rushed to Mount Everest base camp
I entered Tibet for the second time, taking the Yunnan Tibet Line in and the New Tibet Line out. It lasted 42 days and the motorcycle mileage was 12,300 kilometers. Specific cycling routes and main attractions:
Fuzhou - Qingliu - Taihe - Hengyang - Tongren - Fanjing Mountain - Huangguoshu Waterfall - Kunming Dianchi Lake - Dali - Lijiang - —Tiger Leaping Gorge——Shangri-La——Deqin——Mangkang——Bangda——Bomi (Midui Glacier)—— Linzhi (Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon)———— Lhasa - Yamdrok Yumcuo - Karola Glacier - Gyantse Castle - Shigatse - Everest Base Camp - Angren County - Zhongba County - Mapang Yongcuo - Kailash - Zada Tulin - Pangong Lake - Doma Township - Sansanli Barracks - Yecheng - Kashgar - Irkeshtan Port (China West Pole) - Wuqia - Aksu - Duku Highway (Bayinbuluk) - Kuitun - Sailimu Lake - Horgos Port - Kuitun - Urumqi (vehicle transportation, people and aircraft) - —Fuzhou
Where is today’s destination? Before setting off, I still had no idea. I discussed with Lao Wu last night about going to Everest Base Camp today. If you are worried about the high altitude of Mount Everest Base Camp, stay overnight at Tingri and visit Mount Everest Base Camp very early the next morning, and then rush back to Tingri on the same day. Lao Wu looked embarrassed. He told me that he was not going to Everest Base Camp. He had many things waiting for him to deal with at home and he had to rush back. I couldn’t convince Lao Wu to go to Everest Base Camp. This morning, we stopped to rest/take photos on the roadside where golden rapeseed flowers bloomed as far as the eye could see. I never expected to see such wide and flat rapeseed fields in Tibet. As we drove all the way over on our motorcycles, we saw that the land of Shigatse was full of green barley and golden rapeseed flowers. The Shigatse area truly deserves to be the great granary of Tibet. During the break, I once again persuaded Lao Wu to visit the Everest Base Camp. I told Lao Wu that motorcycle travelers should not just run around, but also know how to appreciate the beautiful scenery on the road. If you pass by without seeing such a magnificent landscape as Mount Everest, you will be very regretful in the future. Old Wu remained silent.
At noon, we went to a restaurant owned by Northeasterners at the intersection of city in Lazi County for lunch. The two of us ordered a plate of pork dumplings and a plate of chive dumplings. While we were waiting for the dumplings to be served, we talked about whether we could make it to Everest Base Camp. A few dozen kilometers past Lazi County, there is the bifurcation of the national highway heading to Mount Everest Base Camp and heading to Ali Shiquanhe 219. After my repeated mobilization, Lao Wu finally agreed to go to the Everest Base Camp with me. After lunch, we rushed to Tianjin Dingri County. At the gas station in Dingri County, we met up with two teammates from Xiamen, and we decided to rush to the Everest Base Camp today. Although the road to Mount Everest is all asphalt, the mountain road is winding and winding, with hairpin bends one after another. There are dozens of kilometers of sharp mountain roads up and down the Jiaula Pass. Some people say there are 180 bends. There are at least 200 turns. I don’t know how many turns there are. Anyway, the turns made me dizzy. It rained non-stop all the way. Four of our teammates braved the rain to reach the Gawula Pass at an altitude of 5,210 meters. Gawula Pass is a must-pass on the way to Everest Base Camp. At the Gawula Pass Observation Deck, we looked far into the distance and saw all the small mountains. You can have a panoramic view of the magnificent scenery of four 8,000-meter snow peaks including Makalu, Lhotse, Everest, and Cho Oyu. To be honest, we only saw the continuous snow-capped mountains in the distance, but we didn’t know where they were.
We arrived at Everest Base Camp at around 6pm. Immediately, some Tibetan bosses recruited Lao Wu and me to stay in their tents. I asked a Tibetan boss what the price was? He replied that Datongpu cost 100 yuan per person. We didn’t bargain, we just treated it as a contribution to our Tibetan compatriots. As soon as we put our luggage away, the Tibetan boss urged us to pay. He negotiated a good price and was worried that we would go to another tent. He was relieved after I paid the money. Three women and five men slept in this big tent that night. Cow dung was burned in the tent to keep warm and boil water. After packing my luggage, I walked out of the tent and saw dozens of large tents neatly arranged on the flat land surrounded by mountains. There is also a post office store here. For dinner, Lao Wu and I ate the instant noodles and other food we brought with us. Mount Everest Base Camp is 5,200 meters above sea level and is a restricted area for life. That night, neither Lao Wu nor I felt any symptoms of high fever, so we fell asleep and slept soundly all night.
I woke up around 6 o'clock in the morning. I had a good sleep last night in the Everest Base Camp tent at an altitude of 5,200 meters, and I felt refreshed today. I saw that Lao Wu, who was sleeping next to me, was still asleep, and I couldn't bear to wake him up. A tourist from Heilongjiang self-driving tour and I walked out of the tent. I looked around and saw that the mountains surrounding the base camp were shrouded in clouds and mist. Since I entered the gate of Mount Everest yesterday, it has been raining all the way. I have no high hopes that I can see the beautiful face of Mount Everest today; unless the Buddha bless me and my character depends on me.
Now that it has come, let it go. Then take a look at the mountains surrounding the base camp, misty mist and fairyland on earth. At this time, tourists in the base camp tents came out one after another. Some took photos in front of the base camp monument, and some admired the scenic views of the snow-capped mountains exposed in the surrounding clouds and mist. I admired the bright yellow flowers blooming on a clump of weeds on the side of the road. I marveled at the tenacity of life of this grass that no one knew about. Suddenly, a few elves sprang out from the roadside and slowly walked towards the stream to nibble on its turf. I thought it was a Tibetan lamb. I took a closer look and it turned out to be a Tibetan antelope. The harmonious coexistence of humans and wild animals has also become a sight at Mount Everest Base Camp.
There is a sign and notice on the roadside where the Tibetan antelope walks, prohibiting tourists from walking further up. It is said that during the climbing season of professional mountaineering teams from April to May every year, there are armed police guarding here; now there is no one on duty. A few tourists and I crossed the forbidden line and continued walking up. They climbed up a hill to wait for the sun to clear and see Mount Everest. I kept walking up the simple road around the mountain. I didn't eat anything when I woke up in the morning. I happened to have a pack of dried fish in my pocket, so I took it out and chewed it in my mouth to increase my energy. I didn't drink water when I woke up in the morning. I was worried about the lack of water in my body at high altitude. A fellow rider happened to be descending from the top. He brought a large bottle of mineral water. I drank a few large sips of water from him to replenish my water. This increases my confidence in moving forward.
I was walking along the simple road around the mountain. Unexpectedly, the clouds opened and the sun rose. The pyramid peaks were faintly exposed in the mist in front of me. Isn’t that the Mount Everest I dreamed of? Going further, the clouds and fog gradually dissipated, and Mount Everest was clearly visible. The entire Mount Everest was displayed in front of me without reservation. When I stood in front of Mount Everest, I felt very small. Mount Everest shines in the sunlight, like rays of Buddha light. This is the blessing of the Buddha to me. It is not easy to see Mount Everest from the Everest Base Camp; there are very few people like me who have such close and intimate contact with Mount Everest.I chose the best location to admire Mount Everest, quietly stared at the majestic form of Mount Everest alone, and used a Canon camera to capture this unforgettable shot.
I returned to base camp satisfied. When I walked into the tent, I found it empty. I opened WeChat on my phone again and found a message from Lao Wu. He told me that he couldn't contact me on his mobile phone, so he left the base camp at around 9 o'clock and took a shortcut from Zhangmu Highway to Saga. A friend of Anwei Motorcycle who "passed by" once told me on WeChat that this road is difficult to walk, and suggested that I go back and take the 219 National Highway in Lazi Chawu Township. But this requires walking more than 100 kilometers. In this way, I am worried that I will not be able to catch up with the large group. In the next few days, I will have to ride a single bicycle on the 219 National Highway, the highest altitude/most dangerous in the world. I can't help but feel a little worried. I weighed the pros and cons and finally decided to walk 100 kilometers back to Chawu Township in Gyantse and take National Highway 219 to catch up with them. I spent a safe night at the Everest Base Camp at an altitude of 5,200 meters in the restricted area of life, which increased my confidence in taking the 219 National Highway, the highest altitude in the world. Hundreds of kilometers of National Highway 219 are above 5,000 meters above sea level.
