Travel Notes | Cycling in Sichuan and Tibet—day15-18, a great escape from war and chaos

If you know about the Sichuan-Tibet Line that year, you will know about a tragedy that happened in Tongmai - On August 2, 2013, the Tongmai Bridge collapsed, killing 2 truck drivers and 2 Tourists disappeared (later confirmed dead).

Fortunately, tragedy did not happen to me. We had just arrived at Zogong at that time, and we were still three or four days away from Tongmai. However, the Tongmai Bridge, which was the only way to pass through the Sichuan-Tibet Line, collapsed. The local government began to implement road closures from Bangda and required vehicles from all over the country to use detours.

We had several choices before us: 1. Wait where we are and wait for the bridge to be repaired before crossing over; 2. Find local people to take us with us and cross the dangerous mountains from Tongmai at night; 3. Go to Qamdo, transfer from Northern Sichuan-Tibet Line to Nagqu , take the Qinghai-Tibet Line to Lhasa .

Waiting for the bridge to be repaired will not take a day or two, and prices in Zuogong will definitely rise; the safety of walking over the mountains from Tongmai at night cannot be guaranteed; in the end, we chose the third option.

Tongmai Pass is the throat of the Sichuan-Tibet Highway, especially in the later period. Nujiang River 72 bends, Ranwu Lake, Little Jiangnan Nyingchi Classic scenery like these... As a true cyclist, I guess everyone wants to experience and conquer them. However, we had to give up the Sichuan-Tibet line with regret and embarked on a "transfer" journey, first moving to Qamdo.

There are many people participating in this "war journey", conservatively estimated to be several hundred, and there will be more in the future. When we were about to arrive in Qamdo, a fleet of chartered cars roared past one by one. We counted a dozen of them. When there were so many people, we had to fight for food and places to sleep. All the cars were parked outside the urban area of ​​Qamdo. Once we got off the bus, we quickly adjusted the cars and packed our bags and headed straight to the city . Children and shy people ride fast, so let them find a place to live first. I heard that prices in Qamdo have increased, such as 180 yuan for a floor shop, 35 yuan for instant noodles, and 800 yuan for a chartered car from Qamdo to Nagqu! Facing the pressure of hundreds of people charging together, I followed closely behind. The road into the city from Qamdo was particularly bad. It was rotten, steep, and dusty. Many boys passed me and they were also fighting. In this competition, the winner is the one with the fastest speed .

The road into the city took at least an hour, and the longer I rode, the worse I felt. Despair is spreading at this moment——

We agreed not to take a ride but we took one. We agreed to ride the whole distance but changed the route in the middle ! When did the Tongmai Bridge collapse? It collapsed just when I was about to arrive! Qamdo, Qamdo, why? We still have to ride around the mountain, why haven’t we arrived yet after riding for so long! I hate that I can’t ride fast enough to keep up with everyone. The sky is getting dark, the street lights are on, and riding on the road at night is commonplace. Fortunately, we are about to enter the city...

The urban area of ​​Qamdo is completely different from the shabby place it was when I first entered. It looks like a modern metropolis with many high-rise buildings and various facilities. I feel a little relieved. It shouldn't be difficult to find accommodation in such a place. However, when I found the first hotel, I was told that there was no room in the city ! The lady at the front desk kindly told me that I could stay at the police station in front of the hotel. I thought I was joking , so I went to a high-end luxury hotel and asked, but there was no room either. I refused to give up and said, no matter what the price, I would take it. Then the other party said that there were no rooms available because there were too many people here in the past two days, all of them cyclists.

Without a place to live in such a big city, there is no sense of security. As night fell, more and more cyclists gathered in the city. They were wandering on the streets with nowhere to go. Bank ATMs were full of people. Soon there was no money in the ATMs, but the ones who had withdrawn the money could not be found. To the place where you live. I communicated with the local chartered car drivers and found that they took advantage of the situation and raised prices. They brought people with bicycles. To go to Nagqu, one person charged 800... It was very noisy on the street...

Everyone is starting to panic , feeling discouraged, anxious, and confused about the unknown of tomorrow.

me too……

This is despair

At that time, I wrote on QQ space: "Today is a sad day. Why did we take a bus to Qamdo? Not only was the bus damaged, but Qamdo was already full and there was no room in the hotel. Some people were arranged to stay at the police station. We negotiated with many private car drivers at the entrance of CCB. Basically, it cost 700 yuan per person to go to Lhasa. More and more people gathered here. We were like homeless people fleeing for refuge. Fortunately, Lancang River Square Convenience Police Station We are sincerely grateful to the staff who took us in. ”

What follows is a photo record of that time.

We are riding the G318 below, which is the South Sichuan-Tibet Line. The current situation is that we have to go north from Zuogong to the North Sichuan-Tibet Line, and then from the north Ride from Nagqu, the meeting point of the Qinghai-Tibet Line to Lhasa . Several key locations of the incident are indicated by arrows.

(Click to open to see)

The words left by the captain back then, 318, Farewell, go to 317 instead

At the door of the post office in Zuogong, some people gave up and packed their bags to go home.

Six of us chartered this van to go to Qamdo, Ah Hui chose to continue riding to Tongmai, waiting for the opportunity.

Arriving at Bangda, the sign of Bangda Square has fallen.

Here we met a bus bound for Tongmai. They turned back here and told us that the front was closed and could not be opened .

The scenery during the transfer - Langla Mountain

Before the soothing mood brought by the beautiful scenery had passed, we saw a series of vans near Qamdo, and we suddenly became nervous.

The van parked here and we started on our mad dash.

However, we were defeated by reality and had no choice but to come to the police.

At this time 2013.08.04 21:30

Finally, with the help of this police beauty, many riders crowded into the police station to rest.

An uncle from the police told us that there is floor heating under the floor here, and you can sleep on the floor bed all night.

Shy brother didn’t forget to pose at this time

This time 22:02

At four or five in the morning, my teammates went to Qamdo Bus Station

Why

Because I have to buy a ticket to go to Nagqu

There were already many, many people queuing up by this time.

And my teammates were considerate of me and allowed me to have a good sleep at the police station at night.

At this time 2013.08.05 05:39

The order at that time was also very chaotic. I don’t know how many cars there were going to Nagqu, and they were all vying to leave first. Armed police had to be dispatched to the ticket hall to maintain order, and only a dozen people were allowed in at a time to buy tickets.

During this period, glass was smashed .

This time 09:56

The cyclists who bought the tickets started to dismantle the bike and load it up

This time 10:02

Bicycles can only be placed on the roof of the passenger car, and the driver will bundle the bikes together

Everyone cares about their car

We found a lot of paper boxes to wrap the key parts of the car.

Several extra overtime buses have been opened at the station. I remember that there were five or six passenger buses in front and behind me at that time. Then we started our three-day car trip in the dark.

 

I don’t know where it is, and there is no signal on my mobile phone. Everywhere I go is desolate, and it lasts for three days. We took the bus for three days! North Sichuan-Tibet LineThe road conditions are extremely bad! On the way, I met several cyclists who were riding hard, and everyone on the bike gave them a thumbs up. I felt very uncomfortable and wanted to come down and ride together.

At this time 2013.08.05 18:05

At night, the car was walking on a road with potholes that looked like Quduoduo. A car even came from the opposite side. Everyone held their breath and did not dare to say anything because there was a cliff next to it.

At this time 2013.08.05 21:38

 

I didn’t know where I had arrived at night. The car stopped. Later, when I looked at the map, I realized it was Dingqing County. Needless to say, there was definitely no accommodation, and it was hard to find a toilet. This night, we had to stay at the police station again.

At this time 2013.08.06 04:15

The rat who couldn't sleep went out to chat with the policeman on duty.

Smoked an unopened pack of cigarettes

 

What followed was another unexplainable day. I didn’t even know what month or day it was at that time. The driver took a car full of people and had lunch at a shabby place. It was terrible and expensive. With less and less money on his body, Xiao Qiao even asked his mother to borrow money.

 

At this time 2013.08.06 20:02 get off the car and pee

Arriving in Suo County in the evening, I went directly to the police station without hesitation this time.

The policemen at the Gaqing Convenient Police Station of the Suo County Public Security Bureau were very nice and provided us with Jianlibao and hot water.

As a woman, I am honored to be taken care of by the police uncle and given the right to use a big coat for one night.

At this time 2013.08.07 01:11

The police station where I slept for three days, including my previous riding experience, all deeply touched me. Many people say that Tibet is very dangerous and there are riots. In fact, I would like to say that the security in Tibet is quite good because there are too many police. In the countryside and on the road, there are basically no safety problems. One is that there are fewer people on the road, and the other is that people in rural areas are more friendly than those in cities. The police here will go out to patrol at night, and the Internet cafes will close at 2 o'clock.

 

The last day is finally over. Early in the morning I got in the car in a daze. When I woke up, I found that the window was so beautiful, it was like being in a wonderland ! This is probably the paradise given by God for the rest of my life after the disaster!

 

Blue sky~white clouds~green grass~road

At this time 2013.08.07 09:34

Naqu, we are finally here, and I’m so excited that I can’t express it in words.

Nagqu night

At this time, 20:20, the sun is still shining

21:17, supermarket shopping, the shy guy who survived the disaster struck up a conversation again

Mouse and Xiao Qiao were playing pool. Oh my God, the two of them combined were not much better than me. A game would last an hour.

The trip was really not smooth sailing. Later, I thought about it, and this twists and turns are also meaningful. After experiencing despair, people will become stronger. At least they will not panic when the next accident comes.