I arrived in Kunming on the evening of 3rd Feb. It was
a warm 20 deg C and things were looking good for a
successful expedition. That evening, I took a sleeper
bus to Lijiang and from Lijiang bus station, I hopped
on a bus bound for Weixi. This back-to-back
long-distance road travel took its toll. Halfway to
Weixi, I was suffering from hunger, dehydration and
lack of sleep. I was shivering and had a headache to
boot. However, after a good lunch of Sichuan mapo tofu
and plenty of green tea at a roadside stall, I was
somewhat better.

But the journey wasn’t smooth at all. When we reached
Tacheng in (still in Lijiang county), we received
news from the locals that 2km down the road, a car had
overturned and blocked the road completely. The driver
backtracked to Judian and there, we crossed the
Jinshan Jiang by motorised rafts! From the opposite
bank, travelled all the way up to Qizong (past the
blocked section, where a bridge across the Jinsha
Jiang brought us back on track. It’s really amazing
that when there’s a will, there’s a way.

Qizong seems like a very interesting place. It’s at
the crossroads between Weixi and Shangrila. From here,
you can head up to Highway 214 after Zhongdian. This
is also a very Tibetan place, with a Damo Hotel which
is very Tibetan in architecture. At first, I was
wondering what the founder of Shaolin Temple had to do
with the Tibetans. Then I realised that further up in
the Tacheng of Weixi county, there’s a cave where Damo
once meditated. Tibetans have enshrined the cave as a
pilgrimage spot. I was tempted to visit, but the bus
didn’t stop here. This part of Weixi resembles lower
Khumbu in Nepal. Coniferous forests, Stupas, mani
stones and Tibetan stone fences and houses. As we
moved into the interior of Weixi County and bade the
Jinsha Jiang farewell, the Tibetan atmostphere thinned
down. This region has plenty of uninhabited forests.
The construction of some log houses was just
beginning.

I arrived in Weixi at about 1600 yesterday afternoon.
Weixi was rather unimpressive at first. It was colder
than Lijiang and a lot poorer and dirtier. However,
there are internet “bars” like this one and many
modern amenities are available - the nightclubs and
karaoke bars no less.

Only this morning did I explore Weixi. The marketplace
was really colourful and there is a shizi lu here
which is a mini version of sifang jie in Lijiang. I
headed towards the Biluo Range, across which is the
upper course of the Salween River. In the north, I
could see a small tip of the mountains in Tibet. I
made it almost to the snowline, but decided not to
take risks and turned back as I didn’t bring any gear
food or water with me. The scenery here reminds me of
Mae Hong Son, especially when I looked down at Weixi
town from the mountains. It resembled what Mae Hong
Son looked like on the Old Elephant Trail.

Back in town, I made enquiries at the bus station and
found out that the chances of getting to Deqin from
here are actually quite high. The Mekong River Walley
Road is at 1000m at most places while the
Zhongdian-Deqin route goes over several 5000m passes .
However, this route will take 2 days. I must take a
bus to Yanmen (Swallow Gate) first and then hop on a
bus to Deqin the next day to cover the last 80km.
Finally, my dreams of reaching Deqin in winter are
coming true. Wish me luck. I’ll let everyone know the
outcome soon.

Gong xi fa cai everyone. Chinese (and Tibetan) New
Year are seriously happening in these parts. More
when I return.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/knapsack/sets/72157602821113768/

I’m sending this to you from Meilixue Tavern at Fei Lai Si, Deqing
County, right at the border between Yunnan and Tibet. The average
temp is a relatively warm -7 deg C. This is a Tibetan “teahouse”
managed by a man from Guangxi. I call him Qin lao ban - a descendant
of Qin Shi Huang, perhaps.

To be honest, Deqing is somewhat a disappointment. Yes, there are a
couple of impressive mountains here, but there are much better
mountain views in Nepal. One thing I didn’t realise is that Tibetans
don’t work during Tibetan new year either. This new year’s eve, the
whole town of Deqing is d.. oops I mean shutdown. They also have
reunion dinners and they light firecrackers. Hence, I couldn’t find
anybody to guide me to Meilixue base camp. I may even have trouble
finding a driver to get me out of here!

Deqing town is unspectacular - something like Namche Bazaar, but a
lot more modern, with electronics shops, sealed roads, traffic
lights and vehicular traffic. It’s still a nice place with good
scenery, but far more impressive is the way up here. The Shangrila
Canyon, as some people call it, is probably one of the most
spectacular natural features I’ve ever seen. Yes, I shall call this
the Shangrila Canyon Road.

Some of the Tibetan hamlets after the town of Yunling look like
castles in the air. Unfortunately, I didn’t stop at the most
spectacular part to take pictures as it was too dangerous to stop
the vehicle on the winding road. I only managed to take a few shots
of the latter part of the canyon, some 5km from Deqing.

If I ever get to again, I would ask the driver of a chartered
vehicle to drop me at Yunling and wait for me about 10km further up
the road.

Another chance discovery thanks to ponytailed Tibetan friend. The
Catholic Church in Deqing is nowhere hear Deqing town. Instead, it’s
situated at a place called Cizhong. The church really stands out in
the middle of Tibetan country. It also has a very interetsing
history and missionaries. About 60% of the Tibetans in Cizhong are
Catholics. Even their scriptures are written in Tibetan and they
attend church on Sunday in their traditional Tibetan costumes.
Pastor Liu, a Naxi man, operates a vineyard (where the 2 French
missionaries were buried) and makes his own organic red wine. I
bought 2.5 jin, but will probably have to finish it before I come
back.

It’s said that the missionaries also did a crossover from Cizhong
over the Biluo Range into the Nu Jiang (Salween in Myanmar) region.
They would bring their skis along and completed the trek in just one
day. Wouldn’t it be interesting if we could revive the Missionary’s
Crossover?

At the moment, my biggest concern is to get out of Deqing in time to
catch my plane from Kunming on the 11th. All the drivers out here
are on holiday. The good news is, the much shorter highway 214 is
relatively snow-free and passable. The bad news is, my climb of
Malong Feng will have to be aborted too. There’s way too little time
to do so much. Even though my ice axe and crampons were brought for
nothing, I’m very glad that this trip has been unexpectedly
rewarding. I had a steamboat dinner (and some red wine) with Qin lao
ban last night. He bought some red wine from Cizhong too, but my
vintage was obviously better. This morning, I had Tibetan bread and
yak butter tea. I also made offerings of juniper, rice and incense.
The Tibetans offer to the goddesses of the mountains. I offered to
the dead climbers of Mt Melixue and also reaffirmed a constant
reminder to myself that man can never really conquer mountains. He
can only sneak up when the mountain is sleeping and then get the
hell out of there.

Even for people who are not very prone to AMS like me had to contend
with a headache last night (maybe it’s the wine). But one should
realise that from Weixi to Deqing, it’s an altitude change from a
few hundred feet to about 3500m. I even did a trek to Fei Lai Temple
after arrival. Coming up from Lijiang (2400m), Zhongdian (3200+)
might be easier on the body.

Overall, I would conclude that it’s a misconception that it’s
impossible to travel to Deqing in winter. In fact, this place is now
fully booked! Given the conditions now, it’s even possible to go to
Tibet from here. That would be another trip, but definitely not
during Tibetan new year. Deqing is somewhat of a letdown, but the
Shangrila Canyon, along with the red wine at Cizhong, are probably
two well-kept secrets of Shangrila I didn’t mind discovering.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/knapsack/sets/72157602821113768/

It’s a drastic change from subzero temperatures to 30+. My nose is
telling me that. Ah choo …

Now, where were we? Yes, I was in Deqing, trying to find a way out.
On the first day of Chinese (or Tibetan) New Year, a man from Xiamen
who was also stuck at Deqing just had to get down to Lijiang. We
shared a chartered jeep all the way from Deqing to Lijiang.

The road down via Dian-zang Highway 214 was less spectacular than the
Shangrila Canyon route, but travelling on this stretch for the first
time (and in winter to boot), I found it to be a lot less frightening
than I had anticipated. The road was almost completely sealed. No
steep inclines, but plenty of snow and ice were encountered when we
crossed the 4000m pass over Baima Snow Mountain. However, our 4WD
made it across without any problems at all.

As the Chinese government aggressively promotes Lijiang with
supercool MTVs and Zhongdian as Shangrila, the motorability of the
Dian-zang Highway becomes vital to the success of tourism. Deqing
automatically becomes the next frontier. Far from a route that only
attracts Magellan-like explorers, the Dian-zang Highway is now a
viable route for ordinary tourists to enter Tibet - even in winter.

Our journey started at 0930 and we drove into the glitter of Lijiang
at about 2100 that night. Many shops here were closed, but almost
every shop in the Ancient City was open. The whole Sifang Jie was
packed with dancers. Naxi music filled the air and so did the smell
and sound of firecrackers. Al fresco diners sat by the crisscrossing
streams, Naxi girls offered floating lanterns and everybody
(including the shopkeepers) seemed to be having a great time. This is
a real Chinese New Year celebration.

The next morning saw me back on the road. Buses were very limited. I
headed down to Xiaguan on an express bus (3 hours) and then changed
to another bus bound for Kunming at Xiaguan. I entered the provincial
capital at about 2120 and headed straight for the Camelia Hotel (Cha
Hua Bing Guan), the first place I stayed the first time I visited
Kunming 10 years ago. Much has changed, the most welcome of which has
to be the attitude of the hotel staff. Even though it looks pretty
posh now, the rates here are still very afforable.

I stayed one night here, went to Cui Hu (Green Lake) in the morning
and then flew back home in the afternoon.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/knapsack/sets/72157602821113768/

Knapsack Treks Book Review by Chan Joon Yee

Silk Dreams, Troubled Road by Jonny Bealby

This is not just a story about an exotic adventure on the Silk Road. It is a brutally honest tell-all that reveals quite a bit more of the deeper, darker thoughts and feelings of the writer than what the average romantic adventurer would.
Jonny Bealby was contemplating an adventure travel business in Islamabad, Pakistan when he met Rachel, the woman of his dreams. The whirlwind romance brought on an idea. Bealby planned to travel across Central Asia from Kashgar to the Caspian Sea with his love on horseback. Then, he got dumped and his whole world came crashing down. The dream would have remained a dream but word of his planned trip got out and Beably was pleasantly surprised by the offer he received from Lion TV.

Bealby needed a companion. She had to be adventurous, ride well and also keep the audience wondering if they had sex on the trip. He thought Sarah was the most suitable simply by virtue of the fact that she loved his books and met him at a pub even before the advertisement came out. Sarah had confessed that she had a boyfriend but insisted that it was not going to be a problem. Most of the people advising Bealby deduced that her willingness to go on such a long trip with a male stranger was a strong sign that her relationship was almost over.

Their journey started in Pakistan and the pair ran into all sorts of delays from landslides and cancelled flights. By the time they reached Kashgar, Bealby noticed that Sarah was already “on her own”, spending a lot of time emailing her friends back home. After a wrestle with the Chinese authorities, they bought their horses at the animal bazaar and drove them to the border with their health certificates. Bealby chose a horse called Kara which turned out to be another reminder of his poor choices. More than once, Bealby ran into serious problems when his horse performed poorly on the snowy passes. Worse, he noticed that Sarah seemed to be drifting further and further from him. She refused to share a tent with him and was more interested to flirt with their gold-toothed guide Murat than concentrate on the filming. She also completely ignored him when he faced problems caused by a bad horse.

From the mountains, the pair descended into the plains and valleys. They had much fewer problems with the elements, but the people and the bureacracy frustrated them. Anyone who could help them seemed to be out to fleece them. The next horse Bealby picked was no better than the first. Sarah seemed to be drifting further and further from him. In an outburst, she confessed that she missed her boyfriend and was homesick. Bealby declared the trip a disaster. Worst of all, the first batch of tapes they sent home was strongly criticised by producer at Lion TV. A lot of the problems they had avoided filming were too obviously missing from the story.

On top of that, their money was stolen when they got drunk at a wedding. Images of the beautiful mountains, the steppes, the exotic, historical cities, the deserts and Heavenly Horses they were riding towards the end didn’t matter anymore. This was the stark reality of going on such an ambitious expedition. On their last leg heading towards the Caspian Sea, they were both virtually crying into their camera, wanting to get out more than anything else. The film was rejected by Lion TV and BBC, but Discovery Channel bought it. Back home, Bealby and Sarah met up and were deeply apologetic towards each other, but they also seemed to have had enough of each other for the rest of their lives. Would things have been very different if Bealby had gone on the trip with Rachel or any of the other seemingly less suitable girls he interviewed? Nobody knows for sure. Many of us have gone on long trips or started businesses with our best friends, only to return as enemies.

Knapsack Treks Book Review by Chan Joon Yee

Singapore To Beijing On A Bike by Khoo Swee Chiow

Singapore’s best known adventurer is at it again. This time, he’s not climbing a big peak, going to the Poles or staying submerged to break some world record. He’s cycling more than 8000km from Singapore to Beijing. According to Khoo, the idea was hatched when he was joining a group of cyclists on a 10-day ride in Malaysia to raise funds for a project. Since then, he had been contemplating the possibility of cycling all the way from Singapore to Beijing.
Then, one of his major projects - to sail around the world non-stop, came to a halt when his main sponsor pulled out. SARS hit Singapore and Khoo faced a lawsuit for failing to complete the purchase of the boat which he had intended to sail in. Depressed, Khoo managed to focus on something positive. That bike ride to Beijing.

With the SARS pandemic coming to an end and the eagerness of various parties to sponsor the event to put all the finger-pointing between China and Singapore behind them, Khoo planned his trip meticulously. He found a partner Amos who would support him on a 4WD. Then, his wife got pregnant, but she didn’t stop him from going on the trip. She only made him promise to be back to witness the birth of their second child, thus setting a time limit for his trip.

What follows is an on-the-road, every few days account of the journey. Starting at Suntec City, Khoo made it to KL on the 4th day and conveniently stopped over to autograph his books. Crossing the border into Thailand on the 9th day, Khoo broke the 1000km mark on his bike. On Day 17, he arrived at the capital. His wife was there to greet him. Khoo then pedalled northeast towards Isaan and the Lao border in Nong Khai.

Khoo crossed the border into Laos on Day 25. His route cut through a thin strip of Laos to enter Vietnam on Day 28. That was where Vietnamese red tape separated him from his partner, Amos. They managed to “enter the Dragon” on Day 34.

Then, it’s more pedalling into Guangxi, Guangdong and Fujian, Khoo’s ancestral home. Khoo went in search of his roots, got reunited with his relatives, stayed briefly in Yongchun and off he went again, reaching Shanghai on Day 59. By then, winter was approaching, Khoo struggled with the freezing cold. Crisis struck in Tianjin on Day 71 when the 4WD died on them. It only had 150km to go. Reluctantly, they abandoned the 4WD and let Amos and their liason officer, Shino travel into Beijing on a taxi. The next crisis to hit them was a serious case of food poisoning. Khoo prayed hard and forced himself to complete the final leg of the trip.

He made it into Beijing on Day 73. He received a hero’s welcome, appeared in the local papers and quickly flew back to see his wife.

I think Khoo accomplished a remarkable feat by cycling more than 8000km to Beijing. However, the story itself is not remarkable because it’s basically a touch and go experience. Frankly, I did not follow Khoo’s progress when his trip was ongoing in 2003. If I had, the breaking news would have been interesting. I only saw this book in the stores in 2007. In this form, the story is somewhat mundane as the subject is not timeless. It would have been a far better read if Khoo didn’t have the time limit that forced him to zip through places like Laos. But what is more ironic is that the traveller who goes to these places on motor transport would have seen and experienced a lot more in these countries given more than 70 days to explore them. It’s an impressive feat, but the story lacks depth.