My Travel Experience and Itinery in Western Part of Si Chuan

Well, here is my long waited travel journal for Si Chuan:

We left Zhong Dian on 25/6/05, early in the morning by bus (16 hrs journery) to Dao Cheng (an old Tibetan province). The journery was truly an adventure one. Not only was it tiring but our bus actually got strucked in the mud couple of times, so much so that all the men in the bus were called to go down to help push the bus. As we are traveling through the mountain and some parts of the mountain is actually quite steep and narrow, and being seated by the window seat looking down, it can be quite a fearful experience. The bus was also overpacked to it's over maximum capacity, and many of the passenger smoke, much more we had a dirty old man in the bus, who keep trying to create conversation and flirted with us and at a point actually used his feet to stroke on Shaz's leg - yucks! We had a kid on board and he was traveling alone sitting near the driver (not a good seat for him cos most of the people around him smoked) he vomitted couple of times. I offered him my life saver - medicated oil, instead of him using it, the people around him started using it, too. I asked those smoker if they can stop smoking or blow their smoke out of the window, to have a consideration for us non-smoker, as well as the boy who is suffering (that's Joy speak out whenever you have to - well to some extent it works for me - they actually do as I said - at least for a while). Well, despite the tiresome and eventful journey, I enjoyed the beautiful scenery along the way.

Better still, I got to meet up with a young newly wed Chinese couple from Xian (Bin Bin and Cheng Xin), who are on their honeymoon, and they were actually on their way to Yading (a natural national park - where the 3 holy mountain of Tibet locate). I thanked God for another opportunity to meet the right people in my journey. This was because I wanted to go the Yading but Shaz wasn't interested - she not into hiking. I was quite apprehensive, not sure if I should go alone instead, but God is good, he sent this couple to accompany me for a 2 days hike up to the mountain, priase God.
Cheng was very excited about Yading, as he is a photo enthusiat, and he really wanted to capture the sunset and sunrise of the famous mountian. He is also a pro camper, and was very equipped all his camping stove etc for the journey.

After a night stay at Dao Cheng (a very quiet and listless town - not much excitement there), Shaz took the early morning bus to go up to Litang (a old Tibetan province about 4000m high in altitude) to wait for me. While the 3 of us, met up with our van driver to bring us up to the foot of Yading (about 3 - 4 hrs journey ride). We hiked up to about 4900m high in altitude, I was getting dizzy and breathless, becos of the altitude sickness. We took it slowly and I was very determind to make it by foot up to our camp site. It was a real treat when we reached our destination, we gotta see the 3 majestic icy mountain (clear from cloud) and the spectacular view of the grassland, yaks and Tibet tent surround it. We cooked our sumptous dinner by the river in the cold windy weather. Then we checked ourself into a Tibetan camp tent (Y50 per person - extremly expensive) for a night.
I wondered how could anyone stayed up here during winter time, now in summer time was already so cold in the night and morning (I salute to them).

Next day 27/6/05 - we made our way back to Dao Cheng in the evening (a very long story to share - cos we were supposed to meet our driver 5 hrs earlier - but we were very late), whereby I intent to travel up to Litang to meet up with Shaz and both my Xian couple will make their way back to Zhong Dian and to the Tiger Leaping Gorge (what a couple, choose to have a strenous and energy exhaust trip for their honeymoon). When we reached Dao Cheng, it was very late already, so we checked ourselves into a cheap (Y10) hotel. The whole place smells, even our bedsheet, but since it's only for 4-5 hours we decided to bear with it - to save some cash.

On 28/6/05, after bidding our farewells, I was on my way to Litang and I truly enjoyed the beautiful scenery along the way, great green pasture and beautiful hills and valley. I reached Litang at about 8am (much earlier than expected), met up with Shaz near the bus station, had our morning breakfast (egg soup with green vegetable - I like it - taste nice).
After checking into the hotel, I had my Y5 bath (never feel that good about bathing) I had not been bathing for about 3 days and badly needed one - Most Tibet don't bath (maybe once a month at the most). We went out for a walk, met Mia and Catlin again while walking, we decided to meet up together for dinner later in the evening. Again feeling abit dizzy (reaction of high alitiude) decided to go back to hostel to rest for couple of hours. After dinner with our 2 Australian friends, I need to go for my knee bandage dressing. So I asked around and took a cab to the nearest almost look like deserted hospital to get my dressing done. I really prayed that my skin will grow back faster, so that I will not have to go around looking for hospital to get new dressing (it can be quite troublesome), but yet visiting the different hosiptal can be quite an experience too.

I only need to stay in Litang for 1 days to it all (cos there is nothing much to do there). Next day morning we took the long distance bus up to Kanding (8hrs) and from Kanding to Cheng Du (7hrs). when we reached Cheng Du, it was already very late 11pm and we had a friend Yang Rong came to fetch us to the YHA hostel (we met her when we were in Kunming) She is a helpful and friendly modern single chinese woman - quitted her job and has been traveling parts of China too, she met her new Dutch boyfriend while in Kunming. Hmm, we were actually supposed to put up at her place (she offered when we met in Kunming) but her boyfriend reached here first, hah...

In Chengdu, we did not do much except for window shopping and taking bus around to see the city. One very common sight was that, you will get to see men taking off their top to show off their pot belly, bicep and tricep, cos the weather was so hot and dry (rather unbearable). We managed to get our air ticket to Beijing at a 60% discount price, I am amaze at how the air ticket discount system works, but anyway we were happy that we need not have to slog for the over 30 hrs of train journey to Beijing and got to spend another day in Chengdu.

As ZhuJiaJiang past water irrigation system site is one of the toursit attraction and must see here in Chengdu, I decided to make a trip down, while Shaz decide to stay at hostel to wait for me. Over at ZJJ, I was quite impressed with the surrounding and the rapid of the the riverflows and the way the water irrigation works in the past to prevent flood into the province and yet provide water fro the people. The muesem recorded many of the political leader from various countries who have visit the site. One of them is of course our former Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong - but sadly his name was mispelled. Well, what can I say, this is China.

Next day 2/7/05, we flew to Beijing and check into ZhaoLong YHA hostel (very nice hostel) quite late in the night. Am excited about the next morning 3/7/05, cos I get to see my new Nikon 7900 camera (had it posted to Fu Zheng - friend in Beijing), meet up with our dear busy bee Fu Zheng, and to embark on our journey Mongolia (to met up with our agent Terelog).
Will share about our journey to Monoglia.

my email: joydive@gmail.com