Day 08: we checked out of our accommodation in Dukezong Town early morning and left Yunnan for Sichuan province. This was going to be a long butt-hurting 8-hour/320km drive northwards. Our local driver was super skilled as he took us around/through/up mountains. There were a lot more cattle, cows, goats and sheep than there were humans for most of the journey, and those critters are kings of the road: we have to let them sashay across the road before we can continue on.
Along the way, we stopped at a spot known as the Jingsha River First Bend, a natural wonder where the river sharply turns 180 degrees from flowing southeast to northeast, creating a ‘U’ shape. The aerial view of the surrounding mountainous area is even more stunning. The late morning light again was very harsh and cast very strong shadows on large tracts of the mountain faces. Pictures and an aerial video of the area!


Continued in Day 09 posts tomorrow!