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Mekong to Nujiang. Almost…

Posted on 08. Dec, 2009 by yoyo in Yunnan

Yeah, I know this is December, and you’re not supposed to try crossing high mountain passes. but, it’s fun.

We took yet another bus to Deqin, arriving there for the 3rd time, and from there, the following morning a bus to Ce-Chong

(8:00AM, 28RMB, 3.5 hou rs). the bus

takes you along the Mekong river, which makes beautiful curves and U turns all the way. it is possible to get off at Yami (25RMB), a village just before Ce-Chong, where the bus usually stops for lunch. and where we ate a really good Pinchye-Chao-Dan (fried tomatoes and eggs you eat with rice).we got off at Ce-Chong and started the trek. our aim was to cross the mountain range to the West, and reach Nujiang valley, the border with Tibet and Myanmar by foot over 2 nights. thinking to skip a long walk on the dirt-road leading from Ce-Chong to Rini village under the valley that leads to the pass, we climbed the hill between us and the valley. our short-cut soon became a long-cut, and we spent the night on the hill, being unable to climb into the valley to the West.

The next day we found

a foot trail leading down the hill and along a water canal that led all the way into the valley, and the trail we were looking for, the trail that would take us up to the pass. we spent the n

ight at a beautiful spot along the river, having a nice little waterfall singing us a lullaby. the next day we continued our climb, and to our surprise, after climbing through thick bush we arrived at a 4×4 jeep trail. 5 minutes later we discovered the answer as to why it was there. a mine was being dug into the mountain, the road serving

the workers. don’t expect a gigantic operation there, it’s not more than 30 people with some tractors. the 4×4 trail ended at that point, leaving us with the thick bush again. one important thing though, the water down the stream from the mine could, and probably would be polluted by it. another 3 hours climb brought us to a great opening of the forest, that could only be described as a magnificent open valley, with snow-topped mountains all around it. we found a nice abandoned cabin to spend the night in.

The next day was expected to be THE day, as we were supposed to cross the high pass into Nujiang valley. the trail took us along a series of beautiful half-frozen waterfalls and up into a great basin full of snow. a real treat after such a long climb. unfortunately, the snow was very very deep, more than waist-deep at parts, and the pass itself seemed to be impassable. in a moment of

wisdom we decided to give up our attempts on the pass and get down. that night we spent at the same cabin, which we referred to as home in the blistering cold. sometimes

troubles follow each other, and an unfortunate accident occurred that night - boiling water spilled on Segev’s foot, leaving a very nasty burn.

The next, and last day of the trek was a climb down, this time using the dirt mine’s road all the way back to the village. we climbed down in one day what took 2 to

climb up. down in the village (called Rini on GoogleEarth, but not by locals) we took the road that leads down to a bridge and back to Yami, on the main road to Deqin or Weixi. our plan was to take a bus from Yami to Weixi, which is a village on the road that connects Nujiang, the Mekong and Dali. we asked so many different people about that road, until we came to the sad sad conclusion that the road was blocked, as some said, and it was impassable. this meant that we had to go back North to Deqin, and from there to Zhongdian (Shangri-La), for the 4th time (we travelled that road back and forth, first for the trek to Yubeng and next for this one). but at least we earned a great ending for the trek, we went back to the restaurant where we ate when stopped

with the bus, and had a 3 course meal, beer, coffee and cookies and what not. a truly great way to end a trek.

Another return to

Zhongdian (Shangri-La) also meant another go at our favourite restaurant in town, a great Chao-Mian (fried noodles). directions? from the old town walk to the road that marks the edge of it, and then down. you’ll reach a small junction with a Youth Hostel on the North-West side. cross to the North East, it’s the first one on your left as you walk away from the junction. 6RMB and your in heaven. look for the photo on the wall with us and the owners.

A few notes:

1. The Soviet maps you might find on the Internet are a bit off. the road from Deqin to Yami is high on the ridge and not low by the river as described. also, the trail leading up from the Rini village to the pass is on the North side of the river, not the South.

2. The best way I can think of doing this trek is to take a bus to Yami, cross the bridge and up from Rini into the valley. good luck.

3. This pass is a difficult one, and should not be taken lightly. the trail is beautiful, also the road, and more than worth the trip even if you don’t cross to Nujiang.

4. Have a good map, and good navigation skills, it’s a tough road, with very few locals to show you your way.

Tags: blogsherpa, China, Yunnan