We decided to get out of Chengdu as quickly as possible, since there is nothing much to do or see so we went to the bus station and got on a bus to Songpan. The drive took a long 10 hours along a road meandering up the mountains on the outskirts of Tibet. We were at a dead stop for an hour at one stage because a boulder had fallen down, squashing a truck and the driver.
We did stop for lunch halfway but we were quickly hunted back onto the bus by the driver because we were being attacked by a swarm of monster size bees. There were a few casualties but luckily we escaped.
Arriving in Songpan we felt much better. It’s a gorgeous little town with old walls surrounding it. The people are really friendly and make an effort to try and put a few English words together.
We didn’t want to pay for a visa and guide into Tibet as it costs a fortune so we talked a few lads with horses into taking us across the mountains, bypassing any checkpoints. We made arrangements and got supplies for tomorrow’s journey. It will be a three day horse trek.
We bedded down in a really desperate hotel for the night. It was a converted bus station with cardboard partitions and no ceilings. Filthy is not the word. The toilets and showers would make a slurry pit look clean. Holding your nose was not enough as the smell seemed to seep through your skin anyway. That night we had our first visit from Mr. Rat!
We did stop for lunch halfway but we were quickly hunted back onto the bus by the driver because we were being attacked by a swarm of monster size bees. There were a few casualties but luckily we escaped.
Arriving in Songpan we felt much better. It’s a gorgeous little town with old walls surrounding it. The people are really friendly and make an effort to try and put a few English words together.
We didn’t want to pay for a visa and guide into Tibet as it costs a fortune so we talked a few lads with horses into taking us across the mountains, bypassing any checkpoints. We made arrangements and got supplies for tomorrow’s journey. It will be a three day horse trek.We bedded down in a really desperate hotel for the night. It was a converted bus station with cardboard partitions and no ceilings. Filthy is not the word. The toilets and showers would make a slurry pit look clean. Holding your nose was not enough as the smell seemed to seep through your skin anyway. That night we had our first visit from Mr. Rat!
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