It’s another icy morning here at Daocheng. The drive from Litang was incredibly smooth – in fact much better than that jolting and rattling journey from Kangding. But make no mistake, transport here is neither cheap nor convenient. Yor may need to charter vehicles and foot the entire bill if there is no one else to share it with you.
The hotel recommended by the driver we met when we first arrived from Litang yesterday morning turned out to be pretty good. While the rest of Daocheng was experiencing a power failure (very common in these parts) they could turn on their own generator. The only trouble is, there’s a karaoke bar next door.
Daocheng is essentially a rather modern Tibetan town surrounded by picturesque villages. No longer a best-kept secret, it can become inundated with tourists during the early autumn period. Situated at an altitude of 3700m, it’s not much more comfortable than Litang for new arrivals from the lowlands. The mercury reads -10 deg C as I’m writing this.
Once we have daylight, We’ll be looking for people to share a minibus to Yading near the Yunnan border. We’ve been warned that it’s going to be an expensive trip. I just hope it’s worth our time and money. Since we have some time on our hands, a visit to Lugu Lake can be contemplated, but the little one looks like he’s had enough of the highlands.
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