Samba (Baishuitai) to Zhongdian

What a fantastic cycling route today: Starting in Samba, a Yi minority farming village and the site of Baishuitai, a set of white rock terraced pools resembling rice paddies. The terraces are calcite deposited by a stream that runs through the local limestone and therefore has a high carbonic acid content. The site is a Naxi holy place.

Given the high elevation, we took the van for the first 55 km, climbing from 2000 m to 3500 m and over two steep passes. We passed through nearly uninhabited pine forests, dotted with blooming pink and white rhododendrons – a spectacular sight. Along the route, there were smaller varieties in purple and pink, as well as many other spring flowers. Unfortunately, the snowy peaks were again shrouded in clouds, but at least we didn’t get rained on over the pass.

We began bicycling 7 km before the highest pass of the trip at 3730 m, so, even though the road was not steep, we all had to shift a few gears lower (and dress warmly). The following downhill took us along a scenic pastoral valley, with yaks, pigs and horses grazing, bountiful rhododendrons and some farmers living in very primitive conditions.

After our tea break, which was an attraction for a few disheveled local yak farmers, we continued on to a Tibetan-influenced town, where we saw some amazing architecture. The houses were huge – and built from massive logs and wood frames, with made of clay (looked like adobe). There were elaborate wood carvings and paintings on each house. Colored flags on the roofs of the dwellings signify the number of family members and their status (gold is the top level, white the norm and red below).



Just before reaching Zhongdian, we passed by several large groups of women sitting next to a river, all in their ethnic dress, including bright pink headdresses. They gather several times a year to sing songs to encourage the rain – as this is a very arid region.