Yunnan-Tibet Line Cycling Travel Notes　Zogong–Ranwu

The further back I go, the more blurry my memory becomes. This section of the road crosses the Yela Mountain, turns 72 down the Nujiang River, climbs the Andiula Mountain, and walks at night to reach Ranwu.

Day15

Zuogong→Bangda→Bangda Youth Hostel

I rode 103km on this day, accompanied by the Yuqu River. I could often stop by the river, which was relatively leisurely.

There are many such corners on the river beach.

The Yuqu River is a tributary of the middle reaches of the Nu River. The river is not big and the scenery is not beautiful, but it brings more vitality to the desolate landscape.

It also makes long-distance riding more refreshing.

The national highway extends along the Yuqu River.

From time to time you can see yaks in the river.

There are no restaurants nearby at noon, so find a place to eat some dry food, replenish calories, and have lunch.

Perhaps due to the season, the Hetao scenery between Tiantuo Village and Asi Village, which is said to be comparable to Xindu Bridge, is not very pleasing to the eye, but with blue sky, white clouds and the Yuqu River, I am satisfied.

The road conditions are very good. It feels quite good to listen to your favorite music without having to climb mountains or downhill. I can still use the wheel to move forward from time to time.

Passing by the village, I stopped to drive around with Brother Liu and Chun'er.

The calories we supplemented at noon were not enough, and we soon began to feel hungry. We were exhausted by the time we arrived at Kese Village.

When we are about to reach Bangda, we meet Tibetans at the turntable and stop here to feel their piety.

When we arrived in Bangda, the hostel was full of cyclists and hikers. The food downstairs was very good, with meat, soup and Lhasa beer. After you were full and full, you went to the canteen next door to replenish your dry food.

Eight o'clock in Bonda is evening.

Check the car carefully at night, because you will encounter the famous Nujiang 72 turn next.

Day16

Bangda → Yela Mountain → 72 Turn → Basu → Alpine Bicycle Inn

When I woke up, the windows were frozen. After climbing the Yela Mountain at an altitude of 4568m, I came to the 72nd Turn of the Nu River that I had long dreamed of. I dare not challenge it wildly, but I hope everyone can pass it safely.

The weather was good, there was no headwind, and the climb was not difficult. Looking at Bonda gradually getting away, I felt a little regretful. If it was summer, I could see the vast Bonda grassland.

We arrived at the pass at noon, the sun was shining brightly, but the wind was also strong.

The sun just shines on the flying prayer flags at the pass.

Thank you to those who build and protect our national highways.

Make some adjustments, carefully check the car again, adjust the brake system, put on a jacket, a headscarf, a face towel, a helmet, gloves, cycling goggles, put on three pairs of socks, turn off the music, everything is ready for the upcoming journey. The Nujiang River turns 72. Warriors, stay focused.

Soon after going down, we arrived at the observation deck of 72 Turns. This is the legendary 72 Turns of the Nu River.

Before starting, several seniors told me to go slowly and concentrate. The descent is very fast and there are not many guardrails.

Continuously braking will make your hands tired, and your mind will be tired if you are highly concentrated. There are warning signs saying "XX people died here" at many corners. Although it is going downhill, you still need to stop and rest in the middle.

Further down, vegetation slowly begins to appear.

I met a little donkey again. His hair was so long.

Continuing down, you will pass through villages and the vegetation will become richer.

I really like the plants in this desolate and vast environment, which is completely different from the scenery at the pass.

At this time, the slope has become very gentle. Stop and enjoy the scenery down the mountain.

The feeling after getting off the 72nd Turn was so breathtaking, and I crossed the Nujiang Bridge shortly afterwards. The Nujiang Bridge is an important military location and plays a key role in national defense. It is heavily guarded and no photos are allowed.

Naturally, going downhill means going uphill, and there is a headwind, making it difficult to walk. The geology of the mountains on the roadside becomes very special.

The wind was so strong that A Bin's hat was blown to the river beach under the national highway, but A Bin, who was very agile, quickly picked it up.

Stop where there are flowers and enjoy them.

Tibetans carrying schoolbags drive their cattle home. I like this scene so much.

After riding hard against the wind, I finally saw the pilgrims. The scene was spectacular and shocking, and I was instantly revived with full health.

I sighed while riding, thinking about taking pictures of them in front of me, thinking about various close-ups.

Unexpectedly, I rode a few hundred meters further and suddenly found myself walking into a photography scene. It turned out that I was filming a documentary.

Only four years later did I learn that the documentary filmed at that time was "Kang Rinpoche". This song "No Fear In My Heart" by Pu Shu has become a song that I have played on my long-term single rotation.

Arriving at Basu in the evening, there was a power outage at night. I have stayed in many places during this trip, and the walls are filled with comments from travel friends about the journey and the hotel they stayed in. But this hotel was all full of praise.

In the evening, the boss cooked us a serious yak dinner. He used a flashlight to tell us about the deeds of previous travelers who stayed here while looking at the messages on the wall. It feels good to have a candlelight dinner, listen to other people's stories, and think about your own past.

The night sky in Basu, where there is no power, is exceptionally bright. The stars in the sky remind people of the past, good or bad. This night was the last day I slept on the Yunnan-Tibet line. Next, I went to Ranwu, where I had to climb a 68-kilometer slope to cross the Andiula Mountain.

Day17

Basu → Anjiula Mountain → Ranwu → Home of the Off-Road E Family

After eating the legendary beef noodles, I like this kind of stuffing thing the most. I feel full and energetic to climb the Anjula Mountain.

Nice weather again.

Met the little donkey again.

Then he was chased by a dog. This was the second time he was chased by a dog along the way. Brother Liu in front was very calm. I have always been afraid of dogs because I was scratched by a cat when I was a child and received a rabies vaccine. That's it, being afraid of dogs because of being scratched by cats.

This initial section continues the scene from yesterday.

At noon the wind started to pick up and the toothache came back.

‍Education is productivity.

‍The headwind on the plateau makes riding very difficult. There are still 41 kilometers of climbing at this time, and it feels really good to lie down.

While resting on the roadside, I suddenly discovered the scenery of the Hetao below.

I stared at the roadside for a long time, watching the cattle slowly pass by.

The climb today was very difficult. From the notes I saw on the road, this team should live in the same place as us in Zuogong, but we didn’t have a companion to form a team. I hope they all go well.

It's an ordinary milestone, and everyone stops here to join in the fun and take photos.

Hungry stray dogs beside the milestone. It felt like there were too many stray dogs in Tibet along the way.

It was getting late, and we were still quite far away from the pass of Anjula Mountain, but the scenery at this time was my favorite blue sky and snow-capped mountains.

At this time, I was very hungry and had run out of dry food. Suddenly a cart buying mahua appeared.

It was already sunset and we were trudging towards the snow-capped mountains on the opposite side.

When we were about to reach the pass, the moon rose. The bright moon in the snow-capped mountains was really joyful and exciting. The shouts of our friends rang out everywhere.

It was already eight o'clock in the evening when we finally arrived at the pass. I remember that Brother Meng had already arrived in Ranwu by car and had booked food and accommodation waiting for us.

There were only two light sources left for the five of us that day. We lined up, with one flashlight in front and one behind us, and we all worked together to go down the mountain. "Car, car, car, pit, pit, stop, stop, stop," Chun'er, who was riding in front, kept shouting and giving instructions along the way.

I rode for 13 hours that day. It was very, very cold that night. Brother Shen’s tire was still flat and he needed to pump it up every once in a while. It was dark when I was going down the mountain and I only had two flashlights. When I encountered passing cars or potholes, Parking is required everywhere.

Such a night road is indeed unsafe. My car also fell on the icy road when I was about to reach Ranwu. Fortunately, I held my horse steady. When we arrived in Ranwu, Brother Shen scolded us for being too nervous and taking too many risks, and that we should call a car to pick us up.

But this was such a night. I saw the most beautiful starry sky in the snow-capped mountains at night in Anjula Mountain, although I couldn't record it.