Western Sichuan: From Chengdu to Gongga Shan

A while ago I made a 10-day trip from Shanghai to Chengdu 成都. There were some "epic moments" in that trip, as reported in my RR at: http://www.mychinamoto.com/forums/sh...-Yangtze-River

I left my bike in Chengdu at the end. On 9/30th I flew back to Chengdu and picked up where I left off. I did another 5-day trip from Chengdu to the foot of Gongga Shan 贡嘎山, passing thru Xinduqiao 新都桥. After the second trip I shipped the bike back to Shanghai and got busy. But western Sichuan is so beautiful and impressive that I feel compelled to finish this RR. Writing it also gives me the much needed distraction from all the mechanical problems of my Jialing, of which the stalling is worse than ever right now. (Our 998S just announced that he had cracked the "code". I will get my bike back soon and hopefully do more trips.)

Western Sichuan impression:
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Gongga Shan in Tibetan means "the highest snow mountain", known for its year around snow-capped peak at 7556m and unwillingness of showing its great beauty to visitors. It is not uncommon for people visiting Gongga Shan numerous times without the luck of viewing the peak, which doesn't seem to stop people from trying though. Not knowing many people in Chengdu, I made a few friends through the motorfans.com.cn forum and organized the trip with 2 other Chendgu locals. Sichuan province has very diverse climate created by its many mountain ranges of high altitude. Heading west along G318, one would ascend from about 500m in Chengdu to over 4000m or 5000m all the way to Lhasa 拉萨, Tibet. Typically when going over a mountain of significant height, the climate would change abruptly with dramatic transition of landscapes before and after the peak. According to the diagram below, which starts at Chengdu going along guodao G318, there are many high elevation mountains to climb over in order to reach Lhasa:

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Xinduqiao 新都桥 is only the humble beginning of this road to Lhasa but its height is respectful and the terrain is similar to Tibet only a bit greener and less baren. From Chengdu to Xinduqiao, there are 2 dividing mountain ridges: Erlang Shan 二郎山 and Zhedo Shan 折多山. In less than 500 km one can observe some sharp changes of climate and experience the great beauty of the landscape on the other side of the Zheduo Shan closer to Tibet. It is a highly cost effective way to get a taste of high altitude sickness without actually leaving Sichuan, which is what we did.


Picking up my bike in Chengdu on the 30th of September, I headed out for Ya'an 雅安 immediately. My bike was in reasonable running condition but the rear brake pads were completely worn out to my dismay. So I did my trip in next 5 days without a rear brake. At Ya'an I was joined by 2 other fellow riders. They are Chengdu residents and know their province intimately from their past rides through western Sichuan. I will name them R1 and R2 here due to their lack of identity in this forum. R1 rides a China-made "scooter", a knockoff of water cooled Honda PS250. He goes everywhere with it. Very low in its center of mass, it's stable and not afraid of rough roads, muds, potholes, with only occasional bottoming out as long as you don't go too fast on rough roads. It is an amazing machine.

http://www.motorfans.com.cn/bbs/atta...&checkid=0452b

Once passed Ya'an 雅安, during national holidays, G318 is full of traffic and unavoidably traffic jams. G318 had pretty much turned into a parking lot, with automobiles lining the road bumper to bumper for miles on end. It wasn't a pretty sight. This was when our motorcycles showed their superiority as touring vehicles. We zig-zagged around and through the gridlocks quite efficiently and left those poor stationary cars in the dust. The following is a less crowded section of G318:

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The first high mountain Erlang Shan wasn't much of a challenge any more, helped by a long tunnel going underneath it. This is a photo op not easily resisted:

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The scenery was only ok after the tunnel:

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According to some news report there is a 25 km bad road under repair between Luding 泸定 and Kangding 康定 so we took a detour after Luding heading south toward Shimian 石棉 and made a right at Hailuogou, then wound around back north to G318 and Kangding. It was about 60 km longer but offered some interesting sights:

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A touristy town Hailuogou 海卢沟:

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We had to climb over a mountain ridge through the customary mist and cold rain. A large area full of stones covered in red moss:

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We reached Kangding late, wet and cold. We had a late supper and were shocked by the cost of lodging in Kangding. We were told before we left Chengdu that it was bad, but never were we to think that it was that bad. We couldn't find anything in Kangding less than 600 rmb, which is probably 5 times its normal rate prior to the holidays. Even the hostel tailored to backpackers asked for 80 rmb for a bunk, which was usually 25 before the rush. All lodgings less than 600 are completely out when we got there. The man running the backpackers' hostel was gracious enough to allow my fellow riders to camp in the yard of his facility. I was not equipped for camping but fortunately found a Tibetan family willing to take me in for 100 rmb a night. I was given a large room with a large bed piled with many pillows, which looked like the proprietors' own room. The owner was hospitable and tried to involve me in some mandarin conversation which I enjoyed through her thick Tibetan accent. I had my first taste of the famous Tibetan Suyoucha, which was greasy, salty and not quite my idea of a tea. The owner does her cooking in the room without running water except a water bucket, from which I did my washing:

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On the wall the owner proudly displayed the award bestowed on her son received in a drawing competition, by the wording on which it was actually a nationwide competition. His winning picture was titled "spider". Its original was never returned to her. I hope the award winning picture is still hanging somewhere:

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Next morning I was surprised to see the back of a glorious Tibetan temple right outside of my window. R1 and R2 also got up early and wanted to press on so I never did get to see the front of the temple, regrettably.

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Right after leaving Kangding, we were met by Zeduo Shan, at 4290m, the first high mountain that we must ride over. Almost always Zeduo Shan was belted by clouds, which made very poor visibility when we rode into it. We couldn't see much at the peak, even though there was a lookout platform offered there. Then the temperature really dropped and we found ourselves in the middle of a snow squall. The snow fortunately did not accumulate. However it was still a scare and the poor visibility forced a snail pace on all the vehicles.

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Decending from Zeduo Shan, the climate changed completely. It is very satisfying to see the peaks of the Zeduo Shan after we conquered them. Peaks of Zeduo shan in the cloud:

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After Zeduo Shan, the rolling moorlands in high elevation are in full display. It is mostly frozen and frigid for over half of the year and inhabitated mostly by Tibetans, too difficult for Han people I guess. The harsh environment compresses the lives of Tibetans into bare essentials, surviving mostly on simple sheep or yak farming and practicing religion as the most important part of their life. Even in areas where tourism is rapidly replacing their old way of living, religion reigns supreme. The simplicity and beauty of their lives is very far removed from the hussle and bustle of our big cities. And the scenery is just stunning. It is big sky country, with high mountains falling into unspoiled icy rivers among rolling hills in grassy yellow. It is hard not to be affected by the spiritual side of the landscape and culture. I don't know if my altitude sickness had anything to do with it, I just felt deeply moved by the sights, the people, cute little children with begrimed faces saluting us on the roadside and the inscription on the mountain slopes repeating the same Buddha's teaching.

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The roads were studded with stupas of various sizes. Belivers walk around it for their daily prayers.

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There is one sitting smack in the middle of a river. I was wondering how the "walking prayer" could be carried out here:

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Water powered praying wheels:

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This is motorcycling at its best: the steed, the road, the fantastic scenery in a spiritual land:

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Once we passed the Xinduqiao, we took S215 going south. The scenery on the first part of S215 was spectacular, which made us regret that we wasted so much time on the roadside taking pictures when first getting off Zhedu Shan, which offered pretty much the same terrain but not as clean cut and peaceful as that latter section on S215. There is a curious thing about Tibetan houses. They are uniformly new and good looking, with many new constructions going on. There is nothing run down about it, which definitely doesn't reflect the economic condition of Tibetans. I just don't understand how those large houses are financed. I wonder if Wenchuan 汶川 earthquake has anything to do with it.


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A lucky encounter with a rainbow:


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The little touristy town of Sha'de 沙德:

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Then there were about 25km of unpaved road before getting to Shangmuju 上木居, the staging area for our climb, which was not too bad but we couldn't go fast on them. The peak we came to see was Gongga mountain, "the highest snow mountain" at 7556 m high. In order to see it, one must get to one of the "yakou's" 垭口, meaning "narrow mountain pass". The one we intent to ride up to is Zimei yakou子梅垭口, at roughly 4200 m, which is about 10km from the "photographers' base" where I stayed.

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It is quite cold outside. The life inside of the "base" centers around the kitchen/family room, with a wood burning stove used for both cooking and heating:

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The plan was for my fellow riders going up to Zimei yakou first to check if there were ways for me to stay up there overnight, as we were told there might be tent space for rent up at the Yakou. So I stayed at the "photographers' base" with a gracious Tibetan family and some guests who came in one day earlier on SUVs. They actually went up to Zimei yakou but didn't see a thing due to dense clouds and mists. 2 hours later R2 came back disappointed, not able to get to the Yakou due to very steep and poor road conditions. One of his getoffs clipped his confidence. R1 continued his ascend, according to R2. Needless to say, I quickly gave up my plan of getting up the Yakou, as my JH600 of 210kg was not an easy thing to pick up after a spill, especially at that kind of altitude. I also reminded myself that I had no rear brake. So I wisely stayed at the "photographers' base" and took a few pictures:

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The wall for drying out the organic "fuel",

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A Kawi knockoff:

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Came next morning R1 was nowhere to find and the cell phone had no signal. We waited until around 9:30, left a note to R1 with the binguan owner, and took off on our own. R1 is usually faster in his pace so we were pretty sure he'd be able to catch up with us later. It turned out, after getting up to Yakou through great difficulty, he was trapped on the Yakou by snows. However, his venture onto the yakou was handsomely rewarded. There was a 8 minutes span of open visibility that briefly allowed a peep to the top part of "the highest snow mountain". Although the peek was not fully revealed, it was more than most people have ever seen after many visits, as I was told by local people. This fact also added more mystery about the Gongga Shan.

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R1 did not sleep well in his snow-covered tent, shiveering throughout the frigid night fully clothed including even his helmet. He came down the peak by walking the bike through frozen trails, with a Tibetan helping out with a rope pulling behind him to prevent the scooter from falling off the clliff, as the road was in no condition to ride on. I'd say I made a correct decision not to have attempt it the night before, but nonetheless it was a setback for me. I swore that I would be back with a lighter bike next year.

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R1 re-established contact with us about Kangding and we all took the 25 miles of bad road to reach Luding. The road work was terrible, but the scenery was redeeming:

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In Luding, R1 and R2 couldn't find appropriate accommodation at reasonable price and were sick of camping, they decided to do a night ride back to Chengdu. I was not crazy enough to join in so I stayed in Luding after finding a room at 160 rmb, probably the last inexpensive one in town. Luding is totally devoid of charm, with bingguan owners hovering the main street at night like vultures looking for late arrivals for a kill. Given the all across-the-board traffic jams, there was no shortage of unlucky preys for them to take advantage of. I just wanted a decent sleep so I could get away early. As planned, I got up early next day at around 6 am, forgetting the fact that this was not exactly the same 6 am in Shanghai, as there is only one time zone in China and Sichuan is way out west. It was pitch dark at 6 am in Luding, comparable to 4 am in Shanghai, with all the streets empty of traffic. At Erlang Shan, I had the whole tunnel to myself. The empty tunnel entrance was a far cry from the bustling crowd which I came across just 2 days earlier on my way in:

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The whole G318 was practically my own without much of anything, which was just fine for a solo rider like me and suited the wet and tricky road condition.

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Since I was traveling alone, I had the freedom of stopping whenever I wanted. Close to Ya'an there is this small village obviously known for its wild fishes and semi-wild fishes raised in baskets immersed in cold mountain stream. At 60 rmb, I had a big dinner with a fish weighing over 1.2 kg, almost 3 pounds, the smallest the proprietor could offer. It was cooked with Chinese sauerkraut. At that size the meat was a bit gamey but absolutely delicious. I couldn't quite finish it.

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The fruit stands offered the sweetest kiwi I've ever tasted. I also got to chat with a couple on bicycles and admired their stamina greatly.


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Passing Mingshan 明山, the famous tea producing area that I heard quite a bit about in Shanghai:

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A public safety poster, advising people seeking hospital care for their tubercolosis, which obviously has not been completely eradicated in China:

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At some country market, miracle cures for any kind of illness in the book:

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Herbal tonic if you are not ill:

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After getting back to Chengdu, I had a chance to look around in downtown and visited many restaurants for local delicacies. Chengdu just made available its first subway line. People going in droves to try out the subway route #1. The subway station at Tianfu Plaza 天府广场, heart of Chengdu:

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Chai*r*m*an soon to be obscured by jets of water:

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The plan for after arriving was to push up the bike to CRE, the China Railway Engineering Corporation, and had it shipped back to Shanghai. Unfortunately for some reason the guy at the Chengdu CRE did not offer similar rate as other places. The quote was around 1250 rmb without a shipping container, which is odd, comparing with the 500 rmb Motokai paid to get his bike to Beijing and 750 rmb some others paid for getting to Kunming from Shanghai. Surrounded by a large number of huangniu, I failed to reason with the guy and ended up shipping it through a private shipping company, which offers a customer container, over 50 outlets in Shanghai for pickup and added insurance.

I took a flight back to Shanghai late that day, fully convinced that I will be back for more next year.

Great story and photos.Thanks for sharing.

wow! excellent narrative and photos too! the photo of the rainbow, blessed moment, and the one of the PS250 scooter copy covered in snow absolutely brilliant. What did it cost then to ship via a freight company Chengdu-SH, compared to the CRE?

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Originally Posted by bikerdoc

。。。 What did it cost then to ship via a freight company Chengdu-SH, compared to the CRE?

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It cost me 1300 rmb. As you can see the CRE rate was just too high to accept.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by milton

This is motorcycling at its best: the steed, the road, the fantastic scenery in a spiritual land

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Milton,

Another fantastic ride report full of adventure. I'm always jealous of people that get to ride in Sichuan. I think you could spend years traveling there and not get bored. We get so few ride reports on the forum, thanks for spending the time to share this. :clap:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by milton

just don't understand how those large houses are financed. I wonder if Wenchuan earthquake has anything to do with it.

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I was just talking to Felix yesterday about the difference between the drab, tiled, concrete shit holes the Han have built all over this country and how poor the quality is compared to the beauty and durability of what the Tibetans build. As far as I know, the locals are being payed off in an attempt to promote "harmony". That is how it was explained to us when we talked with several people during our trip in 2010.

Cheers!
ChinaV

man, if we were there, probably you would go to that snow peak :)

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Originally Posted by fons

man, if we were there, probably you would go to that snow peak :)

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Certainly. Nothing could have stopped us after our experience in Hubei, that hellish 4 hours struggling for 5 km. But then we havn't done any snows.

Hey Milton,

Thanks for sharing your pics.

Remind me wonderful memories. West Sichuan is a fantastic region, can't wait for my next trip there!

Cheers

Brice

Lovely photos and report of some old stomping grounds. Some of the best riding int he world right there... wish it was in all our back yards!!!

CC

wonderful trip and photo report, I've read it and laughted several times !

we shall ride again to there, also visit our friends located in the Dan Ba region, someone call it "heaven place"...

be far from the commercial world and crowded city is always a fun for motorcycliste, let's make it by 2 wheells then.

Milton,
Great report. It has further whetted my appetite for Chinese Moto travel.
Regards Whitworth

Great report! Really nice pictures!