May 29th: From Zuogong to Bangda, approximately 104 kilometers.
There are no big climbs today, the whole journey is undulating, going uphill and downhill alternately.
This morning the temperature was also quite low. At half past seven, I went down to have breakfast and suddenly noticed that the rear tire had burst. I didn’t feel very well all of a sudden.
So I started to change the tire and found an iron wire stuck in it. I replaced it with a new one and then had breakfast. Today’s breakfast was sold by an aunt who came riding a tricycle.
We set off on time at 8 o’clock. The county town of Zuogong is not big, and the road out of town is a gentle uphill.
After leaving the city, we started to encounter some longer undulating slopes.
Uphill to downhill, downhill to uphill.
Around 9 o’clock, we passed the only tunnel of the day, the 200-meter-long Changgela Mountain Tunnel.
After going through the tunnel, we saw a netizen on foot pushing a car uphill, alone with a car and a dog!
Then we passed a village, looking at the trees on both sides and the small houses, I suddenly missed home.
Around 10 o’clock, we were approaching Deliebi Village. It was a long uphill, and we saw fellow pilgrims again.
I remember Deliebi Village very clearly because the slope in front of the village was too long.
Another very long uphill, haha.
Around 10:40, we arrived at Tianduo Town, 20 kilometers away from the lunch spot.
The journey was still relatively relaxed.
We arrived at Tianduo Village at noon, 100 meters in front of the village sign, there is a 57 lunch spot.
For lunch, I ordered my favorite again: twice-cooked pork over rice, still 25 yuan, the portion was a bit much, I was stuffed. Since I started cycling, my appetite has increased, I eat more and get hungry faster.
After lunch and a rest, we didn’t set off until around 1 o’clock.
Passing through Tianduo Village, we saw this road sign, and then it was a downhill road.
On the way, we encountered the small town of Xiaku.
Sometimes when it’s not easy to ride and the difficulty is high, we would hurry to get going. Sometimes when the road is easy, we would ride slowly and leisurely.
On the 318 road, there are some intersections with car frames, many of which are accident vehicles, to remind passing drivers to pay attention to speed and safety.
The last 10 kilometers to the hotel started with a headwind.
After a while, the weather added: headwind + rain.
We arrived at Kesai Village at 3:40 pm, which is also an uphill. After the uphill, it’s downhill to Bangda Town.
We arrived at the Bangda hotel at 4 pm, the first one on the right of the road ahead. At this time, there are still 943 kilometers to Lhasa.
After just going downhill, on the grassland to the right, I saw a group of wild dogs eating the carcass of a yak. There are still many dangers on the 318 road, such as extreme weather and wild animals. It is still recommended to find a hotel before dark, safety first.
The price of the Bangda hotel is: a standard room including breakfast and dinner for one person is 100 yuan, the environment is okay. The price for breakfast and dinner in the guesthouses in Sichuan is basically around 80 yuan, but after arriving in the Tibetan area, due to the cost of living, the cost of the guesthouses will change a bit.
After dinner, I was going to repair the tire in the bag. Now we have a spare tire, so if there is a puncture on the road, we change to the spare tire and go directly. When we rest, we repair the tires in one go. But I thought about it, we are going to take a rest in Baxi tomorrow, so I will repair the tire in Baxi.
Tomorrow: From Bangda to Baxi, passing the 72 bends of the Nujiang River.