Few weeks in South West China

[Brice]

Tibet looks amazing. It is a shame you were poorly.

Keep em coming!

Technically this is not Tibet but West Sichuan which is mostly populated with Tibetan ethnic people or related.

This area was part of Tibet before 1949.

[Brice]

Tooo bad your not in PURU , you could have chewed up some Coca leaves for your sickness . Strong doses of antihystemins are supposed to help too with
the altitude . Lets see , your in Tibet or China, home of all Medicines and they have no altitude sickness remedy ? Hmmmm? Did you ask any pharmacist for the cure yet ? 3rd time there , and you are dealing with it three times now ? Why ?

Later, cool pics . Snortin

I avoid pills or whatever as much as possible. If I had stayed 3 or 4 days the altitude sickness will have disappear, time for the body to acclimate.

[CrazyCarl]

Yes It was too late in the season to really enjoy the area.

Yes the road is open since end of Olympics. There were some checkpoints but I don't bother to stop and they don't bother to stop me.

That's great news! Could you have gone past Litang into Tibet?

CC

[Brice]

That's great news! Could you have gone past Litang into Tibet?

CC

I don't see why the road up to Batang (border town with Tibet) won't be open as well. I've been there last year coming from the north.

It should be possible to sneak in Tibet since they do not really care about bikes but legally it is forbidden unless you have the requested permit which is never delivered to unaccompanied bikers if I remember well.

The main issue right now is not the checkpoints but the weather.

[CrazyCarl]

The main issue right now is not the checkpoints but the weather.

That's great news for other travelers!

Looking forward to you next update!

CC

[Brice]

Litang marks a change in the trip. This is the beginning of the return to home, 3000km away.
After 3 weeks riding north then west, I'm going south to Yunnan that I'll reach Tomorrow afternoon.


The sun is present but not enough strong to provide any warm. This short ride of 250km and 6 hours will be the coldest of the whole journey. Later, I have the surprise to see the nails of my big toes turning violet, beginning of a frostbite. Contrary to the rest of the body, I didn't feel any cold in my feet and I expected the two pairs of socks to be enough.



Tuer Mountain. Tuer means to kill in French. Very appropriate name considering the temperature!


The Chinese way to cheer up when taking pictures.


It is cold but I still enjoy the view. It was the purpose of this little jaunt, riding alone in unforgettable landscapes.














XiangCheng, last city before Yunnan, where I'll stay one night.








I come from this small road on the other side of the valley.


A fabulous dirt road all for me.








My last 4000m pass of the trip.





It's lunch time, first stop of the day. One of the girls in this restaurant insists to go with me to Zhongdian. I reply politely but firmly that I travel alone and there is no room for her on the bike. Resigned she asks if I'm married, how is my wife, have kids, blah blah.
Hey lonely riders, there is a heart to catch in this mountain...






In the afternoon later, another stop for a drink, I'm in Yunnan.


In a north facing turn, I'm surprised by some ice.


No big damage just the gear foot lever twisted.



Zhongdian will be my home for the next 2 days. Some inventive marketing local guys have renamed the city "Shangri La" like the legendary city of James Hilton's novel. If Shangri La wasn't the fruit of an author imagination, it should be located appropriately in Kashmir or north Pakistan.



To be continued...

[HansP]

Awesome story!

How's the possibility for a non-resident foreigner to purchase a chinese registred bike and go for a ride for, say, 2-3 months?

[Brice]

Awesome story!

How's the possibility for a non-resident foreigner to purchase a chinese registred bike and go for a ride for, say, 2-3 months?

Do some search on this forum or http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/ on the subject. There is no definitive answer and all depend of what you are ready to do.

[CrazyCarl]

Awesome story!

How's the possibility for a non-resident foreigner to purchase a Chinese registered bike and go for a ride for, say, 2-3 months?

It is possible and people have done it. 2-3 months is usually pushing your tourist visa but anything is possible given the right amount of time and correct circumstances. You would need to have more solid idea/plans ready for more info.

CC

[HansP]

Thanks Brice, Carl.

We're probably looking a couple of years ahead before a China trip will materialise for me. First I have to do Iceland and the Morocco in 2009 and 2010. But it's good to know that it might be possible and will plan accordingly.