A Soul Cleansing Journey to Tibet Book One: Adventures in Sichuan-Tibet South Line

A Soul Cleansing Journey to Tibet

Book One: Adventures in Sichuan-Tibet South Line

Written by Molecular Doctor

Photographs and text copyright © 2013 by Ji Zhang and Zhao Zhang

All rights reserved

Dedication: To my family and my friends ─ for their love and support.

Preface

It was the rush hour traffic time on December 9, 2006 at 6pm; I came back to my hometown of Zhongshan in Guangdong province in southern china after a long time travelling around the Western China. No one knows the hour of my return; it’s like a dust falling into water, which creates not the slightest ripple. I just tell myself Oh, I’m back! It took six months to complete my journey of soul cleansing. I traveled and circled the western land of China by motorcycle, my trip extended over more than thirty-two thousand kilometers, and finally I returned to the point of departure.

The western regions in China include 12 provinces and autonomous regions which accounted for about 72% of the China’s total area, namely the five southwestern provinces (Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou, Tibet, and Chongqing), five northwestern provinces (Shaanxi, Gansu, Qinghai, Xinjiang, Ningxia), Inner Mongolia and Guangxi autonomous regions.

Six months gone and my friends are always thinking about me. They all enjoy calling me Big Eye which is my nickname. The news Big Eye is back!!! was spreading rapidly among them. So I saw a lot of familiar faces within one week, and I was even moved to tears. When it happened, I was totally unprepared for it. In my opinion the soul cleansing journey likes a normal travel, or even likes a bicycle travel in Zhuhai city, I have gone through, and returned to the starting point ultimately. The goal of the journey isn’t only for visiting the tourist places, but it’s to face the difficulties in life with a powerful positive attitude, faith, and strength; this is the most important thing I’ve ever learned from the journey. My best friend Peter, his plain language would be the more correct description of my state of mind: Big Eye looks great!

China is my motherland, I’ve known that China’s vast territory extends over both land and sea since the primary school, this was my first-hand experience with the amazing tour, and also I have my own understanding for it. My trip was extended twenty thousand kilometers in one hundred and ten days, the journey was longer than I had expected compared to my original travel plans. There was some mysterious force pushing me forward continuously, it kept urging me to extend my journey beyond the original destination, I have no idea why my travel plans were constantly changing on the road; Unconsciously, I traveled all over the western China in six months.

Traveling alone is a unique experience, but based on safety, weather and other factors, there are lots of places that I didn’t feel good travel around out there; there are a lot of regrets about this journey. From my point of view regret has become a part of the journey; every journey must be accompanied by some sort of regrets about something. The most important thing is that I have some time to think, reframe, and return with a more optimistic frame of mind. Family is the most precious gift I’m given, it can be said therefore that the journey of soul cleansing is a journey home.

I love to travel and long for happiness, quiet and a life of simplicity. I enjoy visiting in rural areas where I can see or feel the most real things; honest communication with people can purify our hearts. Several years ago when I went home by bus in south of China, a cinnamon-brown skin man got on the bus, a woman who has the same skin color followed him, I thought they came from Tibet. But surprisingly, the man can speak our native dialect, I feel very awkward around them. From his conversation with the driver I knew he joined the Chinese army in Tibet 20 years ago, and then married the Tibetan girl to settle down there, the cinnamon-brown skin woman is his wife, he only came back hometown in the south of China for three times during two decades .From his words I really feel the pure human nature. Really, it’s difficult to use language to express this feeling, but I truly feel it, and look forward to traveling in the piece of land of Tibet that stands closest to the blue sky.

The mysterious holy land of Tibet, including the magnificent scenery, traditional Tibetan culture and folk customs, which make many people fascinated and deep down way in their souls. But Traveling in the cold weather and under anaerobic conditions (a lack of oxygen) can be life threatening, someone got hurt when traveling in Tibet. Chinese government has attached great importance to the development of Tibet and invested heavily in improving all aspects of the environment in recent years. Tibet slowly began to open to the world. I read the news from all aspects of Tibet through various media. I read an online travel story quite by chance; the title is Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles. I’ve been absolutely fascinated his stories which like the amazing plot twists, and started paying attention to his journey since then. The author’s name is Ma Yongjun who comes from Shandong province, we are the same age. He is a designer, photographer, senior digital technology experts. Ma’s journey began in 2000, his footprints can be found almost every corner around the western China, and the total distance he has traveled is more than fifty thousand kilometers.

However, what has impressed me more than anything is his thought; he indicated the riders require not only understanding of motorcycle travel but also the purpose of life. I’d like to say he is a fairly open-minded person, his personality is more valuable in an increasingly fickle society; it seems to me that his courage also likes a beacon for guidance. But sadly, Ma Yongjun died in a car accident on October 1 2005 when he traveled in Daocheng Sichuan province. The bad news was like bolt from the blue; I can’t accept the brutal facts of reality, only a deep sigh. Brother Ma had gone, but he left his name to posterity and especially offered us a wealth of valuable information on motorcycle travel. Ma’s journey showed us not only the magnificent scenery and the unique cultural history of homeland, more importantly it demonstrated that he has no regrets in his life.

Motorcycle travel is a very unique way to travel, and also implies a great risk, but it allows me to throw myself into every inch of the motherland whole-heartedly, and takes me where I want to go. In my opinion, another means of transport can’t be compared to the standard motorcycles. A person rides a motorcycle relaxingly under a vast sky, oh! What a solemn and lonely it is! The solemn and loneliness like a lovely glass of wine, and then I don’t even want to wake up from a long drunk dream.

Qinghai-Tibet railway was going to open officially on July 1, 2006; these is a milestone in my life, just give me a reason to leave my hometown, run towards the snow-covered plateau and open a new chapter in my life. This is what I dream about all the time. There’s an old saying in motorized travel community: you can go anywhere you want on your motorcycle. There are different types of pilgrimages all over the world, and many turn out to be a test of endurance. For instance, riding a bicycle or on foot. Their goals are reaching their holy land ultimately, a journey to the heart of the faith; they work very hard and achieve their dreams. So no one can stop me if I wish to make my dreams come true.

Ngari (Ali) is located in the western Tibet Autonomous Region and shares the borders with India, Nepal and Indian Kashmir. There are many magnificent mountains including Himalayas, Kailash, Kunlun, and Karakoram Mountains, the average elevation is 4,500 meters, so Ngari is known as the Roof of the World’s Roof. Where is my real holy land? My mind and imagination tend to wander towards Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar in Ngari Tibet. Tibetan history, culture and religion are mixed together, pilgrims come from all parts of the world, and people believed that pilgrimage can erase the sins of a lifetime.

It was the spring of 2006 I’m in my mid-thirties; I realized I have worked in the company for fourteen years when I looked back. But I’m not in a good frame of mind, can't see my future clearly. I feel like I’ve lost myself and really can’t do anything. I name my journey of soul cleansing, hope that it would clear my mind completely in this ascetic style of travel experience, and find the way forward for future development. I spent all my savings paying for this trip, but I’m glad to have many precious and memorable moments on the incredible motorcycle touring, the experience indeed is the greatest wealth in my whole life.

After return from the travel I often sit alone in my room, have a cigarette and look at the pictures that I took along the roads, or touch the stuff that I used during the journey, such as the backpack, water shoes, raincoats…… it’s a very vivid experience and shares some intriguing characteristics with lucid dreams. I’ve never had time to enjoy myself or explain how I’m feeling; words can hardly describe the feeling. But now I realize that the memory can’t be read, so I decide to write down some of the most important things experienced on the journey in order to remember myself clearly as time passed by, also let you come along with me to A journey of soul cleansing.

I’m going to write five books to show you the motorcycle travel stories. This is my first book; I will tell you how I take the first step to start my spiritual journey, this is a successful motorcycle touring from south China’s Guangdong province to the western China. You will enjoy the beautiful landscape and Tibetan culture when you get through the book one Adventures in Sichuan-Tibet South Line by following my travel diary.

Contents

Preface

Travel Maps

Chapter 1: Taking the first step

Chapter 2: Traveling through the mountains

Chapter 3: Going deep into the remote villages

Chapter 4: Crossing the northwest Yunnan plateau

Chapter 5: Walking in Lijiang old town

Chapter 6: Heading toward Shangri-La

Chapter 7: Visiting Songzanlin Lamasery

Chapter 8: Marching to Markham County

Chapter 9: Going down to the seventy-two bends

Chapter 10: Adventuring in Midui Glacier

Chapter 11: Passing through Mila Mountains

Chapter 12: Making first visit to Lhasa

Travel Maps