China Day 18 - G109 Tuotuohe to Golmund

Today we were leaving Tibet Region and crossing over to Qinghai Province of China. We were also going down rapidly from Tibet high altitude so weather was warming up fairly fast and for some of us much more oxygen to go around.

The journey through G109 in this stretch would bring us riding parallel with the famous Qinghai-Tibet railway line where tourist would wipe the window of the train to enjoy the view going to Tibet. 

Beautiful Rock Formation along G109 

Beautiful Rock Formation along G109 

We of course had the luxury of stopping whenever a truly interesting mountain formation looms up and just taking in the sights at our own pace.

The first scenic stop was Fenghuo Mountain pass at 5010m. Yep it was weird as we still had to climb a few mountain pass to get through. 

Fenghuo Mountain Pass is a branch of the Kunlun Mountains and stands at an elevation of over 5000m with its peak being perpetually covered in snow all year round. When I was riding through however, the weather was gloomy so not very picturesque.

A Glimpse of the Kunlun Mountains 

Fenghuo Mountain Pass Pitstop 

Second stop was Hoh Xil Tibetan Antelope Observation Deck. We saw absolutely nothing. No wildlife as far as the horizon and the only antelope I saw was a purpose built tourist reststop with a golden outline artwork of an antelope. 

It was truly remarkable that we saw the Tibetan Antelope when we did a few days back. Kunlun Mountain pass at 4767m was next and I was somehow more excited to see Kunlun mountains compared to Mount Everest. 

Tibetan Antelope Monument along G109 

Every mystic legend and Asian fiction stories of hidden power somehow always have Kunlun set at the backdrop instead. I look at the mountain and wonder where the hidden village is beyond the portal door.

After the pass there was a new pit-stop for Kunlun Geopark. Looking at the map it was huge and not surprisingly, Mt. Kunlun was also a UNESCO heritage. 

Kunlun Geopark Rest-Stop along G109 

Tourist Map of Mount Kunlun UNESCO Global Geopark 

Rock Formations along G109 

Nanshankou Thousand Layer Cliff Formation 

One could really spend weeks just exploring this part of China and I made a mental note that one day I would have to come back without the tour or bike and just slowly explore.

We rode all along Nanshankou thousand layer cliff formation all the way to Golmund and by the time I arrived it was already dark. 

It was a long day today travelling nearly 400km but with so many stops and scenic views, it felt like a fleeting moment where time passed so fast without knowing.

Traveled on: May 2024