highway 318 into Tibet

8/9/09

spent the the last 2 days on the road, after crossing the Jinshajiang river we entered Tibet. A big red"Xi Zang" had been painted on a huge rock by the river, together with the army guarding post on both side of the bridge, kept reminding people..."you are into Tibet"I guessed!
Road upgrading work was underway along the route, it took more than 5 hrs for the 90km trip from Dege to Jiangda(@3200m). The 1st one street town we passed in Tibet. Not more interest in Jiangda, so after quick lunch we find another minibus going further to Changdu(@3400).it was a good paved road, and it took another 5 hrs for the 200km journey. We met the Lancang river before arrival. Changdu is a big town with many hotels and restaurants. A big military base in town and there was guarding post on every bridge crossing. Again...nothing special in Changdu so we carried on our bus journey after a night sleep and we caught up with the Lujiang river before made it to Ranwu yesterday, another 10 hrs journey which covered more than 350km. Ranwu was just a small village situated between 2 lakes, which made a nice stop over place for travellers, adaptable accommodation filled the single street. There also 2 glaciers nearby that you could visit. "400 yuans" was the answer for the rental car for the 39 km journey, we decided to walk around the lake instead. Choose a path with less traffic and less dusty, the 4 hrs walk was rewarding with spectacular view over the lake. Then we carried on our trip to Bomi in the late afternoon when we saw a bus going that direction.



Note
Bus Dege to Jiangda 38 yuans
Minibus Jiangda to Changdu 80 yuans
Bus Changdu to Ranwu 142 yuans

9/9/09

Bomi(@2800m) is a simple town with a long commercial street with a town square in the middle, and another street on the riverside. But you could see many travellers with their own/rented car here...an over night stop on their way to different direction. We decided to stay one more day, not willing to sit on a bus everyday. After a brief researched we find our destination for today. A hike to Zhuolonggou to see the waterfall. "about 10km" one local told us. So we followed his finger pointed and head off the road. Lost of course! But the people were more than helpful, took us through the village, crossed the fields looking for the short cut. Very very friendly! On our way up we saw our destination was actually a glacier, a sacred mountain for the local. No wonder there were so many prayer flags all along the route. Help way up we were invited to a house for yak milk tea and yak yoghurt, lovely!!! Milk tea made with fresh yak butter! yamyam!!! Further up we came to a house then find out it was a temple. But nothing look like a temple, still wondered why there was a temple in the middle of the forest, when I saw the coffin tied on tree trunk then I knew here is the forest for tree buried. A very rare ritual for the Tibetan here, some dead bodies wasn't even kept with coffin, only inside a bamboo basket or just wrapped with a blanket! I wasn't dared to took any picture, because the strange thing that was happened in my India trip, after taken picture of some sacred ritual uninvited, my portable harddisk was broken, I lost all my 6 months pictures for India!, and I didn't want to risked to lost my photos for the last 2 months.
The mountain was some green and fresh with oxygen, and not as dry as other places so far on my tibetan tour. After more forest trails we finally approached the glacier, but the waterfall was smaller than expected, and there was much ice on the mountain top. As the local told us the water is sacred, so we washed our face underneath the dripping fall before we caming down hill.

11/9/09

Bayi(@2900m),a brand new town on the highway 318. Probably built-up after 1990. A boring but...for some people it was a entertain heaven, as it was by far the first town un Tibet I saw thar many clubs and hair saloons, suddenly I realized something had been missing, in Sichuan side, I could see lama in every towns, many of them, but once inside Tibet, very little sign of buddhism, not much lama on the street, all you seen was Han people, and in Bayi, the only lama I saw was a beggar on the street begging for money! There not even a temple in town! The first time I had problem with accommodation, but perhaps I was travelled with the Guangdong guys since inside Tibet, and they took care of the registration in hotel. Here I was on my own and I was refused in every cheap guesthouses. "for your own safety, you need to stay in bin-gua" they said. Then again I was refused "for your own safety, you need to stay in hotel with STARS", mean...200 yuans/room! It really upsetting me! Luckily met a traveller who mention about an international youth hostel, and yes...I could stay there, for a changed, hang out with many other travellers, took the chances to squeezed as much info for about part of tibet. Still..."for your own safety, you need to go to register in the police station" I was told in the hostel, and it was as simple as go to eat Kentucky, they just wanted to know about my further travel route. strange...I was so relief when coming out from the police station, I didn't know why? But I felt free and SAFE!!! hahaha.... "for your own safety" I had been told!!

Note
Bus from Bomi to Bayi 90 to 150 yuans, depend on the kind of bus

12/9/09

will stop my journey on the 318 from Bayi. it was a long tiring route, but people told me it will be more hard further on the western Tibet after Lhasa. the 318 came all the way from Chengdu. once inside Tibet region, we passed through many mountain. over the 5050m high pass before Jiangda. went down as low as 1900m before Bayi. speed through the highland plateau near Bonda. saw many holy mountain. crossed the Jinsha, Lancang and Lujiang river. it would costed a lots if visited in Yunnan...the 3 river region!!! most of the road condition was good, only the part before Jiangda. and we saw many families walk and prayed to the fdirection of Lhasa, with full body laid down and bowed, moved forward every few meters. a long and painful journey, only those with a strong fait in their heart could commited!!! the 318 was my entry foint into Tibet, and I had already felt the air, the blue blue sky, the crystal clear water, but...there will be more, and more , and more!!!

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