This is a 6 day trip to the Tibetan areas of Gansu and Northern Sichuan province. We didn’t bike on this trip. We just did day hikes and explored on foot, so more of a road trip.
October 1 to 6th
10/1
We all met up at Science and Technology metro stop and headed up on the highway to Gansu. It was during the national day holiday so there was a ton of traffic so the first couple hours were pretty busy. After that it wasn’t as bad, especially when you get close to Gansu because many people don’t get there. We stopped for lunch and made it to Zhouqu as it was getting dark. We weren’t able to stay at the hotel I reserved because they didn’t have the facial recognition system going yet (which I guess is new) and they couldn’t take foreigners too. So we ended up at the only hotel in town that took foreigners which was nice of course and the police checked our passports, not just in the evening but in the morning too. That’s what happens when you show up in the middle of nowhere where they only see one foreigner a year pretty much. Anyway, it was funny to see the crowds outside the hotel of mostly kids talking to some of the foreigners and then we went to have a bbq for dinner.
10/2
We headed out in the morning up to Zhagana, a place I hadn’t been before but I saw online it was in the area I was going and it looked amazing so we went. We had to pay 40 rmb a person to enter and got there in the late afternoon. We got into our hotel and headed up the hill to get a nice view of the area and great sunset. You can continue up the hill to what we assumed was a lake but was a tiny pond. Still nice but not a must. The view halfway up is awesome. Definitely worth checking out if your in that area.
10/3
We took a little hike in the raven down the road and then headed over to Langmusi which is a popular town in the region and really nice with a lot to do and see. Unfortunately the 2-3 hour drive took about 5 or 6 because of construction and delays. We got there in the late afternoon and had lunch and stayed in the hotel.
10/4
We took the day off in Langmusi. A few people used the van to see a nice lake about 30 kms away. Others went to one or both of the monasteries or went hiking around. I went to the hills on the east end of town which was challenging but had nice views of town. In the evening I made a bbq in the parking lot which was fun.
10/5
People explored town for a bit in the morning and had breakfast and headed out on the road back towards Chengdu. We considered going to the first bend of the yellow river which isn’t too far away but the road south to Songpan is smoother so we headed down there. Songpan is an ancient town. We found a decent guesthouse and went downtown for some drinks, monopoly deal and KTV at a Tibetan bar. A fun way to end our last night.
10/6
We headed out in the morning and made it back by the afternoon. It was another great trip. Even though it wasn’t a bike trip it was still a lot of fun and everyone seemed to enjoy. I think Langmusi is one of my most favorite places.
