Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
the local nomads. The two main streets (Hebei Lu and Yanhu Lu) join at a T-junction by
the Shuǐlì Bīnguǎn. Shops on Hebei Lu offer internet access and hot showers.
Sleeping & Eating
Hebei Lu has several good supermarkets and Yanhu Lu has a number of Tibetan, Sichuan
and Uighur restaurants.
Gegye Hotel
HOTEL
(, Géjí Bīnguǎn s/d ¥180/200)
This government guesthouse is in a terminal state of decline. The carpeted rooms are OK
but the bathrooms are locked, so you have to use the absolutely shocking outdoor latrines.
The hotel is unsigned inside a compound with a white tiled arch.
Shuili Hotel
HOTEL
(, Shuǐlì Bīnguǎn 263 2146; cnr Yanhu Lu & Hebei Lu; r ¥240-260)
Rooms are clean and comfortable with TVs and DVD players, the shared indoor squat toi-
lets are simple but clean and there's even some running water.
Gegye to Ali (112km)
Ali is just three hours from Gegye. At first the road follows the infant Indus River, then
enters a marshland rich in bird life, including golden ducks and large black-necked cranes.
After passing through a canyon landscape painted in swirling desert hues of butterscotch,
caramel and popcorn, you reach Zouzou village and a dramatic escarpment.
Ali gradually emerges like a desert mirage, revealing paved grids of department stores,
karaoke bars and taxis. It's a surreal experience to glide smoothly into town on the tarmac
after five or six days bouncing around the northern plateau.
Ali /
0897 / Elev 4280m
