On the edge of Eurasia. From Novosibirsk to Malaysia on SUVs. Part V/3. China. From Lhasa to the border with Laos.

Part V/3. China. From Lhasa to the border with Laos.
Per aspera ad astra: Additional 2000 km for wild China. Again above 5000 m, we get snow. In Yunnan abruptly begin tropics.
Part I. Kazakhstan
Part II.Uzbekistan
Part III.Tajikistan
Part IV.Kyrgyzstan
Part V/1. China
Part V/2. China
Oddly enough, the first challenge of the day is...dressing. A lot of them here, but to refuel very, very difficult. At the first gas station we refuse for the reason that we are foreigners. No permits don't help. On the second, too. On the third we basically decide to go to the end. 20 minutes later, after consulting with the police finally charged us. That would refuel in Tibet, we need following things: Chinese registration number of the car (need to remove and fetch), Chinese license, passport. Only after presenting all this, it is possible to fill the tank with fuel. But only in the tank! In cans is strictly forbidden to refuel. It was guided by the authorities imposing such restrictions, we do not know, but it smacked of idiocy.

Following at least a Grand limitation is the speed limit. On one of the posts give us a piece of paper indicating the current time and estimated time of arrival at the next post.

In any case it is impossible to arrive there ahead of time. On average, the limit was around 45-50 km / h Approaching the station, we joined the same drivers as us, who arrived a little early and stood, waiting for the right time. Stupid, inefficient.
Next, we have the opportunity to see how it will look if all the people are stupid. Terribly stupid. Seems to be simple: on a narrow two lane (one lane in each direction) the road is being renovated. Repairers periodically close the road (10-15 minutes), periodically alternately flow in one direction, then another. That is just worth waiting until no one is coming, or wait until the pass counter or go themselves. But we are in China. Approaching the repair and we queued up on the runway we see that the Chinese drivers, without thinking, take the oncoming lane. So both bands are about to be busy and oncoming vehicles simply will not pass. Quickly assessing the iq level of the local drivers, I get across the oncoming lane, so no one had tempted her to stem. After 10 minutes on this strip for me produced an impressive crowd. The crowd are even gauges, everything happens in the oncoming lane. Of course, when the road open to traffic, begins the traffic jam, because the wrong lane in front of me partially occupied. Starts painful Ticiana, the compression in, in General, all those who were in the oncoming lane, suddenly realize that they interfere with movement. Both because it is unexpected and unpredictable.
In a few minutes formed a complete deadlock, the movement is stopped. We understand that anything like that will not change. All just stand and look at each other. I have in mind one word: "sheep". We begin to act: one group armed with communication, goes forward, the second begins to regulate the movement of the crowd here. The Chinese are impressed by our abilities, obediently doing everything they say we are. Front panel reports that in a part of the same problem. They've been doing it. In the course of going loud voices, angry faces, punching on the hood, and the formidable face of our big man Igor.

Toyota periodically gives a signal diesel horn, scaring. After 40 minutes we finally pass. On the way into the crowd to meet the police car where the police peacefully contemplate as we carry out their work. Yes... Chinese drivers is something. A more stupid way to create a traffic jam I haven't seen.
We amused a solution to the problem of access of trucks to the city.

Everything is very simple: it is enough to make the bar at a height of two meters 10 centimeters, so that the trucks could not get into the city.
We, with our tuning and Luggage, now also can not get into the city. We are above 2.10 m in places we had to find workarounds. The road lies to the North of Tibet, along the highest railway in the world that connects Lhasa with Central China. We occasionally flew above 5,000 meters On one of the passes we were covering a real, full-fledged snowfall which happens in November.

You are in the mood to play in the snow.

Descend from the pass, periodically visible to the highest mountain railway in the world, connecting Golmud and Lhasa.

By the way there's an oxygen mask right into the cars )
Still, the road through Golmud seems to us too long. For hundreds of miles before the town there is a shorter road. I am embarrassed that this secondary road, and as a result it can be quite of poor quality. Ali makes a few calls, explained the situation and soon convinces me that all his data road here is quite acceptable. Asphalt is almost there, but you can go very quickly. Probably shouldn't listen to him and had to go for longer, but is guaranteed a good way. History does not tolerate subjunctive mood, we chose this path and that's what happened.
The first hundred kilometres of runs easily and perfectly. We sometimes achieving speeds of up to 100 km / h on a dirt road. The next hundred is not so easy. Pits, ditches, detours.
The average speed drops to 20-30 km / h
The next few days the pattern is repeated. We're a disgusting way, come to a small Chinese township-village. In the morning, find our car surrounded by the locals

The next day everything is repeated again. Sometimes for 12 hours of motion do not pass more than 200 km of Such a serious dejavu.
A little bit about Chinese drivers. More reckless drive I have not seen. Night. Narrow mountain road. Left of the rock, to the right the abyss. We carefully move with a speed of 60-70 km / h At this moment, in a completely blind turn, you safely ahead of the long-length at a speed of 100 km / h Remains the only shivers at the thought of what could be. Almost all drivers driving only with high beam. It is very annoying to the eye Very hard to understand when we give them a flash light. Sometimes Harry uses floodlights for especially lame drivers. But it helps a little, such is the culture of driving. Another creepy invention of Chinese engineers because it is very much like the truckers to overload their cars, a mountain road, full of UPS and downs, they invented a water-cooling system tires. At the gas station in special tanks filled with water, and during the descent it irrigates the wheel, not allowing them to overheat. The engineers went further. For the convenience of the driver at night, the whole structure is illuminated by several lanterns. So made that those lights Shine directly in the face of the machine following the long-length. First time seeing IT, I nearly went mad, desperately pressing the brake and not knowing how many oncoming cars. It is this effect these lights. It is strongly desorientiert and annoying at night. The leads are made just on the verge. Often oncoming cars seeing that they need to avoid a head-on collision, huddled to the right and stop. Drivers only understand diesel horn or bright lights. Standard signals of sound and light, they just ignore it.
Because these places are generally far from civilization, I believe that part of the local residents for the first time in my life seen Caucasians. In one of the villages we had a little welding to forge the holder of a spare wheel.

Gathered about three dozen people to watch this bizarre spectacle.
Some of the residents look very colorful.

On the way seen a real wolf that ran across the road right in front of us.

A small Tibetan school right on the lawn where we went and shot students and teachers.

First, children learn letters, and then use them when transkriptsii Tibetan characters.
Learning takes place directly in the meadow.
We are already in Sichuan province, which is famous for spicy food. The restaurant has become hard: "get the hose and hose it down" I remember the song. The only thing you can eat without fear, it's rice. Everything else is generously seasoned with all sorts of spices and astrolabe. As we do not ask to do not acutely, the local chefs it turns out badly.
Sometimes the road can be seen here are the huge stupa.

or such stupas on a normal pass

Despite the fact that formally we left Tibet, everywhere felt his spirit. Get into Buddhist monasteries.
Wedding photo shoot on the background of the prayer drums.

And now, on the 40th day of the trip, there was a symbolic event. We find ourselves in Yunnan. And it happens fairly suddenly. At some point, the descent begins.

Very picturesque descent. Beautiful. The long drive through the tunnel, and when we leave, we're in the tropics. Warm, humid air, the lianas and the incessant cacophony from the bushes.
The rivers become clay-colored.

The newest highway.

From bushes chirping, whistling, creaking, rustling, and the whole possible range of the world of animals and insects. Make a step to the side with asphalt just terrible. The tropics will be now until the end of the journey. We descend from the Tibetan plateau, which spent almost three weeks. Up and down the mountain passes, fascinated looking around. After the scorched Tibet was pleased with everything green. The green color dominates, a riot of all sorts of vegetation along the edge of the road and everywhere, wherever you look. Finally started what we've been waiting for: multi-lane highway, three lanes in each direction. On it, rejoiced, I accelerated to the level of 160 km / h
Here is happiness. Another line of difficulties overcome. We arrive in Chengdu. With suburbs it has a population of 14 million people.
Chengdu today is known primarily for its natural reserve for pandas. However, we are waiting for a big disappointment. Since the "Panda hot", they are confined in small cages with microclimate. They don't look very happy.
It's 30 and very humid, a long walk difficult. The city looks modern, neat and...somehow empty. For a multi-million metropolis not many cars and pedestrians. We calmly drive around the city without any traffic, even though it's the middle of the day. Immediately detected the largest building in the world, open to working a few days ago.
The road from Chengdu to Kunming long 850 km. Runs mostly on the toll road is good.

It poured rain and there is little that remains in memory. We're in a hurry to leave China on schedule. It is worth to stay at least for one day and we will have problems. In addition, Chinese law and rooms are only valid until the scheduled date of departure. Impact of time lost in the first part of Tibet in the second. Kunming special impression has not made. Almost the same big city. Again the whole day is raining and is hot. Nothing so remarkable, so etched in my memory. Or we are already satiated with impressions.
On the way another small Chinese town with an unpronounceable name. It already felt the breath of the South-East Asia. Elephant statues and tourist orientation. As Ali explains, there are a lot of tourists. It is not clear what they were doing. We were able to buy a bunch of varieties of PU-erh tea aged in the ground. The last town on our way is a frontier Mohan. The influence of Thailand.
In it we say goodbye to Ali, he stayed with us for almost a month. We pass the formalities and crossing the border. We are in Laos.

To be continued...

The third series of the film "the end of Eurasia 2013". China: Tibet, Sichuan, Yunnan.