25/09/2004
A four hour bus journey took seven hours on a very muddy and rocky road. We had no electricity for the first night and no hot water for showers. So we had to suffice with a 'pits n bits' wash in the sink.

We went to a restaurant called Leisha's and had a huge McAttack Yak burger and discovered excellent apple pie!  Of course, we also did some cultural stuff like visiting a monestary and a school in a small village which our tour company Intrepid partly sponsors.  The kids really knackered us out with games, skipping and wanting to be lifted up.  They loved Andrew's hairy arms and his digital watch.

The Long Road To Chengdu
We spent two days on a bus on unfinished roads with bald tyres, on some very winding mountain roads 4000m high. It got pretty scary at times, as there is no respect for human life from truck and bus drivers.

On the bright side, one of our tour members, Robyn a teacher from rural Victoria in Australia, kept us amused. She let loose a fart and crapped her pants while having her photo taken! We've all had various versions of upset stomach but Robyn has been the worst case.

On the first day 200km took 10 hours, and on the second day 465km took 14.5 hours.  The Chinese like to rebuild their roads in 200km sections all at once, rather than a section at a time.  We left at 6am and arrived at Chengdu at 8:30pm.  Time enough for a good shower and to go to bed. The hotel was lovely, but we didn't see much of Chengdu, as we had a 5am start for our flight to Lhasa, Tibet.

Weather
Langmusi was pretty chilly, especially at night as we had no heating - about 10-15 degrees.  As we progressed to Chengdu, we came down in altitude and it got humid and sticky.

People
Loads of monks in Langmusi, motorbikes were very popular, not many Westeners.

Food
Apple Pie!!  Yak Burgers!!  WE LOVE THEM!!

Toilets
We had a western toilet in Langmusi and Chengdu - very lucky!

Health Update
Well, we may have had good toilets, but the punishing travel schedule has seen our health suffer. Zoe was the first to go. It started with a mild upset stomach, and ended with a full-blown cold, with Flu-like symptoms. A week later the nose is still running.