June 3rd: From Bomi to Tongmai, approximately 90 kilometers.
I went to bed after 10 last night, and I woke up at 6 this morning and couldn’t fall back asleep. Looking out the window, it was drizzling.
At half past eight, after finishing breakfast, the rain stopped. I slowly rode out of the alley to the 318 main road. I took the wrong direction the first time; I should have turned west after leaving the village, but we turned east. We only realized after a while and quickly turned back.
Gently uphill leaving the city.
On the road, I encountered the fork for Nyingchi and Medog. Going straight leads to Nyingchi, and turning left leads to Medog. It’s the closest I’ve been to Medog, and I really want to turn. Medog hiking is one of the most classic hiking routes in China, and I must go when I have the chance.
After passing the fork, looking towards Nyingchi, I didn’t see poetry and the distant future but the familiar uphill. Fortunately, it’s not too long, just enough for a warm-up.
88 kilometers left to today’s destination, Tongmai.
Today, there are actually two routes to choose from. One is to go directly along the 318, and the other is to go through the Gangyun Cedar Forest Scenic Area, which also leads to the 318 National Highway. The scenery is better, but it requires a ticket, which seems to be 90 yuan during the peak season. So, I thought it’s better to follow the money-saving route and take the 318 National Highway.
Seeing this archway, I should be leaving Bomi.
Then I continued to ride along the Parlung Tsangpo River.
The scenery in the morning is still good, without the dazzling sun, and the temperature is quite suitable, neither hot nor cold.
I have advanced 10 kilometers.
I met some hikers on the uphill, and suddenly an old man said “come on!” to me. I was instantly rejuvenated, replied “come on!” to the old man, and then rushed straight to the top of the hill.
Arrived at the fork of Kada No.2 Middle Bridge, turned left according to the road sign towards Nyingchi.
Advanced another 10 kilometers, 38 kilometers away from lunch point.
Another long uphill, roll up the sleeves and ride hard.
Today, many places are under construction, and some places can only accommodate one car at a time.
In such situations, pay special attention to vehicles behind and coming from the opposite direction. Safety first.
In Gu Xiang, there were gravel on the road when turning, and a motorcycle friend fell down, but fortunately, he was fine. Be sure to pay attention to speed and road conditions when riding.
28 kilometers left to the lunch spot.
Passed a village with barley planted on both sides? It seems to be barley!
The rapeseed flowers are also blooming.
Saw the sign for the Tibetan King Cave viewing platform, preparing to stop and have a look.
This is the cave. As for the story, you might need to search it on Baidu yourself. Then I waited for a while, but I didn’t see my friend, so I called him and found out that his tire was punctured again and he was fixing it. There’s nothing I can do, I can only go ahead by myself.
At the 3992 kilometer mark of the 318 National Highway, it started to drizzle. It wasn’t heavy and stopped soon. I encountered many light rains today, all of which stopped within a few minutes.
Around 12 o’clock, arrived at the 4000-meter mark of the 318 National Highway.
The 4000-meter milestone!
Because of the rain, I also encountered some muddy roads as shown in the pictures.
After a long uphill, I found that the top of the slope was the lunch spot. Happiness came too fast, so I ordered the same twice-cooked pork over rice for 25 yuan. After a while, a few cycling friends I met when I was pushing my bike in Xiang Ke Zong also arrived at this lunch spot, but they didn’t remember me when I greeted them. Haha, awkward. At this moment, my friend caught up, and we had lunch together.
After finishing the meal, I set off at around 12:48, and to my surprise, I was greeted by a happy long downhill.
It’s just too sunny. From 12:30 to 1:30 in the afternoon these days is the sunniest time of the day.
Now about 30 kilometers away from Tongmai.
After half an hour of walking, I found that there was a traffic jam ahead, about 500 meters long. I don’t know if it’s road construction or something else.
Riding to the front, I asked if bicycles could pass, but not motor vehicles.
After passing the congested section, I shuttled through the forest again, which was another section with plenty of oxygen.
Looking at the weather, it’s going to rain again.
Today’s only tunnel, the 102 Tunnel, is a bit long. Before entering the tunnel, the rearview flash light and the front light were turned on. Safety first. In fact, there are quite a few tunnels along the way. Some tunnels are pitch black without lights, so it’s essential to bring a bright cycling flashlight, safety first.
It was drizzling before entering the tunnel, and it rained harder after coming out of the tunnel.
I quickly put on my windbreaker by the roadside, but it rained for less than 5 minutes after I got dressed. Tiring. There were about 8 kilometers left to Tongmai when I came out of the tunnel.
At 14:45 in the afternoon, I arrived at Tongmai’s territory.
There are still 71 kilometers from Tongmai to tomorrow’s Lulang Town.
At 14:55 in the afternoon, I arrived at the accommodation point. The condition is not very good. It’s a two-story hotel built with simple activity rooms, with a standard room for 40 yuan per person.
There is no breakfast or dinner included. There are many roadside restaurants here. I went out and found a Sichuan restaurant. Because today is the Dragon Boat Festival, I ordered a portion of dumplings, and then ordered my favorite twice-cooked pork.
Tomorrow: From Tongmai to Lulang, it’s time to climb again, 70 kilometers with an elevation gain of over 1000 meters. Compared with the previous difficult sections, it’s not too difficult, but it’s still uphill. I plan to rest early today and be well-prepared to show respect for tomorrow’s uphill road.