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| Wet and Cold |
I finally managed to escape Dali and head for Shangri-La skipping Lijiang along the way. I had enough of giant tour groups and crowds in Dali and could not picture stopping in Lijinag in two days for more of the same. I took the long way to Shangri-La following the east bank of the Yangzi until I reached Nixi then I headed south to Shangri-La. The road along the river was stunning even if mother nature was not being kind to me most days. This section provided me with a couple trying days due to punctures (2 in 2 days), the weather, and a never ending climb that provided me with unsealed roads the last 30km into Shangri-La. The weather was rainy and cold, but the sun manages to come out every so often requiring me to constantly stop and either strip down or put on more clothes, yeah for layers. Overall, it was great cycling even if I did feel like throwing the towel a few times after only 20km. Fortunately there was very few places to stop literally. The road was narrow with sheer rock face on one side and a 100 meter drop off on the other. The no stopping makes it hard for bathroom breaks and made me wish I had the chinese kids pants that have an opening that does not require you to remove your pants just unbutton and go for it. I have yet to find any in my size.
The city of Shangri-La is stunning in the countryside and the tourists in the city definetly dress the part of adventurer traveler with their north face and goretex outfits. I seriously doubt many of them leave the confines of the city, but I am sure they enjoy dressing the part of avid trekker. The streets are lined with outdoor gear so if anyone needs some "North Face" gear or yak clothing let me know. The amount of yak products here makes me think I do not need to go to Mongolia anymore. After all I can ride my own yak here, which is the only reason I was going to Mongolia in the first place.
The adventure continues north tomorrow through Tibetan villages with more lovely roads and hopes of arriving in Litang in a week.
The city of Shangri-La is stunning in the countryside and the tourists in the city definetly dress the part of adventurer traveler with their north face and goretex outfits. I seriously doubt many of them leave the confines of the city, but I am sure they enjoy dressing the part of avid trekker. The streets are lined with outdoor gear so if anyone needs some "North Face" gear or yak clothing let me know. The amount of yak products here makes me think I do not need to go to Mongolia anymore. After all I can ride my own yak here, which is the only reason I was going to Mongolia in the first place.
The adventure continues north tomorrow through Tibetan villages with more lovely roads and hopes of arriving in Litang in a week.
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