"Always start early when trekking through mountain trails." That's what I learned from all my previous hiking experiences. Though the real hike would not start till tomorrow, it's always a good idea to reach the destination sooner than later.
We were all packed and set by 7:00 a.m. Yet the Lugu Lake Scenic Area was still taking its time to recover from heavy tourism due to the National Day holiday. We were such imprudent urbanites who were naive enough to hold faith with the modernization of China. We firmly believed that no way could we not find anything to eat along the way. The immediate consequence being - we starved till we reached Wachang Town (瓦厂镇, wachang zhen). That was about 4.5 hours' drive from Lugu Lake.
Not so much an exciting day today as the fog and mist continued to haunt us. The less excitement here of course excluded the splendid views which escaped us owing to poor visibility. Nevertheless, we experienced the beauty of nature in a rather unique way: as the altitude ascended, the car windows were blurred with vapour, from warm to cold, the removed jackets again being put on, this reminded us that we'd already entered high-land area.
Through the window, we could see the long-stretched mountain ranges hidden in heavy dreamy fog. Mountains were extensively covered with luxuriant primitive forests while the pine trees were decorated with "the old man's beard" (usnea). Meadows and forests oscillated between villages and mountains. We had entered the surreal territory which had once marvelled at by Joseph Rock and made known by both JR himself and James Hilton.
Not far away from Lugu Lake, we passed through Yongning (永宁) county. Yongning, a rather familiar name which repeatedly appeared in JR's scripts and writings. I attempted to search for the majestic lamasery which was vividly portrayed in JR's art gallery. A few lamaseries poped up but none of them seemed to be the right one. Another reason could be that the brand-new country road along which we were progressing provided a wrong angle. What a strange feeling! It took JR nearly 5 days to reach Yongning. The hardships and dangers prompted him to bring a group of musketeers for protection. Now it only took us several minutes to pass through this tiny town somewhat of certain historical significance.
Yonning, Qiansuo village (前所村), Wujiao village (屋脚乡) and Wachang town (瓦厂镇), those fairylands in JR's scripts had now become tangible as we slowly approached the starting point of the contemporary JR trail. The only pity was that, we the present day holidaymakers, held hostages by our fantasy of the promising certainty deriving from modern lifestyle, lacked the courage and bravery same as our predecessors to seek truth within the intimidating unknown. Time, the only precious that is usually overlooked, is always squandered inadvertently. I somehow felt regretful for this "clocking in" kind of first meet with Muli. Passing though in haste, hope that I get to know you better next time.
After lunch, it took us another 3 hours to reach Shuiluo village (水洛乡). We said goodbye to our driver and wished him safe trip back to Wachang town. Becky called our guide so he sent a pickup truck to take us to his home - the starting point: Galuo village (呷洛村). Birds of a feather flock together. We simultaneously stuffed our backpacks in the backseats, climbed over the tailgate and then settled ourselves on the truck bed floor. All was set, here came our last hour adventure of the day!
The mountain path was narrow and steep, road condition worrying, the pickup truck moaning like a broken camel, abyss on my right; the fearless adventurers whooping and cheering like champions despite the unfought battle. Impossibility did not exist in rural China. As the altitude elevated, the air became thinner, clouds thicker, guys said, "the volatile highland weather is similar to mood swing in women." Fortunately, we arrived at Galuo village before being soaked by the unexpected shower.
The host family warmly welcomed us as we were assisted with our backpacks. Soon we were guided to circle around the fireplace, served with traditional Tibetan butter tea - not my type of tea but I drank it anyways since they kept saying: it's an effective prevention against high altitude sickness. Raw walnuts, sunflower seeds, apples and other snacks were also served. Dinner had been long waiting for us. First meal though simple, it tasted exceptionally delicious on the Sichuan-Tibetan Plateau. After dinner, we had a brief discussion of our plan tomorrow around the fireplace and then retired to our rooms for a good rest.
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