Day 55 Friday 27 October Pasho/Baxi to Bayi, Tibet

We start again at first light (which since Tibet along with all China is on Bejing time) means around 8.30 after the usual fried breadsticks and rice porridge. The route follows the aquamarine coloured Parlung Tsangpo river flowing in a broad valley between snow-capped mountains with pine and rhododendron forest before it heads off to join the Brahmaputra. We follow the river down to 1700m, positively subtropical. The villages here are quite different from those further east which were mostly mudbrick, adobe and wood. These are mostly new rectangular 2 storey white/grey stone houses with carved and colourfully decorated wooden lintels and window frames. However all are arrayed in two straight rows of maybe 10-15 houses and are topped with bright red or green or blue colourbond type roofs. Here the barley is piled on wooden tables to dry, giving the appearance of Polynesian burees.
We make good progress along the valley floor for the first 200km although as this is part of a ‘Kora’ or pilgrim route we come across straggling groups pulling carts and prostrating themselves at every pace. They generally have thick aprons and wear thongs on their hands, they stand upright, raise their arms above their heads and then kneel and slide their arms and body forward until they are flat then stand up again take a step and repeat the process. We are told it takes 8 years to make it to Lhasa and can easily believe it.

Lulled into a relaxed state we suddenly hit a stretch of muddy single yak track “highway” which has the navigator hiding in the boot for 50km along a river gorge. Then just as it suddenly improves and we are back climbing up a 4515m pass, Serkhyim-la. Fortunately whilst it has lots of hairpins its not really very scary as they are putting crash barriers along it. We are surrounded by four mountains over 6500m high including Gyala Pelri at 7294m and Namcha Baba at 7756m
We reach Bayi, a large new mainly Chinese town of 60,000 and find an LP recommended hotel, Show Fong Tsuin which has hot water and electric blankets, as well as a helpful manager, but unfortunately his helpfulness doesn’t extend to shooting the dog which barked all night, nor stopping the next door disco, nor preventing the nearby barracks from playing martial music over the tannoy from 5am.

Weather 4.5, Sunny
Distance today 460km
Distance from start 12,259km
Scary Road Index: Low then Ultra scary