Paoma Mountain
Kangding’s most well-known landmark is one of its nearby mountains, Paoma Mountain. The snowy peak was made famous by the immensely popular song, Kangding Love Song.
Going from Ganzi to Kangding also marked the longest bus ride Em and I had this entire trip: 14 hours!! While the ride was beautiful, being on a dirty bus for 14 hours was pretty trying…
Bus ride
Passby Lake
Ganzi
Ganzi is a Tibetan trading town, located in a stunning valley in the shadow of the nearby Chola snow mountain range.
Across the street from the Ganzi bus station, there’s a restaurant called the Daba Han Tibetan Family Restaurant. The hole-in-the-wall joint is owned by a middle aged Han couple and a young Tibetan help. A+ to them in name creativity.
Trola
Trola Pass lies between Dege and Manigango. At 4916 meters above sea level, it’s the highest pass outside of Tibet.
Dege
Dege was a charming little town nestled deep in a remote mountain valley, close to the border of Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR). Logistically speaking, it was one of the hardest places for Em and I to reach. Thanks to a bit of persistence and rerouting, we got there with no problem.
However, a half a side of yak carcass was involved in our transportation. Em almost gagged on the way (note: the woman is a vegetarian). I wonder how the Tibetans would have felt about that.
Manigango
Manigango is a one-lane, rough and tumble kind of town located in the middle of the Qinghai-Tibet plateau. The town is rustic and the surrounding scenery beautiful. Conditions made the town difficult to stay in, but it worked for a night as a transition stop.
It was also our first stop on the proper Sichuan Tibet highway, which means we got into the province with no problem.
Mirror Lake, Jiuzhaigou
I’m on the road again. Again, I’m in western China, this time traveling with my Hong Kong friend, Emily.
One of our first stops is in Jiuzhaigou, Sichuan Province. This time of year, the park is beautiful. Primordial alpine forests with fall color leaves, snow capped mountains, turquoise lake, and not AS many tourists as the park normally sees in the high season.
It’s a little piece of heaven on earth.
Sheila Takes Pictures 