On March 25, 2017, I flew from Xiamen to Lhasa together with my son (X.J.), and chartered a car after landing: Lhasa → Nyingchi → Bomi → Basu (Ranwu and Laigu) → Bomi → Milin → Jiacha → Zedang → Lhasa . The whole journey is 11 days in total (chartered car for 7 days, stay in Lhasa for 4 days), and flew back to Xiamen from Lhasa on April 4. I went to Lhasa for a meeting in 2002. I heard that the end of March to the beginning of April is the season of wild peach blossoms in Nyingchi, Tibet, and my son’s vacation coincided with this time. Therefore, "seeing peach blossoms" became our first choice for this trip to Tibet.
Two weeks before departure, I contacted Mr. Deng for a chartered car. He is from Sichuan and drives a 7-seater GM Buick. Netizens praised him for "thinking of customers in every way". Mr. Deng reported 8,000 yuan for the seven-day itinerary. I haggled a bit, but he said the bottom line was 7,000, which is also our bottom line, so the deal was made immediately, and 500 yuan was paid in advance by mobile phone, which was counted as a deposit.
According to the rules of Tibet, the chartered car fee covers all expenses related to the car, such as fuel, car repair, road crossing, parking, etc.; other travel expenses (including tickets, food and accommodation for the driver, etc.) are borne by tourists separately. I planned a seven-day chartered car itinerary with reference to online information. Master Deng thinks it is generally feasible:
D1: Lhasa (3,650 meters above sea level) → Mozhugongka → Mila Mountain Pass (5,013 meters above sea level) → the mainstay scenic spot → Gongbu Jiangda → Xiuba Village Castle Group → Kadinggou Scenic Area → Linzhi Bayi Town (2,800 meters above sea level).
D2: Bayi Town → Gala Peach Blossom Village (Linzhi) → Sejila Mountain Pass (4780 meters above sea level) → Lulang Observation Deck → Lulang Town → Pailong Tianxian → Tongmai Bridge → Suotong Village (rape flower) → Baka Village (Snow Mountain)→Galang Taohuagou→Bomi
D3: Bomi → Midui Glacier → Ranwu Lake → Ranwu Town → Laigu Glacier → Ranwu Town → Ranwu Lake → Bomi
D4: Bomi → Tongmai → Lulang → Sejila Mountain → Niyang River Scenic Belt → Milin (belonging to Linzhi City)
D5: Milin → Nanyigou Scenic Area → Milin Peach Blossom Village → Yarlung Zangbo River Scenic Belt → Lang County → Jiacha
D6: Jiacha → Jiacha Grand Canyon → Dagu Scenic Area → Sangri County → Yongbulakang → Changzhu Temple → Shannan (Zedang)
D7: Shannan (Zedang) → Yarlung Zangbo River Viewing Platform → Gongga → Yamdrok Yongcuo → Qushui Bridge → Lhasa
Departing from Xiamen on March 25th, we bought a joint ticket: Xiamen Airlines MF8401 flew to Chengdu at 7:40, transferred to Air China CA4112 in Chengdu at 12:50, and arrived in Lhasa around 15:00. I got up early that day and arrived at Xiamen Gaoqi Airport at 6:30. There was already a lot of people outside the terminal building, and there were tour guides holding various flags everywhere. Arriving in Chengdu at 11:00, the waiting hall of Shuangliu Airport was deserted, which was in stark contrast to the lively scene of Xiamen Airport. We went through the connecting flight in the baggage claim hall without leaving the terminal. I insisted on getting a seat by the window, which caused my son to "disdain". He thought I was "old-fashioned" and claimed that the most important thing was the comfort of the journey, and he should choose an aisle seat. The flight took off late, took off at 13:23, and started to see the snow-capped mountains at 14:30. I held the camera and took a lot of pictures. Only then did X.J. realize that there are benefits to being by the window. This is my second visit to Tibet, so with this foresight, my son has to admire "Ginger is still spicy when it is old".
Arriving in Lhasa, the plane glides down the wide and flat Yarlung Zangbo River valley, and lands at Gongga Airport at 15:30. The chartered driver, Mr. Deng, was already waiting outside the airport. First of all, he offered a khata. When you come to Tibet, you have to do as the Romans do.
Get on Master Deng's "GM Buick Business", cross the Yarlung Zangbo River via the "Yajiang Super Bridge", and then drive along the airport expressway to the urban area of Lhasa. Master Deng showed us the "Tourist Passenger Vehicle Road Bill". He said that regular tourist chartered cars have road bills, and the license plate numbers are all led by "Tibetan AL". He also said that the property rights of this car belong to the company, and he is considered a part-time job. The chartered car fee is divided between him and the company in half. You deserve it. However, the company is not responsible for recruiting work for him, it is entirely up to him to do so.
Entering the urban area, driving along Beijing Road and passing the Potala Palace Square, you will immediately see the "airline hotel" booked in advance through Ctrip. We chose the Aviation Hotel because it is close to the Potala Palace, and it is not far from the Ramoche Temple, Ramoche Temple and Barkhor Street. Before leaving, Master Deng handed us two small tanks of oxygen, claiming that he was a little worried when he saw the ID number we provided when booking the car, so he hurried to prepare oxygen, because I was the oldest tourist (77 years old) he had ever received . He also said that these two small tanks of oxygen are for our urgent need tonight, and there is a large tank of oxygen in the car for us to use during the journey. According to our scheduled plan, we will go to Nyingchi early tomorrow morning. Master Deng expressed his approval for this. He said that the altitude of Nyingchi is much lower than that of Lhasa. In order to prevent "high rebellion", it is very reliable to go to Nyingchi immediately after arriving in Tibet. move. He also repeatedly emphasized that it is best for us to stay in the hotel to rest tonight, so as to avoid "high reaction", and we will go back to Lhasa in the future. At that time, we have already adapted to the plateau, and it is not too late to visit Lhasa again.
The silhouette of the Potala Palace is seen outside the window of the guest room, and the hotel has free wifi. I used WeChat to connect with family members in Xiamen and "bring" them into Lhasa to see the Potala Palace. The two stayed in the hotel until 18:30, feeling good about themselves, so they took the courage to go downstairs and walk to the Potala Palace Square, which is very close. Security checks are set up at the entrance of the square, and matches, lighters, etc. are not allowed to be carried. This should be for the fire prevention needs of the Potala Palace. I came to Lhasa 15 years ago and stayed at the "Lhasa Hotel", which is located near the "Norbulingka". A slight headache appeared in the afternoon. I'm not worried today because I'm going to Linzhi tomorrow morning.
Fifteen years later, Lhasa has undergone great changes. Although the Potala Palace remains the same, the square under its feet has changed. Back then, I used public toilets at the foot of Yaowang Mountain, and it felt like a simple "hut" in the countryside in the inland. At this time, the public toilets on the square were already rated as star-rated. Beautiful flower beds (fake flowers) are also arranged in various corners.
At 20:00 in Lhasa, the sky was still bright, and they planned to eat Tibetan food for dinner. The two found a "Gangdise Tibetan Restaurant Nepalese Restaurant" on Yutuo Road on the east side of the square. They ordered several dishes with the help of the waiter. After trying it, they felt that acceptable. Return to the hotel after dinner, and take a few pretty good night views of Dala Palace at the intersection of (Kangangduo South Road/Beijing Road) on the way. Returning to the airline hotel at 21:45, the two of them had no obvious symptoms of hyperactivity except for a little "shortness of breath".
On March 26, X.J. woke up in the morning and developed obvious symptoms of hyperactivity, and the whole person was groggy. I was fine, but I had a slight headache. I didn't sleep well last night either, I kept dreaming, as if I was always anxious that something would fail. Breakfast at the hotel starts at 7 o'clock. After eating, Mr. Deng's car comes, and we set off at 8 o'clock. First take the national highway G318, and then drive on the "Lalin Expressway" near the Education City in the east of Lhasa. There is no toll on the expressway in Tibet, and you only need to show your ID card to get on the road. "Lalin Expressway" runs parallel to National Highway G318, passes through Dazi Tunnel at 8:41, passes through Gandan Monastery at 9:01, exits the expressway at Mozhugongka at 9:20, and turns into National Highway G318. The expressway is still parallel to G318, but it has not yet been completed. .
At 10:47, we arrived at the three-way intersection in Riduo Township, Mozhugongka County. Master Deng introduced the simple dirt road on the right to Sangri County (belonging to Shannan City). Going forward is Mira Mountain. The Mira Mountain Tunnel of the expressway is under construction. The Lalin Expressway drills into the interior of the mountain. We meander along the G318 National Road to climb the mountain. The altitude is getting higher and the snow on the side of the road is getting more and more. When we arrived at the top of the mountain at 11:16, the stone tablet at the pass indicated that the altitude here was 5013 meters. I went to Nyingchi from Lhasa in 2002, and I had been here before. I had just passed through the pass and encountered a landslide, so I had to return to Lhasa. I remember that the stone tablet at the pass on the top of the mountain was 5020 meters above sea level. Obviously, the national road has been rebuilt and the position of the pass has been lowered. X.J. was still "highly rebellious", just got out of the car to take a look and then hurried back to the car to rest. I asked Master Deng to help me take two photos of "Traveling here".
Mila Mountain Pass is the boundary between Mozhugongka County of Lhasa City and Gongbujiangda County of Nyingchi City. Going down the mountain is the boundary of Gongbujiangda. At 12:15, we arrived at Songduo Town in Gongbujiangda County, where the altitude is 4170 meters. Master Deng and I got out of the car for lunch, but X.J. didn't get out of the car at all and didn't want to eat. Master Deng asked for a light meal, and I had a poor appetite, so I only ordered two servings of Yangzhou fried rice and one serving of vegetable soup. I originally wanted to eat noodles, but the boss said that cooking noodles is very troublesome, and I must use a pressure cooker, which is time-consuming and laborious. unfamiliar.
Continue to move forward after dinner, the Lalin Expressway under construction is still parallel to the national highway G318, and the Niyang River begins to appear on the side of the road. into the Yarlung Zangbo River. 14:50 Stop at "Taizhao Ancient City". The scenic spot is located on the opposite bank of the Niyang River. After purchasing the ticket, you can walk through a covered bridge and cross the river to enter the scenic spot. I took pictures and then continued on my way.
Then we drove past the "mainstay" scenic spot, a huge boulder stood in the middle of the Niyang River, and there was a small viewing pavilion on the bank, but we neither saw the boulder nor approached the small pavilion, because the scenic spot was under construction and there were obstacles set up on the side of the road Close the kiosk. Moreover, the roads in this area are also very narrow. Master Deng said that parking is not allowed for safety reasons. At 15:30, drive past the outskirts of "Gongbu Jiangda" county. There is a "Quanzhou Second Bridge" on the side of the road, and you can enter the urban area by crossing the river through this bridge. We didn't cross the bridge, we just went around the city and got on the Lalin Expressway. Gongbu Jiangda was built with the help of Fujian, and there is a bigger bridge in the city, called "Quanzhou Bridge".
At 16:08, get off the expressway at the exit of Bahe Town. There is a fork road leading to "Basongcuo", but it is not within our scheduled itinerary, because the most beautiful autumn of Basongcuo on the Internet, and its altitude is higher than that of Lhasa. Higher, X.J. is already suffering from unbearable headache at the moment, and only hopes to arrive in Linzhi soon. So, after getting off the expressway, we took the national highway G318 and continued to drive towards Nyingchi.
Arrived at "Xiuba Castle" at 16:16, and only stayed in the parking lot for a while to take photos, because I learned from netizens in advance that the 100 yuan/person ticket is not worth it at all, and the castle is on the side of the road , can be seen from the road. A Tibetan woman came up to chase us away, claiming that we were not allowed to stay in the parking lot unless we bought a ticket, because the parking lot is also part of the scenic area. The peach tree at the foot of the castle has already bloomed, which made us feel very relieved, because along the way we were worried about whether Linzhi’s peach blossoms had bloomed.
Continue to move forward along the national highway G318, and the Niyang River and the Lalin Expressway under construction are always inseparable from the national highway. Passing "Baiba Town" at 16:34, the Niyang River on the roadside is clear and blue, and the riverside flashes from time to time Pink and willow green, a scene full of spring.
Arrive at "Kadinggou" at 17:10, the ticket is 20 yuan/person, X.J. stays in the car, and I buy the ticket alone to enter the scenic spot. There is a ravine with gurgling streams and a "Kading Tianfo Waterfall" hanging high, but there is not much to see other than that. However, because the tickets are cheap, there are still many tourists visiting, which is in stark contrast to the "Xiuba Castle" which is desolate.
Arrive at "Bayi Town" around 18:00, which is located in Bayi District, Nyingchi City. It is also the residence of Nyingchi City Government. Because Fujian Province participated in the construction, many place names in the town are related to Fujian. We stayed at "Linzhi Encounter Inn" on a small street, 158 yuan for a three-person room, X.J. slept in the room, and Master Deng and I went out and had dinner at a "food city" next to the small square on Fuqing Road. I ate noodles, and Deng ate porridge and side dishes. After the meal, I brought back porridge, buns and flower rolls for X.J., but he barely ate a few mouthfuls of porridge. Master Deng said, if we had listened to his advice last night and stayed in the hotel honestly, X.J. might not be like this today. He also repeatedly praised my good physique and prepared so much oxygen for me, but I didn't need it at all. However, as far as I know, "altitude sickness" has nothing to do with physical fitness. In 2002, I met a company commander of the armed police on the plane to Tibet. He said that he was physically strong, but every time he returned to Tibet from Sichuan They had to live in seclusion for about a week before they could overcome the difficulties of the "high rebellion". However, his family members were far worse than him in physical fitness, and every time they came to Tibet, they were busy inside and out as soon as they entered the house, and nothing happened.
On March 27th, I checked out at 8:20 in the morning, and still went to Fuqing Road, and still had breakfast at the "Gourmet City" last night. Master Deng said that this restaurant is open 24 hours. After waking up in the morning, X.J. felt much better. After breakfast, he took pictures in the small square outside the restaurant with great interest, which was a commemoration of "Linzhi's visit here".
Then go to the "World Cypress King Garden", where there is a huge ancient cypress, known as "the world king of cypress trees". The scenic spot is on the side of the national highway G318, about 8 kilometers east of Bayi Town, and we arrived around 9:00. This area was originally a primitive cypress forest protection area at the autonomous region level in Tibet, and was later built into a park with the assistance of Guangdong Province. The off-season ticket is 15 yuan/person. The park is full of tall and strong cypress trees, which are unique tree species in the middle and lower reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River, and are called "Yarlung Zangbo cypresses". Among them, the largest one stands not far after entering the park. It is about 50 meters high and can only be embraced by 12 adults. There is a stone tablet "World Cypress King" under the tree, which shows that the tree is 3233 years old (2013 Year). There are colorful wind horses wrapped around the huge tree, and several Tibetans are turning around the tree. According to folklore, this ancient cypress is the tree of life of "Xinrao Mibao", the founder of the Bon religion.
Leave Jubai Garden at 9:20 and continue eastward along G318 to "Gala Village", where there is a "Peach Garden", which is the main venue for the local "Nyingchi Peach Blossom Tourism Culture Festival". Peach blossoms can be seen everywhere in Nyingchi, but the peach blossoms in Gala Village are the closest to the urban area of Nyingchi and happen to be on the side of the national road, so they were selected as the main venue of the Peach Blossom Festival. It is said that in the past few days, branch venues for the Peach Blossom Festival have also been set up in different places in Bomi, Milan, Gongbu Jiangda and other counties.
It takes about 7 to 8 minutes to drive from Jubai Garden to Gala Village. We saw a lot of policemen along the way. We guessed that some important people were coming to participate in the Peach Blossom Festival. However, after getting off the bus, we learned that the Peach Blossom Festival had opened on March 25. Today is just a side event. The Linzhi Peach Blossom Festival started in 2002, and it is now the 15th, and the ticket has gradually increased to 30 yuan per person. The two bought tickets to enter, and the peach blossoms in the garden immediately came into view. The peach trees here are all wild, and the species should be similar to the "hair peach" in the mainland. They all bloom first and then grow leaves, unlike the parks in the mainland. The common ornamental peach tree "Bitao" grows green leaves at the same time when the flowers bloom. The flowers of Nyingchi's "Wild Peach" are not as big as those of "Bitao", and the flower colors are not as gorgeous as those of "Bitao". Most of them are pinkish white or pink. A tree with a thick trunk and dense branches. The scene of flowers blooming is also very wild. The densely packed flowers are all over the tall canopy, layered upon layer, and against the blue sky.
There is a viewing tower on the high slope of the garden. When we climbed up to the top, what we saw made us feel extremely shocked. The dense peach blossoms are like a large swath of drunk clouds and crimson clouds, extending from our feet to the distance. Shrouded in majestic clouds and mists, the Niyang River flows quietly. The willows along the river have just sprouted, and the emerald green and pink complement each other, forming a beautiful and beautiful spring landscape, which makes us both fascinated.
I walked out of Taoyuan at 11:00, but the National Highway G318 was temporarily closed, and cars were not allowed to go on the road. I had no choice but to hang out in the parking lot. During the stay, he talked nonsense with the police on duty. He told us that the road is closed at the moment because there is a bicycle race. The athletes come from all over the country. The track is the national highway G318, and the parking lot under your feet is the end of the race. The road closure started at 9:30. Fortunately, we left the cypress garden early, otherwise we would be stuck there and unable to move. The policeman on duty also told us that today all the police officers in Nyingchi, regardless of their type of police, have to take to the streets, because the traffic police alone are not enough, and he is not a traffic policeman himself. There are a few "Tibetan pigs" running around in the parking lot. They are not big, but they are said to have excellent meat quality, and they behave like domestic dogs. They wander around and look for food, and they are not afraid of people at all.
At about 11:20, as the last two female athletes arrived, the road began to clear and we drove on the road. The "Bayi Bridge" appears on the right, which crosses the Niyang River and connects to Linzhi Airport Expressway. We did not cross the bridge, but continued along the national highway G318 to Bomi. The national highway began to climb, and at 11:47 I saw Nyingchi Town, which was the old county seat of Nyingchi. After Nyingchi was withdrawn from the county and established as a city, the capital was moved to Bayi Town, and this place was renamed Nyingchi Town in Bayi District of Nyingchi City. The town is located at the foot of "Sejila Mountain", with an altitude of about 3,000 meters, slightly higher than "Bayi Town". Moving on, snow began to appear on the side of the road, and tourists who saw the snow scene for the first time all stopped to take pictures. We met a few Tibetan pigs here again, still behaving like dogs, willing to make out with people.
Continue to climb the mountain and stop at the "Niyang Scenery Observation Deck" at 11:54. The large houses at the foot of the mountain are the small town of Nyingchi just passing by, and a little farther away are the Benri Mountain and the rich Niyang River Delta, and the mountains in the distance Shrouded in thick clouds and mist, only the snow-covered mountain tops are exposed.
Going forward, there is more and more snow, X.J.'s "high reaction" has basically eased, and he is full of enthusiasm along the way. At 12:09, he saw a large snowfield on the side of the road, and hurriedly called for a stop. Master Deng was reluctant, claiming that the snow scene above would be more beautiful, but X.J. was worried that "there would be no shop after passing this village", so he insisted on parking , Master Deng had no choice but to do so. It was the same in the next few days. Master Deng would always put forward his own ideas, but in the end it was always up to us to decide.
After taking a few photos and moving on, the snow scene on the mountain is really getting more and more beautiful, and the white clouds under the blue sky seem to be very low, almost becoming one with the white snow on the hillside. Tibet is so magical. An hour ago, we had encountered peach blossoms and willows, but now we are in a world of ice and snow. Arrived at the top of the mountain at 12:25, there is a tall stele beside the road, indicating that this is the "Sejila Pass" of the National Highway G318, with an altitude of 4720 meters.
The pass of Sejila Mountain is the best place to watch the "Nanga Bawa" snow mountain. However, this snow mountain is covered with clouds and fog all year round, so it is extremely difficult to have a chance to see its true face. Therefore, it is also called "Shameful Girl Peak". . We stayed at the pass for about 20 minutes, and the "shy girl" in the clouds only had a moment to reveal the spire, which caused cheers and crazy shots from the tourists.
At 12:40, leave the pass and go down, and pass the "Lulang Linhai Observation Deck" shortly thereafter. Master Deng said that the wildflowers are not yet open in this season, and there is nothing to see on the viewing platform. Moreover, there is a free parking place on the side of the road ahead. The scenery we see is the same as that of the viewing platform, so we continue to move forward. 12:57 Seeing many cars parked on the side of the road, Master Deng said that this is a free viewing spot. There is a sea of forests all over the mountains at the foot, and there is a long brown strip in the valley, which should be "Lulang Ranch". The pasture is withered and yellow in winter, and it has not turned green yet.
This is another place where you can see "Nanga Bawa" besides the pass of Sejila Mountain on the Sichuan-Tibet line. "Nanga Bawa" is located at the easternmost end of the Himalayas. The 15th highest mountain in the world. Because the 14 peaks in front of it are all above 8,000 meters above sea level, "Nanga Bawa" has become the highest among the world's 7,000-meter-level snow peaks. When we first arrived, "Nanga Bawa" was still shrouded in clouds and mist. However, suddenly the wind blew away the clouds, and the snow peak of Nanga Bawa and the "Jala Bailei (7294 meters above sea level)" snow peak opposite it were clearly revealed. This scene is fleeting, so I hurriedly asked Master Deng to take a precious group photo of our father and son standing between the two peaks. There are Tibetan girls selling matsutake on the side of the road, which smells good, but Master Deng said that the dried matsutake now costs 1,000 yuan per catty, and the mushrooms worth tens of yuan per pack cannot be genuine.
Continue down the mountain and arrive at Lulang at 13:23. We plan to taste the famous local "Stone Pot Chicken" for lunch. However, the "Stone Pot Street" that was originally on the side of the national highway G318 has been demolished into flat ground with the construction of Lulang New Town. , The restaurants of Master Deng’s acquaintances are also gone. There is only a lonely small shop on the side of the road with a signboard of "Stone Pot Chicken" and several cars parked in front of the door. We were hesitating whether to choose this place for dinner, and Master Deng answered the phone and learned that his acquaintance had moved to the central square of Lulang New Town, so we drove there immediately.
The restaurant is almost full, and all tourist groups eat here, but the stone pot chicken is not worth recommending. A "medium pot" of matsutake stone pot chicken that is only enough for three people costs about 500 yuan. "Stone pot chicken" is actually cooked in an iron pot for general cooking, and then poured into a stone pot and served on the table. After our "middle pot" was served, Master Deng found that there was no matsutake in it, so he called the proprietress and asked him to make up a plate. However, the authenticity of this matsutake is not known, anyway, it tastes nothing special. I only saw another kind of "palm ginseng", which is quite distinctive, shaped like a small palm. It is wild in the local mountains, and it may be the root of a plant.
Leaving Lulang at 14:40, continue to drive to Bomi, and pass Zhaxigang Village at 14:50. Master Deng said that there is Old Lulang Town, where there are many homestays and inns, and his previous guests used to stay there. The scenery of Lulang Ranch is beautiful, and the scenic spots are also under construction everywhere. There are several large-scale and high-grade hotels that are about to be completed. However, the season is still early at this moment, and there are actually not many tourists.
While driving on the highway, at 15:19, he suddenly saw the sign of the speed limit in the section. Before being photographed, Master Deng hurriedly stopped. The highways in Tibet implement speed limits. If you drive too fast without paying attention, you have to find a place to stop and waste time. Otherwise, if you are caught, you will face a fine. What's more serious is that the driver's license is downgraded, and the driver who drives the bus is fined to drive a small car. If the passenger capacity decreases, the income will drop significantly. Master Deng originally drove a bus, but was fined for being careless, so he had to drive a small car instead. We ran out of time and just walked not far, and stopped again when we encountered construction ahead. A long line of cars lined up under the snow-capped mountains. The Sichuan-Tibet line is really picturesque.
Going forward, you will reach the area where a large landslide occurred on the old national highway, which is called the "natural barrier against dragons" on the Sichuan-Tibet line. However, the current national road has been rebuilt and many tunnels have been built to prevent landslides. 15:51 Pass the "La Yueming Cave", which is a newly built anti-collapse project to avoid falling rocks. Passing through "Pailong" town at 16:04, the original humble street has been completely renewed. There is a fork nearby which is the starting point for hiking the Yarlung Zangbo River's big bend, and there is a border inspection station at the intersection. The blue Palong Zangbo River has been with us from here until its source "Ranwu Lake".
Enter the newly built "Palong No. 2 Tunnel" at 16:05. Immediately after exiting the tunnel is the "Zailonggou Super Bridge". The current national highway G318 has completely avoided the large landslide area of the "Pailong Natural Danger" on the old Sichuan-Tibet line. Today, on the right side of the entrance of the "Palong No. 1 Tunnel", the old "natural danger" road can still be seen, but a large cement block has been set up to prevent vehicles from entering. That section of the old Sichuan-Tibet line was all dirt roads, only about one lane wide, winding along the Palong Zangbo River. Cars drove on the cliffs by the river, and major traffic accidents often occurred.
At 16:19, we arrived at the "Tongmaite Bridge", where "Yigong Zangbo" merged into "Palong Zangbo", and after the two rivers merged, they went south and finally flowed into the Yarlung Zangbo River. The "Tongmaite Bridge" is erected on the Yigong Zangbo River, only a few hundred meters away from the confluence of the two rivers. Before this "big bridge" was built, this place was called "Tongmai Tianxian", which was a famous "bottleneck" on the Sichuan-Tibet line in the old days. It can still be seen that there are three bridges side by side on a short section of the Yigong Zangbo River. Majestic, completed at the end of 2015; the twin-tower suspension bridge in the middle is called "Tongmai Bridge", which was urgently built in 2000 to replace a reinforced concrete bridge that once existed here. At that time, the "Yigong Lake" dam on the upper reaches of "Yigong Zangbo" broke down, and the flood engulfed mud and rocks and destroyed the reinforced concrete bridge, causing the Sichuan-Tibet line to be interrupted. People's soldiers rushed to build the twin towers suspension bridge. Because it is a "passage protection" project built urgently, only one vehicle and one line can be released, and there have been two bridge collapses, resulting in vehicle crashes and deaths. "Bottleneck", known as "Tongmai Natural Danger"; the simple bridge on the southernmost side can only pass people and horses, but not vehicles. important role, but is now deprecated. After the completion of the "Tongmai Bridge", this section of the Sichuan-Tibet line has been unimpeded, and tourists have stopped to take pictures. The current "Tongmai Bridge" only has beautiful scenery and no natural dangers.
We also watched and took pictures at the bridgehead, stayed for about 20 minutes, and did not cross the bridge until 16:40. A short walk after crossing the bridge is the town of "Tongmai". There is no parking, just drive by. The scenery after Tongmai is even better. At 17:14, when the road was temporarily closed again, it was still due to road maintenance. X.J. and I got off the car to look at the scenery. The surrounding green trees set off the snow-capped mountains, and the blue "Palong Zangbo" accompanied the winding road. Twisting, beautiful scenery can be seen everywhere on the Sichuan-Tibet line.
After the release, continue on the road. Not far ahead should be "Suotong". I learned from the information on the Internet that "Suotong" is in bloom at the moment, but Master Deng disagrees with this. He has never heard of "Suotong". "There are rapeseed flowers, and I don't think rapeseed will bloom at this time of year. At 17:29, when I saw the street sign of Suotong Village, I immediately became alert and searched with wide-eyed eyes. Not long after, I saw a large area of yellow behind the wooden fence on the roadside, so I stopped at a gap in the wooden fence. There was a chair next to the gap, but it was unattended. We just wanted to drill in when we saw a Tibetan woman running out of the wooden house opposite, claiming to charge 5 yuan per person. X.J. and I paid a total of 10 yuan. Master Deng was the driver. I didn't pay, and the Tibetan woman didn't object. After entering, I noticed that not only the rapeseed flowers are beautiful here, but also the snow-capped mountains are behind the flower fields. It is definitely worth the 10 yuan.
At 17:40, we set off again. While driving, Master Deng praised me for my careful strategy. He said that in the past, he would always explain to the guests, but this time he seldom spoke, because we knew everything. Not long ago, we encountered rapeseed flowers and many farmhouses. This should be the real location of Suotong Village. There are many cars parked in the open space in front of the village, and many tourists are busy in the rapeseed field. However, there are no snow-capped mountains here, and the scenery is not as good as where we stopped just now. Going on, at 18:00, I saw a large peach blossom at the foot of the snow-capped mountains on the other side of the Palong Zangbo River. Not being noticed, only a few villages that can be directly reached by road are particularly famous, but their peach blossoms are not necessarily the best.
18:13 Came to Guxiang Lake, which is actually a wide and gentle section of the "Palong Zangbo", with continuous snow-capped mountains on the opposite bank, and the scenery is very beautiful. There are public toilets, kiosks and other facilities beside the highway, but they seem to have been abandoned and are extremely dilapidated. I guess this place may have been planned to be developed into a toll scenic spot, but the lake is close to the highway, and the area is too vast, so there is no way to close the toll. As a result, efforts to build scenic spots eventually came to naught.
At 18:30, turn right and get off the national road, pass a village bridge, and come to Kaba Village. Kuanglu, the protagonist of the online video series "Xingjiang", rides alone in the southwest and northwest of China. In his program, he mentioned that there is a small village of "Kaba" surrounded by snow-capped mountains at the 4036 km of the G318 National Highway. Excellent place, passing by today, by the way, go in and have a look. At present, many tourist inns have been built in the village, some of which are still quite large. We were wandering around when a Tibetan man stopped me, claiming that he was the owner of an inn in the village. I hurriedly explained to him that we were going to stay in Bomi tonight and that we were just wandering around. He said no problem, now he just wants to give me a business card so that I can promote it on his behalf. His family's inn is quite large, backed by snow-capped mountains, and there is a garden in front of it.
Leave Kaba Village at 18:45, then take the national highway G318, and continue to drive along the "Palong Zangbo" to Bomi. Peach blossoms and snow-capped mountains can be seen everywhere along the road. "Palong Zangbo" is clear and blue, and white clouds, green trees, blue sky and snow peaks are reflected on the calm water surface. The scenery is picturesque.
At 19:20, we saw another wide water surface with people playing by the water. We drove straight past without stopping. Soon after, I saw a country road on the left side of the road, entering a ravine, and there is a Galang village in the ditch. Because the peach blossoms are in full bloom from March to April every year, it is called "Galang Peach Blossom Valley", which is also the "Nyingchi Peach Blossom Tourism Culture Festival". Bomi branch venue. There is also a "Bodui Zangbo" small river in the ravine, which runs parallel to the country road and flows into the Palong Zangbo River after crossing the national highway G318. Master Deng suggested to take the time to go sightseeing in the ditch, but X.J. noticed that there is no sunlight in the ditch now, and worried that the effect of taking pictures of peach blossoms would not be good, so he decided not to go into the ditch for the time being, and will come back when he returns from Bomi the day after tomorrow. Go around the shore of the water you just passed. Master Deng was reluctant at first, because he had to go back for a while, but in the end X.J. had the final say.
The water surface is actually the river channel of "Palong Zangbo", because "Bodui Zangbo" merges into "Palong Zangbo" not far away, thus forming this relatively wide water surface. As the sun sets, the surrounding snow-capped mountains reflect the surface of the lake, and the lakeside is also picturesque. After taking some photos, we continued to move forward. At 19:29, we saw a gate of "Land of Glaciers" on the national highway, the Bomido Glacier, so it was called "Land of Glaciers". Then I saw a large area of peach blossoms, but it was quite far away and out of reach. Then enter Bomi County, which is "Zhamu Town". The town is 2,700 meters above sea level and surrounded by snow-capped mountains. "Palong Zangbo" and the national highway G318 pass through the town.
I stayed at the "Bomi Impression" hotel. The owner is from Dali, Yunnan. I asked if I could arrange accommodation for the driver, but he flatly refused. Seeing this, Mr. Deng hurried forward and muttered a few words, and the owner stopped talking. Afterwards, Master Deng said that hotels in Tibet usually arrange free accommodation for drivers, but if there are fewer guests, the boss will think it is not worthwhile. Master Deng has brought guests over many times in the past, so when he came forward, the boss stopped talking. This is called "not looking at the face of the Buddha but at the face of the monk". Lunch was too late and too full. All three said they had no appetite, so dinner was skipped.
It was after 20:00 to settle down for a while, the sky in Bomi was still bright, and the courtyard outside the window was also full of peach blossoms. This made me wonder whether Tibet was originally the hometown of peach trees? Before going to bed, Mr. Deng called to ask if he could rebook the room for tomorrow, because the boss said that if he didn’t book in advance, he might not be able to stay in this hotel after the trip tomorrow, so X.J. immediately decided to book another day.
