Yanyuan – Yalong River – 77 km
Departing Yanyuan, our path immediately started climbing up the mountain. We
wheezed up to 3,200 metres, while a freezing headwind threatened to blow us over
the edge. In addition, the lack of railings made the ride nerve-racking as a sheer
drop plunged into the valley below.
Once over the high point, the road sped 45 kilometres downhill. We raced down the
mountain in bitterly cold weather to 1,200m - descending 2,000 metres in the
process! Halfway, an eatery provided much-needed warmth after which we further
descended until reaching the Yalong River.
Along the other side of the river, one could see the path zigzagging up the pass and
we thought it an excellent idea to bunk down and continue in the morning. Thank
goodness, a conveniently situated hotel was spotted shortly beyond the river.
Yalong River – Xichang – 79 km
The following morning, the going was extremely slow as the path climbed higher
and higher. At each turn, one could catch a glimpse of the river from a higher
altitude. However, the landscape remained magnificent, with terraced communities
high up along the mountainside with seemingly no link to the outside world except
the river. Eventually, the top of the pass was reached, and we descended into
Xichang.
Cold and hungry we crawled into Xichang late. We hadn't eaten since the previous
evening, apart from a few sweets I had in my bag and it was past sunset by the
time we located a suitable room.