Cycling the Sichuan-Tibet Line (5) Xinduqiao-Gaoersi Mountain-Yajiang (overnight)-Azhima (overnight)
April 21-22
Weather: sunny to cloudy to rain to heavy snow
Itinerary: Xinduqiao-Gaoersi Mountain-Yajiang (overnight)-Azhima (overnight)
The walk back to the Dengba Inn from Curie Temple was quite fast, and we arrived at lunch time. However, everyone had already had lunch, so I could only find some leftovers to satisfy my hunger. No one really cared about food at this point. Immediately I came to the bedroom on the second floor, with a low bed and low windows. It was very cold in Xinduqiao in April, and the breeze with the smell of melting ice and snow mixed with the smell of the afternoon sun came in one after another. Xiao Lu Heyi lay on the bed, snoring slightly.
I quietly sat down by the window and looked into the distance. The huge silver-white mountain of Gongga was slightly blue, which was dazzling and almost impossible to look directly at. The prayer flags hanging on the roof sometimes hang low and sometimes fly up and down. No one knows where the wind is, but at this time, you can know that it is there.
At this time, Old Li rode his bicycle into the yard. He came from Tagong Grassland. He stood in the yard and waved to me warmly. People on the first floor welcomed me out, causing a commotion. When I looked again, they were gone. I heard a few voices downstairs, and then the wooden stairs creaked. Lao Li suddenly appeared in front of me, dropped his heavy luggage, sat down by the window, and talked to me about the tower with great interest. Everything about him, his eyes were hot, as if the long ride had not caused him any fatigue.
(The Tibetan pig ran very fast, which stopped us from thinking about catching one to satisfy our appetite)
(The scenery of Gaoersi Mountain is lackluster)
The next day, I bid farewell to the Dengba Inn and headed west. The sun rose from behind me, casting my shadow in the direction I was going. The wheels kept chasing and crushing me. This is a game I often use to entertain boredom. As time goes by, As time went by, the sun went west, the shadow shortened and disappeared, and then continued to lengthen behind, but this time, there was no similar ending. Not long after setting off, the sun hid behind the thick clouds, and a week-long rain and snow began.
Without the blessing of blue sky, white clouds and sunshine, the scenery of the plateau has become very monotonous, with scorched yellow meadows spreading as the mountains rise and fall. Climbing halfway up the mountain, I saw a row of snow-capped mountains in the distance. The main peak of Gongga was submerged in the wind-blown clouds, showing a magical color.
(The pass of Gaoersi Mountain is open and the strong wind can make people collapse)
It is not difficult to get from Xinduqiao to Gaoersi Mountain. After all, the altitude of Xinduqiao is high enough, and the elevation to the pass is only 800 meters.
The pass of Gaoersi Mountain is flat and unobstructed. The strong wind blows and the cold makes the mouth and nose numb. After everyone gathered, they stopped at the last turn away from the pass to eat some dry food. The small bread bought in the store was ten thousand times better than the dry and tasteless flatbread. Give everyone a small cup of the brown sugar water in the thermos pot, which warms the heart and soul. There is nothing more wonderful than this.
The altitude has reached a new level again. Compared to being out of breath when I first arrived in Kangding, after a long journey, my body has fully adapted to it and I only feel slightly out of breath. The wind at the pass was so strong that Lao Liu waited here for a long time. When we were about to take two commemorative photos, he had already hurried down the mountain.
However, after descending a small slope of about 1 kilometer from the pass, you have to continue climbing for 3 kilometers before you actually reach the downhill road leading to Yajiang River. This nearly 40-kilometer descent caused our altitude to drop by 1,800 meters. The first 20 kilometers of the road cannot be described simply as bad. It has steep slopes and sharp turns. The most terrible thing is that the road surface is dilapidated, with loose soil, gravel, and big holes one after another. The constant turbulence repeatedly ravaged my internal organs, and the overnight meal almost gushed out of my stomach. So I had no choice but to stick my butt out and ride the bike. Fortunately, it was downhill and there was no need to pedal. But the tragedy is that at the end of the bad road, I found that the screw connecting the frame and the shelf was broken! In desperation, everyone caught up from behind and tinkered a lot. The broken screws blocked the screw holes of the frame so tightly that there was no fixed place, but to no avail. I had no choice but to share my luggage with them, put my backpack on my back and continue on our way together. However, within a few miles, it started to rain again, and then it started to rain heavily. A few pitifully ran to the door of a house to take shelter from the rain. They were really frustrated. Not only did this crappy shelf hurt me, but it also made my teammates suffer while I was starving in the rain. Fortunately, the road conditions improved for a while, and it wasn't long before we arrived at Yajiang in the rain. Old Liu booked a room facing the street, looked out the window, and screamed when he saw us.
Yajiang is a magical place. The Yalong River passes through the city. The entire county is built on steep hillsides on both sides of the river. All the houses are next to the ground on one side and can only be supported by high bases on the other side. They are closely spaced on the left and right, stacked up and down vertically, and from a distance, they look like they are suspended in the air.
The roads in the city also have ups and downs, which is quite exciting. I put down my luggage and didn't dare to rest. I had to find an auto repair shop to weld the shelves before dark. I was unfamiliar with the place, so I searched for it in the rain for a long time before I was able to fix it. On the way, I encountered a bored child dragging my shelves while I was climbing. He was in a bad mood and didn't even get out of the car. He grabbed him and cursed him a few times before letting him run away with his head in his arms. This is one of the few cute kids I met on the Sichuan-Tibet line.
At dinner, I found that Xiao Fan didn't come down to eat, so I realized that Xiao Fan had a stomachache. It rained all night, and we learned from the hotel owner during dinner that the 119th class, an important rest point on the road, had been cancelled. This made our trip in the next few days difficult. Now, Xiao Fan is sick again. Everyone bowed their heads in silence. It was still raining outside and the lights were dim. No matter what, let's take it easy tomorrow and stay in Azima when we get there.
After leaving Yajiang the next day, the bad road continued for a while and then returned to the cement road. The rain stopped. As we walked up a gentle slope along a small river, the air became moist and fresh. At this time, I was in the mood to look at the scenery along the way. On the mountain, there are green, yellow, red and white forests, which are really beautiful. On the way we saw many crows, as big as roosters, flapping their wings beside us and not afraid of people. Crows are a symbol of auspiciousness in Tibetan areas. It was not until a few years later at Langmusi Temple that I saw crows and vultures eating human flesh together during sky burials that I understood why they grew so big.
(The grass is not green yet)
(Mistress Azima is making steamed buns)
(Dad Dema, chanting sutras and turning prayer wheels are compulsory daily chores)
The Azima family were enthusiastic but shy. They arranged for us to sit down by the stove. The hostess tried to communicate with us with a few unfamiliar Chinese words, but every time the words came to her lips, she shook her head shyly and turned to her. The husband said a few words. The male host turned around and left, and soon brought us a hot pot of butter tea. Because of the language barrier, I could only pour tea one by one silently. The first time I drank butter tea, I felt it was fishy and salty. I drank it all in one gulp. Coupled with the heat of the fire, my pale limbs gradually turned red from the cold.
The heavy snowfall came unexpectedly in the afternoon, but after just a cup of tea, the window was already completely white. Xiao Xie went out to explore the road and turned back after a while. He only said that the snow was too heavy and the slope was very steep. A tough battle was inevitable tomorrow. No one made any move, just looked at the fire and remained silent for a long time. After all, we have reached this point and there is no way out.
(Just sat quietly all afternoon)
I slept in Azima last night and woke up in the middle of the night to hear the sound of snowflakes rustling on the roof, small and dense. Just like the murmur coming from my mother's arms when I was a child, every cell in my body is floating in an inexplicable calm. Occasionally, cars pass by in front of the door, and the light of the car lights flashes across the window sill. The colorful flowers, vines, and eight-treasure magic weapon patterns outlined in complicated lines on the walls and ceilings flash past, and then fall into darkness again. However, Tibetans use Those warm and pure colors, sapphire blue, goose yellow, vermilion and parrot green, can still stay in the mind for a short time and bloom flowers of various colors.
At 5 o'clock in the morning, I couldn't wait to wake up everyone. For me, today's journey seemed to be an impossible task, and I couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.
Azima's boss was woken up by us in our sleep, and his wife got up and heated butter tea for us. Breakfast was the leftover flatbread from last night and some potato soup, which was very unpalatable, so we barely ate a little.
After the meal, the proprietress carried an iron bucket, which contained some burned highland barley, rice and other miscellaneous grains. The smoke was rising, and she walked back and forth between us while mumbling something. We didn't know what was going on, and we found out after asking. After praying for our blessing, she asked each of us to come forward and inhale some smoke, which would bring us good luck. After saying that, she went out with the bucket and wandered around our car. Looking out the window, I may have to leave it to fate whether I can reach my destination safely on such a snowy day.
(After leaving Azima, we started climbing. There were hemlocks everywhere and the snow was not thick yet.)
It’s 15 kilometers from Azima to the Jianziwan Mountain Pass with an elevation of 1 kilometer. It’s not difficult. However, not far from Azima, we encountered a group of big dogs. There were about four or five of them. The leading one was more than ten meters away. It rushed towards me on a hillside outside. Before it could get close, I picked up a stone and threw it at it without any mercy. Unfortunately, it missed a little and missed the guy. However, these dogs saw how powerful I was and ran away in all directions, only daring to bark at me from a distance. I ignored him and pushed the cart through cautiously. Xiao Lu, who finally passed by here, was in a miserable state. According to his own words, he was stuck on the road for more than half an hour by those vicious dogs.
(As the altitude increases, the temperature drops sharply, and the muddy water is thrown on the frame and freezes into a pair of ice armor. You often have to stop the car to knock off the ice on the rim)
The road is icy and extremely slippery. Not to mention riding a bicycle, even standing on the road will slip. In this case, you cannot ride on the road. You can only ride slowly on the snowy areas on both sides of the road. The dead grass under the snow can provide a little bit of poor friction. So exciting! There was a small shop at the bottom of this slope, and everyone gathered here. I stopped the car to drink water, and found that the water in the kettle had frozen into ice particles, making a rustling sound when shaken. I was so cold that I ran to the small shop and ate a bowl of instant noodles around the stove before I felt my vest gradually getting warmer. The soaked gloves, headscarf, and shoes were also taken off and placed on the stove to dry.
A girl from another team came here earlier than us. She held the iron chimney in her hands, her wet bangs were scattered on her face, and she was crying repeatedly: "I am just sick, why did I come to this ghost place?" Come for a ride?” The teammates on the side brushed their backs to comfort them, but had no words. Huge difficulties were right in front of them. Without this life-saving little stove, there was ice and snow outside, and it was bone-chilling cold. What should I do? what to do? what to do? No one has experienced it, no one knows how to answer.
Days of high-intensity riding coupled with rain and snowy weather have exhausted the freshness of the trip. Hunger, cold, mud, and lack of oxygen make people become numb. They no longer have the intention to appreciate the scenery, no longer have the intention to pick up the camera, and neither want to continue nor stop. This warm stove instantly ignites all the accumulation and then collapses. Everyone has no answer. Like a burned out match, after a brief burst, it falls into silence again. In front of nature, we are powerless. Just keep moving forward.
After a while, Xiao Lu also caught up, and the group of people disappeared into the vast snowfield.
(Just like the scenes in the Silent Hill movie, riding in such an environment for a long time will give you a strong sense of unreality)
After passing the pass, there is the famous Kazila Mountain Police Station. I originally thought that I would be able to get supplies, but after waiting for a long time, no one opened the door. I left disappointed. As for the subsequent 119th class, it really disappeared without a trace. . Fog covers the surrounding areas, and everything is vast as far as the eye can see. The foreseeable range is shortened to within a hundred meters. The sense of unknown will bring greater fear to people than cold and fatigue.
After passing the Jianziwan Mountain pass, the whole journey was basically riding at an altitude of more than 4,000 meters. The road continued with endless ups and downs. Every time I thought I had reached the top, I would go downhill briefly and then start going uphill again. I was constantly being pulled back and forth between hope and disappointment. , is a huge test of willpower.
(For a small piece of prayer flag, I thought I was at the pass of Kazila Mountain, but it turned out not to be the case)
(The pass has finally arrived, but it is not the end, and it has not yet ushered in a long downhill slope. From now on, it is still an ups and downs road)
(Panorama of the pass)
Not long after passing the pass, we arrived at Daoban 158. The Daoban is a temporary residence for road construction workers. The buildings are often empty due to weather conditions. There is a Tibetan temple next to the Daoban. After asking, we learned that it does not provide food and accommodation. The last hope was shattered, so I could only grit my teeth and rush to Honglong Township.
Finally arrived at today's destination, Honglong Township. The faucet was frozen, there was no water, no electricity, and no signal. When I live in a Tibetan home, I only have smooth noodles with a little beef sauce for dinner. I didn't care about the taste, so I ate two big bowls. I slept in a rickety wooden building at night. Unfortunately, the quilt smelled like feet. Even if I changed one end, it still smelled bad. I didn’t wash my face, and my stomach kept rumbling, probably because I ate those two bowls of noodles.
The red dragon at night is an isolated island plunged into darkness, swaying in the wind and rain in the snowfield, without a trace of light.
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