After 8 hours on the rickety old bus being thrown around and driving through mountain passes( views are unbelievable) around avalanches and across mudslides .i don't no how the driver has managed to keep us alive as we tip and slide close to the 12000 foot drops .im the only foreigner on the bus and the guy next to me keeps feeding me fruit and peanuts which he won't except a no thank you.seeing this the little girl on the opposite seat joins in giving me peanuts this carries on for about an hour ( I'm sick of peanuts ).after another few hours we hit the plateau at 14000 feet .however we get a puncture and after an hour of discussions and shouting and with the help of all the passengers an iron bar and several large boulders the wheel is changed and we are of again.we finally arrive at midnight to a town in darkness with more faith and sign language I find a bed at a Tibetan house and am offered some yak butter tea which is apparently good for altitude sickness which is kicking in big time the tea is disgusting but I keep it down take some tablets and climb into bed fully clothed and with three duvets ( its freezing).I wake up early and it's cold and rainy and I don't want to get out of bed my altitude sickness is kicking in big time and I have a realy bad migraine .i finally get up and have a warm ish shower( first in three days).but it's 9am and that's late for a bus so I think about staying but after an offer of more yak butter tea I decide to check out the station.i was right no buses at all so I stand out side with a cigarette contemplating hitching ,when a local minibus says he's going to xiancheng not sure were it is but after drawing in the mud for ten minutes it seems south and we agree a price so I give him my pack and go find some food.