Sichuan-Tibet-Gansu Self-driving Tour Part 3
Before writing this article, I hesitated for a long time. Facing the beauty of Tibet, I am a bit at a loss for words. It seems that no matter how I write, I cannot describe the beauty there. When most people in modern society become noisy and manic, what stands here is a holy land of ice and snow, vast grasslands, wild horses running wildly, and vigorous eagles; there are also wolves howling in the Ngari wasteland, the ruins of the Guge Dynasty, and northern Tibet. Antelopes and flying snow in no-man's land, Yarlung Zangbo Canyon, Medog Lotus Holy Land, and many Nyima piles and Lama Temples; the scenery of Tibet is so desolate, so vigorous, so beautiful, but also so soul-stirring . This seems to be the only place in modern society where human souls are enshrined, a place where legends and myths grow, and a place where human souls are purified. Therefore, many people come here and yearn for it. It has become a dream-seeking place for people who love outdoors, travel and photography. I am one of them. I believe that people who have been poisoned and magical For more than ten years, I have been thinking that one day I will go to Tibet, the roof of the world, and Lhasa. In fact, it is an obsession deeply hidden in my bone marrow. I must reach this sacred place-Tibet.
In fact, in a person's life, there are always things to do and places to go. A person must be crazy at least once in his life, whether it is for a person, a relationship, a journey, or a dream. Then let's go crazy for once! Don't wait until you are very old to regret that you didn't use your limited life to experience infinite splendor, and didn't spend your good time on beautiful and exciting things.
So, a group of eleven of us drove from Jingzhou City, Hubei Province, through Chongqing-Sichuan-Tibet-Qinghai-Gansu-Shaanxi-Hubei. It lasted 21 days and traveled nearly 8,000 kilometers. , although there are many difficulties, when you see: the Grand Canyon named the most beautiful canyon in China by the "China National Geographic" magazine, and the thousand-year-old mulberry trees in the Grand Canyon, and the natural glacial barrier lake of the largest plateau glacier in eastern Tibet. How do you feel when you visit Wuhu Lake and the mirror-like lake Namtso? There is also the Potala Palace, which is known as one of the top ten buildings in the world, and the many five-body throwing people in front of the Jokhang Temple, which has the supreme status in Tibetan Buddhism. When you are a devout pilgrim, I don’t know how you feel; and when you experience the eighteen bends and seventy-two turns of the Tianlu Road, you cross the birthplace of the Yangtze River, Tanggula Mountain, known as the "Wind and Snow Warehouse", and the Tanggula Mountain, which is known as the "life". How do you feel when you see the beautiful Tibetan antelopes in Hoh Xil, the "Forbidden Zone"; especially in one day, you can experience the four seasons of spring, summer, autumn and winter. Feeling that the sun always comes after the wind and rain, the true connotation of seeing the rainbow without experiencing the wind and rain, and so on, we have all experienced and seen it. I don’t know how you feel when you experience it. In short, it’s hard to describe in words, let me take you to enjoy this beautiful scenery with words and pictures.
In 641 A.D., Songtsan Gampo married Princess Wencheng and built the Potala Palace for her on the Red Mountain in the northwest of Lhasa. It was later destroyed by natural and man-made disasters. In 1645 A.D., the fifth Dalai Lama presided over the rebuilding of the Potala Palace. . "Potala" is Sanskrit, also translated as "Putuo", originally referring to the residence of Guanyin Bodhisattva. As a symbol of Tibet, the Potala Palace is a holy place in the hearts of all pilgrims! When you come to the Potala Palace, you can not only enjoy a large number of historical relics collected in the palace, appreciate the wonderful architectural art of the Tibetan people, but also perform a baptism of the soul in that holy atmosphere.
The Potala Palace is really a meaningful poem. She stands in the snowy area and is the supreme sanctuary. The prostrate figures of pilgrims are your eternal embellishment. Your quiet standing is already a kind of silent beauty. Everywhere, there is a different kind of scenery, every angle, is a different beauty. In order to take the best photos of the Cloth Palace, I came here three times in two days, and took photos of the Cloth Palace from three sides and at night. It is a pity that I did not take a good picture of the reflection in the water of the Cloth Palace.
Jokhang Temple, which is "Juekang" in Tibetan, also known as "Zulakang", is the end point of pilgrimage for Tibetan Buddhist believers. In their hearts, the Jokhang Temple is as sacred as the Potala Palace. No matter in terms of geographical location or in the minds of Tibetan Buddhist believers, the Jokhang Temple is a veritable holy place and center of Tibetan Buddhism, and has an extremely lofty and holy position in the history of Tibetan Buddhism. In the temple, there are Tibetan-style murals "Princess Wencheng Entering Tibet" and "Jokhang Temple Construction Map" with a length of nearly one thousand meters, as well as two Thangkas embroidered with Dharma protectors in the Ming Dynasty, which are rare art treasures. Especially at the gate of the Jokhang Temple and the entire Barkhor Street, you can see Tibetans kowtowing and turning around. In their eyes, there is a piety and sacredness that we outsiders do not have. (The Jokhang Temple and the Tibetans who turn the scriptures, I will talk about it separately)
The Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon is a horseshoe-shaped canyon around Namjagbarwa Peak, and it is also the largest canyon in the world. There are various scenery in the valley, you can watch Namjagbarwa Peak, Yajiang Niyang River, ancient villages and so on. The Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon is known as "the most beautiful canyon in China", with an average altitude of more than 3,000 meters. It is the most complete and complete mountain vertical natural belt in the world. In the valley, there is also a thousand-year-old mulberry tree planted by Songtsan Gampo and Princess Wencheng to commemorate their love. In particular, a peach tree grew in the gap between a boulder and was divided into two. The local people called this tree "" "Love is stronger than stone", it is said that as long as you circle this tree three times, you will have good luck and good luck. It's a pity that I didn't see Nanga Bawa Peak, because Nanga Bawa Peak is shrouded in clouds and mist all the year round, and never reveals its true colors easily, so it is also called "Shameful Girl Peak".
Ranwu Lake is about 25 kilometers long. The entire lake is in the shape of a narrow and long valley, with a width of 12 kilometers. It is composed of three connected lakes, covering an area of 18.4 square kilometers. Ranwu Lake has peculiar topography and beautiful scenery. Maybe we came at the wrong time, the lake is not very clear, and it is a little bit different from the beautiful lake that is rumored and similar on the Internet, and we didn't take the ideal good photos.
Compared with Ranwu Lake, Namtso is like a princess with an all-powerful appearance, sleeping peacefully among the mountains, presenting to the world the image of a bright sapphire, incarnated in blue, descending to the world, as if to People's eyes and soul have been washed once, and their eyes are filled with the purest scenery, and their hearts are filled with the purest respect and love. ,respect.
Namtso means Tianhu Lake in Tibetan. Located in Damxung County, north of Lhasa, 240 kilometers away from Lhasa, it is one of the three holy lakes in Tibetan areas (the other two are Manasarovar and Yamdrok). Namtso has a vast area of 1,920 square kilometers and an altitude of 4,718 meters. It is the second largest saltwater lake in my country except Qinghai Lake. In ancient Tibetan mythology, in the pantheon of Bon or Tibetan Buddhism, in the folk songs and legends of local shepherds and hunters, Nyainqentanglha and Namtso are not only the most eye-catching holy mountains in Tibet. Lake, and lovers and couples who depend on each other for life and death. Namtso is a holy lake and a heavenly lake. It has a very high status in the hearts of Tibetans. The scenery is really beautiful, but since we have to go back to Dangxiong to watch the horse race, we can only regret to stay for a short time. To Damxiong Racecourse. (Lake Namtso is really beautiful, I will talk about it separately)
The "Dangjiren" Horse Racing Festival in Damxung County, Tibet is an annual grand gathering of local herdsmen. The event has a history of more than 300 years. It is reported that in the 17th century A.D., Gushi Khan, the leader of the Mongolian Heshuote tribe, led his troops into Tibet, and selected the grasslands in the northwest of Lhasa to herd military horses. He held a cavalry review every year. The "Dangjiren" horse racing festival in Damxung County is the cavalry review. Lineage of activities. In Tibetan folk festivals, horse racing often appears in festivals in the form of themes, and, more importantly, Tibetan people have created a unique horse racing culture based on their strong feelings for horses. We were also fortunate to see a unique horse racing event.
Tanggula Pass is the boundary line between Qinghai and Tibet provinces, with an altitude of about 5231 meters, it is the highest point of the Qinghai-Tibet Highway. "Tanggula", the Tibetan word for "mountain on a high mountain", is known as "wind and snow warehouse" because of the constant wind and snow all year round. Tanggula Mountain is the watershed between the Yangtze River and the Nu River, also known as Dangla Mountain and Dangkong Ridge, with an altitude of 5,000-6,000 meters. Its main peak, Gela Dandong, is more than 6,000 meters above sea level. It is the birthplace of the Tuotuo River, the source of the Yangtze River. There is a monument to the statue of the People's Liberation Army dedicated to the construction of the Qinghai-Tibet Highway, and a monument to the completion of the Lanxila Optical Cable Project jointly built by the military and the people.
"Hoh Xil" means "green mountain ridge" in Mongolian, and "Aqin Gongjia" in Tibetan. It is one of the areas with the most perfect preservation of the original ecological environment in the world, and it is also the largest area and the highest altitude built in China. , One of the nature reserves with the richest wildlife resources. Hoh Xil has a severe cold climate and harsh natural conditions, making it impossible for humans to live for a long time. It is known as the "forbidden zone of life". Here I would like to remind everyone that the climate here is capricious, and the mountain pass is windy and the temperature is low. You must pay attention to cold and warm.
The 18th bend and 72nd turn of Tianlu passed through on the way, and the beautiful rainbow I saw.
When it comes to going to Tibet, everyone always thinks it is mysterious and far away, but they are eager to try it in their hearts. Many people have planned for a long time, even after several years, but finally failed to go. Maybe some are afraid of heights, some are afraid of poor health, and I don’t know what else to be afraid of. I know that there must be a small number of people like me who leave immediately, but Tibet is really not that scary, as long as you make some basic preparations. I am very grateful to the ten friends who traveled with me this time and those who helped me on the road, especially the drivers Cai Ge and Zhang Ge, as well as Xu Ge, Luo Ge and so on.
There are always unbearable weights in life, but when you have never encountered them, you will never know how much you can carry, just as you will never know how far you can go if you have never set foot on the road. Fortunately, one thing is certain , that is, the most exciting and most beautiful scenery is always ahead, come on, come on, let's have a drink, and then go on the road...
Reminder: Regarding the high anti-reflex, I am based on my own experience to give you a reference. In the end, whether you will have high anti-reflex or not depends on the person and body. Generally, there will be no major problems. If you are at an altitude of about 4000 meters, some people will have symptoms such as headaches, dry mouth, and tinnitus. It will take a few days to get used to it. Therefore, it is recommended to walk slowly and play slowly. Rest well, sleep well, do not do big high-risk exercises, and bring some high-reaction medicines and glucose by yourself. However, people with high blood pressure and heart disease are best to proceed with caution.