After two days of deliberation, I decided to start a trip to Ali before Ah Bin and Sister Nan left Xizang.
On the night before departure, we had our last Tibetan meal. During the meal, I always coughed incessantly. They always asked about the situation when they saw it. Considering the harsh environment in the Ali region, they were quite worried, but I still insisted on going. First, I am afraid that I will become the last one. Second, I think the most ornamental scenery in Xizang belongs to Ali. It is desirable to name a scenery at random. After dinner, I took the initiative to pay the bill and signed this friendship agreement.
I avoided all the previous ideas one by one until the morning of the departure, when Abin and Nanjie woke up early to see me off. They are well aware that my cough has not yet healed, and repeatedly remind me to be safe and always cautious.
Sister Nan instructed me, "Enter Alibaba, if it really doesn't work, then exit..."
I patted my chest and abdomen and said, "Don't worry, I definitely have no problem..."
We embraced each other to complete this farewell ceremony, and with a cup of cappuccino given by Sister Nan, I embarked on a new journey.
This trip to Alibaba was chartered by me and another new companion, and we only met for the first time when the travel agency led the team until the departure. In addition to the driver, there are also Xiao Wang, Xiao Li, Ye, and me on the car. Xiao Wang and Xiao Li are a couple, Ye is a Buddhist girl. The four of us are about the same age, and I became the youngest among them.
At this moment, a new journey slowly begins. Due to this strange cough problem, I have been hesitant to speak casually. Whenever I speak, it will be stimulated by the cold air outside and cause a cough. Whenever this happens, I must cough hard a few times to finish the rest of my sentence
My new companions have also begun to inquire about my condition and are worried that I may experience pulmonary edema due to coughing when I go to Alibaba. I feel warm and tirelessly explain to them that all of this is within my capacity.
The car is speeding all the way, and before entering the Ali region, we need to pass through the Shannan region again, and also pass through Yangzhuo Yongcuo once again. Seeing Yanghu again this time is no longer as exciting as it was at first. I stood silently on a high place, forgetting the shimmering lake surface. My heart was incredibly calm, as if chatting with an old friend
At noon, we arrived at Langka to have lunch and enjoyed the bucket of rice priced at 75 yuan again. I am no longer surprised because only this restaurant is open, and we have no other choice
There are still two large bowls of rice that are safe, but this time it feels much more fragrant than the last time. I have already completed the period of adaptation with Gao Fan. At this time, my skin is dark, and wearing a Tibetan robe, I can become a Tibetan. It seems that the two girls' appetite is not very good. They can't eat more than half a bowl of rice. After asking, I learned that they have just arrived in Xizang for two days. So bold, I can't help but worry about whether they can adapt to the plateau hypoxia environment.
After lunch, we turned back to the border checkpoint in Langka and chose another road at the fork of the road, which leads to the Karola Glacier.
The Karola Glacier is quite famous because it has been filmed on location in movies such as "Red River Valley", "Battle of Jiangzi", and "Cloud and Water Ballad", making it a popular destination for many travelers to admire the glacier. Unfortunately, in order to create a realistic avalanche scene during the filming of "Red River Valley", the filming team used explosives to blast a triangular gap on the Karola Glacier, which could no longer be filled, seriously affecting the beauty of the glacier.
Karola Glacier backs on the south slope of Qinkang Sang Peak, one of the four peaks in Xizang, with a scale of 9.4 square kilometers. The upper part of the glacier is an ice cap with a relatively gentle slope, while the lower part is two ice tongues in the form of suspended glaciers. Due to the undulating bedrock hills at the front edge of the glacier, the top of the slowly moving ice layer at the front edge of the ice tongue is causing tension cracks. Ice and snow split and melted along the ice layer, creating a magnificent and colorful ice tower forest. On the ice tower forest, various strange folds are presented due to the interplay of snow and dust, like patterns carefully crafted by skilled craftsmen.
The huge Karola Glacier extends from the misty top of the mountain to the roadside just a few hundred meters away from the road, with a crystal clear blue color that brings a slight cool feeling. The glacier is in a black and white layered shape as a whole. Although affected by road dust, the upper half of the glacier is illuminated by sunlight, like a giant frost thangka hanging on the mountain wall, shining brightly.
That's also why the viewing experience of the Karola Glacier is average. People cannot walk into the glacier and can only look up on the boardwalk, which is no different from randomly visiting a scenic spot, to the extent that most people only watch for a few minutes and spend tens of yuan on tickets, which is really not cost-effective. In addition, there are always some elusive Tibetans selling cheap Tibetan decorations to tourists near the scenic area. If they don't buy them, they will be relentlessly harassed and forcefully promoted, causing people to either leave or not, which is very annoying
Our driver is very familiar with these Tibetan merchants who sell goods. Seeing us being entangled by these people, he blocked us behind and rushed to the car, closed the doors and windows, started the car, seized the opportunity, and quickly ran away.
Not far from the Karola Glacier stands the Mira Mountain, which means "heavenly pearl" in Tibetan. It is said that in the past, heavenly pearls could be picked up here, perhaps because of this, it is named.
Smira Mountain is surrounded by a green lake called Smira Lake. Because the shape of the lake is similar to the Yanghu Lake, when you stand at the viewing platform and look into the distance, it seems that you have returned to Yangzhuoyongcuo again. It's just a emerald blue and a green. They are just like twin sisters, so beautiful
In fact, Smira Lake is an artificial reservoir called Manla Reservoir. It is a large-scale water conservancy construction project focusing on irrigation and power generation, with comprehensive benefits such as flood control and tourism. It is called "the first dam in Xizang". Although it is artificially constructed, it still looks like an uncut jade, and her beauty holds a place in the lake lined Tibetan area.
After leaving Manla Reservoir and walking for another two hours, we arrived at the county town of Jiangzi. The original plan was to visit the ancient fortress of Jiangzi, but it seemed to be getting late and the service staff at the scenic spot had all finished work, so we had to give up.
Surprisingly, in Jiangzi County, we unexpectedly encountered the chartered driver of the previous trip to Linzhi - Long Ge. Long Ge was leading a group of tourists to Mount Everest, and he saw that we were only four people, with a slightly monotonous aura. Therefore, he suggested that everyone form a team to go together, which made it much more lively.
We hit it off immediately, so we planned to go to Shigatse that night, rest for the night, and go straight to the headquarters of Mount Everest the next day.