Garze to Mazi – Day 97

Pat had followed the S217 down to Litang, while we were to take the most direct route to Kangding, the G317. Christine (Meowzedong) had warned us about a seriously bad road on the way back to Chengdu from Garze. We didn’t know which one it was, but I would have like to have avoided it as it was a very uncomfortable 18 hour drive in a 4WD for her. What would it be like for us? Hopefully we could make Kangding, 290 kilometres away.



A breakfast shop owner said that some people had scattered poltcal leaflets in the main streets of Garzi, so assorted patrols and vehicles were out and about.

We visited the Garze monastery which is about 540 years old and overlooks Garze. Parts of it had been destroyed during the cultural revolution and has since been restored in Han Chinese style.





Roadworks diverted us down country lanes and through villages until we came to the G317 again. Potholes and mud made going rather slow.







After Luhuo, there was about 20 kilometres of tarmac, then started the gravel and roadwork blockages.
Apparently, whoever was in charge of maintaining the road, decided that it was a good idea to tear up the whole length of the road before starting to repave at any point, instead of completing small sections at a time. We only managed to do 177 kilometres in the day. It was obvious by 6.30 that we wouldn’t be making to Kangding so we stopped in Mazi. It looked as though we had taken the road Christine had advised us not to. Pat later told me that the road that he took, the S217, wasn’t much better.

Lulu had asked the hostel owner if there was a hot spring around somewhere and we went off down the road to find it. It was supposed to be about 2 kilometres down the road, which turned into 5, which turned into 10. We asked some locals, but often what they said confused us more. After 2 hours of driving in the dark, cold night we couldn’t find it and I gave up.