In the spring of 2018, several of our friends (who had jointly conducted a self-driving tour in Xinjiang, etc.) met to carry out a self-driving tour through Tibet. They planned to enter Tibet from Bingchacha, visit Nyingchi, Lhasa, Shigatse, Yadong, Mount Everest Base Camp and other places , from Tibet on the Xinzang line. When the itinerary crossed the Tongmai Bridge and arrived at the Yigong Tea Farm, we (Dabing Lvcao) had an accident at home and had to interrupt the itinerary and return to Chengdu. Bingcha Zuo", "Exploring Medog", "Yigong Scenery" and "318 Shibei" and other beautiful clips, here are a record.
This section introduces the fragments of the "Expedition Medog" in our Tibet self-driving tour, mainly including the introduction of Medog, the experience of the adventure Medog, the situation of our hotel stay, the comparison between the exploration Medog and Bingchazuo crossing, etc.
Introduction to Medog
Medog means "hidden lotus" in Tibetan. Its area is 31,400 square kilometers (our country actually controls 6,400 square kilometers), with a population of about 11,500 people, mainly the Menba and Lhoba. Medog County is located at the eastern end of the Himalayas. Its west, north, and east sides are blocked by the Himalayas and Gangrigabu Mountains. The Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon runs through the whole area, resulting in extremely large terrain fluctuations. From its In the north, the Nanga Bawa Peak, which is more than 7,000 meters above sea level, rapidly transitions to the valley area at an altitude of less than 200 meters in the south. At the same time, the Medog area is located at the junction of the Eurasian continental plate and the Indian Ocean plate. The crustal movement is very active, earthquakes occur frequently, faults are developed, and rock formations are broken. In addition, the warm and humid air flow of the Indian Ocean moves northward along the Yarlung Zangbo River valley, bringing it sufficient precipitation. , making this area a high-incidence area for landslides, landslides, and debris flows.
Due to the special natural conditions in the Medog area, the road from the inland to Medog County has been very difficult and dangerous throughout the ages. In the past, the inland access to Medog was mainly a mountain road that could only be used by pedestrians and horses, and they had to climb over 4,000 meters of snow-capped mountains. Pass through the primeval forest infested by leeches, poisonous insects, and beasts, and face the threat of avalanches, rainstorms, landslides, and swamps at any time, making the journey to Medog a journey that requires huge risks. After the founding of New China, the state has built related road projects several times, but it was not until October 31, 2013 that Medog barely took off the "hat" of the county without roads.
The Zhamo (Bomi Zhamu Town to Medog County) highway starts from Zhamu Town, Bomi County in the north, and ends at Lianhua Square in the county seat of Medog County in the south, with a total length of 117 kilometers. As the Zha-Mo Highway runs through alpine valleys, there are frequent regional tectonic activities, numerous fractures, loose and saturated slopes, low slope stability, huge rainfall and long-term extreme cold weather. Suffering from rain and snow, landslides, mudslides, etc. However, along the Zhamo Highway is also an excellent viewing zone for enjoying the natural landscape from alpine frigid to tropical rainforest. As the saying goes, "the body is in hell, but the eyes are in heaven". Self-driving Medog has also become an important stage for domestic off-road self-driving tour enthusiasts to challenge themselves and enjoy the beautiful scenery.
Exploring Medog, Unforgettable Experience
I once saw someone say that those who walk Medog Road are heroes. I think that refers to the donkey friends who walked to Medog in the past. However, for those who drive to Medog by themselves, it should be an unusual experience to be able to drive to Medog by themselves.
At 8 o'clock in the morning on April 24, 2018, we set off from Bomi and headed towards Medog. After driving for two or three kilometers along the not-so-wide but flat road, we started to climb the slope after passing a "cloud green sea" archway. At this time, snow-capped mountains on both sides of the road appeared in front of us, and the sun The looming light shines on the snow-capped mountains, and we stop and go, being attracted by the beautiful scenery on both sides from time to time. The road conditions along the way are not bad. Although there are small sections of gravel or stone roads in some sections of the road, most of them are still concrete roads.
At about nine o'clock, we arrived in front of the Galongla Tunnel, where there is a monument to the opening of the Medog Highway, and we can overlook the Galongla Snow Mountain.
After a short stop in front of the opening monument, we drove into the Galongla Tunnel. Since the Galongla Tunnel goes all the way down from Bomi to Medog, there are early guides to remind you to slow down when driving out of the tunnel, because The weather on both sides of Galongla Mountain is different. You may encounter rain and snow after exiting the tunnel, so you must be extra careful. After we got out of the tunnel, it was really foggy, and the ground was very slippery, followed by a downhill section with continuous back and forth. This section of the road was very slippery, but fortunately, it was basically a concrete road.
At the end of the ramp is the K52 public security checkpoint on the Zha-Mo Highway. When we arrived at about 9:30 in the morning, we first lined up for inspection and received the "Registration Card for Motor Vehicle Speed Limit Record Inspection". Due to poor road conditions, Zha-Mo Highway is prone to accidents. Relevant departments have set up speed limit checkpoints at 52K, 80K, and nearby counties, requiring the average speed to be controlled within 20km/h. From this, you can imagine how difficult this road is. .
Passing through the 52K checkpoint, the vehicle began to enter a section of extremely muddy muddy road, with many stones sandwiched in the mud. Not only was the vehicle swaying to and fro while driving, the floor was constantly being scratched by the stones, making a rattling sound. After walking several hundred meters in this way, they finally walked out of the muddy ground.
However, the road ahead was blocked due to road construction. Fortunately, the traffic jam was not long. The car stopped and went, and the car also drove into the virgin forest. At about 10:40, we saw the first waterfall—— Hydrophilic waterfall.
Leaving the Waterfall, we continued to walk through the road in the virgin forest for more than an hour while improving and passing. At about 12:20, we saw the second waterfall - Wudang Waterfall.
We stayed at the viewing platform next to Wudang Waterfall for about ten minutes, and we continued to move forward. At this time, the road has descended from the Alpine Cliff Road to the ravine, and the vegetation on the roadside has also changed from alpine coniferous forest to broad-leaved Forests and shrubs. Because the mountain is still steep, many sections of the road are single-lane traffic. Whenever there is a traffic jam, there will be a small traffic jam for a while. Fortunately, everyone understands and gives way to each other, and the atmosphere is quite harmonious.
From some villages passing by on the road, it can be seen that the living conditions of the local people have been greatly changed.
At 1:30 in the afternoon, we encountered the third waterfall - Jialong Waterfall.
There is a signboard for the leech road near the Garonne Waterfall, so we stopped the car and hoped to see the mollusk in the grass on the side of the road, but after searching for a long time, we didn’t find a single leech. Maybe it’s the wrong season. .
At the mileage 108K of the road, the Galong song that has been with us for a long time merges into the Yarlung Zangbo River from north to south. We saw the beautiful shadow of the Yarlung Zangbo River from a distance on the mountainside.
Next, continue along the Yarlung Zangbo River. It is still a road that is open to traffic while repairing the road. Most of the road sections are two-way traffic, and some are single-lane. The road surface is better than the previous mountainous road section.
It is about four or five kilometers away from Medog County. From a distance, there are many houses on the hillside in front. It should be Medog County. Another traffic jam.
Fortunately, the road was temporarily cut off, and it was quickly released. At about 3:30 in the afternoon, we arrived in Medog County smoothly.
After checking into the hotel for a short rest, at around four o'clock in the afternoon, we couldn't wait to go to Medog County to take a look at this long-awaited and mysterious town.
We walked around the main street of the small town and found that Medog County is no different from many other counties in the inland. Some small towns in the inland area are comparable, and there are not many decent streets at present. The Budong Road and Baimagang Road we walked through are relatively lively main streets. Shops, however, when we went, the road on the main street was being renovated, and the facades of many shops were also being renovated. It seems that this place will usher in a new round of great development opportunities.
It is worth mentioning that the Lotus Holy Land Park in the center of Medog County is next to the newly built Tibetan-style commercial street. It is composed of three water surfaces with different heights, a series of small functional squares and park trails. The level and scale are also very advanced among the county-level cities in the inland. It is extraordinarily quiet, comfortable, clear and bright on this plateau island in the deep mountains and valleys.
On April 25, 2018, at 8:30 in the morning, the original plan was to visit the Yarlung Zangbo River in Guoguotang first, and then return to Bomi. Unexpectedly, the bridge across the Yarlung Zangbo River from the lower reaches of Medog to Dexing Township was closed, and after we drove across the Yarlung Zangbo Bridge in the upper reaches of Medog, there was a traffic jam in the direction of Guoguotang. It is said that the road condition is not good and it is being repaired. We waited for a while, but when we saw no movement ahead, we asked the local driver next to us, saying that it might not be repaired in a while. I had no choice but to give up the idea of watching the big turn, and "go home" to Bomi.
Unlike going to Medog, because the situation ahead is basically known, I feel that the return journey seems to be better, and the mood of the return journey is much calmer, and even the car drives faster. At 2:45 in the afternoon, we returned safely to Bomi and successfully completed the "feat" of this expedition to Medog.
Our hotel stay in Medog
On April 24, 2019, we stayed in Medog Gela Dandong Hotel. It is equivalent to a three-star hotel in the mainland. The conditions are not bad, clean and hygienic, and the service is okay. The location is good, next to Medog Lotus Holy Land Park. This hotel is considered a relatively good hotel in the local area, and the price is slightly higher than other hotels.
The comparison between Medog Expedition and Bingcha Zuo Crossing
After returning, a friend asked me, what is the difference between the Medog expedition and the Bingcha Zuo crossing? At that time, I was really stunned by the question, and I couldn’t answer it for a while, but after thinking about it carefully, there should be the following differences:
1. Experiences have different meanings. During the Medog expedition, when planning the itinerary, both the process and the result are very important. Passing the Zhamo Highway and arriving at Medog are both our goals; and crossing Bingchacha (Bingcha left) is more about getting this process, because there are many roads to Tibet, and this time we are It is necessary to go through the process of Bingchacha (Bingcha left).
2. The degree of danger experienced is different. For the Medog expedition, it should be said that with the opening of the Zha-Mo Highway, the difficulty of driving to Medog and hiking to Medog has been reduced by a huge order of magnitude, and the time has been shortened from a few days to a few hours, and there is no need to cross the Ga Longla snow mountain, no need to cross mountains and rivers, no need to fear the intrusion of beasts and leeches, although the road is muddy and bumpy, but you still sit in the car, so although it is an adventure, it should be said that it is more about psychologically conquering yourself and taking a step forward. this step. And crossing Bingchazuo, especially the section from Chavalong to Bitu Township, is the most dangerous and difficult in my life. In terms of danger, there is no protection on one side of that section of the mountain and cliff. Thousands of feet deep cliff, one side is a high and steep slope with little support after excavation, and rocks may fall at any time, the road grade is very low, there is almost no maintenance, and the distance is very long (more than ten kilometers) . Driving on such a road, it can be said that any small improper operation may cause terrible and disastrous consequences; and that section of ravines, rocks, rugged, winding, turning back and turning back one after another The winding climbing (downhill) road section is also extremely difficult to drive, so that after I arrived in Bitu Township, my shoulders were stiff and sore due to tension and fatigue.
3. There are differences in the natural and social environments of exploration and traversal. Exploring Medog is more about experiencing the power of nature, because the Zhamo Highway is a project that governments at all levels and relevant departments are fully committed to constructing, maintaining, and ensuring smooth flow. Even so, in the face of nature (ice, snow, rainstorms, etc.), many times people The power still seems so powerless and helpless. Crossing Bingchacha (Bingcha left) is more of a test of the driver's own spirit, will and ability. Because the road conditions are certain, the basic situation to be faced is known, and our own conditions and capabilities are also known. What we need is to build up the confidence and courage to overcome difficulties.
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