayer flags
The valley
Yak butter. The valley smells of yak butter. From every village, from every temple. I pass monks entering the temples – the yak-butter centres. Monks pass me buzzing along on their motor scooters while looking at their phone. I watch the monks circle around the temple perched on the top of the hill in Xinlong. Yak butter.
The cat looks on
I left early this morning, with the thought of cycling the whole valley to the base of the massive pass in one day – 150km. The road was good, but up and down and up and down – rising above the river, only to drop down at the next corner. The headwind slowed things down, so I accepted it. I’ll take this valley in two days as originally planned.
Village
The monk and his soul mate
Xinlong
Temple in Xinlong
‘Where are you going?’ It was the police in the village I wanted to sleep. There was no room for travellers, and the nearest hotel was back where I had come from. I feared the worst, but the police helped me find a place to stay – in an empty room in the local school. Thank you police!
The weather border
Today was about scaling the last pass before Ganzi. I did it in beautiful weather conditions – every minute it changed from bright sun to the darkest clouds. Oh, and with a constant headwind.
The high pass
At the top of the pass
At the pass
The weather border
I continued down the road southwards in the evening to get some kilometres done in the evening light. In my haste, I missed passing 19000km. No photos of that yet.. Tomorrow down the river valley that has been recommended to me by different people.
I cycled on the weather border. On one side was bright sun. On the other were the darkest of clouds. I cycled on the roadworks border. Behind me hell on earth. In front of me (mostly) prestine new road. And I cycled over a 4300m pass – my first 4000+ pass since Tajikistan.
The sunny mountains
At the top of the pass, I must have hit the true weather border. It started to rain. The wind changed direction. It looked threatening. But today I stayed in the sunny weather. This evening in Luhou I met 5 cyclists who cycled today on the dark side.. They got wet.
Looking towards the dark
The high bridge
Exhausted. These roadworks are dreadful and consume all my conscience. 50km of relentless mudbaths, rock gardens, pools and trucks. No tranquillity. Any views obscured by mountains of rocks to be used in road construction. Oh. And I have diahorrea.
Temple in the evening
I cycled with Andy and Summer today. We enjoyed the mud together. Here are some photos of our ordeals.
Yuck!
Yuck!
What a day. Sun. Rain. Torrential rain with thunderstorm. Roadworks on a rocky, muddy dreadful road. Flat tyre on the first 500m of bad road. Welcoming by lovely Tibetan family. Tyre fixed in dry shed, followed by lunch with the family – all 3 generations. Meeting 2 other cyclists. Only another 40km of dreadful road to go.
The awful road
A question to the road-building experts out there. It seems that when the Chinese do a road upgrade, they take the 100km of road to be upgraded, and dig up all of the existing bitumen, leaving a muddy rocky mess. They then work on rock barriers on the side of the road, on bridges and other things, while the road remains almost impassable. Why do they do this, and why do they destroy all 100km of old road in one go? I am sure there is a good engineering explanation. Just asking..
The start of the 100km of roadworks
If it wasn’t for the roadworks and the rain, I would have not met such a wonderful family. Matthew, the drowned rat, knocked on their gate and they welcomed me in with such warmth. I was ushered to the shed, and a heater was brought to my side. I was then invited to lunch as it started to bucket down outside.
The lovely family
Grandpa
When I left my friends after lunch, the sun was out and it was positively warm. The scenery was stunning. I just had to make sure to stop regularly to look at it. While cycling, all my concentration was taken in keeping the bike in one piece.
The valley in the sun
The valley in the sun
45km of roadworks and a thunderstorm later, I find myself in a lovely little room with 2 other cyclists that have made their way along the same road. We will be cycling onwards together tomorrow.
My new cycling friends Summer and Andy
I dropped 1000m today to a warm, sunny place. Kids were swimming in the river. People were drinking beer on terraces on the river shore in the town. Today I just felt tired. My friend the headwind was back, and this evening I was informed there’s 100km of roadworks ahead. Tired.
Tibetan village
I need to cycle 100km each day to get to Shangri La in time to extend my Chinese visa. There are other solutions, but, it would be good to get there in time by bike. 100km is fine in usual conditions. The Tibetan Plateau is good at throwing up non-normal conditions. This is all making me tired.
The valley was beautiful. Here are some photos.
Tibetan tourist village
The river
Tibetan bridge
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