The air is thinner. Just under 2 hours to reach Sela Pass, a nice 4000 meter goal, the highest I've ever cycled. It can be windy and chilly up top, but there is chai. Monks were hanging new Lung ta prayer flags and invited us up onto the poles to really experience the wind and view. The gradient on both sides is very comfortable. The descent goes on and on, all the way in to Jang. And it finally gets a bit warmer again. The snow covered peaks, pop in and out of the clouds on the day we passed, but the week before the pass was one way each day because of snow and it closed two days after we left with 70 "tourists" rescued by Border Roads Organization. They actually temporarily opened the tunnel for the rescue. I believe some of the heavy vehicle traffic will preferentially use the tunnel in the future. This is a busy military area with bases on a number of the switchbacks. We are getting close to China, a sometimes bellicose neighbor. I avoided taking photos of the military bases.