Beautiful Western Tibet

Location:	Mount Emie
Mileage:	10,800

Ahead of us lays another week of riding to get off the Tibetan Plateau and into Sichuan province and the World Heritage Site of Mount Emie one of four Sacred Buddhist Mountains. The next few days of riding are on tarmac and it is truly spectacular.

The scenery changes to a more lush green, the valleys, the mountain peaks are a combination of tropical and alpine. Riders describe it as a mini-Switzerland. I think it’s a bit like the Guatemalan Highlands. There are prayer flags fluttering at the top of every mountain peak and long bridges and we pass through many small rural villages.

Along the way we also see pilgrims on their way to Lhasa. Still with many miles to go they prostrate themselves along the road, standing and crawling and kneeling. It’s a humbling sight.  Pristine lakes, jagged mountains, gushing crystal rivers make this a magical place.

The tarmac eventually disappears and we are back on dirt. Buts it’s raining now, and it’s muddy and slippery. The road is narrow and we’re fighting for space with trucks and buses. The rainy season seems to have started early as we slither down the mountain to yet another bridge crossing. We’re lucky to be riding our bikes in Western Tibet – very few have been here and some places are not allowed to foreigners.

The final section of this route is demanding - small dirt roads, more high altitude mountain passes, more road works and there is more traffic now.  This is the Sichuan - Tibet Highway.  Its constantly affected by landslides and earthquakes.  It is one of the most dangerous roads in the world and it's obvious why.  The sheer drops, the tight sandy hair pins bends, how narrow the roads are.