Yunnan-Tibet Line Cycling Travel Notes‖ Xiaozhongdian–Deqin

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Day 5

Xiaozhongdian→Shangri-La Youth Hostel

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What was originally a one-day trip was split into two days because I was traveling with Gao Daxia and waiting for my helmet. This day’s journey is very short, there are no big climbs, and we ride 34km into Shangri-La in an absolutely leisurely way.

There were many free-range pigs on the road, the same ones I saw when I first came to Shangri-La nine years ago, but seeing these pigs running around again was not as novel as the first time.

I saw vultures foraging for food and also saw their carcasses being torn apart by crows. Vultures that specialize in eating corpses will have the same fate as their own corpses after death. I don’t know if it’s holiness or sin, maybe it’s just a simple food chain.

Seeing this White Tower, we have arrived at Shangri-La.

Slowly wandering into Shangri-La, passing by the hotel where I stayed nine years ago, before I fell in love with youth hostels. I remembered that the tank of oxygen my sister bought was really unprofessional. My elder sister is my first teacher in traveling. Although she never helped me do any good things, the set of "Traveling in China" is really awesome.

After a leisurely meal, we came to Shangri-La Youth Hostel. When I saw the mountain bike with the rear rack installed in the yard, I knew I had a new teammate. Here I met Brother Liu, Chun'er, and A Gang. Abin also arrived in the afternoon, thank you very much, otherwise I would have to search everywhere for a helmet to buy. After washing my clothes for the past two days, I went to the Great Buddha Temple to pray.

The Dukezong in Shangri-La is my favorite ancient city. The ancient city where I and my sister and local Tibetans sang and danced on Sifang Street in January 2014 ceased to exist due to a fire in January 2014.

Walking with everyone among the ruins of the ancient city and looking at the ruins of the Duke Sect, I suddenly realized: some people will not always wait for us, and some things will not always wait for us.

The large Buddhist temple next to the ruins is still solemn.

The world's largest prayer wheel is still used to help people repent of the past, eliminate disasters and seek refuge, and accumulate merit.

Let’s turn the biggest prayer wheel in the world together, we are young people.

A corner of the ancient city escaped disaster. Now six years have passed, the Duke Sect should have been rebuilt .

This day is a rest. The night in Shangri-La was very cold, so everyone was chatting by the fire in the lobby and discussing the next day's itinerary. During that period, it seemed that I had to drop things every day, adjust my work and rest, and keep my spirits up, and my thinking became clearer.

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Day 6

Shangri-La → Napa Sea → Shusongqiyou’s Home

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Six people traveled together, the destination was Shusong.

After eating two steamed buns in the morning, we set off. First we went downhill for 71km. It was really cold for the long downhill early in the morning. My feet almost lost feeling. I couldn’t hold on for long so I stopped to put on socks.

Passing through the Napa Sea, the water is scarce and the grass is dry.

The sun slowly rises, becomes warmer, and the scenery becomes beautiful.

The roads and views, the long descents, are freeing and relaxing.

I like this kind of village on the mountainside.

Everyone walked and stopped. After the sun came out, this downhill was really comfortable.

At this time, the altitude of the Jinsha River is still very close to us. I must have had lunch near Benzilan, but I have no memory of it at all. Next, we will get further and further away from the Jinsha River, not by horizontal distance, but by altitude.

There is always a downhill slope to pay off. In the second half of the journey, there was a big climb of 31km, and the speed often hovered around 6-8km/h. I checked the total mileage recorded by the computer from time to time, but there was no change.

Looking back at the road down the mountain, what you have climbed is not a mountain in your heart, this is a real mountain.

This is the observation deck at the Big Bend of the Jinsha River. I remember it was free at the time. With my average interest and the endless climb, I no longer have the energy to walk up to the observation deck.

The climbing intensity in the second half is relatively high, and when we approach Shusong, our riding speed is no longer as fast as a cow walking.

Shusong is a beautiful village. We were already hungry when we arrived, so the six of us set off together. There was a gap of nearly 2 hours between the first one arriving and the last one arriving. On this day, I began to feel the charm of the Yunnan-Tibet Line. I particularly wanted to eat a bowl of chicken soup, then a bowl of barbecued pork rice, and finally a bowl of chicken shit and rattan.

This night we stayed at the Shusong Cycling Friend’s House. The owner was a senior cyclist on the Yunnan-Tibet Line. The walls of the room are filled with various complaints and emotions from previous riders, and the paint is quite exaggerated. It was the first time I stayed in such a cycling inn, and then I realized that the shabby environment, the plentiful breakfast and dinner, similar graffiti and writings left by marker pens would often appear in my subsequent accommodations.

Today I met four cyclists on the road, and the team increased to 10 people.

The next day we have to cross the Baima Snow Mountain, and the journey is also the most difficult day on the Yunnan-Tibet line. How difficult it is. The boss said that it is not called a slope today, and it will not be an ordinary slope tomorrow. However, you can think of today’s climb as a prelude to tomorrow’s climb. Otherwise, not many people would be able to climb directly over Baima Snow Mountain from Benzilan.

The night sky here is beautiful, the stars are very bright, but it is too cold. I took a bath in the open air. It was not interesting but the environment was too simple. The water and electricity were cut off in the middle of the bath.

Climbing Baima Snow Mountain, this long-awaited climb, the journey will be very hard, so go to bed early and get up early.

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Day7

Shusong→Baima Snow Mountain→Deqin

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After a candlelight breakfast, today ten people formed a group and climbed over the Baima Snow Mountain.

Baima Snow Mountain is the most difficult hurdle to cross on the Yunnan-Tibet Line. Legend has it that some riders will choose to take a ride to Deqin. We set off at around 7 o'clock in the morning and climbed nearly 50km of slope. The altitude rose to nearly 1400m. We had to cross the pass at an altitude of 4380m.

Although the steep slope made the riding speed very slow, the pace was well controlled, and several teammates and I rode in front. Looking back, we have climbed a long winding mountain road, but we are still far from the pass.

It was windy and snowy, which made the crossing a lot more difficult.

The higher you go, the lower the visibility becomes.

Climbing uphill in cold weather consumes energy very quickly, and someone starts pushing the cart. It was already lunch time, and there was no supply place on the mountain. I didn’t expect that the energy was consumed so quickly that I couldn’t eat a Snickers bar. Fortunately, my teammates gave me a twist.

The snow was getting heavier and heavier, and some teammates began to choose to take a ride across this section.

Looking back again at the road we have climbed.

Take another look at the road ahead waiting for you. Can't see anything Magnificent scenery on a sunny day. The seemingly endless road in the vast whiteness. I suddenly understood why Baima Snow Mountain is also called Baimang Snow Mountain. Because Baima Snow Mountain is not just a mountain, it is A vast expanse of snow-capped mountains.

When I saw the prayer flags, I thought I had reached the pass, but I didn’t expect that there are three passes in Baima Snow Mountain. It was still quite far away from the pass at an altitude of 4380. At this time, it started to collapse a little.

My teammates started asking me if I wanted to ride with them. Ten people set out, and at this time five people had chosen to take the bus. At that time, Virgos had a full personality and felt that they could still persevere in physical strength. I refused the ride and wanted to reach Lhasa one step at a time.

It was snowing and windy, and I couldn't see the end of the road. Slowly, the excitement of climbing over gradually disappeared, and a trace of fear began to appear.

When we climbed over the first pass, the snow was getting heavier and heavier, and the visibility was very low. I didn’t change my snow lenses or night lenses. My full-finger gloves couldn’t withstand the wind and cold anymore, so I just changed into my usual glasses and continued moving forward, along with a jacket, a saddlebag, and The panniers were filled with snow.

You can't see your teammates in front of you, and you can't see your teammates in the back. You can only see the white snowy mountains around you and the snowflakes blowing towards you. The wind is getting stronger and stronger, as if to show you the power of nature, and suddenly you have a desire to survive. , rather than completing a journey.

Finally arrived at the pass, took some photos, and then started going downhill.

It was so cold when going downhill that my gloves couldn’t hold it at all. I got off the car to replenish energy, ate a Snickers bar with difficulty, opened my bag and wrapped my hands in fleece, barely able to feel some feeling in my hands. The 34km downhill was no better than the previous one. Poe is better off.

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Gao Daxia lost contact

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Arriving in Deqin, the fellow hitchhikers had already found a meeting place. After entering the county town and meeting everyone, they immediately approached the stove, drank a few cups of hot tea, and waited for dinner to be served. They were instantly rescued.

Ten of us set off on this day, four of us insisted on riding over the Baima Snow Mountain, four of us hitched a ride to Deqin, and one hitched a ride to Mangkang. And Gao Daxia has lost contact. We can't wait or find him in Deqin. For some unknown reason, he was unwilling to leave us his phone number from the very beginning of the team formation, and just asked us to rest assured.

May he be at peace.

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Two riding friends in Guangzhou asked me to continue riding to Feilai Temple that day, and then set off together the next day. But I chose to stay in Deqin, and the next six people were: Liu Ge, Chun'er, A Bin, Shen Ge and Meng Ge from Kunshan, and me. We six spent the rest of the journey Basically all together.