Danba, like many towns in China, owes its existence to a river. In Danba’s case, it’s 2 rivers — both of which meet at the confluence where the town sits. The bigger, more important one is the Dadu river, and it was made famous largely due to Mao Tze Tong’s Long March, and their crucial crossing of it at Luding, 133 kms due south and downstream of Danba.
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Danba lies in the eastern side of Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. It is here that the Tibetan influence becomes more and more apparent as one moves eastwards. Danba is no different. The town’s claim to fame is Jiaju Tibetan Village, a few kms out of town, and voted the most beautiful village in China. Understandably, I gave it a miss. Hordes of tourists are not really my thing.
Instead, on my first day off the bike, I decided to visit a less visited village not far out of town. It’s called Suopo, and the only reason it is less visited is because the only access to it is a pedestrian/motorcycles-only suspension bridge. Real tourists, you see, avoid walking too far to get to a tourist site, which was fine by me. But, the lure of big-bucks tourism has reared its ugly head. I can see a modern bridge being built about 100 metres from the old one. Before long, the lazy tourists will be bussed right up to the ancient stone towers of Suopo village.

The dirt road that runs alongside the main road and the Dadu river leading to Suopo. The bridge leading to the village is just ahead.

In China, they are very practical when it comes to baby clothes...just pee, poo and go, without having to take off any clothes
I’ve decided to change my plans and instead of riding straight down south following the Dadu to Luding, I’ve decided that I want to go further west into Tibet country — Tagong and its vast grasslands. But, the thing is, I won’t be able to keep to schedule if I rode there. As well, there’s a 4,200m mountain to cross, and my Balangshan ordeal is still fresh in my mind. So, I do the next smart thing — go by public transport over the mountain into Bamei and then ride the last 30km or so into Tagong.