Destination Ragya, Gansu

Ragya monastery, Gansu, 1925, originally uploaded by jiulong.

Well my leg is getting better and I've re-booked my trip to Gansu for late April. The plan is to follow in the footsteps of Joseph Rock to visit Choni (Zhuoni) monastery south of Lanzhou and also Ragya monastery (Lajia), which is actually in Qinghai, near Anye Machen.
It's not exactly going into unexplored territory as there have been many people already visiting and blogging about Ragya at least. You can read more about it - and see some great photos of the area - at the excellent blog by Jonas (a teacher at a school near Xining) here.

Photo by Jonas

Yading trip, 2001

Yading trip, 2001, originally uploaded by jiulong.

Hi readers. Have a happy Christmas. I'm back on my feet after the fracture and hobbling around without crutches at last, but certainly not in any shape to walk in the foosteps of anyone just yet, let lone the rugged terrain of Yunnan or Sichuan. Hopefully with a bit of rehab and training I will be fit to go by May - at least that's what my physio says!

Yading trip 2010 (Pic by Rolleicord).

Yading Outer Kora trek maps (亚丁大转山 地图)

Yading Big Kora map - overview (仙乃日、央迈勇、夏诺多吉, 亚丁), originally uploaded by jiulong.

I have been marking the route of the Yading Outer Kora on Google Earth - which now has much higher resolution images of the area. Here's a few examples. Contact me if you want some higher res versions, I have detailed maps for each day of the trek. (亚丁: 仙乃日, 央迈勇, 夏诺多吉)

Yading Big Kora Map: Day 1, Chonggu Si to First Pass.

Yading Big Kora Map: Day 1, Chonggu Si to First Pass., originally uploaded by jiulong.

Yading Big Kora Map: Chongu to camp 1

Yading Big Kora Map: Chongu to camp 1, originally uploaded by jiulong.

Yading Big Kora Map: Day1

Yading Big Kora Map: Day1, originally uploaded by jiulong.

Here are pictures of the basin containing the stone shelter:

And approaching the first pass:

Yading Big Kora Map: Day 2

Yading Big Kora Map: Day 2, originally uploaded by jiulong.

Here's a picture of the nomad camp on the other side of the First Pass:

Yading Big Kora Map: Second day

Yading Big Kora Map: Second day, originally uploaded by jiulong.

Some pictures of the circuit round towards the epic views of Chanadorje and its glaciers:

Yading Big Kora Map: Second-third pass

Yading Big Kora Map: Second-third pass, originally uploaded by jiulong.

Looking towards the Third Pass (Yaka Pass as Rock called it) from the Second Pass:

Yading Big Kora Map: Yaka (third) pass

Yading Big Kora Map: Yaka (third) pass, originally uploaded by jiulong.

Some pictures looking down from the Yaka (third) pass:


Looking towards the shelter (on the left):

Yading Big Kora Map: Third pass to ampitheatre

Yading Big Kora Map: Third pass to ampitheatre, originally uploaded by jiulong.

Here are some pics of the 'ampitheatre' (an ideal camping spot, with a stream for water. (Pic by Peter Jost).
And the shrine:

Yading Big Kora Map: Fourth pass

Yading Big Kora Map: Fourth pass, originally uploaded by jiulong.

Yading Big Kora Map: full trek route

Yading Big Kora Map: full trek, originally uploaded by jiulong.

Yading Big Kora Map: Shoulder (4th pass) looking back

Yading Big Kora Map: Shoulder (4th pass) looking back, originally uploaded by jiulong.

When you reach the fourth pass, you can look back and see the route you have travelled down the Lawatong valley from the Yaka Pass. Great views of Jambeyang (left) and Chanadorje (right).
Not quite the same view, but it gives you the idea of seeing the route you have travelled:

Yading Big Kora Map: 4th pass ('The Shoulder').

Yading Big Kora Map: 4th pass ('The Shoulder')., originally uploaded by jiulong.

Yading Big Kora Map: Fourth ('shoulder') pass onwards

Yading Big Kora Map: Fourth pass onwards, originally uploaded by jiulong.

The fourth pass is a major milestone, where the hard slog ends and you switch direction 90 degrees to head north again over relatively level terrain:

Here's typical terrain heading towards the fifth pass:

Yading Big Kora Map: Fifth pass - Shenrezig

Yading Big Kora Map: Fifth pass - Shenrezig, originally uploaded by jiulong.

This is the view looking down from the rather gentle Fifth Pass - almost a non-pass, really. It's not apparent here, but the big lump of schist known as 'Rock's rock' is at the centre of the grass bowl at the bottom of the pass. This pic is from near the top of the fifth pass.
This pic is of the area around 'Rock's rock', looking back at the fifth pass.

'Rock's rock':

Yading Big Kora Map: Sixth pass lookdown

Yading Big Kora Map: Sixth pass lookdown, originally uploaded by jiulong.

This is the view looking down from the sixth pass to the lake 'Zumi Ho', Shenrezig in the backgound. Jambeyang is just out of picture to the right, and is even more imposing.
It's quite a steep descent that requires a bit of scrambling over rocks. Here's a picture of the same spot, paying off our porters, who wanted to run ahead and get home that same day!
(Pic by Peter Jost).

Yading Big Kora Map: Sixth/Seventh passes

Yading Big Kora Map: Sixth/Seventh passes, originally uploaded by jiulong.

Here's a picture taken from almost the same spot, looking back at the lake and sixth pass, but a bit lower down, near the lake:

Yading Big Kora Map: Seventh ('three way') pass

Yading Big Kora Map: Seventh ('three way') pass, originally uploaded by jiulong.

Here's a picture I took ten years ago (April - hence the snow) looking down on the small lake below the three-way pass, back of Shenrezig:
Here is a picture of the three-way pass, as we approached it from the lake. The kora continues to the left, while the short cut back down in to the Luorong valley is straight ahead (you can see Chanadorje peeping out to the right).