Today we're off to Shannan Prefecture, but first we have to leave the city, which is easier said than done. After a few detours we end up on the road to the airport which, if you paid attention while reading the Day -1 entry (you didn't know there'd be a test, right?), you'll know tunnels through a mountain. I follow behind Alan Alan and can't believe he doesn't have his lights on; he must have the eyes of a cat in a tunnel with very little lighting! Later he tells me he can't reach the light switch with the bar muffs in place. I'm more worried that he can't be seen, but as I'm behind him with my lights on, I guess that's covered. More dramatic is Simon's progress through the tunnel. He has his lights on, but also his sunglasses! He can't see a thing as the lights get dimmer further into the mountain. Deciding it's too dangerous to ride without being able to see - sensible - he stops in the tunnel, in the left hand lane, to take his shades off. There's a car right behind him that has to brake sharply to avoid hitting him and then of course toots at him wildly. Fortunately we all make it out alive.
Across the long low bridge over the wide and relatively dry, Yarlung Zangbo river bed, we turn left at the edge of the valley and follow it. The river widens in places to almost resemble a lake and a few of the guys stop to take photos at vantage points.
My bike now decides it will only start in neutral. That's how it should for safety, given that it doesn't have a side stand switch, but that it chooses to behave that way after many days of riding, is very odd and annoying as the Zuumav neutral is all but impossible to find.
The road along the river is relatively quiet and we poodle along behind Wang in a relaxed manner. After passing YAFC (at which Matt recreates Hugo's famous pose, with the addition of one finger as a salute to the French - we English are a nation of archers after all!) Alex takes over and we can move at a less catatonic rate. Overtakes are easy on the wide straight roads and we make good progress. The side of the road is lined with purple/violet flowers which I assume are lavender, but the smell is missing; and here the train hasn't quite reached yet, but the massive concrete pylons are in place ready for the overhead track.
We enter a small town and stop at a roadside restaurant. There's a halal one too and I'm able to top up my protein intake with something other than eggs. Beef, potatoes, peppers and chillies, yummy. I'm surprised how many Muslims there are in Tibet. I guess it should be no surprise given that to the north is Xinjiang province which is majority Muslim and which is also subject to a major clampdown by the authorities. Danny reports that the wifi at the restaurant next door is superfast and he gets a download rate of 38Mbps, which easily beats the 8Mbps max that I get just outside the 'capital of Europe' in Belgium.
Then a few more kms and we reach the city/town of Shannan. It's seems like a new city and one that hasn't yet matured into a living city. There are a myriad of official buildings, an Olympic stadium (presumably to help Chinese athletes get high altitude training) and army buildings. Our hotel is a surprise though, it is more comfortable than we expected, but the wifi is poor - booo! - and only one elevator works, and we're all on the fifth floor with heavy bags! Once the luggage is dropped off, Christopher and I "Fartlek" up and down the stairs as training - he's doing the Marathon de Sables in 2018!
A quick stop at the hotel and then a few of us ride to the Yumbo Lha Khang monastery, which is older than the Potala Palace and used to be where the Tibetan king lived before he moved to Lhasa. It's a heavy breathing climb to reach it, but you can also hire a horse to do the sweating for you. Inside was described by some as gaudy and by others as more interesting than the Potala Palace. I didn't go in because I had chosen the scramble up to the high-point (3750m) above the monastery and it took me a while to go up and down.
The views from the top were great and you could see the fertile land surrounding the monastery where potatoes, vegetables and barley (used to make the local Lhasa beer) are grown. Climbing to the high-point was made all the more treacherous by having to clamber over all the prayer flags draped over the summit and surrounds.
Back at the hotel and we enjoy a feast served from a slowly rotating electric lazy susan, which Alex loves to play with. Then it's bed and blogging (for some) and preparation for our last day of riding.
Sent from my trusty rusty BlackBerry
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