Shangri-la : Part 2 - Red Rock Park and Kangding

21 Oct 2012 : Today starts our road trip! We are headed for Kangding, and the estimated distance is 336km. That seems like a very long distance. In Malaysia, it could have just taken us 5 hours, but here, we took way longer than that. This was because the road was bad. It was bumpy and full of potholes. 

We started the day with a breakfast in the hotel. This was the first and last hotel that provided the most decent breakfast in our entire trip. 

Interesting hollow bread where one can stuff the vegetables inside. Which I did. But the vegetables kept falling off the bread. Or I ended up eating the vegetable instead of the bread.

Then, I saw my favourite dish! This is 'yau char kwai' which is fried bread stick. Unfortunately, it is not as crunchy and tasty. I guess, the ones in Malaysia are oilier, and hence, tastier! Haha!

This was my breakfast. I love the vegetables. And I had a glass of cow's milk. There was soy milk too, but I thought cow's milk should be better. I mean, how do you then explain the smooth skin of the Kiwis?

At 9am, the van came. It was a 7-seater van, which was unfortunately different from the one agreed in the email i.e. a 11-seater. It was quite cramp sitting in the van. I was squirming a lot to stretch my legs. This was one of the dissatisfaction I highlighted in the email. Before we went out from town, we stopped at a fruit store and a grocery store to stock up for the journey. Fruits, snacks and lots of water to accompany us. But, we did not drink much water along the way, because it was difficult to find a spot to pee.

We took the highway, and the ride was very smooth. And it was a boring view outside.

In the initial part of the journey, the van was experiencing problems. A red light was blinking, and occasionally, we could hear sounds beeping. We stopped at this village to have the car checked. But not much repair could be done. 

At about 3.30pm, we reached the town of Hailouguo. Here, the driver found a mechanic who fixed his van. At the mechanic shop, I noticed the similar signboards on each shop and the symbol next to the signboard.  While he was fixing his van, we wandered around the town. Saw solar-powered street lamps. And a huge persimmon tree. We spoke to a local, and found out that all the shops layout were standardised by the government during the last 5 years, as previously, the town layout was messy.

  

Since we had not had our lunch, we took this opportunity to have a light meal. The 6 of us shared a cup of noodles. Well, it was a big cup. And we brought our local 'sambal' (chili paste). And while waiting for my turn to eat the noodles, I had a slice of persimmon from the ones we bought earlier. 

About an hour later, the van was fixed and we were back on the road. The route we used to Kangding passes through a Red Rock Park. This unique form of nature is the world largest red rock beach. Apparently, scientists till today are baffled by this mysterious outcome. The only explanation we got from the signboard was that this was an algae bioreactors giving rare red rust colour to the rocks. I also noticed a ticket booth being set up on the way to the Red Rock Park. I can foresee, in the future, there will be a ticket charged to view this. This is not unexpected.

From the top, it looks like a bleeding river. It was misty, and the pictures are not clear.

  

Then, we saw our first glaciers. It looks red because of the sun rays.

We reached the town of Kangding (2600m above sea level) at 7.30pm. The Hotel we stayed is Xibo Hotel. When my friend pointed out that we are approaching the Hotel, I asked where is the hotel. The same friend pointed to the hotel and read the Hotel in Mandarin, while I was looking for the word 'Xibo'. *don't know whether to laugh or strangle her*

Part of our agreement was a 5 night stay in a hotel where the rate is at an average of RMB220 per room. That will be about a 3-star hotel in China.

 It was only 2600m above sea level, but I felt the chill coming out from the van. And we were going higher in the following days. The lobby of the hotel was warm, but it was cold entering the room. Thank goodness there was an electric mat under the bed sheet. And the plush blanket was a help. The toilet was in good condition and had a heater. I managed to shower that night.

For dinner, we went to the restaurant next to the hotel. That was the first time I saw herbal wine, with interesting animals inside the jar. I saw a starfish!

The driver ordered a bottle of liquor which has 35% alcohol. Apparently, it keeps him alert. For dinner, we ordered chicken soup, which was such a great welcome because the hot soup brought heat to our bodies immediately, pork and brinjal.

Pork, which looks spicy, but no, it is not. Okay, I am always told that my 'hot' taste buds are dead, because I can eat very spicy and hot food, and apparently claimed by my friends that the dish is so hot. So, please do not trust me when I said it is not hot.

Our dinner came to RMB210. It was a good meal because we were so hungry. After the meal. it was a quick hot shower, and then jumped under the covers, huddled under the thick blanket while waiting for the electric mat to heat up.