Ernest immediately set off to the food shops and returned with a huge bag
containing fried rice, noodle soup and dumplings - he must've been starving. At
least all rooms had hot water and a tea flask, and I downed a cup or two before
jumping in the shower.
Xichang
We slept in, and it was late when we set out to the nearest dumpling and rice
bun sellers. Street food was inexpensive and delicious, and one couldn't get
enough of it. After doing the much overdue laundry, we made our way to the PSB
to renew our visas. The process was easy and the people friendly and helpful,
nothing as I had foreseen. The extension was processed while waiting, and I felt
our request might've been granted if we'd asked for more than a month.
Xichang – Mountain Camp – 47 km
The next place on the map looked nearly 65 kilometres away, and there was no
rush. However, riding in China always offered a few surprises and our path led us
up yet one more mountain on this day. I don't know why it came as a surprise.
In increasingly cold weather we slowly crawled higher and higher. By the end of
the day, we still hadn't reached our destination, and feeling almost frozen we
decided to camp. A minor roadside restaurant provided camping (at least they
had water and a basic toilet). Being bitterly cold, we set up camp above 3,100
metres and hurriedly cooked food before crawling in.