Yubeng, I started to miss it as soon as I left; Yading, I decided to revisit after less than a year; Snow Mountain Meili, let us start to understand Tibetan culture in depth. On July 17, amidst the colorful prayer flags fluttering in the wind and the well-meaning "Tashi Dele", we successfully concluded our 12-day bicycle self-driving trip. This is the 4th consecutive year of traveling to Tibet. This year I chose to go to the Tibetan areas of Yunnan and Sichuan, that is, the Kham Tibetan area. When traveling, we have always liked purity and nature, and dislike noise and artificiality. Different from the past, this trip deliberately added a lot of arduous hiking, so it has a more intense and unforgettable experience and feeling.

Itinerary map (hand-painted by stone):

Front row

By chance, Yubeng—a small Tibetan village at the foot of Meili Snow Mountain flashed in front of my eyes. The later itinerary design centered on Yubeng, which was quickly formed after referring to 8264 and the western map. With the experience of free travel in the past few years, we calmed down a lot this time. After booking the round-trip air ticket and pre-renting the car on the eHi car rental official website, we quickly returned to the usual rhythm of work, study, reading, and mountain climbing. On the contrary, Xiao Shitou put more interest into the study of this trip than we did. He repeatedly consulted the map, studied the route, mileage, and accommodation. He also drew a more detailed itinerary by hand and stuffed it into the travel bag prepared for him early.

The night before the trip, we finally put everything behind us. The anticipation and enthusiasm for the trip suddenly revived, and we quickly started division of labor and cooperation and methodical preparations. When I go shopping in the supermarket, I mainly buy snacks and medicines. In fact, I don’t buy many snacks. I mainly buy some high-calorie Snickers bars for emergencies. Over the past few years, a habit has gradually formed during travel in the west, that is, wherever you travel, it is best to keep your consumption in the local area. Drugs are mainly gastrointestinal medicine, cold medicine, antipyretics, and painkillers. Prepare clothes and shoes. Considering the rainy season in Tibetan areas and several days of hiking, I brought two big boxes full of clothes and two pairs of shoes for each person. Xiao Liu brought three pairs. Prepare other loose items such as chargers, sunscreen, etc. The end result was two large suitcases, three outdoor backpacks, and a tote bag filled with 4 pairs of shoes.

Day 1 (July 6) Lijiang Airport----Diqing Shangri-La City

“Business is getting worse and worse”

At 1:30 p.m. on July 6, the plane arrived at Lijiang Airport one hour later. Soon, the guy from Yihe drove us to the car rental point, where a black Lavida was waiting for us quietly. I have been renting a car with eHi for the past few years, and the experience is still good. Generally, the cars are new and in good condition, and the procedures for picking up and returning the car are very simple, and the service is also warm.

In the drizzle, our self-driving journey began. Without nostalgia, I drove away from the famous ancient city, came to National Highway 214, and drove to Shangri-La, the seat of Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture.

Among the various versions of the most American roads, 214 is always on the list. It passes through Yunnan, Sichuan, Tibet, and Qinghai, and has various climates such as tropical, subtropical, temperate, alpine, and plateau. During this trip, we experienced 214, which is about 600 kilometers from Lijiang, Yunnan, to Mangkang, Tibet. We really felt its ecological diversity. It was dense forest for a while, grassland with lush water and grass for a while, and dry for a while. Hot valleys and bare loose mountains. Even within a distance of a few kilometers, there are two bright colors of dark green and earthy yellow. But I generally feel that the beauty of this section of 214 is not as stunning as that of Sichuan West 318, which makes you less urge to get out of the car to enjoy the scenery and take pictures.

Go to Tiger Leaping Gorge Town, and turn to Tiger Leaping Gorge Scenic Area. Tiger Leaping Gorge is a grand canyon formed after the Jinsha River along the way was squeezed out between the Haba Snow Mountain and the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. The narrowest point is only 30 meters. Now it has been developed into a 4A-level scenic spot. Because of the convenient transportation and reputation, there are quite a lot of tourists. Tiger Leaping Gorge is indeed spectacular. The originally quiet Huanhuang River suddenly became unruly here, rolling and roaring like a monster that had just been tied up in a giant cage. Standing on the plank road by the river, my heartbeat suddenly tightened and accelerated, and the hand holding the mobile phone to take pictures couldn't help trembling slightly. Here, taking pictures is unnecessary, this is a place that needs to be experienced in person.

After playing in the scenic spot for more than an hour, we continued to drive. At 6:30 in the afternoon, we arrived in Shangri-La in the rain. After checking in, I first went to a nearby supermarket to buy some beef jerky and buns, and then went to a pharmacy to buy Rhodiola rosea. I had been eating rhodiola for a week in Jinan, but considering the intensity of the high-altitude hike this time, I bought some more and insisted on eating it every day. I bought 4 trekking poles at an outdoor store for 100 yuan. Although the quality is average, they are barely usable and should be used as disposable items, because the trekking poles we use every day cannot be brought here.

After purchasing, wander around the famous Dukezong ancient city and look for food by the way. The ancient city of Dukezong was built in the Tang Dynasty. It is an ancient city with a history of more than 1300 years. But in 2014, a fire of unknown cause destroyed most of the ancient buildings. Most of the buildings now are imitations on the original sites. Of course, some ancient dwellings have been preserved, including a long earthen city wall. Strolling on the bluestone slabs, admiring all kinds of beautiful Tibetan houses, looking at the world's largest prayer wheel. The ancient city is very small, with seven or eight short streets and alleys filled with various businesses. It's high season now, but there are not many tourists here, which makes us a little puzzled. Looking at the merchants and stores, whether they are selling goods or eating, most of them are deserted and have no business. Some business owners are lying on their chairs and dozing off, and some even play poker together. Signs of "Wangpu Sublease" and "Low Price Transfer" can be seen everywhere. How could the famous ancient city of Shangri-La look a bit depressed? Relying on the guidance of Dianping, we went to a hot pot restaurant for dinner. The shop is not big, with only 8 small tables for 4 people, but the densely packed tourist messages on the walls of the shop slightly show the value of the "old shop". The owner of the shop is a handsome guy from Henan, who is both a chef and a buyer and waiter. The shop is actually run by his husband and wife, but because there is not much business, his wife did not come to help. I ordered the chicken and Tibetan pork set meal, which tastes good. Chat with the little boss and ask him why there are not many tourists now. This touched his sore spot all of a sudden, and the chatterbox opened up. He has opened a store here for six or seven years. In the first few years, there were many tourists and the business was good. However, in the past two years, the business has become increasingly deserted and the rent has risen again. Asked about the reason for the decrease in tourists, the little boss sighed, saying that there are too many negative news about Yunnan tourism, and its reputation is bad. It was all caused by those gangster tour guides. Stones worth tens of dollars dare to sell for 10,000 to 20,000. Black tour guides can earn two million a year. Although the government is vigorously rectifying the order of the tourism market, many tourists are scared and stay away. The little boss introduced that there was another negative news in Yunnan a few days ago. Several villagers stopped the self-driving cars to charge fees. For these people, it is difficult to do business. Speaking of this, the little boss's eyes were full of resentment and helplessness. When I wrote these words, the whole country was indignant about "fake vaccines". I couldn't help but think of a popular headline in the circle of friends during this period of time, "Moral depravity is the root cause of the current economic downturn".

Ten days later, we came to this small shop again and saw a pair of sons and daughters left by the little boss in their hometown in Henan. They came to play with their parents during the summer vacation. There was no business in the store at the time, and two little dolls were lying on the dining table, one playing with a mobile phone and the other playing with building blocks. We persuaded him to go back to his hometown to open a shop and still be able to take care of the children. He said that the Lijiang-Shangri-La expressway will open to traffic next year, and we will see how the business will be then.

Day 2 (July 7) Shangri-La City----Feilai Temple in Deqin County

Not all mountains can be conquered

Today's itinerary is very loose, about 200 kilometers along the 214 National Highway. The scenery along the way is still very good, especially after leaving Shangri-La, because the climate is warm and rainy, there are grasslands and wetlands everywhere, cows, horses and Tibetan pigs are grazing leisurely. The flourishing rape blossoms set off the quiet and comfortable small Tibetan villages. The viewing platform set up on the national road enjoys the Napa Sea and the first bay of the Jinsha River. I bought some tomatoes and cucumbers grown by collectors in Benzilan Town, Deqin County. Although this place is only tens of kilometers away from Shangri-La, the climate is quite different, with a sudden decrease in precipitation, strong sunlight, and a relatively large temperature difference. It is a typical hot and dry climate, so it is rich in fruits, especially grapes, and signs of "selling homemade wine" can be seen everywhere. The journey went smoothly, arrived at Feilai Temple around 4:00 p.m., and stayed in Meili Past.

Feilai Temple is a small temple located beside National Highway 214, more than ten kilometers away from Deqin, with a history of 400 years. Because this is the best place to watch Meili Snow Mountain, and it is also the foothold for going to Yubeng and Mingyong Glaciers, and gradually developed into a tourist distribution center with many hotels and restaurants. Feilai Temple is also the name of a local Tibetan village, where our favorite driver Nading later lived. Meili's Past is located opposite Feilai Temple. This is the best inn during our trip. The owner is from Chengdu and is also an outdoor enthusiast. After wandering abroad for many years, because he likes Meili, he opened a store here for 13 years. The inn facilities are good, the lobby and restaurant are decorated in a very emotional way, and a shelf is filled with guestbooks for tourists who have stayed here since 2006, one for each year. There are two books in each guest room, one of which is about turning mountains in Meili. I like it very much. After returning to Jinan, I also bought a book. My mother and Shitou also read this book seriously. The fifth floor of the hotel is a large platform with several sets of tables and chairs for tourists to enjoy the snow-capped mountains.

Known as the "Thirteen Peaks of the Prince", Meili Snow Mountain is composed of many towering and continuous snow peaks. Regrettably, although it was sunny at Feilai Temple at that time, the highest peak of Meili Snow Mountain was still hidden in thick clouds, keeping it mysterious, and only letting the Mingyong Glacier protruding from its feet wantonly flaunt to people. posture. In fact, at this time, we are still at the level of appreciating the natural landscape of Meili Snow Mountain, and regard it only as a magnificent snow mountain that occasionally presents the spectacle of "Sunshine Golden Mountain". It was not until later that I watched related documentaries and carefully read "Turning to the Mountain—Meeting Myself in Meili".

In fact, the snow mountain should not be called Meili, it is called Kawagebo, also called Anikawagebo. Every autumn and winter, Tibetans from Yunnan, Tibet, Sichuan, and Gansu, with their young and old, come here by various means of transportation, and express their worship and expectation for the holy mountain by walking around the mountain. The total distance to go around the mountain is 200 kilometers, and people with good physical strength will need at least seven or eight days. The road to the mountain is extremely difficult. The whole journey is on a jungle path, and you have to pass through various canyon passes. The altitude difference is large, and some sections of the road are extremely steep, and there are certain dangers. The food and accommodation conditions on the road are also very poor. Tibetans express their piety and purify their hearts through the ordeal of turning around the mountain.

It is such a sacred mountain, a holy mountain, but in 1991 it led to a great tragedy in the history of world mountaineering. Seventeen Chinese and Japanese mountaineering warriors insisted on climbing the mountain amid the protests of the local Tibetan people, but were killed in an avalanche only 200 meters away from the top of Kawagebo Peak. Years later, Kavaborg returned the remains of the victims to their families through the creeping Mingyong Glacier. This incident triggered a big discussion in the mountaineering industry. Should some mountains not be climbed? Later, the government legislated to prohibit climbing Kawagebo forever. We commemorate the 17 warriors, and we also respect the beliefs and culture of the Tibetan people. In addition, we should also understand that human beings should not only think about conquering, but also be in awe, because besides nature and reality, there are unthinkable, unimaginable but high-level existences that create everything and understand everything. Some mountains are not just an altitude.

It is not impossible for Meili to turn around the mountain, and a faint impulse hits her.

Day 3 (July 8) Yubeng Village, Yunling Township, Deqin County

The Power of One Pot Chicken Soup

"Here is heaven for the eyes, hell for the body", this sentence vividly describes Yubeng. The taste of hiking in Yubeng, the more you chew, the more delicious it is, this is our true feeling.

On the morning of July 8, I left the two suitcases at the inn and handed over the car keys to the innkeeper. The inn doesn’t have a dedicated parking lot. I parked my car on the side of the road and couldn’t enter Yubeng with my car keys, in case I need to move my car. The little girl at the inn seemed to see that I had some concerns about parking the car on the side of the road for three days, and said lightly, "Don't worry, this is a Tibetan area, it's very safe."

Nading, the chartered driver who contacted in advance, also arrived on time. The chartered cars in this area are all micro-faces such as Wuling Hongguang, which are cheap, fuel-efficient, carry more passengers, and have a higher chassis. Na Ding is dark, handsome and simple. In 1983, he was the father of two children aged 16 and 14. Na Ding’s family planted a few acres of barley and raised 6 cows. His income mainly depended on driving taxis. The income is eight or nine hundred, and in the off-season it is only one or two hundred a day. It takes more than an hour to walk from the inn to Xidang Hot Spring. Part of the road is sandy and gravel, and there are small mudslides from time to time, which is quite difficult to walk. We chatted a lot with Na Ding on the way. Na Ding told us about Kawagebo and Mingyong Glacier, and about their turning mountains and rivers. His Chinese is not very good. Anxiously gesturing to you and accompanied by simple and honest laughter. Na Ding said that the frontier of the Mingyong Glacier was right next to Mingyong Village decades ago, but now due to climate warming and human influence, the glacier has retreated seven or eight kilometers away from the village.

Arrive at the starting point of the hike - Xidang Hot Spring at 10 am, say goodbye to Nading and make an appointment to pick us up after two days. Put on your backpack, pick up your trekking poles, put on your knee pads, and start the arduous 7-hour trek into the village. There is a post road from Xidang Hot Spring to Yubeng Village. The whole journey is 12 kilometers. Although the distance is not long, the 8 kilometers from Xidang (2700 meters above sea level) to the highest point Nanzheng Pass (3800 meters above sea level) is 1100 meters above sea level. And the whole journey is uphill, and there is no flat road or downhill to adjust your breathing. There is a mule team at the entrance of the post road. Those who don’t want to hike can choose to ride a mule, but seeing our family’s fully armed appearance, there is no mule owner to greet us.

Although the psychological preparation has been sufficient, although the sleep is good, the physical reserves are sufficient, and although mountaineering and trekking have become our daily leisure methods, this time is too different. The high altitude, heavy loads, and endless ascents soon shattered our ambitions. When I was packing my backpack last night, I shouted "I must bring less to reduce the load", but in fact I brought a lot of things. I even brought a pair of hiking shoes for Xiao Liu, and the three outdoor backpacks were full. . Be aware that an extra kilogram on a high-altitude climb can crush you.

Although I was controlling the rhythm, walking slowly, chatting and laughing with him from time to time or stopping to take pictures for a short rest, but soon, our fatigue became apparent, my mother began to leave alone, and Xiao Liu also I asked for trekking poles, and everyone began to lean forward. I bought four trekking poles because the two of them were not used to using double sticks, so I took double sticks at first. The rhythm of eating snacks is obviously accelerated, and you may want to use the pleasure of your mouth to pull your leg muscles. Soon, when we arrived at the first rest shed, everyone couldn't wait to unpack and rest. I went to buy a bowl of fresh and salty butter tea. This is just the beginning!

There are not many people entering the village today, probably only twenty or thirty people, including a 10-member youth outdoor group. Most of the group are children in junior high school, the youngest is a girl, 10 years old, the same age as Shitou. Each of them is carrying a big backpack, and later learned that they will live in Yubeng for 5 days, it seems that they want to experience it in depth.

Although the speed is already very slow, my mother still can't keep up with the rhythm. Seeing the little girl carrying a head-length backpack, her mother discussed with Shitou if she could distribute the contents of the backpack evenly, and Shitou agreed without hesitation. Evened some small things to the stone, and continued to move forward with difficulty. At 1:00 pm, the second rest tea shed that I had been waiting for finally arrived.

The owner of the tea shed is a lively and cheerful Tibetan guy. He can be heard singing "Dear girl, I love you" repeatedly from a long distance, but he seems to be the only one who can sing this sentence. There are already several hikers sitting on the bench, and everyone likes to joke with the guy, and the small tea shed is full of laughter. The most special thing is the famous instant noodle wall. The guy puts the buckets of instant noodles that the tourists have finished eating in order to form a wall. We ordered three buckets of instant noodles and scrambled three eggs. Take off the knee pads and slowly enjoy this rare relaxation. After resting for ten minutes, we set off. At this time, the light rain had turned into a shower, and it was falling in a hurry. The sky on the plateau is like a child's face, it changes as soon as it changes. After waiting for a while, seeing that the rain had no intention of stopping, I decided to put on my raincoat and move on. Thus, the saddest and most disastrous part of the journey began. The road was extremely muddy and difficult, and the slope was getting bigger and bigger. The body wrapped in the raincoat was hot and stuffy, and besides fatigue, it was also more irritable. The interval between stops has also changed from tens of meters to fifteen steps and a rest-this is at the request of Xiao Liu. Hey, if things go on like this, we won’t be able to arrive at 7:00 pm.

I don't know how long I walked, the rain decreased, I took off my raincoat decisively, my body felt refreshed, and I regretted not taking it off early. At this time, the sharp-eyed stone saw the altitude sign next to it—3704 meters, which is only 100 meters above sea level from the highest point, Nanzong Pass. This is really a shot in the arm. The three of them regained their spirits, their steps suddenly became much easier, and the mud under their feet was no longer so annoying. Step by step, I finally saw pieces of colorful prayer flags, and I arrived at the pass.

Come on, friend! This trip is not only to see the scenery, but also to experience a journey of self-challenge -- a slogan along the way.

After passing the pass, there is a 4-kilometer long downhill, from 3800 meters to 3100 meters above sea level. Looking at the continuous downhill, we couldn't help but think, after finally climbing up, I really don't want to go down again, my heart aches! There is also a simple tea shed at the pass, but we didn’t go in this time. We just stood and rested on the side of the road for a few minutes. After all, going downhill is much easier. Downhill hurts my knees the most. I still continue to control the rhythm, go downhill slowly, and stop the stone that always wants to rely on inertia to rush forward from time to time. Although I feel much more relaxed psychologically, my physical exhaustion is close to the limit, and sometimes I just mechanically drag my legs forward. Is there anything better to boost morale at this time than discussing what to eat for dinner? Soon, arriving at the inn early and drinking chicken soup became our spiritual motivation. In anticipation of delicious chicken soup, Yu Beng appeared so unexpectedly. Across the rhododendron layer, through the spruce gap, a beautiful small village composed of more than a dozen houses captivated our eyes, it was raining. It lies quietly surrounded by three mountains, with several silver waterfalls winding down, and the village is surrounded by neat, green and lush fields. Just south of the small village is the Meili Goddess Peak-Meincim, which is shrouded in clouds and mists but still clearly visible on the glaciers. The Goddess is always so shy, and she couldn't see her true face during the three days of Yubeng. Crazy to take pictures, not willing to let your eyes go, thank you Kawagebo for compensating us for our hardships!

At 5:30 in the afternoon, I finally moved to the inn where I stayed. Not many people have entered the village these days, and only our family stayed in this inn today, which seemed a bit deserted. After entering the door to put down the luggage, I ordered dinner at the store - stewed chicken soup. Ask the canteen in the village and want to buy something. The answer was: There is one next door, but the owner has gone to worship Buddha, so you can buy it later. Listen, not only awe-inspiring. Through the travel experience in Tibetan areas in recent years, I deeply feel that Tibetans' devotion to Buddhism comes from the depths of their lives. Temples, pagodas, prayer flags, prayer wheels, and mani piles are all necessary for the life of any Tibetan. I have to marvel at the magic of Tibetan Buddhism, which makes a nation that is brave and warlike and repeatedly threatens the Central Plains dynasty suddenly peaceful and peaceful. Thanks to Guru Rinpoche for creating such a precious religious culture for mankind. In Tibet, please throw away all the stinginess, philistines, cunning, and dirtyness, and please release the bright side of your human nature. As long as you have kindness in your heart, what you get must also be goodness.

After drinking three bowls of delicious chicken soup and a bowl of pure highland barley wine, the fatigue on the body was swept away. Before eating: I can’t imagine continuing to hike for more than 20 kilometers tomorrow, and I once asked the proprietress how to order a mule; after eating: The plan remains unchanged, hiking on the ice lake.

Day 4 (July 9) Yubeng --- Ice Lake

If you love him, bring him to Yubeng

Ice Lake is Haizi formed by melting snow water from the glacier of Meili Snow Mountain, with an altitude of 3,800 meters. It is 22 kilometers round trip from the inn to the ice lake, with an altitude of 800 meters. The beauty of this route and the hardships paid are also unforgettable.

At nine o'clock in the morning, we set off. Muddy trails, yellowed barley fields, verdant cornfields, Tibetan pigs foraging freely, geese and ducks playing in the water, beautiful Tibetan-style small buildings, curling smoke, dark green mountains, looming snow peaks, so peaceful rural scenery.

A few hundred meters away from the entrance of the village is an area known as a subalpine meadow, a typical forest meadow, very layered. The tall one is seabuckthorn, a tree species unique to Northwest Yunnan. Seabuckthorn has lush branches and leaves, and its shape is elegant. The branches and leaves are covered with red berries. The half-height one is pink and white mixed with Lu Yinghua. Occasionally, a few mules are leisurely eating among the forest flower layers. Grass, on the edge of the meadow, there is a stream of snow-capped mountain melt water from the ice lake, gurgling and flowing. The weather is fine, the temperature is suitable, the colors are rich and layered, everything is so pure and beautiful. What's even more rare is that there are few tourists at this time, and there are only our family as far as the eye can see. Walking wantonly in the meadow, you can feel relaxed and full of enjoyment. If this is the itinerary today, then it’s okay to walk 50 kilometers. After walking through the long meadow and entering the virgin forest, the road is still flat. In fact, there is no road, just walking through the forest at will, looking at brightly colored and strange-looking mushrooms for a while, looking at various exotic flowers and plants for a while, taking a photo with towering ancient trees for a while, and stepping on the ground for a while The thick layer of fallen leaves feels like a carpet. For a while, you can quietly appreciate the mottled light in the forest exuding a deep atmosphere. It can only grow in a very pure place. Although the altitude of Yubeng is high, it has a large amount of precipitation and is nourished by meltwater from glaciers, so the ecology here is very developed. A tree stump, a piece of dead wood, or a boulder can be shaped by time into a small but rich ecosystem.

The elevation has to be elevated, but no one has ever said that this route is easy. After all, the altitude of the ice lake is 800 meters higher than the starting point. As soon as we started climbing, most of our leisurely enjoyment of the scenery was lost. The slope here is steeper than yesterday's road into the village, and it is also more difficult to walk. Many times you have to use your hands and feet, and it rained lightly on the way. Looking at the steep and slippery forest path, I couldn't help but worry about how to go down the mountain. The trekking poles are not long enough. So I started looking for materials suitable for making long trekking sticks. Soon, beside a collapsed bamboo grove, I found three long and straight bamboo poles with fair hardness and suitable thickness. Take care of both ends, and scrape off the bean curd skin on the surface with a knife. When Shi Shi saw that I was making it, he immediately joined in with great interest, and soon three long climbing sticks were completed. With the sharp weapon for going down the mountain, my mind is much more stable.

After a difficult climb, we arrived at the famous Xiaonong Base Camp at around 12 o'clock. The road to the ice lake is very primitive, and there is only one tea shed for eating, drinking and resting along the entire route. This place is also called Xiaonong Ranch. The Sino-Japanese joint mountaineering team set up the base camp for climbing Kawagebo twice, so it is also called "base camp".

There lived a middle-aged Tibetan couple in the base camp, both of whom were not good at speaking. There was a long firepit in the shed, and several large pieces of wood were burning tepidly, making crackling and cracking sounds from time to time. On the shelves of the firepit stood kettles, buckets, and iron pans that had been burned to black. I ordered two servings of fried rice and a bowl of fresh yak milk. I am very grateful to this firepit. It not only provided us with hot milk and hot meals, but also dried my clothes when I returned from the frozen lake. After eating and drinking, stroll around the base camp to enjoy the more strange and pure scenery here.

It's raining again, and it rains several times a day here. It takes more than 1 kilometer to walk from the base camp to the ice lake, and the elevation is 200 meters. We are optimistic that it will be there soon. But not long after, we started to take 15 steps as a rest interval again. We saw the latecomers passing by us, but there were not many people. It is roughly estimated that there may be only twenty or thirty people who went to the ice lake that day. . Keep going and keep your own pace, this is our hiking creed. In the increasing rain, we walked up a long steep slope and saw the frozen lake below. However, the scenery seen after such a difficult climb is really ordinary, and the ice lake itself is far inferior to the milk sea in Aden later. It was raining heavily at that time, and the thick fog locked the glaciers and snow peaks above the frozen lake, which was actually what I wanted to see the most. Only five or six long silver waterfalls flowed out of the thick fog and flowed into the lake. If there is no cloud cover, the snow peaks, glaciers, silver waterfalls, and ice lakes are connected as one, it should be very spectacular, I think.

Mom and Shitou are determined not to reach the lake, because they have to walk downhill for a few minutes. I went down by myself, walked along the lake for a while, and added a few stones to the mani piles all over the place.

On the return trip, the three self-made long trekking poles played a huge role. Not only went down the mountain safely, but also effectively protected the knees. It’s just that more than an hour after leaving the ice lake, the weather suddenly cleared up, the clouds and mists suddenly dissipated, and the fading Xuefeng Glacier became very clear. On the long and tiring way home, we kept thinking about the half pot of delicious chicken soup left over from last night.

This is a return to life experience, this is a face-to-face communication between man and nature, in the piety of clasped hands, no rubbish is left behind. ——Excerpt from the slogan of the post road into the village.

At 7:00 p.m., I finally arrived at the inn. I asked the shopkeeper to fry two dishes, drank chicken soup, and reminisced about the day's journey. Unfortunately, it still rained at night, so we couldn't see the stars.

Day 5 (July 10) Yubeng---Shenpu Yubeng---Feilai Temple

bunny leader

Today's itinerary is half a day to and from Shenpu, half a day from Yubeng Village to Feilai Temple.

It is 12 kilometers round trip from the inn to Shenpu, with an elevation of 700 meters, which is much easier than the ice lake. So we decided to use half a day to complete the Shenpu round trip. Make an appointment before 2:00 noon to leave the village. After 2 o'clock, the mule will only be sent to Yakou and cannot go directly to Xidang. We are still a little nervous about going out late.

Although the scenery of the Shenpu line is not as good as that of the ice lake, for Tibetans, this line is a pilgrimage route. According to legend, the waterfall is the holy water brought back from heaven by God Kawagebo, which can eliminate disasters and avoid difficulties and bestow grace on all beings. Therefore, the line from Xiayubeng Village to Shenpu is full of prayer flags and mani piles piled up by Tibetans. The closer to Shenbao, the more prayer flags. Your blessings are covered with small Tibetan ornaments on some ancient trees, which is very ceremonial.

Xiao Liu seemed to have little confidence in our return to the inn before 2 o'clock, so he took the initiative to act as the team leader from the beginning, opening the way in front, and kept looking at the watch to calculate the round-trip time. Along the way, we couldn't get to the waterfall, and even agreed with us that no matter where we go at 11 o'clock, we must go back and forth. Even later, the backpacks that should have been carried in turn were not returned to the mother, so as not to delay the mother. Along the way, we took the initiative to call on Shitou to stop him from just rushing and ignoring the scenery around him. But often just after taking a few photos, the stone urges us to hurry up. Haha, I'm afraid this kid won't be able to get out of the village if he can't sit on a mule.

Not to mention some difficult treks, we actually arrived at Shenbao just after 11 o'clock. The God Waterfall is more of a symbol than a sight. The driver Na Ding said that when they come to the holy waterfall for pilgrimage, they have to go around the waterfall many times, and they can't wear waterproof clothes. They have to let the holy water splash on themselves as much as they want, the better. Here, although the water was cold and the wind was cold, we still stood on the rocks near the waterfall and bathed in some holy water, but in the end we didn't have the courage to go around the waterfall at close range.

After staying in Shenpu for more than ten minutes, classmate Xiao Liu led us back to the inn without stopping. I saw him carrying a bag, leaning on a stick, not talking, not looking at the scenery, walking quickly on two legs like a little rabbit, moving forward with no distractions. Around 1:30, we returned to the inn. The proprietress has also hired mules for us, one for each of us. The mules in Yubeng Village are dispatched uniformly, with two mules from each household, arranged by the team leader in order. Before leaving, we left our hiking shoes, which were dirty and out of shape, at the inn. The proprietress said that she was going to wash out the shoes and give them to the children who came from Tibet to go around the mountains, some of them had no shoes to wear.

Coincidentally, the Tibetan guy who drove our mules was also the one who showed us the way in Xiayubeng Village in the morning. Chatting on the road, he said that when he was 18 years old, he once walked through Nanzheng Pass (from Yubeng to Pass) 7 times a day, probably during the National Day.

At 5 o'clock in the afternoon, we arrived in Sidang and got on the car of Nading. After a few pleasantries, Na Ding said anxiously, you gave me 170 yuan that day, and I didn’t read it at the time, so I don’t need it, just give me 130 yuan this time. When Nading sent us off last time, I felt that the road was really difficult and it took a long time, so I gave Nading an extra 20 and paid with WeChat. It was originally 150, but I gave him 170. It seems that he didn't check WeChat to see if he received the money at the time. Simple and honest Na Ding! Later, I insisted on giving him 150.

When you arrive at Feilai Temple, continue to stay at Meili Past Events. In the evening, I went to a "Meili Special Hot Pot" and ordered a 168 yuan yak meat hot pot set meal. At that time, our family felt that the meat was not enough, and we were discussing whether to order something else. The shop guy tricked me that you can't eat these. Indeed, yak meat is delicious, but we, who like to eat meat but have no serious meal at noon, still have a lot left.

Day 6 (July 11) Yunnan Feilai Temple---Tibet Mangkang---Sichuan Batang

The worst thing happened

Although today's journey is not long, about 320 kilometers, it crosses three provinces and passes two national highways, 214 and 318. Although there were occasional rockfalls and small landslides in the Hengduan Mountains, 214 was still very smooth overall, and arrived in Mangkang County, Tibet smoothly at 1:00 noon. I was a little excited when I came to Tibet for the first time. I found a western restaurant in Mangkang County and ate a few burgers as a souvenir. When passing the checkpoint, the traffic police informed that a large-scale landslide and mudslide had just occurred on the 318 National Highway from Mangkang to Batang, and it was being repaired. Looking at Gaode navigation, it directly shows that the road is blocked. Unwilling to give up, I went to the Mangkang traffic police station on 318 to inquire, and learned that the car was unilaterally allowed to pass, so I rushed to the 318 to Batang without hesitation, maybe I could let it go earlier. Half an hour later, just as the family lamented that 318 was more beautiful, our Lavida joined the queue for release under the command of the traffic police at about 3:30 pm.

At the beginning, I was more optimistic. From here to Batang, it is less than 80 kilometers. Even if it is released after 2 hours, it will be seven or eight o'clock at most in Batang, and it will not be dark yet. Two hours passed, and there was no sign of letting go, but the cars coming from the opposite side kept passing us. I couldn't help getting anxious, why it wasn't our turn yet, and my mood gradually became anxious. After another 2 hours, there was still no movement, and the family stopped talking and laughing, and barely ate something. Xiao Shitou kept analyzing in the car why it was not released? I kept thinking that if I let go at this time, when can I go to the Batang Inn? There is no 4G signal on this road, and I can't surf the Internet. I don't understand what happened at 318 in the past few days. It was really boring, the three of them played a few poker games in the car. At nine o'clock in the evening, it was completely dark, and I had been waiting for 6 hours. At this time, for some unknown reason, I felt a sudden change in my state of mind, from the previous irritability to calmness. What's the matter, there is food, drink and clothes in the car, even sleeping in the car is fine. Now that I think about it, the change seemed sudden. Take out their respective clothes from the box and add one more. Arrange Shitou to sleep on the back seat, while my mother and I put down the front seat and covered our heads with the hood of the jacket, and we were suddenly tired. Lock the car door, leave a gap in the window, and sleep soundly. Keep a bottle of Red Bull and a Snickers bar handy in advance to refresh your mind as you prepare to go. In a daze, I heard commotion outside, many people running around, there is something wrong. Opening the car window, I vaguely heard someone shouting "Let's go"'. Looking at the time, it was almost 11 o'clock. After confirming the release, finish the Red Bull in one gulp, refresh yourself, and prepare for the night walk. A few minutes later, amidst the warning sound of "slow down" from the police car horn, we drove to 318, which was already in a mess.

Days of heavy rains have devastated 318, which is tens of kilometers long, in Mangkang. Mudslides, landslides, and subsidence of the roadbed. Some sections of the road have been completed and no asphalt remains. In some sections, half of the road surface and the roadbed have fallen into the river. Some roads still have piles of earth and rocks washed down from the mountains. My mother kept her eyes wide open to help me pay attention to the road conditions. I am also highly concentrated, mobilizing the strength of the whole body to control Lavida. In fact, as long as you pay attention, the danger will be far away. Carelessness is the greatest danger. At around 1:00 in the morning, we left the Jinsha River Bridge and entered Batang, Sichuan. The strange thing is that although there is only one bridge across, the 318 in Batang is intact. It seems that the heavy rainfall has nothing to do with it, and the landslides and mudslides have nothing to do with it, so I suspect that there is a problem with road maintenance in Tibet. At 2:30 in the evening, arrive at the scheduled Batang Inn.

Day 7 (July 12) Batang - Litang - Daocheng Shangri-La Town

I will not go far away, fly to Litang and return

Woke up at eight o'clock in the morning. Although I only slept for four or five hours, I was not tired at all. Yesterday's toss has also become a faint memory. After breakfast at the inn, head to the holy city of Litang.

Litang, the highest city in the world, is 4100 meters above sea level. From Batang to Litang, it is National Highway 318. From Litang to Daocheng Shangri-La Town, there is Provincial Highway 217. These two sections of road are the most beautiful road sections in the self-driving trip in recent years. There is Huahai Maoya Grassland in front, and Fantastic Haizi Mountain in the back.

From Batang to Litang, it circles all the way up, from 2600 meters above sea level to a maximum of 4800 meters. Maoya Grassland is located to the west of Litang County, and a geographic magazine has rated it as one of the six most beautiful grasslands in the country. Indeed, Maoya integrates the beauty of all kinds of grasslands, winding rivers, densely covered wetlands, lush pastures, rolling mountains, towering snow-capped mountains, and cows and horses everywhere. Of course, Maoya in July is the most attractive The most amazing thing is its sea of ​​flowers. Yellow, purple, and red wild flowers are densely covered in the mountains and plains, and you can get a full body of flowers with just a roll. In addition, the altitude of 4,000 meters and the dancing prayer flags also bring you closer to the sky, closer to nature, and closer to reality. I occasionally saw an elegant and lovely groundhog on the national road that goes straight through the grassland. Seeing the car driving by, it jumped to the edge of a cave in the grassland next to it. It should be its home. We actually looked at it beside the cave. There are two little groundhogs, are they a family? Tibetans never take the initiative to harm groundhogs, and they coexist harmoniously with these lovely elves on the grassland.

I passed the provincial road 217 from Litang to Daocheng last year. I was amazed at the vastness and strangeness of Haizi Mountain, but the trip was in a hurry and I didn’t have enough time to savor it carefully. This is still the case this time. I originally planned to make up for the regrets of last year, but when I arrived at this vast area of ​​ancient glacier remains, I didn’t know how to cherish it, and I passed by in a hurry, leaving some unfinished regrets. But this time I brought back a souvenir from Haizi Mountain, two dead roots I picked up at random.

Although it is a revisit, 217 still makes us stop frequently to enjoy the scenery and take pictures. "The Paradise of the Pastoral", the boulder slope, the poplar forest of 10,000 mu, the alpine meadow, the Tibetan houses, the highland barley and rapeseed, we are not willing to leave, because we don't know why. Come again. Check in at the hotel at 6:00 pm.

In Batang, we picked up a Tibetan guy who was going to Litang. Although the guy worked in the power company in 1997, he was very mature and talkative due to his extensive travels. The guy on the road was very puzzled when he talked about practical issues such as "Gansu girls jumping off the building to make a fuss", girls worshiping money, high betrothal gifts, and counterfeiting of Cordyceps. . The young man introduced us to some folk life in Tibetan areas, such as grazing, walking around mountains, and digging caterpillar fungus. He also introduced that two brothers could marry a daughter-in-law in the past. I learned from the guy that Tibet is divided into Kham Tibetan Area, Amdo Tibetan Area and so on. The entire Garze prefecture in Sichuan belongs to the Kham Tibetan area. They are descendants of the army of the former Tibetan dynasty. They are brave, unrestrained and loyal, and their words reveal the pride of being a Kham man.

Day 8 (July 13) Aden Scenic Area

we all became camels

Aden, the last piece of pure land on the blue planet, the last Shangri-La. Compared with last year, there are many more tourists this year. Revisiting the old place, there are less surprises and more calmness. After hiking in Yubeng, we no longer regard the sea of ​​milk and the sea of ​​five colors as daunting roads. It's just that the weather is not as good as last year, and the three snow-capped mountains are always tightly hidden.

Although there are battery cars in the scenic area, it still takes more than 10 kilometers of walking and 800 meters of elevation to enjoy the beautiful scenery. The altitude here is higher, the starting point of Chonggu Temple is 3,900 meters above sea level, and the highest point of Wusehai is 4,700 meters above sea level. Appreciating the extreme beauty of Luorong Cattle Farm, unconsciously, began the difficult climb to the sea of ​​milk. This time, there was no dragging or dragging, and there was no need to tell the history of the stone, and I didn’t even eat anything at noon. I arrived at the jasper-like milk sea surrounded by snow-capped mountains at 2 noon. During this trip, there were five days of long-distance high-altitude hiking. In order to reduce the load and reduce unnecessary carrying as much as possible, the food was also reduced to a minimum. I often ate a Snickers bar or one or two small breads at noon. In the evening, eat and drink a lot to replenish and store energy. Standing on the high hillside, looking at the magical clear water, looking at the mother and stone walking slowly by the water, all the sacrifices are worth it! Here, I was away from the crowd again, climbed to another high ground alone, sat on a rock, and let my brain stop working.

In the rain, a large group of yellow-billed crows shuttled in the five-color sea. This passerine bird is not only extremely intelligent, but also has a strong survivability. It can fly freely from plains to highlands.

In the evening, I went to the hot pot restaurant I visited last year to eat yak meat soup pot, and it still tasted delicious last year. In the evening, Xiao Liu, as always, watched his favorite without restriction - Survival in the Wilderness. Oh, this trip has added a must-see column - I Love Invention.

Day 9 (July 14) Shangri-La Town - Shangri-La City

enthusiastic Tibetan brothers

Shangri-La Town, formerly known as Riwa Township, belongs to Daocheng County, Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan. Shangri-La City, formerly known as Zhongdian County, is the seat of the state capital of Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Yunnan Province. The two places are 310 kilometers apart, passing through Xiangcheng County and Derong County of Ganzi Prefecture.

Departing at 9:00 in the morning, according to the navigation prompts, we traveled smoothly for 3 hours and arrived at a township in Xiangcheng County. The road is well built, there are not many cars, and it is very pleasant to walk along the river in the alpine meadow. Occasionally, I pass by beautiful white houses for hiding. This is the first time I have seen pure white Tibetan houses. On the way, I saw a group of Tibetan pigs crossing the national road, and seven or eight cute pig babies rushed to the nearby meadow under the leadership of the pig mother. Different from previous years, this year's road car is always full of singing. Since Shitou learned guitar, he also fell in love with singing. While admiring the scenery, he sang "Ningxia", "The Moon Represents My Heart", "Farewell", "Descendants of the Dragon" and so on over and over again. Along the way, my singing level has also improved a lot. Of course, there is also a song that is indispensable, and that is "Zhang San's Song". Thinking of watching "Seventy-seven Days" in the cinema, when Jiang Yiyan sang the song on the guitar, tears welled up in her eyes, "We want to fly to that distant place and look at the world is still full of light..."

Road repair, unilateral clearance, calmly waiting. Behind me was an SUV carrying a Tibetan family. After getting out of the car to rest, the Tibetan brothers in the car behind took the initiative to chat and asked me where I was going. When he learned that I was going to Shangri-La, he immediately told me not to follow the navigation. The navigation road is not easy, it takes a long time, and I can't get there even after dark. Now a new road has just been built, it is very easy to run, and it can be reached in three hours, which is not included in the navigation of this road. The route is then described in detail. Seeing that I didn't understand something, I repeated it several times, and repeatedly told me not to follow the navigation. Then let me talk to the previous few non-local cars, because the non-local cars here either go to Shangri-La or Lijiang. Soon, a small temporary convoy was formed, and everyone asked me to lead the way.

After half an hour, it was released. Walking to the corner pointed by the Tibetan brother, I stopped the car, waited for his car to come, and waved thanks and said goodbye. Then, he turned off the navigation and led the three cars to the new route. It is indeed a new road, basically all the way smooth, along a tributary of the Jinsha River to Shangri-La.

Traveling to the territory of Derong County, I picked up a young man of Han nationality. The guy is from Kangding, works in a township health center in Derong, and wants to meet friends in Benzilan Town, 30 kilometers away. Although Derong is adjacent to Xiangcheng, the climate is very different. In Xiangcheng, you need to wear a jacket, but here you only need short sleeves and shorts.

After four o'clock in the afternoon, I returned to Shangri-La City, stayed in the inn where I stayed before, and went to the hot pot restaurant of the small boss in Henan.

Day 10 (July 15) Shangri-La Pudacuo Scenic Area

Pudacuo with regrets

Pudacuo is a landmark and crushing-level scenic spot in Shangri-La City. It is my country's first national forest park and a 5A-level scenic spot, but it may not be now. Because its most famous Bitahai and Miritang sub-alpine pastures were temporarily closed after the National Day last year due to environmental protection reasons, and they have not been opened to the public until now. In order to retain tourists, since July 14, Pudacuo has added two new in-depth ecological experience routes, with a total length of about 8.5 kilometers. In addition to hiking around Shudu Lake, the whole journey is 12 kilometers. This also made us temporarily change the itinerary, leave Shangri-La early, and return here after the opening of the new line.

I drove to the scenic spot after nine o'clock in the morning. Go in early, of course, to fully experience the two new ecological routes. The original ecology has always been our family's favorite. Shudu Lake is the only remaining one of the three major scenic spots in Pudacuo. In fact, the scenery is not bad. It is a typical plateau lake. Around the lake, there are grasslands with wild flowers, spotted wetlands, and primeval forests that block out the sun. The clouds and rain in the sky, the mountains in the distance, the mirrored lake, the floating aquatic plants, the shrubs and flowers on the shore, and the horses grazing leisurely form a huge natural oil painting. I heard that the scenery of Bitahai and Alpine Pasture is better, so come back later.

There are not many people walking the two ecological hiking routes, and more people still only go to Shudu Lake in a hurry. We have completed these two routes all the way, and the overall feeling is that this is a temporary patchwork route for the scenic spot to make up for the closure of the two main scenic spots and increase the tourist experience. It's better than nothing, especially for tourists who travel less on the plateau, it's still worth seeing. One is to appreciate the plateau wild flowers such as iris and nasturtium, and the other is the original ecological forest. The latter is rarely followed, and we encountered no other tourists while hiking this route.

I went to a rest stop opened by a scenic spot, ate a few skewers of barbecue, and asked why Bitahai was closed? The answer is that there are endangered three-lipped fish and other precious plants in Bita Lake. Some tourists are of poor quality and just throw food and pick plants in the lake. So it will be closed for a period of time to restore the ecology, and it may open next year.

In the evening, continue to visit the ancient city of Dukezong. I went to a Tibetan hotpot restaurant run by a tall, powerful and handsome Kham man to eat Tibetan pork hotpot and taste authentic tsampa.

Day 11 (July 16) Shangri-La City - Lijiang City

World cultural heritage has become a noisy big market

It rained heavily at night. As far as the weather is concerned, this trip is not as good as last year's trip to the west of Sichuan, with fewer sunny days and more cloudy and rainy days. Although the damage of ultraviolet rays is reduced, it causes the loss of photo effect.

The road encountered two slightly larger mudslides, blocked the road, made a detour once, and passed through unilaterally once. It went smoothly and did not delay for a long time. Arrived in Lijiang at noon, lived on the edge of the ancient city, and went nearby to eat Lijiang's special pork ribs hot pot.

In the afternoon, I gave the ancient city 3 hours. The general feeling is that the development model of Lijiang Old Town is in step with the whole society, and it is full of copper stench. Almost every street in the ancient city is full of shops, and every house has transactions, and there is no sense of the legendary simple and romantic temperament. Lijiang is no longer Lijiang, and the ancient city is no longer an ancient city.

Day 12 (July 17) Lijiang---Jinan

return with nostalgia

Early in the morning, I left in a hurry, returned the car smoothly, and arrived at the airport early to wait for the flight. Lijiang is really not worth staying. But the nostalgia for this trip is still very strong. It comes from Yubeng, Litang, and Kawagebo.