| YUSHU TO CHENGDU and THE THREE GORGES |
| Not quite finished with the mountains, we decided to make our way east from Yushu to Cheng du via the Sichuan-Tibet Highway. We hired a 4WD vehicle and a driver to take us as far as a small city named, GanZi. 2 and a half hours into the rugged ride, we found ourselves wondering if we'd made the right choice to go overland, when suddenly at the Sichuan border, the road was miraculously paved! At our new pace, we passed through more "old west" towns, mainstreets lined with people in traditional dress, selling things, leading a team of yaks, hauling a cart loaded with rebar, or carrying a baby on their back in a basket. Our first stop was a small city named Manigango set in the foothills of the Chola mountain range which would take us over 5050m the following day. Far from the 5-star toilets of Beijing, it was here where we were truly confronted with China's reputed toilet trouble. Our roadside motel housed mainly giant-blue-supply-truck drivers, rooms were orderly with 3 or four beds, there was no bathroom, but there was a giant satellite dish. A quick dinner, a stroll down the main street past outdoor pool halls and shops, and a glimpse at the sun before it set and the next morning we set out to cross the mountains. We stopped at a gorgeous mountain lake about 30 minutes out of town. The shore was dotted with giant Mani stones carved with buddhist scripture in Tibetan calligraphy and in between the rocks roamed yaks of all colors and sizes. From there we headed over the pass which in early September was getting its first dusting of snow. In some ways we were grateful we could not see over the edge of the one-lane high-altitude road until we were substantially lower entering the valley that would lead to Dege. For the first time we were seeing forests(the area we had visited in QingHai was largely deforested) in addition to yaks, nomads, and small villages. In Dege we visited the 300 year-old print house where they produce the prayer flags, by hand!, and also visited a 1500 year-old monastery at the base of the mountains. After trying to engage several shy monks in conversation, to ask about their lives, their religion and history, we took off to spend the day hiking up the neighboring hillside, past the monastery ruins to the top lookout point. Returning over the pass, we were lucky enough to have a sunny day which revealed stunning views of craggy, snow-capped mountain ranges. Cai Ding, our driver, got the hang of pulling over to the side, the minute we grabbed for the camera. By the afternoon we reached an old monastery where we planned to spend the night. We were greeted by the caretaker and two tiny kittens and we lugged our gear up to the second floor room where we would stay. The room was dark, lit only by the sun streaming through the windows, and it was lined with tibetan flat beds draped with tibetan rugs. The woodwork was all ornately painted, some of the walls were painted with frescos, and the first floor roof served as a balcony to look out over the scenery. The DaJie monastery was set on a grassy high river bank surrounded by mountains; the property also had a natural hot springs where the monks would swim. That evening we were served a simple bowl of noodles and struggled to stay awake for a glimpse of the stars. The next morning a few of the monks wandered over to our section of the monastery to get a look at us and try out some broken english. We spent a lazy morning goofing around with the caretaker's grandkids, reading and taking in the view,that afternoon we made our way to a newer monastery up the road, and then we drove on to GanZi. GanZi, like many of the small cities we passed through, seemed to be struggling to modernize. City streets were in disrepair, buildings appeared to be crumbling, but commerce was bustling with marketplaces, storefronts, taxis, and people everywhere. Here we split with our driver; it would be buses the whole way into ChengDu. Having heard all the horror stories of travel in china, we got to the bus station early with our bags. In the dark parking lot, Bill nudged his way to the back of the bus and somehow secured our backpacks to the top of the bus under bags of vegetables and a random piece of machinery. We had the misfortune of sitting behind a row of 3 vomiting monks and a nun for the all-day ride to TaGong. There was quite a bit of smoking and spitting on board which has been the case throughout our travels in China. 2 hours in, not having yet stopped for a pitstop, I was forced to stumble to the front of the bus to request, in chinese, that we do so. Once the bus stopped the driver shouted, "men in front, women in back," at which point nearly every passenger got off the bus in a mad rush to pee! Eight hours later, we arrived in TaGong, a smaller town also bogged down by mainstreet road construction, but struggling to build guest-houses and restaurants in the hopes of becoming a popular tourist stop. Bill amazingly dislodged our bags and we were left in a cloud of exhaust, on the muddy roadside of Tagong, one of the vomiting monks waving goodbye, his head hung out the window. Before we had gathered up our things, a local tibetan woman approached us asking if we would like to stay in her home; she and her sisters ran a small guest house in their upstairs. Up for the adventure, we followed her down a mud rutted alleyway, through quaint gate into a courtyard, and into her classic tibetan home. For two nights we relaxed in TaGong, visited the local monastery, walked the "hello" gauntlet that was the main street, and took a 5-hour horseback ride out into the grasslands. That was particularly cool, not only because of the scenery (mountains in the distance, yaks at our side) but also because we got to visit a nomad tent and drink yak milk tea and stop at a traditional tibetan homestead to share some Tsampa. TaGong to KanDing was another bus ride entirely. A 12-seat mini-bus was packed with 24 people and a dog; and this time a little girl was barfing into a plastic bag in the aisle next to Bill. The road itself, consistently under construction (by hand I might add) since outside GanZi, was slow going, shared with big blue trucks and aggressive 4WD vehicles carrying officials. Kanding was a welcome sight after such a long ride; plus it was our first opportunity for a real shower in several days. We finally made it to ChengDu, capital of Sichuan and checked into a cool little hostel set in a HuTong. For the first time in weeks we were among other foreign travelers and had a chance to share some of our experiences. Everyone agreed that dealing with logistics in China was difficult, that ordering a decent meal was a feat, that the simplest things become complicated and it's not clear why. Even with my chinese (and Bill's, he's progressing at lightning speed) we still find ourselves spending hours trying to find our way to the local market or the post office when it should be under our noses. Talking to other travelers was very reassuring. Besides wanting the opportunity to eat Sichuan food in Sichuan, we came to ChengDu in order to find our way to the infamous Three Gorges. We took a three day trip, second class on a delapidated river boat. We felt like we were famous. Being the only foreigners on the boat, people who had only briefly interacted with us on the bus, on the upper deck, on the hokey tours, would wave, smile and call out when they saw us from afar. The "da ba" (dam) now in place, the Yangtse river is now 135m higher than 2 months ago; we saw staircases and roads descending right into the water where villages are now submerged. 1.3 million people have been relocated. As promised, the river and its surrounding mountainous scenery were beautiful; in particular we enjoyed the side trip to the "lesser three gorges," on the second day. However, the riverside towns that are now submerged are now replaced with hideous 3 year-old cities packed with highrise buildings built well above the 175m projected water level. And, some people who had been there before the dam expressed that the scenery had really suffered. They were, however, quick to point out the 3 benefits of the dam: improved flood control, delivery of electricity, and advancement of commerce through the enlarged waterway that reaches to ShangHai. We have spent more than 2 and a half months in China, we've seen some big cities and we've had the chance to know a remote area. We have improved our chinese and eaten everything under the sun-on the cheap! Now we will make our way to Lhasa in the Tibetan Autonomous Region and then travel overland to Khatmandu. Thanks for reading....see photos! |