Day 14 #B.E. Li Jiang - Shangri La : At The World's 3rd Deepest Gorge and.. Breaking Down

Ascending up to an altitude of 3,300metres and diving into the 3rd deepest gorge in this world, as I make my way into Shangri La.

Passing through the Ancient Tea Horse Route

Leaving the beauty of Li Jiang behind, I crossed through the Ancient Tea-Horse route which belongs to one of the world's highest and precipitous ancient roads. As the name suggests, the history that lies behind this route is back in the olden times, people in Sichuan and Yunnan provinces traded tea for horses or medicines in Tibet.

Formed as far back as the 6th century, this was a critical trade route connecting through to Southern Asia, mainly from Lhasa, Pu'er, Xi Shuang Ban Nan, Dali, Li Jiang, Shangri-La, before continuing onto Nepal, Burma and India.

On the road to Shangri La

 After about 120KM from Li Jiang, I entered into Shangri La county.

Arriving at the Tiger Leaping Gorge

Separating Haba and Lin Cang mountains, the Tiger Leaping Gorge is the world's 3rd deepest gorge and is the first tourist attraction opened in Yunnan many years ago.

Ever since, it has attracted hundreds and thousands of tourists a year, and here I am now :)

Riding in between the mountain valleys along the Tiger Leaping Gorge was extremely scenic, I was completely consumed by everything around me, from the mountains down to the gushing rivers.

The 3rd deepest gorge in the world

Arrived at the park, purchased the entrance ticket and was greeted by a a few flights of stairs to get to the main viewing deck of the Tiger Leaping Gorge.

I was shagged out going down and climbing back up man, and so was almost everyone else around me. Ok so I'm not the only weak one here haha.

But the view was pretty worth it!

After being amazed by the Tiger Leaping Gorge, I headed to a nearby guesthouse for some tea and lunch. It wasn't the peak season, so it was quiet and peaceful here.

Sat down and admired the view as I waited patiently for some home cooked meal to be served.

While I was waiting, I noticed this old village lady so I went up to her and greeted her. She smiled offered me to purchase some freshly picked prunes from her backyard. She told me the money will be used to buy a new pair of shoes to replace her current torn ones, which I noticed. Was so glad to be able to buy all the prunes from her and hope she gets a new pair of shoes soon!

Alright! Lunch is served as I quickly tucked in before continuing on my journey into Shangri La. In the mountain areas or village, most of their ingredients used like vegetables are grown from their own backyard. No MSG, though food in China tend to be a little more oily and salty.

After lunch, the curvy windy mountain roads begin.

To cover 50KM on highway roads, it may take less than an hour. But when it comes to mountain roads, it not only takes longer, it feels much longer.

I lost count of how many corners, how many bends, how many curves I've went through.

When traveling solo, from the things you see, to your thoughts, your emotions, you absorb everything on your own. When you see the beautiful things around you, you wish your loved ones was with you to enjoy it too. When you're tired and mentally exhausted, you wish you have a shoulder to lean on, or someone to talk to.

:....(

I just came to a point where I couldn't take in anymore.

I rode off the tarmac road and stopped safely at the side, switched off my engine and broke down. It started with a sob, to a soft cry, all within my HJC Rpha helmet. I decided to do a video record of the moment and said all the things I wanted to say to my family. Pictures and videos help us remember moments, and I want to remember all the emotions I experienced during this entire journey, good or bad.

Can you spot me?

After letting it all out, I dried my tears and continued on my way until I reached Shangri La town centre where I checked into a guesthouse to stay for the night.

My bike resting comfortably in the living room

To reinforce the safety of my bike when it's being parked at the hotel/guesthouse, my guide always insist my bike to be parked within the accommodation's compound, handlebar lock and disc locking it. But in this instance whereby the guesthouse didn't have a car park, I rode my bike up the stairs, literally into the guesthouse's living room!

Haha XD

As a foreigner roaming in China and Tibet on my vehicle, I'm legally bounded by law to have a respective local guide with me who carries a thick envelope full of documents to proof my stay and temporary import of vehicle is legit.

Had dinner with my China guide before bidding farewell to him as my Tibetan guide takes over from here.

Tomorrow, I enter TIBET :)







[Singapore.Malaysia.Thailand.Laos.China]
[Mileage Clocked: 4,970KM]
[Weather/Temperature: Cloudy/17°C]
[Altitude: 3,300m]
[Terrain: Mountain Roads/Tarmac/Windy Corners]

Next: Yan Jing, Tibet