Departing from Shangrila (Zhongdian) up to the Northern regions of Yunnan partly besides the Jinsha river direction towards Buka on a unmarked small country road to Benzilan, joining the famous G214 National Road near Benzilan / ZigenXiang via a short stretch on country road X041 and a bridge crossing the Jinsha river, great alternative twisty route parallel to the G214 National Road....

__________________
Somewhere down the road in China since '89 ~ along the route I've learned the hard way that pleasing everyone is impossible, but pissing everybody off is a piece of cake....TBR

Heading North out of Shangrila (Zhongdian).....

__________________
Somewhere down the road in China since '89 ~ along the route I've learned the hard way that pleasing everyone is impossible, but pissing everybody off is a piece of cake....TBR

"Lost Horizon Ride"

The ride up along China National Road G214 is somehow inspired by James Hilton's eponym novel recounting a place called Shangrila as a paradise on earth. Nobody can tell you where Shangrila is actually located.
To Buddhists, it is "a land of beauty and harmony close to heaven" and I believe you can find it during a motorbike ride but who really knows....

__________________
Somewhere down the road in China since '89 ~ along the route I've learned the hard way that pleasing everyone is impossible, but pissing everybody off is a piece of cake....TBR

White Horse Pass (4292m) – Northern Yunnan, near the Tibet border along the National Road G214 (Yunnan - Tibet Highway).
In this region of North Yunnan, especially in the spring, you can experience four seasons in a day but lucky as had awesome clear but cold weather.

__________________
Somewhere down the road in China since '89 ~ along the route I've learned the hard way that pleasing everyone is impossible, but pissing everybody off is a piece of cake....TBR

Some White Horse Pass region pictures above show sections on the mountains of the narrow old G214 Yunnan > Tibet Highway, the old road carved into the mountain sides is still visible, brings back some good old memories from many moons ago as I have been riding here before....
The China National Highway 214 (G214) runs from Xining, Qinghai to Jinghong, Yunnan. It is approx. 3,256 kilometres in total length and runs south from Xining towards Tibet, and ends in Yunnan Province.
The approx. 720km stretch of the Yunnan–Tibet Highway (G214) goes from Dali to Markam, where it interlinks with the G318 Sichuan–Tibet Highway (G318 National Highway goes from Shanghai all the way to Kathmandu crossing the entire country East to West). The G214 Highway is the most scenic route to approach Tibet (TAR) in my opinion as the road runs through many minority areas and crosses the Hengduan Mountains and Jinsha River (the upper reaches of the Yangtze River).

__________________
Somewhere down the road in China since '89 ~ along the route I've learned the hard way that pleasing everyone is impossible, but pissing everybody off is a piece of cake....TBR

Deqin (North Yunnan / Kham Tibet), the town itself is a terrible manifestation of the worst kind of modern Chinese architecture: dirty, white-tiled, and somehow soulless with not a whole lot to see around town itself they say ~ well, I find walking around quite interesting...
However, if you love biking and exploring, Deqin is a superb base and had some great days staying in the area. So, if Deqin is so great, why is it not better known? The main reason for this is that there is not a lot of information available on the area, so the average traveller is left guessing whether it is worth visiting or not. The fact that most travellers will have to return the way they came also puts them off visiting (Deqin is the last town before Tibet >TAR< proper in Yunnan province).

__________________
Somewhere down the road in China since '89 ~ along the route I've learned the hard way that pleasing everyone is impossible, but pissing everybody off is a piece of cake....TBR

Kham (Tibet) region has a rugged terrain characterized by mountain ridges and gorges running from northwest to southeast, and collectively known as the Hengduan Mountains. Numerous rivers, including the Mekong, Yangtze, Yalong Jiang, and the Salween flow through Kham.
Under the modern administrative division of the People's Republic of China, Kham comprises a total of 50 contemporary counties, which have been incorporated into the Chinese provinces of Sichuan (16 counties), Yunnan (3 counties), and Qinghai (6 counties) as well as the eastern portion of the Tibet Autonomous Region (25 counties).
It held the status of "special administrative district" until 1939, when it became an official Chinese province. Its provincial status was nominal and without much cohesion, like most of China's territory during the time of Japanese invasion and civil war. The natives of the Kham region are called Khampas.



Deqin prefecture is where the big mountains are to be found with impossibly steep valleys, mind-blowing vistas, remote monasteries. In fact the best time to trek up is during the winter months as summer is the rainy season. Many say, March is the worst month as the rains start but it's still cold enough so it comes down as snow. This is the month to get snowed in. Well ~ don't agree as during my March ride and multi day stay the sky is a deep ultramarine blue that make one think of outer space. It’s not simply something about a high elevation; the height at these latitudes creates an entirely different type of sky colour in my opinion....

Kawagarpo Mountain ~ it's not a place it's a special spiritual feeling....

__________________
Somewhere down the road in China since '89 ~ along the route I've learned the hard way that pleasing everyone is impossible, but pissing everybody off is a piece of cake....TBR

Kawagarpo Mountain is the high point in a range of high peaks and one of the most sacred mountains for Tibetan Buddhism as the spiritual home of a warrior god of the same name. It is visited by 20,000 pilgrims each year from throughout the Tibetan world, many pilgrims circumambulate the peak, an arduous 240km trek. Although it is important throughout Tibetan Buddhism, it is the local Tibetans that are the day-to-day guardians and stewards of Kawagarbo, both the deity and the mountain.

The ancestral religion of the Kawagarpo area, as in much of Tibet, was Bön, a shamanistic tradition based on the concept of a world pervaded by good and evil spirits. Bön encompassed numerous deities and spirits which are still recognized today, and are often connected with specific geographical localities and natural features; the major mountain peaks in the Hengduan Mountains are thus all identified with specific deities. Kawagarbo is one of these. Since its introduction, Tibetan Buddhism has been the dominant religion of the Kawagarbo area, with followers of Gelugpa doctrine being the most common.Tibetans believe the warrior god will leave them if human sets foot on the peak of Kawakarpo, making the ground unholy. Disasters will follow as they lose god's protection. Tibetans have also established a centuries-old sacred geography around the peak, maintained by religious leaders from local monasteries in negotiation with local villages. This sacred natural site preserves the natural resources and ecological health of the mountain range.

The Kora, the clockwise trek around the Kawagarpo Mountain range is a spectacular adventure: The trail leads through different vegetation zones from blooming alpine meadows to thick and species rich forests. Plenty of breathtaking view points allow amazing sights of the snow-covered steep mountains. The trek (Kora) itself starts at a suspension bridge across the Mekong in the village Yangtsa (100km south of Deqen) and ends at the Mekong in the village Meilixi (70km north of Deqen).
However, the trek requires good physical condition and self-confidence in walking in remote regions on lonely paths. It is recommended to tackle the Kora as 12-stage hike across six high passes with altitudes way above 3000 m. Most of the time, over-nights (average 10 nights) need to be planned ahead as staying in tents, sometimes in the simple settlements along the Kora trek it's possible to stay in private guest houses.



Kawagarpo Mountain climbing, the most prominent peaks of the mountain range are: Kawagarpo (6740m), Cogar Laka (6509m), Magai Laka (6400m), Nairi Denka (6379m), Godai Laka (6108m), Miancimu (6054m), Xaiunang (6000m), Gyalwarigng (5470m).
The first attempt on Kawakarpo was made in 1987 by a party from the Joetsu Alpine Club of Japan. In the winter of 1990–91 a group from the Academic Alpine Club of Kyoto University attempted the peak in conjunction with a Chinese group. Their activity caused heavy protests from the local Tibetan community due to the mountain's cultural and religious significance. On 3 January 1991, a nighttime avalanche killed all seventeen members of the expedition, in one of the most deadly mountaineering accidents in history. The Kyoto club returned in 1996 to make another unsuccessful attempt.
American expeditions, led by Nicholas Clinch, visited the range in 1988, 1989, 1992, and 1993, attempting other major peaks, but were unsuccessful. In 2001, local government passed laws banning all future climbing attempts on cultural and religious grounds. As of today, none of the significant other peaks of the range (Cogar Laka, Minacimu, Gyalwarigng) have been successfully climbed.

The entire Kawagarpo Mountain Kora is too much, up for a Kawagarpo Mountain - Yubeng village hike...???

__________________
Somewhere down the road in China since '89 ~ along the route I've learned the hard way that pleasing everyone is impossible, but pissing everybody off is a piece of cake....TBR

Exploring the deep valleys and mountain roads around the Kawagarpo Mountain region working from pointers given by locals and with some Mingyong Glacier GPS co-ords provided by a friend and contact in the area. There is no real maintained trail to the actual glacier. However, you can find a few more or less prominent trails used by locals and try to hike in to the glacier, never tried. The trails unfortunately not accessible with a heavy motorbike for various reasons (ice / mud / narrow gaps).
Reached the "official" entrance (checkpoint with a small parking lot) to the Mingyong Glacier area below Kawagarpo Mountain but somehow must have upset the two uniformed guards as coming down a steep mountain gravel road, the road had no gates (entry tickets / checkpoints) of any sort.
Was informed rudely that the Mingyong Glacier is closed for visitors during the week as low season. Spot on ~ your just pissed I came over the mountains not using the designated tarmac roads, no further questions and discussions ~ cruising onwards really enjoying the ride and great weather....

Just as general info, no close up pictures, the Mingyong Glacier descends steeply from the east face of Kawagarbo into the Mekong River valley on the Yunnan side of the massif. Because it descends from near the summit of Kawagarbo, it is also considered sacred by Tibetan Buddhists and two temples are located along its lower edge. From those temples, the rapid retreat of Mingyong Glacier is obvious, especially to local people who observe it year in and year out.....

__________________
Somewhere down the road in China since '89 ~ along the route I've learned the hard way that pleasing everyone is impossible, but pissing everybody off is a piece of cake....TBR

Exploring the deep valleys and mountain roads around the Kawagarpo Mountain region....















































Some adventure bike owners love to ride to a Starbucks / Costa Coffee with their polished princess bike on a sunny day - no need to join the crowds as got my own travel espresso maker... nothing beats a steaming hot strong espresso and looking over the holy Kawagarpo Mountain range...

__________________
Somewhere down the road in China since '89 ~ along the route I've learned the hard way that pleasing everyone is impossible, but pissing everybody off is a piece of cake....TBR

"Room with a View" at Songtsam Lodges Meili Hotel (Deqin / North Yunnan), my temporary home base while exploring the region around Kawagarpo Mountain for a few days...
http://www.songtsam.com and https://www.facebook.com/songtsam5lodges/

__________________
Somewhere down the road in China since '89 ~ along the route I've learned the hard way that pleasing everyone is impossible, but pissing everybody off is a piece of cake....TBR

Deqin town in the darkness has a totally different look and feel obviously with all the street-side restaurants and nightly activities going on in shops....

__________________
Somewhere down the road in China since '89 ~ along the route I've learned the hard way that pleasing everyone is impossible, but pissing everybody off is a piece of cake....TBR

Deqin town in the darkness...















































Well ~ time came around to hit the roads again to new destinations in the morning and departing from Deqin (North Yunnan / Kham Tibet).....

__________________
Somewhere down the road in China since '89 ~ along the route I've learned the hard way that pleasing everyone is impossible, but pissing everybody off is a piece of cake....TBR

From the cobblestone back alleys in Shaxi, Deqin and Shangrila (Zhongdian), the water gushing through narrow canyons in the Kawagarpo Mountain region, awesome backgrounds of mountain peaks covered in eternal snow and ice made it over to Lugu Lake.



Lugu Lake ~ the forest lined lake overlaps the remote border between Yunnan – Sichuan provinces. The stunning scenery and ethnic cultures are two main features that attracts thousands of visitors each year to the area. A visit to the Lugu usually can be started from Luoshui. The lake, was formed by two sinking faults, and this high alpine lake sits 2,685m. Most people say it is shaped like a horse’s hoof – long from north to south, and narrower from East to West. The lake which is surrounded by hills is filled with inviting clear water, that makes it easy to see the fish swimming within. The forest that protects the lake if full of dense trees and fresh mountain.
Lugu Lake is a place that has not been disturbed by the other economic developments and pollution; its’ natural beauty has been retained somehow but heavy tourist developments under construction around the entire lake might change that very soon. The made the entire Lugu Lake area a national park with two main entrance gates (tickets). Can't recall paying anything for Lugu Lake area entrance during my last ride around during May 2004. Lugu Lake has an airport nearby opened during 2015 (October) and them tourist hordes are coming in quickly thats for sure....
Ninglang Luguhu Airport (NLH) is an airport serving Ninglang Yi Autonomous County and Lugu Lake (Luguhu), in northwestern Yunnan province, China. It is located in Shifoshan, Hongqiao Township, 25km from Lugu Lake and 50km from the Ninglang county seat, at an elevation of 3,293 metres Construction began in April 2013, and the airport, the 13th in Yunnan, was opened on 12 October 2015..

__________________
Somewhere down the road in China since '89 ~ along the route I've learned the hard way that pleasing everyone is impossible, but pissing everybody off is a piece of cake....TBR

Lugu Lake ~ the forest lined lake overlaps the remote border between Yunnan – Sichuan provinces....

__________________
Somewhere down the road in China since '89 ~ along the route I've learned the hard way that pleasing everyone is impossible, but pissing everybody off is a piece of cake....TBR