The unexpected Nujiang Grand Canyon

In September, my classmates all went back to school, and finally, it was my turn to go out and play again. Air tickets were falling and the rainy season was coming to an end, so I was tempted by Yunnan again.

 

I have always heard people mention places like Nujiang, Dulongjiang, and Bingzhongluo before. They feel mysterious and special, and what is often associated with them is difficulty in walking and landslides. This time I happened to encounter a small group forming in the Western Impressions, and it was Brother Goat who led the group. It would be impossible not to place an order.

 

Sure enough, I was not the only one who came up after walking through Yubeng. Brother Ye in the group came to sign up this time because he left Yubeng in May and had such a great experience.

 

The six of us and our luggage fit into the car. On the day of departure, everyone was quite humble and took turns asking to sit in the short-leg seats in the last row. But after experiencing it, I realized that it was the throne. It was spacious, not exposed to the sun, and highly private. There's nothing wrong with it except that it's a little troublesome to get off the car. Later, Brother Ye owned it for a long time.

 

Starting from Dali, we followed the Nu River all the way to the southwestern border of the motherland, until we reached Bingzhongluo, and then returned to Dali. This is the original route. But because there were few people this time, the car was small. Brother Goat reminded us that we can take the Degong Highway which was just repaired last year but the road condition is very poor. You can also pass by Feilai Temple, see the Meili Snow Mountain, and then go to Shangri-La to see the red Wolfsbane flower. This way the scenery is completely different and we don't have to go back. Wouldn't it be nice to form a big loop?

 

Very good, very good, unanimously approved, and the itinerary was changed on the first day.

Day 1-Liuku

 

I don't want to believe that there is a hot spring under this cornfield. But I still followed the instructions and walked along the road, and finally found four pools. Is this the famous Denggeng Hot Spring? Although my mind is full of questions, since I’m here, let’s soak our feet together.

 

When I returned, I met the uncle who was guarding the hot spring. He smiled proudly and said that hundreds of thousands of people come here during the peak season. What? Just soak in these four pools? What did the uncle say? Now the water in the Nu River has risen so high that there are dozens of large and small pools below that are flooded.

 

 

Oops, that's reckless. It turns out that every year after the first day of the Lunar New Year, the Lisu people would bring their luggage, food, and cooking utensils and meet here to soak in the open-air hot springs to usher in good luck.

 

This is a tradition of the local people, but with the government's promotion, it is now a large-scale cultural event and welcomes visitors from all over the world. No wonder luxury hotels have begun to be built on the roadside. I'm afraid I won't be able to afford them next time I come back.

Day 1 - Laomden

 

Along the Nu River, there are many ethnic minorities living, including the Nu, Lisu, Bai and Tibetan people. However, the faith of the vast majority of them is Christianity, and only a handful of people still maintain their original beliefs.

 

The most famous thing in Laomudeng is the largest Christian church in the Nujiang River Basin. It was already six o'clock in the afternoon when we arrived, perfectly missing the villagers' worship time. It's a bit of a pity, after all, I have never seen hymns sung in ethnic minority languages.

 

The second is the natural scenery here. Separated by the Nujiang Grand Canyon, here is Biluo Snow Mountain and opposite is Gaoligong Mountain. The most interesting part of this section of Gaoligong Mountain is Crown Mountain.

 

This natural crown will not fall off even if you lower your head, and will only flash randomly as the clouds change. And Laomudeng is the best place to watch it.

 

We stayed at the Internet celebrity "150 Inn", and the location was very good. The bed faced the balcony, which faced the mountain. When I woke up in the morning and opened my eyes, there were clouds and rain in front of me, which was a perfect artistic conception.

 

The second day - Zhiziluo

 

Laomudeng is only halfway up the Biluo Snow Mountain. If you go further up, you will reach Zhiziluo, the once prosperous capital of Nujiang Prefecture. Nowadays, people here have left the city, leaving only dilapidated old things and memories, but it is still very interesting.

 

 

Day Two-Stone Moon

 

Just when I was about to fall asleep on the gravel road, I heard Brother Goat shouting urgently: "It's out, it's out, get out of the car quickly. I thought I couldn't see it again."

What came out?

It turned out to be the hole in the distance, which was covered by clouds and mist just now, but now it came out. What's so special about this hole? I think it is probably the creation of a huge cave, shaped like a full moon, and with some mythical color, it will occupy a position in the world.

 

After I carefully checked, I found that there is more to it. This cave with blue sky and white clouds can not only be climbed, It was also an important landmark of the "Hump Route" during World War II. In this way, I feel that it is worth it to be lucky enough to pass by and be woken up, and to take a look from afar.

 

Day 2-Dulongjiang

 

On the second day of the trip, it was Dulongjiang that everyone had been thinking about. Explore the ancient Dulong tribe, visit the mysterious tattooed woman, and rub your hands in anticipation.

However, when we arrived all the way, we were still turned away. The staff's explanation was that "the cave inside has collapsed severely and will not be open to the public until October." I suddenly remembered what Brother Goat said that the group he led this year would rain every time they arrived at Feilai Temple, and they had never seen the whole picture of Meili. Every time I walk along the Dulong River, there are landslides, and I have never entered it.

 

To maintain stability, I didn’t mention anything at the time. Continue moving forward and arrive directly at Bingzhongluo.

Day 2-First arrival in Bingzhongluo

 

Maybe I am still immersed in the disappointment of not being able to enter Dulongjiang, and I don’t feel good even when I get to Bingzhongluo.

 

As soon as we arrived at the inn, before we had time to get out of the car, we started discussing the itinerary. What should we replace this inaccessible Dulongjiang? Brother Goat proposed three plans. Since the first one was too attractive, we simply ignored the last two. The ultimate plan is to continue driving towards Tibet and go to a place called Jiaying Village. It is located in Chawalong Township, Chayu County, Linzhi. The road is not easy to walk, the navigation cannot be displayed, the mobile phone has no signal, and there are only four households in the village, but the scenery is said to be very beautiful. It’s just that the driver himself has never been there.

 

To sum up, there is no point that is not impressive. I'm afraid only the last one. But everyone's appetite has been whetted, and they immediately decided to leave it tomorrow and leave Bingzhongluo until they come back.

 

Day 3-Jiaying Village

 

Unexpected trips are always exciting, and getting up early becomes easy. The reason for leaving early is because the road today is difficult. How difficult can it be? I have been sitting in the car all day and haven't walked much, but the step count shows 23,000 steps.

After three hours, we first reached the Yunnan-Tibet border. Unexpectedly, I would drop into Tibet along the way, which immediately dissipated the bad mood of not being able to go to Dulongjiang.

 

Two hours later, we arrived at Chawalon. I’ll have lunch here and ask the hotel owner about Jiaying Village. The boss said that there are very few people going to Meila, but the road is not easy to walk. It is 50 to 60 kilometers and takes three hours. It would be very hard for us to go back and forth on the same day. Why not go camping on the meadow? There will be stars at night and you can see Jinshan Mountain in the morning.

 

It sounds really good. But the boss is overly worried. We won’t have to work hard. It’s just Brother Goat who is working hard. Let him work hard once and for all. Moreover, there was no camping equipment prepared when the incident occurred. After eating, we set off quickly, looking forward to what the journey into the village would be like.

 

At the beginning, it was still sunny and upright winding mountain road, with blue sky and white clouds, and I felt comfortable.

Gradually entering the primeval forest, there is some mysterious little excitement. We started discussing whether we would encounter small animals and how to protect ourselves if we encountered a bear.

Soon after we left the forest, the roadside began to become deserted and the road became narrower and narrower. Not disappointed, every turn in the end felt like falling off a cliff.

 

Along the way, I finally met a living person. We rolled down the window, but before we could say hello, the little brother couldn't wait to say: "The pass in front is the last place with signal. If you remember to send news there, send it there. Then raise your hands to take pictures."

I thought that was all he wanted to say, so I said a hasty goodbye.

After more than two hours of bumpy driving, we finally arrived at Jiaying Village. Much faster than expected.

 

Apart from us, there were almost no people in the village. Only animals were walking around freely. The sound of the stream and the wind surrounds the house and leads to the glacier.

 

The village is surrounded by mountains on all sides, and at the end is the snow mountain, which is the west slope of Meili Snow Mountain. This is called the corner of paradise. It is so beautiful.

 

Xiao Yang claimed a clingy mule.

 

Brother Ye entered the realm of the sky.

 

Brother Goat enjoys the fragrance of shit.

 

Camping on this meadow will definitely be beautiful, but if you are not prepared, you will definitely freeze to death. No matter how beautiful the scenery is, we can't keep it. After all, we are just tourists checking in, so we still choose to go back early because we are afraid that the road will be difficult to walk at night. Not wanting to go back, the road went faster, and we arrived back at Chawaron in less than two hours.

 

Looking back on today's journey, it seems that I should be most grateful to Brother Goat for his kindness in not killing.

 

Everyone is very satisfied, this should be the peak moment of our entire journey. Only businessman Boss Huang was a little frustrated. With no signal and no cash, he missed the opportunity to buy high-quality matsutake mushrooms in Jiaying Village. There are so many items in a 28-inch suitcase. This regret is really hard to make up for.

 

Day 4-Bingzhongluo

 

We know Bingzhongluo because it is the starting point of Bingchacha, the seventh line into Tibet. Bingzhongluo-Chawalong-Chayu County. This time I only went to Binghecha and did not reach Chayu County, but I was still full of pride.

 

As a result, Sister Maverick poured cold water on her: "What kind of time-traveling are we doing? It's a time-traveling by car, we're just sitting in it."

 

It’s true. It’s tiring and dangerous to sit in a car, and I admire those pious mountaineers even more.

 

When you come to Bingzhongluo again, you must take a good tour of this place known as "the coexistence of humans and gods".

 

Because it is sandwiched between Gaoligong Mountain and Biluo Snow Mountain, and crossed by the Nu River from north to south, it has formed a unique canyon landform here, which is shrouded in clouds and mist all year round. I understand this very well. When I wake up in the morning, it is always hazy outside the window. Puhua Temple in the early morning will also bring the light of Buddha.

 

Then we will focus on visiting the main surrounding villages, Qiunatong, Wuli Village and Taohua Island.

It is a good experience to enter Wuli Village by taking this "alive" Tea Horse Road. In the past, the Ancient Tea Horse Road was the only way for horse caravans to enter Tibet. It was excavated on the canyon cliffs. From the road on the other side, it looks extremely dangerous. Don't dare to be careless when you actually walk on it. After all, the rushing Nu River is right at your feet.

 

Sometimes I want to look up at the knife-edge cliff above my head, but when I look down again I feel a little dizzy. Nowadays, there is no road access to Wuli Village. Another option is to cross this suspension bridge over the Nu River, which is called the New Bridge by the villagers.

 

The village still retains the traditional architecture of the Nu people, small wooden houses with stone tile roofs. The paths are lined with carefully decorated flowers and plants. The villagers' lifestyle is still primitive, looking simple and beautiful.

 

Qiunatong, the name is really nice. It is the last village at the north end of the Nujiang Grand Canyon and the last village before entering Tibet. It was rated as "one of the most beautiful villages in China".

But I haven't felt it yet, so I must have missed something. Just let it go with Peach Blossom Island and skip it quickly.

Day 5-Degong Highway

 

Deqin to Gongshan was opened to traffic in October last year. What kind of road is this? It was only opened to traffic last year, but now only small cars can pass it.

 

Netizens lamented that there used to be only one ancient Tea Horse Road between the two counties. But with the opening of the Degong Highway, it will no longer be possible to experience the breathtaking splendor on both sides of the canyon.

 

I'm afraid I'm overthinking it. As long as I come in time for the rainy season, there will be no shortage of natural disasters here, and landslides are everywhere. You can feel how steep and majestic it is.

 

Although the road conditions are very bad, as long as it doesn't rain, the difficulty level will be reduced a lot. Soon we arrived at Shangri-La.

 

Although the wolfsbane flower that I have always wanted to see seems not as beautiful as I imagined. But everyone's emotions are in place.

 

Day 6-Lijiang

 

Returning to Lijiang from Shangri-La, this trip ends here, and everyone bids farewell one by one. I stayed for two more days. The ancient city was still lively and commercial, but I just liked it.