We woke up early today to have breakfast with Jing jing.
He will be going to Putatcho National Park (普达措) today while we will depart for Feilaisi (飞来寺). We bade each other farewell and we departed. We travelled along National Highway 214 which is about 3000km long, ending at Lhasa.
Nice weather and nice scenery. On our way, we passed by a ski resort which is only open in winter. According to the driver, not much biz as people seldom come to Yunnan for skiing. They prolly go to Harbin. The roads are pretty winding and the mountains are tall. Very typical rugged Yunnan landscape. Before we reached Benzilan, we cross the LanChangJiang (澜沧江) to continue our journey. The branch to the right will go to Yading（亚丁）, Daocheng（稻城）of Sichuan.
We reached the middle town Beizilan (奔子栏) for lunch at about 11am. Another group of Chinese youngsters also came to the same restaurant. We have to wait for awhile for our dishes to be served. I didn’t know that I will become friends to some of these people that I didn’t even say hi to today.
We continue after journey after resting at Benzilan. This two-row-shophouses town used to be the last logistic refilling point before the horses continue onwards to Tibet as beyond Benzilan, they will not be anymore towns until the horses cross the mountain pass. The highway is now paved thanks to the influx of tourism. It used to be unpassable in rainny summer as landslides and falling rocks often forced the highway to a close.
We saw some road building teams busy resurfacing the road along the way. Not long after lunch, we came to Crescent Moon Meander (月亮湾) along JingshaJiang (金沙江).
As we travel on, not much houses seen. The air got thinner as we winded up to the mountain pass. We came across Baimang Snow Mountain (白茫雪山) as we crossed the mountain pass (垭口) at 4292m. Photo credits: courtesy of master chin and Chuen Yee.
I couldn’t find any toilet after Benzilan and have to do my small biz in the open. Stupid Chuen Yee took photo of me pissing, so bad!
After we took photos at the mountain pass, the next thing I knew was I knocked out. completely. Drizzle and food and the lack of oxygen had driven me to sleep. I found out from the other people later that it is actually kinda dangerous to sleep near mountain pass cos you might not wake up at all. Phew. I was awakened when we reach Yingbingtai (迎宾台). Yingbingtai is a platform for taking the picture of the beloved Meili Snow Mountain (梅里雪山) but sigh….the rain and the clouds blocked the view. So we just came down and took some crappy shots and continue on. I got an sms from JingJing saying that it was raining at Putatcho National Park so he got no luck today as well. He was heading back to Lijiang tonight and will be going back Hangzhou tomorrow.
We passed by the town Deqin (德钦) before going on a bit further to Feilaisi. There was a major road upgrading at Deqin so the whole town was jammed. Steam rollers + trailers + trucks + buses + vans + dusts + muds + rain + noise can make one go crazy. We left the warzone-like Deqin and rushed on to Feilaisi, managed to reach the hotel by 4pm. The road construction team has damaged the fiber optic cable – no TV tonight – we were told by the inn lady. By the way, both the restaurant/inn at Benzilan and this inn that we were staying are all owned by ladies – beautiful but married-with-kids Tibetan ladies.
We checked into our room – not bad – bed come with heater coil. Hot water will only be available after 7pm so we cant wash up. Neither could we watch TV. Yin Huan and I went out to see Meili Snow Mountain in drizzle while Chuen Yee did what he normally do best – Zzz. The rain and the cloud completely sheltered the mountain view. The government is now building a viewing platform for viewing the snow mountain, very soon they might collect entrance tix the local said.
Yin Huan and I decided to pay pilgrimage to the Migatory Bird Café (候鸟).
It is a wooden café house, used to be the only gathering corner for all Meili lovers. Now the other café has snatched away most of the biz and we ended up as the only two customers around. We ordered two hot drinks and waited for Meili to show its face. We managed to catch some glimpses of it but the clouds again cover its face completely before long. The drizzle dampened all ur spirits haiz. We flipped through the photo albums and magazines available in the café. Meili photos taken by others were so beautiful. We didn’t come at the right time I supposed. Many people leave notes and thumb-tacked it to the window and mentioned that they could/couldnt see the snow mountain. How I wish I am one of those who could.
In Migatory Bird we met a guy that we saw in Benzilan this morning. He asked us whether we came from Guangzhou and the conversation began from there. He is an undergrad studying Spanish in Nanjing. We chatted with him and coincidentally, we are all heading to Yubeng Village (雨崩) tomorrow.
We stayed in the cafe till about 730pm, and left. Saw the competitor of Migatory Bird – Meili Wangshi (梅里往事) doing documentary screening tonight at 9pm – The disaster happened in Kawakarpo in 1991 (this is Meili’s real name known to the local Tibetans, they affectionately call it Ane Kawakarpo, which means Kawakarpo the dear granny). I have decided to come here tonight to see the documentary to learn about how the hiking team of China and Japan met their disaster while ascending the peak of Meili.
We couldn’t find the driver. Apparently he has gone out for dinner with his fellow driver friends. After our dinner, Chuen Yee and Yin Huan decided to stay put while I went to the Meili Wangshi alone to watch the documentary alone. Many people started to gather around the TV even before screening started. I ordered a glass of hot choc and anxiously waited. The PRCs as usual made hell lotsa noise and chatting noisily before the screening. Some even started smoking in the café – oh no! Luckily once the show started they kept quiet and I can hear the narration. The China guy that I met in the Migratory Bird came as well. No TV for all hotels there due to the damaged fiber optic created more viewership than usual.
The China National Hiking Team has arranged with Kyoto University Hiking Team to conquered Kawakarpo in 1991. Their mission failed when they were nearing the peak due to snow avalanche. 17 people were buried by that fateful avalanche. The Tibet Hiking Team came for the rescue the fastest speed they could upon hearing the bad news but couldn’t do much (They managed to reach Yubeng in 2 days via Highway 214, almost impossible). The bodies and remains of the team members were only found in 1998, discovered by the locals in glacier. The locals believed that Kawakarpo is sacred and shouldn’t be conquered. They were very upset when the hiking teams were going up and hence prayed that Kawakarpo stopped them. Kawakarpo did stop them, but it ended up as a tragedy.
In 1994, the same organizations planned to send another team up again before the 5-year memorandum timeline is up. This time the Tibetans marched forward and blocked the hiking teams at the road bridge by sitting on it, demanding the hiking team to retreat. In the end the hiking team promised not to ascend till the peak. The Tibetans reluctantly let them went ahead with the mission. When the team is nearing the peak, they got news from the weather stations - a rain cloud was heading towards them. The team rushed down to base camp within 1 day, exhausted themselves entirely, only to learn the next day that the cloud has drifted elsewhere. Another unsuccessful second attempt. This time they were defeated by themselves. The local government banned the hiking in 2003 altogether citing religious and cultural sensitivity.
Once the show finished I headed back to inn in pitch dark. It still drizzle. Look forward to tomorrow morning sunrise.
He will be going to Putatcho National Park (普达措) today while we will depart for Feilaisi (飞来寺). We bade each other farewell and we departed. We travelled along National Highway 214 which is about 3000km long, ending at Lhasa.
(photos courtesy of master chin)
Nice weather and nice scenery. On our way, we passed by a ski resort which is only open in winter. According to the driver, not much biz as people seldom come to Yunnan for skiing. They prolly go to Harbin. The roads are pretty winding and the mountains are tall. Very typical rugged Yunnan landscape. Before we reached Benzilan, we cross the LanChangJiang (澜沧江) to continue our journey. The branch to the right will go to Yading（亚丁）, Daocheng（稻城）of Sichuan.
We reached the middle town Beizilan (奔子栏) for lunch at about 11am. Another group of Chinese youngsters also came to the same restaurant. We have to wait for awhile for our dishes to be served. I didn’t know that I will become friends to some of these people that I didn’t even say hi to today.
We continue after journey after resting at Benzilan. This two-row-shophouses town used to be the last logistic refilling point before the horses continue onwards to Tibet as beyond Benzilan, they will not be anymore towns until the horses cross the mountain pass. The highway is now paved thanks to the influx of tourism. It used to be unpassable in rainny summer as landslides and falling rocks often forced the highway to a close.
We saw some road building teams busy resurfacing the road along the way. Not long after lunch, we came to Crescent Moon Meander (月亮湾) along JingshaJiang (金沙江).
As we travel on, not much houses seen. The air got thinner as we winded up to the mountain pass. We came across Baimang Snow Mountain (白茫雪山) as we crossed the mountain pass (垭口) at 4292m. Photo credits: courtesy of master chin and Chuen Yee.
I couldn’t find any toilet after Benzilan and have to do my small biz in the open. Stupid Chuen Yee took photo of me pissing, so bad!
After we took photos at the mountain pass, the next thing I knew was I knocked out. completely. Drizzle and food and the lack of oxygen had driven me to sleep. I found out from the other people later that it is actually kinda dangerous to sleep near mountain pass cos you might not wake up at all. Phew. I was awakened when we reach Yingbingtai (迎宾台). Yingbingtai is a platform for taking the picture of the beloved Meili Snow Mountain (梅里雪山) but sigh….the rain and the clouds blocked the view. So we just came down and took some crappy shots and continue on. I got an sms from JingJing saying that it was raining at Putatcho National Park so he got no luck today as well. He was heading back to Lijiang tonight and will be going back Hangzhou tomorrow.
We passed by the town Deqin (德钦) before going on a bit further to Feilaisi. There was a major road upgrading at Deqin so the whole town was jammed. Steam rollers + trailers + trucks + buses + vans + dusts + muds + rain + noise can make one go crazy. We left the warzone-like Deqin and rushed on to Feilaisi, managed to reach the hotel by 4pm. The road construction team has damaged the fiber optic cable – no TV tonight – we were told by the inn lady. By the way, both the restaurant/inn at Benzilan and this inn that we were staying are all owned by ladies – beautiful but married-with-kids Tibetan ladies.
We checked into our room – not bad – bed come with heater coil. Hot water will only be available after 7pm so we cant wash up. Neither could we watch TV. Yin Huan and I went out to see Meili Snow Mountain in drizzle while Chuen Yee did what he normally do best – Zzz. The rain and the cloud completely sheltered the mountain view. The government is now building a viewing platform for viewing the snow mountain, very soon they might collect entrance tix the local said.
Yin Huan and I decided to pay pilgrimage to the Migatory Bird Café (候鸟).
(photos courtesy of master chin)
It is a wooden café house, used to be the only gathering corner for all Meili lovers. Now the other café has snatched away most of the biz and we ended up as the only two customers around. We ordered two hot drinks and waited for Meili to show its face. We managed to catch some glimpses of it but the clouds again cover its face completely before long. The drizzle dampened all ur spirits haiz. We flipped through the photo albums and magazines available in the café. Meili photos taken by others were so beautiful. We didn’t come at the right time I supposed. Many people leave notes and thumb-tacked it to the window and mentioned that they could/couldnt see the snow mountain. How I wish I am one of those who could.
In Migatory Bird we met a guy that we saw in Benzilan this morning. He asked us whether we came from Guangzhou and the conversation began from there. He is an undergrad studying Spanish in Nanjing. We chatted with him and coincidentally, we are all heading to Yubeng Village (雨崩) tomorrow.
We stayed in the cafe till about 730pm, and left. Saw the competitor of Migatory Bird – Meili Wangshi (梅里往事) doing documentary screening tonight at 9pm – The disaster happened in Kawakarpo in 1991 (this is Meili’s real name known to the local Tibetans, they affectionately call it Ane Kawakarpo, which means Kawakarpo the dear granny). I have decided to come here tonight to see the documentary to learn about how the hiking team of China and Japan met their disaster while ascending the peak of Meili.
We couldn’t find the driver. Apparently he has gone out for dinner with his fellow driver friends. After our dinner, Chuen Yee and Yin Huan decided to stay put while I went to the Meili Wangshi alone to watch the documentary alone. Many people started to gather around the TV even before screening started. I ordered a glass of hot choc and anxiously waited. The PRCs as usual made hell lotsa noise and chatting noisily before the screening. Some even started smoking in the café – oh no! Luckily once the show started they kept quiet and I can hear the narration. The China guy that I met in the Migratory Bird came as well. No TV for all hotels there due to the damaged fiber optic created more viewership than usual.
The China National Hiking Team has arranged with Kyoto University Hiking Team to conquered Kawakarpo in 1991. Their mission failed when they were nearing the peak due to snow avalanche. 17 people were buried by that fateful avalanche. The Tibet Hiking Team came for the rescue the fastest speed they could upon hearing the bad news but couldn’t do much (They managed to reach Yubeng in 2 days via Highway 214, almost impossible). The bodies and remains of the team members were only found in 1998, discovered by the locals in glacier. The locals believed that Kawakarpo is sacred and shouldn’t be conquered. They were very upset when the hiking teams were going up and hence prayed that Kawakarpo stopped them. Kawakarpo did stop them, but it ended up as a tragedy.
In 1994, the same organizations planned to send another team up again before the 5-year memorandum timeline is up. This time the Tibetans marched forward and blocked the hiking teams at the road bridge by sitting on it, demanding the hiking team to retreat. In the end the hiking team promised not to ascend till the peak. The Tibetans reluctantly let them went ahead with the mission. When the team is nearing the peak, they got news from the weather stations - a rain cloud was heading towards them. The team rushed down to base camp within 1 day, exhausted themselves entirely, only to learn the next day that the cloud has drifted elsewhere. Another unsuccessful second attempt. This time they were defeated by themselves. The local government banned the hiking in 2003 altogether citing religious and cultural sensitivity.
Once the show finished I headed back to inn in pitch dark. It still drizzle. Look forward to tomorrow morning sunrise.
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