Date: Monday 2nd August 2010

In preparing for another day of waiting we hear at around 11am that the big bosses of the tour company have called some favours and we have our VERBAL permits to move.

Camp is broken, lunched, water topped up from the glacial stream and we are mobile within an hour.

Time is for waiting in China, but not us. Lets move....not so fast...

.....Outside the first village the road is closed from mid-day to 10pm with road construction so cannot proceed. We wait for 4 hours have a noodle dinner and front up at the gate at 6pm in anticipation of an early departure only to find the gate unattended and open...we go.

Back through those sort of protective tunnels again.

Past now colourful hills in the setting sun.

Past determined pilgrims praying their way to Lhasa.

‘Might has right’ at the one way broken road section.

As dark approaches, the tour company does not wish us to attempt the 72 switchbacks from 2,300 meters up to the 4,618 meter Zar Gama-la mountain pass, however we are keen to catch up some time and feel this is not a problem.

Certainly we did the 35kms steep climb at only 15 to 35KPH and had to contend with passing heavy trucks on the way, arriving at the Pomda Crossroads at 10.30pm.

Here we camped in the centre triangle between the road south to Lhasa (where the bridge is now broken), East to Chengdu (where we have previously come from), and our new direction North West to Lhasa.

Camp 57: Pomda Crossroads Dog Camp -4100 meters

Max Altitude Today: 4700 meters

Distance Today: 208 Kms    

Total Distance: 10,274 Kms

N30* 12.674  E97* 17.510

Date: Tuesday 3nd August 2010

What a terrible night, the local dogs barked, and the donkeys braying all night.

We saw Andy about 9am but still no news, we have verbal permission but we MUST have written confirmation to show to the many check points, thus we are waiting for that to come through. We wait and just watch the passing parade of the Pomda X-road town triangle. Outside of the triangle of buildings there are rolling treeless hills.

Sitting in the vehicles in the centre of the town triangle is a bit like being a goldfish in a bowl. Constantly people jump up on the side steps and bull bar to peer in. Not for a moment but for some time, their faces squashed up against the glass.

Lunch is at the noodle shop, and still waiting. Tired of being goldfish we drive out of town and find a quiet spot next to the river.

Here we watched the field mice dart in and out of their holes, and the passing pilgrims.

You have to admire their dedication

Finally at 4.30 we had the paperwork to continue.

30kms out of town we pass the world’s highest commercial airport at 4,300meters yet only 5kms further we are thwarted once again.

Road works: They are bitumenising the road and it is closed until 12 midnight. We can drive around but the police will not let us, hence we return to the airport town and eat out our disappointment.

Here the ladies are organising dinner with Andy’s help.

Camp is at the end of the runway.

Camp 58: Camp Bangda Airport -4300 meters

Distance Today: 62 Kms      

Total Distance: 10,336 Kms

N30* 33.943  E97* 05.586

Date: Wednesday 4th August 2010

An early start at 6am to try and make up some time. The road very pot-holed yet the scenery great as the sun rose.

The first pass is 4,572m then descends for 29kms down a good road to Jitang, here we met our first checkpoint and they wanted passports, drivers licence, and then wanted to exchange US$’s for Yuan.

Climbing Mt Nianen-la at 3,465m and are greeted with a mixed coloured landscape of raspberry purple hills, peppermint green fields and a chocolate coloured Mekong River.

Chamgdu is at the strategic junction of the Mekong and the Ngon-Chu Rivers, and a trade centre between China and the old Tibet.

The town is a distinct mixture of the old Tibetan and the new Chinese buildings.

Our permission is now still needed in writing and we again wait for the fax/e-mail from the travel office. We under rate the problems and government involvement in our travels. Permission is needed from the Tourist Department, the Police and Army Department and the Foreign Affairs Department, and they must each approve our itinerary, towns visited, and roads travelled!

Restocked with meat and food for our intended travel, and  lunch today was the Chinese equivalent of KFC called Dico Chicken – similar but not the same.

At 6.10 Andy says

“Are we ready to go?.....

...................So come on lets GO!”

Our evenings drive would be an adventure.

Starting with the highway (track) besides the Mekong River.

We start to climb, forever climb as daylight disappears. The road only just hangs off the side of these huge mountains.

Up past the stunning Dragu Monastery perched on a grassy plateau at 4,200m

It is single lane and every corner gets a long blast from those air horns.

Up higher, twisting and turning for 17kms through 1,500 year old Juniper Forests.

The lights now on, and above the snow line the peak is finally reached at 4,612meters before it descends into blackness for a further 15kms through numerous tight ‘Z’ turns.

Finally we call it quits and camp on and old switchback.

This drive required all the skills we have learnt from our competition driving.

Camp 59: Switchback Camp -3,900 meters

Max Altitude Today: 4612 meters

Distance Today: 196 Kms     Total Distance: 10,532 Kms

N31* 06.547  E96* 52.378

Date: Thursday 5th August 2010

Climbing again the scenery today was just fabulous and made more perfect by the great weather.

Over more passes.

Then following huge red rock gorges, where the vertical cliffs remind us of the gorges around Alice Springs in Central Australia.

The camera was on full throttle today.

Water powered prayer wheels.

At 95kms from Riwoche we stop at the Jinkar Monastery where we were approached outside by a old monk who asked if we would like to see inside. This was great because we had heard it was very special. The roof is covered with copper and gold and  is the home to 30 monks.

He showed us inside the main hall and surprisingly allowed us to photograph the Budda images inside that were decorated with gold and Turquoise and Carnelian stones.

This old monk shows us through the kitchen.

Outside were plenty of friendly monks.

And young monks who were delighted to have their photograph taken.

Moving on, this old Monastery is surrounded by tens of thousands of prayer stones, each one individually carved with a prayer.

More beautiful landscapes.

And friendly  pilgrims

Prayer stones

Nomads camps.

Distant snow covered mountains.

The ‘modern’ town of Sertsa did not live up to the Lonely Planet book description – at all!

It was perhaps the most discussing town we had seen.

Camp 60: River Bridge Camp -3,800 meters

Distance Today: 239 Kms    

Total Distance: 10,766 Kms

N31* 35.252  E95* 10.533