The sun sinks in a flaming auburn behind the mighty Gongga Mountain, barely lighting our way as we enter the deep gorge where the roar of the raging Zheduo river leads us right into the heart of Dartsedo. We just about made it as the night beats the day, bruising the thin haze of smoldering orange into shrouded shades of blackened beryl and blue at the bat of an eye.
“At last, my favorite village,” Dendup says, with excitement. He’s quick to take the lead and commands us through winding back alleys to his preferred inn. This place’s familiar ground to him and Karma; it’s the gateway to the world outside our mountains, where traders from all four winds meet to exchange their goods. We’ll only be staying the night, though, heading straight to Ya’an from here, so no trading tomorrow, I gu
