North west China to the Tibet border

[KTMphil]

The rain cleared, the clouds lifted & blue skies, still not south to Deqin yet










Wire netting lined the mountain side to try and prevent landslides

 

[KTMphil]

Some views after the rain

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This was one of the several landslides i saw in progress, all the traffic hasto stop

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The road south

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Looks like there's some awesome trail riding north of Deqin in the summer months, Midnite Mapper would love it

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[KTMphil]

Southwest of Deqin about 10km is the small Tibetan town of Feilai Si. There is a row of stupas which face the Mile mountain & there's a small monument there associated with the 1991 JapaneseView attachment 6892 attempt to climb Mile, where 17 climbers died.







Some of the travel guides say that Feilai Si is a better choice than Deqin for sleeping.I would dis agree, seeing as both these towns are just somewhere to sleep, there are far more accommodation and eating choices in deqin than there are in feilai Si.

Feilai Si seemed a real tiny 1 yak town to me

 

[Franki]

Frankie - wonderful photo's. Do you have any photo's of the bowl making nuns in Nixi? I didn't have time to stop there.

Phil, the scenic view is beautiful. You just need to slow down to appreciate it.
Nixi pottery workshop
When I passed by in 2009, there was a study group from US there. Nixi black pottery has a very long history in Tibetan culture.

 

[KTMphil]

Finally back to Deqin,it doesn't get dark this far north until 8pm in july,. so still a couple of hours left to explore.

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There's a road that heads south of Deqin in the valley. This leads south 200km to WeiXei ("wey-she"), where you can then turn left and head 150km ne back to Shangri La, great way to loop back to SGL on a different road.

A nice new road too!

View attachment 6899



This old lady was quite interested in a foreigner, maybe he first solo one on this road she'd seen.

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This follows one of the other 3 parallel rivers south

View attachment 6901

 

[Franki]

Here is my view of the dividing line between China and Tibet that is north of Deqin .... :-)

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Rob, may I correct your wording? This photo has taken at Yanjing, the Yunnan Tibet crossing. :

 

[Franki]

Phil,

You have picked the rainy season to visit this region, so chance of seeing Mt. Meili may be slim. Here is a photo of it on finer days.

FYI, all of the Sino-Japan team members were killed/lost during their attempt to summit Mt. Meili. Since then, the Chinese government has banned all attempts in due respect to the wishes of the Tibetan tribe.

 

[KTMphil]

About 20km south of Deqin, i came across these guys. Looks like they'd been up to Deqin to pick family up off the bus and were returning to their villages with supplies as well.








As it was getting dark, found a small village that had a GH for the night. 80 RMB/ 400bht ok value.









Its ALWAYS more fun to go off the beaten track to villages that don't see tourists. The locals havn't been jilted by rude tourists and are warm, friendly and inquisitive every time.




This guy - in this small village cooked me the best meal i had in China








Finally a decent Chinese toilet photo opportunity. the ones that have constant runnung water through the trough to remove the lumps work good, this one had no running water through the trough and was nasty

 

[KTMphil]

Next day up early and the plan was to get south to Weixei. A waterfall on the way.

View attachment 6922

 

[KTMphil]

Great shot! -- Looks like i'll have to head back up there in the winter.

Phil,

You have picked the rainy season to visit this region, so chance of seeing Mt. Meili may be slim. Here is a photo of it on finer days.

FYI, all of the Sino-Japan team members were killed/lost during their attempt to summit Mt. Meili. Since then, the Chinese government has banned all attempts in due respect to the wishes of the Tibetan tribe.

View attachment 6913

 

[KTMphil]

Frankie -What is the name of the town at the Tibetan border checkpoint?

Rob, may I correct your wording? This photo has taken at Yanjing, the Yunnan Tibet crossing. :

 

[KTMphil]

Beautiful suspension bridge south of Deqin towards Weixei, there were bridges every 20km





About 70km south of Deqin, on the road to Weixei, is the small town of Cizhong. There is a French cathedral that was built by French missionaries in 1867 & was burned down in 1905. Over the next 12 years the local government reconstructed the church to its original state. This is one of the few French churches that survived the cultural revolution in China.





Wine is still made in this area from vineyards that were created by the French missionaries 200 years ago.






The villages in the area still had a French feel to them






The bridge across the river to Cizhong

 

[KTMphil]

Everything going well, enjoying the scenery on the road south to Weixei start to notice more and more landslides, then suddenly this - the min road completely blocked by a huge rock landslide.








Looks like there's road below by the river that has some tracks on it, maybe there's a way around the landslide and back up the other side

 

[KTMphil]

NO such luck, i get down there and they say that road is blocked too, no way through and have to return to Deqin, to get to south to Shangri La, no Weixei for me.





didn't take any photo's from deqin back to SGL, it was wet and cold all the way a horrible ride passed numerous landslides.

 

[Franki]

Frankie -What is the name of the town at the Tibetan border checkpoint?

The town is call Yanjing (Salt Well) which produce mineral salt. If you ever get pass that check point without being arrested, stop by the noodle shop on the road side. The noodles come in very small bite size bowl. Its all you can eat priced. It is very good. My record was 38 bowls of noodle. Try to beat that! :RE

 

[Lone Rider]

Southwest of Deqin about 10km is the small Tibetan town of Feilai Si. There is a row of stupas which face the Mile mountain & there's a small monument there associated with the 1991 Japanese attempt to climb Mile, where 17 climbers died.
Some of the travel guides say that Feilai Si is a better choice than Deqin for sleeping.I would dis agree, seeing as both these towns are just somewhere to sleep, there are far more accommodation and eating choices in deqin than there are in feilai Si.
Feilai Si seemed a real tiny 1 yak town to me

The GPS map for that part of the road only shows a few hotels - guess it is a good viewpoint for the Mei Li mountain ranges when the sky is clear.

 

[KTMphil]

Got back to Shangri La, 180km of mountain roads south of deqin at 6pm, cold, wet & tired. tried to get a room at the Dragoncloud Inn--- because so late in the day they were full.


location

Latitude : 27.817 (27°49′01.199″N)
Longitude : 99.70421 (99°42′15.165″E)
Accuracy of signal : 15.0 m
show on google maps



Luckily the Shangri La Moon GH right next door had rooms with elec blankets 100RMB/ 500 BHT, with locked parking for the bike.

 

[KTMphil]

Frankie - if you had 5 foreign riders on bikes, you got the group Tibetan permit for 5 people, do you think they would let you north of the Tibetan border checkpoint with the bikes? or would check for Chinese driving licenses?

The town is call Yanjing (Salt Well) which produce mineral salt. If you ever get pass that check point without being arrested, stop by the noodle shop on the road side. The noodles come in very small bite size bowl. Its all you can eat priced. It is very good. My record was 38 bowls of noodle. Try to beat that! :RE

 

[KTMphil]

Around Shangri La


Shangri La really grows on you he more time you spend there, the old city has an authentic feel to it unlike Lijian.





There are 100's of eating choices in SGL which helps keep prices down and quality up. This simple Chinese food restaurant opposite the Dragoncloud Inn was packed to the doors EVERY night with restaurants around it 1/2 empty.




This traditional Tibetan restaurant by in the small old town square was always busy




Interesting to see what Tibetans eat - yak bread etc....




Tara Gallery looks like an excellent restaurant, amazing decor and packed every night

 

[KTMphil]

Gave the Bhaskar Bistro a try at the north end of SGL old town location:

Latitude : 27.81821 (27°49′05.540″N)
Longitude : 99.70437 (99°42′15.723″E)
Accuracy of signal : 10.0 m
show on google maps





Bhaskar, the owner is from Nepal and has been in SGL for 13 years. He speaks perfect English and the food was excellent

 

[KTMphil]

The Olive, previously known as Noah's Cafe does good food, location;


Latitude : 27.81589 (27°48′57.208″N)
Longitude : 99.70519 (99°42′18.671″E)
Accuracy of signal : 10.0 m
show on google maps

View attachment 6946



If you want to go healthy they do great Hummus and pita bread


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[KTMphil]

Dusk is a great time to walk around SGL

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[KTMphil]

United Coffee House in the old town of SGL does the best breakfast in town, with a huge pot of tea, location:

27.816765,99.703124 - Google Maps


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[KTMphil]

Wood fired oven stove chimney in this Tibetan restaurant in Shangri La

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[KTMphil]

Shangri La by night with neon lighting

 

[2wheels]

'Phil's Marvelous Adventure.'

I'd say Shangi La, like Angkor and other places, is one of those 'must see' destinations.
Well done Phil.
And leaving the motor on idle at 'touchy' borders is a good idea!

 

[KTMphil]

Rob ---I cant imagine how cold that must have been......next time im bringing some waterproof, warm gloves

Phil is not kidding about the cold. Here is an area slightly north and a bit higher.....Fortunately I had an electric vest which amazed the Chinese riders. They had no idea such a product existed.

View attachment 6848

 

[rhiekel]

Rob, may I correct your wording? This photo has taken at Yanjing, the Yunnan Tibet crossing. :

Hahaha !!! You certainly may ... :-) Guess I should have added the part about it being 70 kilometers north of Deqin... I never saw the name of the town since they did not let me in. The check point that stopped me and the checkpoint that stopped Phil are not the same. Was a checkpoint added ??
The behavior of these checkpoints is a bit odd. You would think the border police would come out, tell you to turn around , and go back inside the guard house. Instead they seem to use the encounter to harass you by grabbing you, grabbing documents, and letting you go when they feel like it. A de facto arrest, which is odd because in essence you have done nothing wrong....
This is especially strange in light of the fact that in all my other encounters with Chinese police, they were always polite and helpful.

 

[Franki]

Hahaha !!! You certainly may ... :-) Guess I should have added the part about it being 70 kilometers north of Deqin... I never saw the name of the town since they did not let me in. The check point that stopped me and the checkpoint that stopped Phil are not the same. Was a checkpoint added ??
The behavior of these checkpoints is a bit odd. You would think the border police would come out, tell you to turn around , and go back inside the guard house. Instead they seem to use the encounter to harass you by grabbing you, grabbing documents, and letting you go when they feel like it. A de facto arrest, which is odd because in essence you have done nothing wrong....
This is especially strange in light of the fact that in all my other encounters with Chinese police, they were always polite and helpful.

Hi Rob,

I think they just pushed the checkpoint forward for better security control (after your were arrested). I am sure a few foreigners have tried to sneak pass and the boyz in the GH were being told off by their boss.... That is why they are a bit jumpy about infiltration attempts. I would recommend that we don't piss them off too much if there is no intention of making it to the other side as these acts will certainly resulted in more difficulties for others who really wanted to. Again, as I have told you, there are check points in every larger villages along the way. Once you passed the first one, the others can really arrest you for breaking the law. Unless you don't mind the adventure tour of Chinese jail, then make your plan at your own risks.:jump

 

[Steve Canyon]

Great ride Phil....

How legal are you?, you have really got my attention here, I'm thinking I can ride back to the UK next April!

Look forward to hearing all the in's and outs when you get back..

Bravo

 

[KTMphil]

If you're planning to come to this region, the most interesting area to explore is around the Shangri La area. There are daily flights from Kunming to Shangri La for about 4,000 bht. There are places you can rent motorcycles in Shangri La.




This bike rental shop is in SGL's old town, location:

Latitude : 27.81453 (27°48′52.304″N)
Longitude : 99.70407 (99°42′14.647″E)
Accuracy of signal : 20.0 m
show on google maps

 

[KTMphil]

If you want a decent hotel in Shangri La in a good location, you can't go far wrong choosing the Shangri La Old Town Hotel, on the north edge of the old town. Cheapest rooms are 220 RMB/ 1,100 bht great value.

Location;

Latitude : 27.81845 (27°49′06.418″N)
Longitude : 99.70394 (99°42′14.186″E)
Accuracy of signal : 15.0 m
show on google maps

 

[2wheels]

That's real handy info, thanks Phil.

 

[KTMphil]

Tibetan restaurants in Shangri La with sun-dried yak meat

 

[KTMphil]

Cost of 8 days motorcycle touring to the Tibet border



The below cost summry doesn't include eating costs (you have to eat wherever you are) or bike rental, as i used my own motorcycle:


Chinese immigration visa 1,200 bht
China eastern Chiang Mai - Kunming return flight 13,500 bht
Taxi kunming airport - Camillia hotel 220 bht
Camillia hotel kunming 1,200 bht
8 nights of hotels can do for 600 bht a night 4,800 bht
Benzine for motorbike 400 bht a day 3,200 bht
Taxi to kunming airport 220 bt






TOTAL 23, 360 bht





You could rent a bike for around 1,200 bht a day

 

[KTMphil]

The giant pagoda on the hill in Shangri La was always spinning,i presumed electrically.

View attachment 7027


When i got up there, it was a surprise to see it was always being spun by hand

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The thing is huge

View attachment 7031

 

[KTMphil]

Traditional dress








sgl old town

 

[KTMphil]

Around sgl

 

[KTMphil]

The Yi tribe

 

[MastaMax]

Amazing trip Phil! And great pictures... Would be great to be able to enter Tibet