Day 55 Shiquanhe Town to Zanda County: First sight of the forest.

We spent a night in Shiquanhe Town, but neither of us had fully recovered, so we were both very careful and didn't have the energy to take a good look at the town. We had a very nice beef hot pot for lunch, and Sun Dunzhu said, "You look fine, you have such a good appetite!" After we were full, we found a coffee shop and got four lattes for the two of us, and we were off! We were going to see the ruins of the Guge Kingdom! We passed by Ali Dark Sky Park (see photo 2), which is said to be the best place in the Northern Hemisphere to see the stars. I totally believe it, because the night before last, I was already amazed by the starry sky at Bangong Lake. We drove a little further in and passed a spherical building (see photo 3), with a sign at the entrance that said "Research Area, No Entry Without Permission," but it didn't look like there was anyone there, haha, it looked like a research base in the wilderness. We drove a little further in, but I persuaded Ken to turn back, because we couldn't see the stars during the day! We actually crossed at least two passes over 5,300 meters, but there were no road signs, so I kept checking the real-time altimeter app on my phone (see photos 5 and 6). After crossing these passes, we entered Zanda County, where the altitude dropped to about 4,300 meters. There were constant road signs with "marmot" images, which made me itch, because I hadn't seen any fat marmots on this trip! The signs were actually to remind people of the five things to avoid to prevent the plague: don't feed, don't kiss, don't tease, don't hunt, and don't skin. After driving a little further, I felt something was wrong, because the mountains here were so special! I guess this scenery is the "forest." The forest, like towers and pillars, looks like the ruins of an ancient castle, or like a thousand Buddhas worshiping, like sitting Buddhas, in all kinds of shapes and lifelike. We wandered through the forest for a long time, and the phone signal was often lost, which felt mysterious. I can't wait to see the ruins of the Guge Kingdom tomorrow! Tonight we are staying at a Tibetan hotel in Zanda County.