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Западно-Тибетский тракт 
схема из LonelyPlanet
| Ali, also known as Shiquanhe in Chinese and Senge Khabab (Town of the Lion) in Tibetan, is the capital of Ali prefecture. There is nothing much to see, but it is a good place to clean up, have some decent food, do some shopping and rest for a while before heading off to the real attractions of Ngari. Ali is thoroughly Chinese. There are plenty of Tibetans wandering the streets, but, like you, they are probably visitors from further afield. The town is expanding rapidly, especially to the south of the river, and there's a big army presence. This is another centre for the white-tile-and-blue-glass school of architecture that is sweeping across Tibet. After the barren emptiness of the surrounding country, Ali, with its bright lights, video-game parlours, department stores and karaoke bars, conies as a real shock to the system. |
Information
Ali has two banks, but only the Agricultural Bank of China, near the army post west of the roundabout, will change foreign currency (it won't change travellers cheques). There is an English-speaking teller here. Ali also has two post offices. You can make international calls from the main post office near the roundabout, or from the card-opera ted yellow phones around town. A shop south of the roundabout offers an unreliable Internet service. The PSB office is in the red-and-white building just west of the main intersection. It's a very good idea to get a permit in Ali, or have your existing permit stamped here. The Ali PSB is also one of the few places in Tibet where you can extend your visa. The cost depends on your nationality. For a one-month extension Australians pay Y100, Japanese YI25, Americans Y125 and the French Y160. Shopping
It is not as if you are likely to leave Ali loaded down with souvenirs, but the town is a good place to stock up on some supplies, especially if you especially if you are heading down to Mt Kailash. There are some small shops in Darchen, but prices are higher. In Ali there are several department stores and a host of small shops selling basic supplies, including instant noodles, biscuits, fruit, dried foods, sweets and drinks. The main vegetable market is near the river. Getting There & Away
Bus The headlining news in travel to Ngari is the new bus from Lhasa to Ali. The Tibetan Antelope Travel and Transportation Co (tel 282 2226, mailto: ttt010406@sina.com) has its head office in Ali, east of the round about on Xingxu Lu. There's also a branch in Lhasa next to the Ali Regional Office on Nyangdren Chang Lam (take Sera bus No 5 from Dekyi Shar Lam). The 26-berth sleeper bus departs Lhasa every two or three days and runs nonstop along the northern route to Ali, returning the next day. Tickets are priced on a sliding to Mt Kailash. There are some small shops in Darchen, but prices are higher. In Ali there are several department stores and a host of small shops selling basic supplies, including instant noodles, biscuits, fruit, dried foods, sweets and drinks. The main vegetable market is near the river. scale - Y550 for a seat, Y650 for a sleeper in the bumpy rear, and up to Y800 for a sleeper in the front. Like all vehicles on the road in Ngari. the bus breaks down frequently, but it usually takes a minimum of 48 hours to make the trip. You can also arrange to board the bus in Shigatse or Lhatse for the same price. The bus stops outside the Sang Zhu Zi Hotel in Shigatse at midnight. Be aware that you must pay a deposit on your ticket in Lhasa. The official status of the Ali bus is quite shaky - the company has permission to operate in Ali prefecture, but not Shigatse prefecture. This means that foreign passengers must get off the bus in Lhatse at 6am and sneak around the checkpoint on foot. How long the service will last is anyone's guess, but while it does it's a great cheap option for travel to Ali. Booking tickets two or three days in advance is essential, Tibetan Antelope also offers a service from Ali to Yecheng twice a week (when road conditions allow). It costs Y350/450 for a seat/sleeper and takes 1+1/2 days, but don't rely on this service running. At the time of writing this company was also planning to start a bus service from Ali to Mt Kailash in 2002. Hitching
Those hitching to Mt Kailash should check out the schedule of the China Post trucks at the post office near the roundabout, or at the truck parking lot, a block north of the river. They depart on alternate toys and you'll pay Y100 for a ride to Darchen. Otherwise start hitching from the roundabout on the southern side of the river. Expect to pay around Y500 for a lift to Lhasa, while a lift to Kashgar should cost about Y400. The kebab shops north of the roundabout are a good place to ask around for trucks headed that way. Getting Around
Taxies are part of the 'mirage-in-the-desert' shock of arriving in Ali - thc town is thronging with little Daihatsu Charades, just like Beijing. There seem to be hundreds of taxis in the town, ricocheting around like birds in cage. None of them would survive 5km beyond the city limits without falling apart on the potholes and corrugations or getting stuck in a sand drift (which raises the question of how they got here in the first place). Within the city limits there's a standard taxi fare of Y5, but the town is actually compact enough that you can walk anywhere. Ali to Mt Kailash
From Ali to Darchen, the only town in the near vicinity of the Mt Kailash kora. is a trip of around 330km. Providing there are no serious breakdowns and you do not spend too long languishing in a stream, there is no reason you can't complete the trip in a single day. A new bridge across the Gar River 113km from Ali means that you can now take the shorter road on the eastern bank of the river even when it's swollen with spring snowmelt. However, after the road from Ali meets the river, for 100km or so there are still many streams to ford along the broad river valley. Most vehicles seem to get stuck in at least one of them. Deep ruts in the sand and gravel normally indicate where other vehicles have been bogged down. At Namru a road turns off west to climb over the 5610m Ayi-la to Tholing Monastery and Tsaparang. At Moin-ccr (Mensi) there is a checkpoint, and a road peels off to Tirthapuri Hot Springs. Mt Kailash comes into view on the left around 30 or 40 minutes before reaching Darchen. There is one last thing to be careful of: Just before Darchen there is a fairly deep river crossing. It comes up at the last minute before the town, around 6km or 7km after leaving the main road. |
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3 Dec 2006:
