Traveling through Degong and walking in the clouds

It was raining heavily in Weixi in the early morning, but I still couldn't take a good look at this border town, so I came in a hurry. Leaving Weixi and continuing along the G215, the mountains are high and the valleys are deep, and the villages are looming in the clouds and mist between the mountains. Maybe it’s raining, maybe we’re really lucky. In short, the scenery in front of me is like nothing I’ve ever seen before. It is always said that a day is full of vitality, and this day should be said to be a day full of immortality. The shutter of the camera in my hand clicked to capture everything. Unfortunately, there were a lot of landslides on the road, so I couldn’t stop and had to open the car window to take pictures. Otherwise, I must take a good look at this large natural landscape with people living deep in the Yunshan Mountains. .

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After passing the Yongchun River Bridge, turn to the G353 Deqin direction and enter the Lancang River Basin, and go upstream along the Lancang River. Occasionally there will be some yellow poplar trees beside the road, as if to remind us that we are traveling in the most beautiful autumn, but the weather has still not cleared up. I mean, there is only a hint of blue sky occasionally exposed in the gap between the flowing clouds and mist, and I feel a little depressed. I wonder if this trip will be spent in light rain. When I parked my car and rested, I took some pictures of the surrounding environment, still looking forward to the arrival of sunny days.

Get on the bus and continue to set off, starting to wind up the mountain, and enter a tunnel with an unknown name. It feels like traveling through time and space, which is quite interesting.

Shortly after coming out of the tunnel, I learned that the tunnel ahead had collapsed and had to be cleared, so I got off the car again to breathe in the fresh air. Looking into the distance, I saw mist swimming in the mountains, as if a painter splashed ink, turning the distant mountain scenery into a A painting, tranquil and far-reaching, fresh and pure.

The car started moving again, and the tour leader said that we wanted to see an ancient church - Cizhong Church. There are traces of Western missionaries deep in the Hengduan Mountains with complex terrain. I am truly shocked and angry at this sparing-out cultural invasion.

Cizhong Village is located in Yanmen Township, Deqin County, Yunnan Province. The Lancang River rushes past the village. A suspension bridge crosses the river, connecting Cizhong Village with the highway. Since the village is located on a hillside shaded by green trees on the other side, you will miss it if you are not careful when driving from Weixi to Deqin. Fortunately, the team leader was experienced enough to lead the team along the village road, and finally arrived at the door of the church.

It was Sunday, and believers from miles around came to attend mass. The scene was quite spectacular. I went on a pilgrimage to Israel last year and experienced the fervent and loyal faith of the believers. After all, they are Westerners. But deep in this vast mountain, what do the believers believe in? Is this the kind of faith I see? Or an adapted version of As the Romans Do? It’s really unknown. After the mass, we entered the church to visit.

In the backyard of the church is a large vineyard. In late autumn, the grapevines are already full of fruits. The grapes in Cizhong are much smaller than common grapes, only about the size of a fingernail, with small and plump particles and a sweet yet sour taste. This French grape called rose honey has become extinct in France, but it still grows well in the remote mountains of Yunnan. Grapes are planted everywhere on the slopes of Cizhong, and the grape growing and winemaking techniques that the people learned from the missionaries are still inherited today. The villagers will transport the brewed wine to the market for sale. Our team leader also bought a big bucket for everyone to try.

There is a lesbian on the rooftop looking at the scenery...

Not long after leaving Cizhong Church, the rain stopped, and the blue sky and white clouds, purple-red cliffs, and yellow rivers appeared in front of us with distinct layers. The sun jumped out of the clouds, and the sun shone on the earth. We began to walk against the light.

We arrived at Degong Bridge for lunch at noon. Looking at the rushing river in front of us and the white pagodas and prayer flags against the blue sky, I decided to go up the mountain to take pictures instead of waiting for dinner.

Out of the military training-style lunch environment, my heart is flying, flying, flying, flying... Can you feel my happiness ? Hahahahahahaha~~~~~~ But in the end I went back to have a few snacks to satisfy my hunger. At the end of the meal, I also took two pictures of the happy old lady.

In the afternoon, we officially started the Degong Road Trip - the most thrilling section of the trip. Looking at the map, this route is from the Lancang River to the Nujiang River, that is, from the Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Yunnan to the Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture. Wow! I felt like I was experiencing first-hand the geographical knowledge points of the year, and I stretched out my little hands in excitement . According to the team leader, historically, the exchanges between Deqin and Gongshan border residents relied entirely on the ancient Tea Horse Road. If a person wants to go to Gongshan from Deqin, he must take a detour to Lijiang, Dali and other outlying areas, and spend 3-4 days walking more than 1,000 kilometers to reach the other side of the mountain. It can be said that the road is long and difficult.

Now this long road has turned into a shortcut with a total length of only 98.2 kilometers. This seemingly short stretch of road took Yunnan Communications Investment a full 12 years to build, and it was only officially opened to traffic in October 2019. This shows how ferocious the geological structure of the Hengduan Mountains is.

Entering the tributary canyon of the Lancang River, the water is beautiful, the mountains are clear, and the scenery is pleasant. As the height climbed, loose geological conditions began to appear, and landslides and debris could be seen everywhere. The team kept reminding each other of road conditions through walkie-talkies and drove cautiously.

 

 

 

When we turned to the first mountain top, the snow-capped peaks of the Nushan Mountains outside the window were continuous, majestic, tough and straight, reaching into the sky. Our excited hands and trembling hearts fell in love with the beautiful scenery outside the window.

Driving on the top of a mountain, winds and clouds surged, the sun was blocked by thick clouds, and raindrops hit the windshield intensively. Just a moment ago, it was sunny and sunny, but now it is windy and rainy. The climate in the mountains is really unpredictable. There was a landslide ahead, and construction trucks were clearing it. We had no choice but to park in the wind and rain and wait.

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There is no doubt that I am the one who shakes my hand the most passionately

After crossing the landslide area, we stopped to make repairs. Judging from the long usneas fluttering on the vegetation, the altitude at this time should have reached more than 3,500 meters. The air began to become thinner. We quickly took a group photo and continued to climb the mountains.

On the way, a strange-looking mountain appeared in front of me. I always felt it looked like something, but I couldn’t put it into words. The leader of the group said: This is the Peacock Mountain Pass. Wow~ It turns out to look like a peacock!

The car drove to the foot of Peacock Mountain. Peacock Mountain is like a barrier across the pass. There are only mosses on the mountain but not a single tree. It is so unique.

After crossing the pass, a thick fog blew up the mountain, and the visibility suddenly decreased. Seeing little Baowo in front of me, it felt like I was in the scene of "Silent Hill". I felt that a horror movie was about to be staged, and my little heart pounded with excitement.

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The car began to wind down the mountain in the thick fog. The clouds and mist quickly evaporated, entangled, and rolled in the mountains. The sun broke through the clouds and mist and poured into the mountains. The car traveled through the golden sea of ​​clouds. It can be said that it is the most magical secret in the world.

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The altitude gradually decreased, and the lingering clouds and fog gradually faded away. All that was left for us was the collapsed roadbed, landslides, mudslides, shell craters everywhere, as well as small waterfalls all over the mountains and fields, and two big lumps rushing towards the houses on the roadside. The boulder... full of dangers, passed quickly. Even if the atmosphere is tense, occasionally one or two chickens, ducks, and sheep will wander into my shot to relieve my mood. It’s just that the sheep smell is really strong

When we came out of the mountain, the sunset appeared on the horizon, as if everything was the best arrangement. Looking back at the Degong Highway, it took us nearly 5 hours for just a few dozen kilometers. However, we are very grateful for the kindness given by nature, which allowed us to safely enjoy a time when we were in hell and our eyes were in heaven. A fantasy journey into the clouds.

Let’s review our travel journey

We stayed in Gongshan County on the Nujiang River for the night. Under the careful arrangements of the team leader, our taste buds were also satisfied - Lisu hand-made rice with Cizhong red wine. Today's dinner time no longer feels like military training. Maybe it's because I'm still immersed in the beautiful scenery today, or maybe it's the first time I've experienced this kind of foreign way of eating. ★★★★★ praise. nice.

Where is the next journey? Let’s talk about it next time. Anyway, it will still be exciting.