Well we didn’t get our shower last night. Just after the power came back on the water was cut off – no idea why. We were up just after 5 to get a taxi to the bus station. It was way to early for us and I was feeling terribly groggy as we waited for the bus station to open – we were the first people there. Within a few minutes a local arrived. He was way too happy and talkative for that time in the morning but the smell of booze offered some explanation. Next to arrive in the dark on the steps was a food vendor. His bike trailer was packed with food, snacks, pots and stoves already burning. Our new drunk/happy friend insisted on buying us some steaming hot corn on the cob. We ate it with long teeth weary of the 12 hr bus ride ahead and the consequences of street food (in retrospect is was very good, and safe).

Seats 1&2 were extremely uncomfortable due to the layout of this particular bus – it was going to be a long day. The 3 hour ride up the Shangrila gorge was on good, if windy and narrow, roads. We tried to snooze without luck – good thing too because the scenery was amazing (even though it was overcast and drizzly). The driver was kind enough to stop so all the guys on board could have a pee break, a kilometer or so later he stopped for the girls. Around 10am we pulled into a stop in a little village so the driver could get some food and fill a water tank in the bus. The fun was about to start !

Shortly after leaving the village the road turned into a narrow dirt track which quickly became very steep and very slippery. The recent rain had turned the already bad dirt road to slush. The bus occasionally bopped, shimmied and slid as the wheels battled to find traction. I spent a good portion of the climb with muscles tensed and not at all distracted by podcasts as our driver relished in his ability to get precariously close to the unprotected edge of the road. The higher we climbed the steeper and worse the road got. Eventually we got stuck behind some bogged-down trucks. A chance to breathe ! Nope. As soon as we started moving again our driver decided to overtake the trucks on the perilous side of a road that I think is worse than the one in Bolivia. At the top of the pass (around 4300m :gps:[GPS]::28.57774::99.82734:gps:) we pulled over at an incredibly beautiful spot – towering mountains in all directions. The bus (driver included) emptied instantly as passengers scurried to relieve their bladders after the ordeal. It was worth it for the views in spite of the weather.

The cloud started to clear for the trip down and the road condition improved drastically. It almost seemed like we had driven to Morocco from the look of the buildings. Large trapezoids built from mud/clay bricks. Some painted white and most with brightly coloured doors and windows. Typical Chinese faces are almost as rare as western ones. While winding through valleys and criss-crossing rivers the landscape started to flatten out into wide plains still surrounded in the distance by mountains. We stopped at a police checkpoint in a small village and for the first time were asked for our passports. No trouble. More beautiful climbs and descents occupied the rest of the afternoon. 11 butt-breaking hours after we set off we pulled into the bus station in Daocheng feeling completely spent.

Getting off the bus we were surrounded by touts wanting to supply accommodation and/or transport. We just needed space to get our bearings and think for a bit but they would not take a hint. I ended up losing it (just a little) as we strided away from the madness. V was also on the receiving end of my mood but she knows how to handle me :). It didn’t take long to secure a room at a cool looking hostel we had seen advertised in Shangrila (Here Cafe). Built from mud bricks and wood, the ground level has loose stone pebbles on an earth floor with thoughtful authentic decor (except for the 20″ iMac and MacBook Air for Internet access – no complaint from me). The internal second floor is all wood and houses basic, but acceptable bedrooms. We dumped our gear and went for a stroll around town. Tiny, with only one major street, we walked looking for something interesting. Not too much was going on except to say that this place has a lot of mushrooms ! Huge bins full of them. Even clothing stores had racks of shrooms drying in their entrances.

Realizing how tired we were we headed back for food, the first shower in 2 days and bed (we didn’t care that it was hard). The weather is not looking at all promising so we won’t go to Yangding national park tomorrow, instead we’ll push on to Litang.

[Pictures: The cloud covered view from the top and V outside our hostel in Daocheng]

– Posted from my iPhone via Wifi