@manutea Thanks for that. Chit, just keep on getting older (and hopefully wiser, slower, lower, and mellower). Planning on coming back this fall for the horse festival in Oct. With my lovely wife (whom, for the record, I love WAY more than Nizu!) :-)

@bluppfisk. cycling to Daocheng is certainly doable. From the Roadhouse it's up, up, and away to the Nanbao Lakes (supposedly Yunnan's largest, highest, yak pasture) and then down to Dongyi. Yak trails, which in most cases are wide and easy to follow. You might have to carry your bike in some places. A Canadian guy rode to Nizu from Shudu Lake (the first and only guy that I know who has done it) and he said the trails were tough because of the big rocks, etc. You should have seen the local's faces when he descended into Nizu on a mountain bike! They thought he was some sort of a god! You'd be the first to do it, that's for sure!

Oh, and our beloved dog, Shiloh, died since I last saw him in Oct '14. Bit by a snake. Nizu is at 2700m in a valley that acts as a greenhouse, thus, with all the plants (virgin forest) there are animalia you won't see at similar elevations. Like cobras.

Thanks Lisa. I've had two operations on my eyes and they still seem to go astray!!

About current conditions to Nizu: The paved cement road should be finished by now, they almost had it done when I left in Oct. There currently is no ticket price to get in, but of course that will change (as all things do in China). It's a fantastic bike ride, by the way. 38 km from Luoji. By open top jeep or truck is truly amazing too. There are no roads (repeat, NO roads from my guesthouse). Only trails, and yes, it is possible to HIKE (or bike if you are truly crazy) to Dongyi in Daocheng County (two long days). I should be back sometime this year for a short stint. Website (ongoing) under construction (as is all of China). Cheers