Nujiang-Dali Trip Feb 2008 Part 4

23 Feb 2008 : Bingzhongluo - Wuli - Qiunatong (1)

Praise the Lord for a glorious beginning to a beautiful day ahead. i looked out of my windows from the room to be greeted with clear blue skies, snow capped mountains and a little mist hanging over neatly sculpted terrace fields.

A perfect day for trekking ....only unfortunate thing was i was hit with bad mentrual cramps! Now , to go to Qiunatong or not to go? That is NOT the question. i had purposely planned the itinerary such that i would be able to attend the mass at the catholic church in Qiunatong that evening as well as the service at the protestant church in Zhongding Village on Sunday evening the following day. Moreover, i couldn't waste such a beautiful day.

The official distance published at a notice board at the road leading from Bingzhongluo town to Qiunatong is 13km but most hikers had reported it's much more, probably about 17-20km.

i've gathered from the notes researched that i would be able to catch a ride easily either by the bus that runs from Bingzhongluo to a bridge near the foot of Qiunatong or by the trucks that run to and fro frequently. i confirmed with the boss of Yudong and was told the distance is about 17km and there are no passenger buses but i should be able to hitch a ride on the trucks along the way. So i was not too worried about the cramps or the 8kg load on my shoulder which i was bringing with me. i was more worried about the dogs as the boss had said that attacks on hikers did happen on and off......hmmm.

Anyway, i set off after a bowl of rice noodles at about 1000h with the full confidence that i would be able to hitch a ride shortly along the way...........................

The beginning of the path was easy, the road was well paved and all the way downhill, the scenery was beautiful too..

A tibetan stupa near Zhongding Village

After about 1/2 an hour, i arrived at Zhongding Village and the dogs started to appear from all over but the trekking pole in my hand proved a good deterent and managed to keep them from approaching too near, phew!

The catholic church at Zhongding Village, one of the most beautifully renovated churches in that area

The church gate was locked so i went to look for the caretaker, the famous 丁大妈 (Mama Ding) to see if she could open the gate for me to take a look at the church compound. Her home which also provided accomodation for trekkers was locked too and no one answered when i called. i decided to visit the church on the return leg.

The luring charisma of the River Nu

Alas , though illegal, logging is rampant still

After about another 1/2 hour's walk, with no sign of any vehicles nor human beings at all along the way, i arrived at 石门关 Shimen Pass (Stone Gate) where it was once said that even the fairies cannot make it across because of the steep and tall canyons on both sides. Thank God, a path had been paved and so though i'm not a fairy, i could walk through it quite easily.

石门关Stone Gate Pass

And the path got just a little bit rougher, with stones occasionally falling from the cliff; one or two cars actually passed by but did not stop despite my franctic wave

But the scenery itself was distracting enough

After 2hours, i arrived at Sijitong (四季桶), literally Four Seasons Village

Some workers were repairing parts of the road at the village and there was a newly constructed toilet for the workers' use. i needed to use it desperately and asked for permission expecting them to ask for a fee but they happily told me to use it and said that it's for public use so there should be no charges. How different these people are from those villagers i met on the way from Kangding to Daocheng where out of nowhere people rushed out to demand payment after you have relieved yourself in a makeshift shed along the most remote part of the bus ride.

Shortly after Sijitong, i caught a glimpse of Wuli Village peeping out from the ends of the emerald green and at once, my heart was drawn towards it.

Charming Wuli (五里), from a distance


to be continued .....