A trip to Sichuan - Part 5

After Jiuzhaigou, we headed for Song Pan, an ancient city dated back to the Tang Dynasty. We booked a 3 day horse back tour there from Chengdu, only to be told by the tour operator when we got there that his horses had equine flu and could not take tourists.

In Songpan, it seems that we have gone back in time. The old timber houses with tile roofs look nostalgic.


Goats grazing on steep slopes


We were told by the tour operator to leave Songpan for other places, rather than spending 3 days there having nothing to do. As it was already midday by the time we sorted out our refunds, we decided to spend the rest of the day seeing the city. The city still retains its inner city walls with four magnificant gates.


And towers on the walls


The walls and the towers are now part of a museum which surprisingly has one of the best English exhibit descriptions I have seen in China, even better than those in museums in Beijing.


There is a coffee shop in Song Pan which specially caters for foreign tourists. Emma, the waitress there, speaks very good English and she told me that she learns English from foreigners visiting Songpan.  


This coffee shop has memorabilia from tourists around the world. It even has a book exchange corner where we swapped a few books.


Remnants of the outer city wall with a gate tower on the top of the mountain.


Statue of Tang Princess Wencheng and Tubo king Songtsan Gambo outside the north gate of Songpan




A street scene in the city centre. Song Pan has a mixed population of Han Chinese, Tibetans and Muslims. We saw kids of different ethnicities playing together on the streets.


Thinking there must be another horse tour operator that can take foreign tourists, I asked a policeman on the street and he pointed us to another operator who did not have the license to serve foreign tourists. Because we were referred to them by a policeman, the operator was thus granted a special "amnesty". Hurray! Off we went on our 3 day horse back tour to the Snow Treasure Summit (Xue Bao Ding).


The inner city moat


On steep decent, we had to get off the horse and walk.




Very isolated village houses on steep mountain slopes.


We came across a procession of Tibetan yaks, commonly used for transporting heavy and bulky loads.


The scenary enroute is breathtaking.






One of our horses rolling on the grass after a day's journey




Our camp site




Having camp dinner


We were the only tourists in our group. We and the two tour guides each had one horse. In fact there were no other tourists throughout our 3 day journey.


A Tibetan house near where we camped.


We walked to the Tibetan village to get some cold drinks. On our way back, my husband decided to take a short cut.


I found crossing these beams too scary. In the end, my husband had to come back, held my hand and led me across.


The next day, the horses took us up to about 3700m and we hiked up towards the summit. Knowing my husband is an experienced trekker, the guides did not come with us and they had a rest with the horses.


Snow Treasure Summit, standing at 5,400m+, is snow capped year round.


A fairly well known Chinese mountaineer died and was buried here.


This was the highest point I climbed. As we needed to return to the tour guides by a certain time, not wanting to slow my husband down, I asked him to keep going while I took a rest there and waited for him to come back.


The highest point my husband reached. As he had no snow gear, he stopped at the snow line.


On our way back to the guides and horses


Alpine flora


Where eagles dare


The last day and return of our horse back journey


一牛當關、留下買路錢




This Tibetan asked me to take a photo of him but did not give me his name or address or contact details. So, this is a memento for me, not for him.


Song Pan is a trading centre for 冬蟲夏草, which the locals harvest in the high mountains nearby.


Another treasure Song Pan produces - hand crafted ornamental silver belts as part of the local costumes. Had I had a bit more cash, I would have bought one home.