Fahni is going the distance from Chengdu to Xi'an

[fahni]

Hey guys! I arrived in Beijing safely and am busy unpacking, washing and remembering the awesome days I spent in Sichuan, Gansu and Shaanxi. But since I know that you are hanging on the edge of your seats, I don't want to keep you waiting any longer for a short primer.

Day 1: Chengdu to Wenchuan

I had arrived in CD at 2300h and checked in at a hotel strategically located right opposite the CD north train station around 100h. I did not sleep too well because I was nervous and so was up early and at the pickup point right on time when they opened their doors (I am german after all). The bike was handed over without any scratches (apart from the right mirror which I had broken on my courtyard door back in Beijing when leaving to check in the bike for shipping) They did not even ask for a storage fee even though the bike stood there for four days! Amazing service!
I knew that the bike still had some drops of gas in the tank and it was visible in the little white plastic tube between tank and carb. The next gas station was just 1km away so it should have been possible to get there without pushing. The only thing was: the bike did not start. I checked the wire to the spark plug: a spark. I kicked away: nothing. I tried jumpstart: nothing. Of course locals tried to help: nothing. So I decided to push the bike to the petrol station and hope for a miracle. Which happened when I crossed a road and by accident touched the starter: there she purred. 200m to the gas station where I filled the tank and my jerry can. I headed back to the hotel and then jumped into the metro to go to Sanfo's CD outlet to by a can of bhutan for my camping stove and a camping mat. Luckily enough, just opposite was a Starbucks for breakfast.

After I returned to the hotel, all I needed to do was put on my gear and pack the bike, which I did. But I was so excited to get going that I forgot about the lock I had put on the back brake disk. I pushed backwards, heard a loud snap and there it lay: the lock in pieces. Filipu: forget the cheapo lock the store threw in for free, it's worthless.

Mileage in CD by fahni, on Picuna


Setup when leaving CD by fahni, on Picuna


Finally, I was on the road. I had decided to first go a little bit into northeastern direction in order to avoid the major traffic axes (is that the plural of axis?) and see some more of the countryside. On my way out of the city I stopped at two bike repair shops to have the tire pressure checked, the chain lubed and to pick up a new (hopefully better) disk lock.

And then, to be honest, I got lost. But it was Nice zig-zagging through the countryside in northwesternly directions in order to get on track to Wenchuan again.

Zig-Zagging the countryside north of CD by fahni, on Picuna

url=http://picuna.com/photo/fields-north-of-CD-39822][/url]
fields north of CD by fahni, on Picuna
I hit a patch of rain for 40 minutes but just when it ended I had found the right road again and was on my way north.

rain in Dujiangyan by fahni, on Picuna


I encountered only one obstacle, a road construction site where traffic was one lane only and to make things worse, a truck had collapsed. A round of cigarette diplomacy and the construction workers let the strange foreigner on the motorbike through ahead of the others. I drove along a huge reservoire, started climbing and was finally on what turned out to be the 5/12 memorial route. on my way I passed brown signs like the one for tourist destinations hinting at sights like "flooded village" or "earthquake cracked rocks".

"flooded village" on the 5.11 memorial road by fahni, on Picuna
The road was perfect blacktop and the most annoying thing were unpatient SUVs overtaking me at the most impossible spots. Finally, at 1900h I arrived at Wenchuan town which is completely rebuild but has a very artificial air to it. I stopped at a small restaurant which also offered rooms . The people were nice, the food was good but all in all not cheap. Two dishes, two beer and one bowl of rice for 90 kuai sounded like a rip-off but I was happy to have finished the first day and settled for bed.

Mileage: 220 km in 6 hours.

[fahni]

Day 2: Wenchuan to Huanglong

I slept quite sound but finally woke up from the truck horns blasting on the road opposite of my front door. I quickly packed my stuff and carried it downstairs. The restaurant staff had been friendly enough to allow me put my bike into the restaurant room overnight but had strangely enough forgotten to lock the door. So I pushed the bike outside and fixed my gear before I woke up the owner and settled the bill. I returned to the city center 2 km back and took some snapshots. The city looks nice enough and the whole reconstruction effort (including houses, roads, bridges, tunnels and public buildings) is truly impressive. I just hope construction quality, especially of school buildings, is better than last time. What surprised me is that they even reconstructed the traditional Tibetan village towers (the purpose of which has yet not been fully uncovered).

Happy Tibetans Statue by fahni, on Picuna

Tibetan style reconstruction by fahni, on Picuna

Not so tibetan style by fahni, on Picuna

housing projects by fahni, on Picuna




I had some fried rice at a restaurant tended by some giggling teenage girls and after that got some mianfei lube job for my chain before I hit the road in earnest. The road from Wenchuan to Songpan is beautiful and follows the flow of a river.

more towers by fahni, on Picuna
On my way I saw two groups of touring bikers coming towards me on big bore touring bikes, so the route seems to be quite popular.

more mountainous by fahni, on Picuna

I played catch with a mid-sized truck which was carrying a truck of exactly the same model on his back until I reached Songpan.

first yaks by fahni, on Picuna

Songpan by fahni, on Picuna


Just after Songpan there was the first toll gate and not quite sure what the situation is like in Sichuan, I lined up just to earn a confused smile from the clerk before she told me motorbikes are not charged and waved me through. It took me two tries to find the correct road to Huanglong. But as soon as I found it, I started climbing.

start of the pass to Huanglong by fahni, on Picuna

The bike had been slightly sputtering for the last 50 km which I had attributed to the altitude. And I had not been wrong because instantly, this sputtering became more severe and I lost more and more power as I climbed higher. The road to the Pass is not that long and at the beginning there is this very nice view of a small monastery.

Tibetan monastry along the way by fahni, on Picuna

I continued climbing and the view widened. I stopped for a picture and climbed a few meters by foot to have an even better view. By that time I must have been at around 3700m above sea level and I felt it hard. These few steps cost me a lot of breath. I decided to smoke a cigarette to train my lungs to live with even less oxygen before I proceeded. When I had reached the summit I felt quite cold and the bike had lost a lot of her puff. I hopped off the bike to put on my down jacket and change to winter gloves when I was spotted by a group of american tourists who had flown in from Chengdu (there is a new airport just down the mountain) just an hour before and were probably even more struggling with the thin air than I was. Three of the men had a look at the bike and could not believe I was doing such a tour on a 150cc. But after all, I had made it to the top of the pass which - with just under 4000m (damn!) - was supposed to be the highest point of my journey.

top of the pass to Huanglong by fahni, on Picuna

down I go by fahni, on Picuna

I headed downhill on the other side but could not evade a thunderstorm anymore. I stopped, took out my rain gear, put it on (by that time there was already hail) put the raincovers on the saddle bags, started riding again - and the thunderstorm was over...

A little latter I reached the valley and drove by the entrance to Huanglong Natural park, the ticket office, the cable car building, a few big hotels, a few shops and found myself alone on the road in the middle of a beautiful alpine forest. So I took the first path into the forest on my right and after 200 m found a perfect camping spot. I unloaded my gear and decided to head back to stock up on supplies (beer) for the night. When I reached what I had thought was a supermarket ("Dicos") it turned out to be a KFC clone. That was fine with me. I had a set lunch, bought beers and some water on my way back to camp alpha and started to put up camp.

camp alpha by fahni, on Picuna

I had just set up my cheap one-man tent and stored my gear when it started raining again. Nothing serious, just rain with a little thunder thrown in for good measure. But it turned out that my tent is not really designed for rainy conditions (WTF?) It was not dripping through but the material got VERY wet on the inside.
Still, I was fine, reading a little, sipping beer and after nightfall listened to some podcasts until I fell asleep.

after the storm by fahni, on Picuna

[prince666]

nice report Thank you for posting looking forward to reading more drive safe drive well


steve

[milton]

Good stuff. Thanks for sharing.
Three of us will make a trip in 2 weeks in the general area you visited, so this is really very informative.

Keep up the good writing.

Cheers!

[fahni]

Good stuff. Thanks for sharing.
Three of us will make a trip in 2 weeks in the general area you visited, so this is really very informative.

Keep up the good writing.

Cheers!

Hey Milton, thanks. If you need more information or tracks, just PM me.

[fahni]

Day 3: Huanglong and back to Songpan

I did not sleep too well. There was some more rain during the night and the ground was pretty hard to lie on. I decided to get up around 5:30 and made myself some coffee after which I started to pack my things. I arrived at the ticket counter around 7:30 and had a Chinese breakfast at a small restaurant nearby. At 800h I was the first to buy a ticket for the Huanglong park and the cable car (200+80 kuai) which took me to the hill stationin approx. 15 minutes. There everything was misty and quiet. I walked along the boardwalk and enjoyed the pristine mountain forests around me until I reached the first group of the famous azure-blue ponds where some tourists had already arrived and the sun broke through the clouds. I enjoyed the beauty of the park a lot but will not bore you with too many pictures. If you are in the area: Huang Long is definitely worth a visit.

The upper ponds by fahni, on Picuna


The yellow dragon temple by fahni, on Picuna


the temple from afar by fahni, on Picuna


the buddhist temple further down by fahni, on Picuna


waterfall by fahni, on Picuna


happy I brought my own camera by fahni, on Picuna


and someone else brought his cameras too by fahni, on Picuna








I was at the exit at about 1400h and took the shuttle bus back to where my bike was parked. I fetched my gear from the small restaurant, packed and started out to cross the pass back to Songpan once more. I had the same problems/difficulties with the bike as the day before but was less worried since I already knew she would make it in the end. On one lookout platform on my way down, I met a group of three guys and one woman on motorbikes who were from Jilin and on their way to Yunnan. That must be an amazing trip and they scheduled 40 days for it, 25 they had already spent on the road.

herders and in the background the road downhill by fahni, on Picuna


bikers by fahni, on Picuna




When I came down the hill, I decided to make a short detour and have a look at the small monastery I had seen the day before and which lured this day again. It was not difficult to find the road and when I arrived there was one monk and some workers in the yard in front of the main hall.


the little monastery by fahni, on Picuna


main hall with workers and monk by fahni, on Picuna

I asked if I could see the inside and the monk was happy to show me around.

peep into the prayer hall by fahni, on Picuna


He gave me three incense sticks, lit them and guided me counterclockwise through the prayer hall where I had to bow three times before every Buddhist statue while he was chanting his mantras. After that, I knew my journey was blessed:-)

The monk told me the monastery had been established 40 years ago as a compensation for damages that had been inflicted upon another monastery further away (to which the other 90 monks had travelled, which was the reason why it was so empty). I left 5 kuai as a donation in front of the main Buddha thanked the monk and left.

shed nearby by fahni, on Picuna

When I returned to Songpan I drove by the sign for the “Old House Hostel” about which I had read in Tripadvisor and checked in there. I hanged out my tent to dry and ventured into the city. I passed by a massage place and got a traditional Tibetan massage (which felt a lot like Shiatsu) from a blind masseur and then had dinner before I headed back to the hostel and settled for bed.

[felix]

Hey man great to see some pics to prove you weren't bullshitting about your ride! looks brilliant.

Was great to have you in xi'an, hope to meet again on another adventure!

[fahni]

Hey, picked up my bike today and noticed on my way home that it is actually in terrible condition. Hope I can get the tires, the chain and the oil changed until Saturday for the next rideout...

Day 4: Songpan to Zoige

I slept quite well and was up early again, had my breakfast for champions (Nescafe and a snickers) before I saddled my stud and headed north around 8 a.m.

bike-friendly old house hostel in Songpan by fahni, on Picuna


small islamic vilage north of Songpan by fahni, on Picuna

The road led in north-eastern direction along mountains and the meadows in between already gave an impression what would await me in the grass-/wetlands north of Zoige.

the view is getting wider by fahni, on Picuna

The road was nice blacktop which gained height steadily but without any major climbs. Suddenly, sometime after the road had headed east I saw this:

holiday inn, anyone? by fahni, on Picuna

A short time later there was another Hotel comprising of Tibetan style stone houses complete with verandas and rooftop terraces. And then sometime later I passed by this “village”.

the strange tibetan village by fahni, on Picuna


It looked nice and original but was completely deserted and I guess it is just some other fake Tibetan style tourist attraction.

it is getting wetter by fahni, on Picuna

I reached the entrance of Jiuzhaigou at around 10:30 and had some Yak-Meat dish which was delicious.

tibetan houses close to Jiuzhaigou by fahni, on Picuna

I had no intention of visiting Jiuzhaigou park but proceeded past the park entrance and took a street in northerly direction along the Black River (Heihe 黑河).

landscape along the Black River by fahni, on Picuna

This was a really nice twisty mountain road with very little traffic which followed the flow of the river but still going was not fast because after every turn there could be a small rock slide.

the road wasn't always that bad by fahni, on Picuna


sometimes it was worse by fahni, on Picuna


This became more and more severe until suddenly the road went in needle pins up the mountain. The road surface was ok but then I hit road construction up the hill. There was no congestion but very difficult road conditions. At one time I followed an SUV into a tunnel. I had not paid attention, the tunnel was still in construction and not drained. So I waded after the SUV through muddy puddles and had only the SUV in front of me as a yardstick on how deep the puddles might be. Pretty deep. I guess the deepest point was between 40-50 cm and the whole tunnel was probably 400m long (at least it felt like 400m). It was the first time I had to go through water and I was happy that I did not drop the bike and apart from water in my boots everything was fine when I reached the light at the end.

after the tunnel by fahni, on Picuna


and a side shot by fahni, on Picuna


From there on, I continued to follow the SUV downhill and enjoyed the nice views in a wonderful small valley.

the valley by fahni, on Picuna


almost perfect... by fahni, on Picuna


...and winding road by fahni, on Picuna


tombs by fahni, on Picuna


water-powered prayer wheel by fahni, on Picuna




After about another 50 km I started climbing again with the usual hickups of my engine (average altitude was about 3400 m) until I stopped for a driver discharge break. Suddenly a group of people crawled out of the bushes further down and it turned out to be three American birdwatchers on a tour guided by the bird-watching association of Chengdu. We started to chat and it was nice for me to talk to the guide who had participated in an expert exchange I had helped to organize last autumn. They climbed into a jeep parked further up the road and off they went for Zoige. The sky had darkened and I put on my rain gear as a precautionary measure before I continued the last km to the top of the pass. After that, the road did not loose a lot of altitude but entered the immense grass-/wetlands of Zoige/Nuoergai. It really started to rain soon enough so I just shortly stopped at a petrol station before driving into the small city of Zoige. I drove around for 10 minutes, stopped at a small hotel where I took a room for 80 kuai and finished my registration formalities under the watchful eyes of a policeman who was lingering around in the lobby. Just when I crashed in my room and wanted to take a shower they shuit the water for thewhole city block due to construction works on the pipings in the streets. So I went for dinner (Lamian) in a nearby restaurant before I returned to the room (still no water), scribbled down my notes on the events of the day and went to bed.

Mileage for day 4: 309km in 10 hours

[filipu]

great photos Fahni!

[fahni]

Thanks Filipu, I can't imagine the pix my GF would have shot...