Day 98: Xichang to Emai Shan – Sat 1 Jun 2013
Happy Children's Day!
Overcast but thankfully last night’s dust storm abated through night. Passing picturesque white houses with grey trim, curved roofing, strike-through horn logos, diamond pattern with red wave trim along bottom (reminiscent of Maori symbols). Villages choose theme but all house murals are distinctive - owner and provincial government share costs. Incredible engineering on highway, tunnels and high-span bridges hanging off sides of mountains (sobering to see nearby rockslides though). Side by side tunnels have fire retardant doors between. Thick pines, now officially in panda bear country! Two tunnels joined by brief meshed section; one lane of highway closed due to rock fall (net didn't quite hold one huge boulder). Herd of goats taken over closed section! Landscape opens out to huge flat plains at Hanyuan – a shame the haze/ pollution is too thick for the camera to capture the underlying prettiness. OMG - a 10km long tunnel – wouldn’t want an accident in there. Glare against smog haze almost too much to bear on exit into the open again.
Overcast but thankfully last night’s dust storm abated through night. Passing picturesque white houses with grey trim, curved roofing, strike-through horn logos, diamond pattern with red wave trim along bottom (reminiscent of Maori symbols). Villages choose theme but all house murals are distinctive - owner and provincial government share costs. Incredible engineering on highway, tunnels and high-span bridges hanging off sides of mountains (sobering to see nearby rockslides though). Side by side tunnels have fire retardant doors between. Thick pines, now officially in panda bear country! Two tunnels joined by brief meshed section; one lane of highway closed due to rock fall (net didn't quite hold one huge boulder). Herd of goats taken over closed section! Landscape opens out to huge flat plains at Hanyuan – a shame the haze/ pollution is too thick for the camera to capture the underlying prettiness. OMG - a 10km long tunnel – wouldn’t want an accident in there. Glare against smog haze almost too much to bear on exit into the open again.
Emailed photo of Andy “asleep on the job” to fellow
drivers, he's such a kid, goes to sleep with the motion of the vehicle. We are
lucky though that as a compulsory guide he is not intrusive, is quietly spoken
compared to most Chinese, and only offers advice/ opinions when asked. Stopped
to buy cherries and oranges (sadly nectarines and apricots not yet mature)
alongside wide-flowing Dadu River.
Emailed photo of Andy “asleep on the job” to fellow drivers, he's such a kid, goes to sleep with the motion of the vehicle. We are lucky though that as a compulsory guide he is not intrusive, is quietly spoken compared to most Chinese, and only offers advice/ opinions when asked. Stopped to buy cherries and oranges (sadly nectarines and apricots not yet mature) alongside wide-flowing Dadu River.
Forests
getting thicker, tall fern-like bamboo bright green against darker trees.
Stopped in Yaan for lunch, humid and drab provincial city. Difficult to tell
what was earthquake damage and what was ordinary restoration. Dam at edge of
town had cement walls along river to raise height whilst preventing flooding of
town and fields. Chinese have a love affair with cement, cement, cement.....
Sinful dinner of hamburger and fries at Teddy Bears Hotel.
Showered in convenient Emai Shan mountain car park. Somewhere BoyRob lost
his good glasses, good thing we have seconds packed away. Trying to read Guy’s science fiction book - heavy
going, but all we have left unread. Moving to fully loaded eReaders before the next
trip in non-English speaking countries!
Forests
getting thicker, tall fern-like bamboo bright green against darker trees.
Stopped in Yaan for lunch, humid and drab provincial city. Difficult to tell
what was earthquake damage and what was ordinary restoration. Dam at edge of
town had cement walls along river to raise height whilst preventing flooding of
town and fields. Chinese have a love affair with cement, cement, cement.....
Sinful dinner of hamburger and fries at Teddy Bears Hotel. Showered in convenient Emai Shan mountain car park. Somewhere BoyRob lost his good glasses, good thing we have seconds packed away. Trying to read Guy’s science fiction book - heavy going, but all we have left unread. Moving to fully loaded eReaders before the next trip in non-English speaking countries!
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