Toughest cycling best scenery
September 16th
I’ll start with the first day.
9/13 Zhongdian to small village about 40 kms away (and extra 60 kms for no reason.)
I definitely was off to a bad start. I went to the north end of town and everyone I asked about where Deqin was told me to go the other way. I was a little confused but kept going. My one friend who left in a bus after me even send me a message saying she saw me on the way there. I hadn’t seen the area south of Zhongdian because of my accident and I have only taken night buses. I had asked a couple people along the way and they seemed to confirm the same. The road was flat so I didn’t have a problem going quickly so I had already gone around 30 kms before I found out I was going the wrong way. It turns out that I left town in the right direction but after a few kms I needed to take a U-turn or about 320 degrees to the right at an intersection which at the time didn’t make sense to me. I didn’t really let it bother me but I wasted half of the day. At least all of my Appalachian friends can rest assured that I didn’t yellow blaze (skip an area) the area between my accident and Zhongdian. Actually I did pass where my accident occurred which was pretty weird.
Anyway, I bypassed Zhongdian this way and passed a beautiful lake and began about a 10 km climb. I passed a Dutch guy who started in Turkey and made it this far in 5 and a half months. I have to remember not to get close to certain animals. The yaks and cows are no problem but an ass on the right side of the ride gave me the double hind kick in my direction but luckily I wasn’t close enough. I also passed what will be the first ski resort in this part of China which wasn’t large but is better than nothing. I finally made it up to a village where I decided to stay the night. The place was like a hotel but for passing workers like a truck stop. I could have gone further but I’m glad I didn’t because it poured. There has been scattered showers everyday which has been a little annoying, especially when it’s cold. It had already rained almost every day in Kunming for the last 3 months so I’m pretty burned out. However, the rainy season should end very soon. I cleaned myself off in a couple of pans full of water and when I went to get food the lady had locked me in. She was probably coming back later but I was hungry so I jumped over the lowest part of the wall giving myself a Charlie horse and got some noodles from a shop across the street. One of the guys offered me some corn but I told him I didn’t like corn only after looking at his black hands.
9/14 60 kms? Small village to another small village past Benzilan
The day started off amazing with a 30 kms downhill, possibly the biggest I have ever had with great views. I went downhill to the Yangtze or Mekong river I don’t know which and made a small 10 km climb along the river to Benzilan where I had lunch. This is also the beginning of a 50 km uphill which is the biggest climb I have ever had. I think it was here where I noticed that I had a broken spoke in the worst place. It’s easy to change spokes on the front wheel and on the one side on the back wheel, but if it is next to your cam (where the gears are it’s a pain in the ass.) Of course mine was on the side of the cam so I knew I would have to take it off. I figured I would continue first for a little while since there was a large uphill. It took me about 4 or 5 hours to do just 10 kms because it was so steep. At the top I stopped at a guy’s house who was working on something and I borrowed a wrench I needed then took off my wheel. A couple of Tibetan guys tried to help and ended up spreading the parts of my wheel all over. One of the guys also had a hard time turning the adjustable wrench I was using so he hit it against the stones on the ground a dozen times rendering it totally useless. I found out I couldn’t get my cam off anyway because I needed a specific tool. The guys disappeared in a van that past and I left pretty frustrated of course. I then remembered from when I was in Laos that I needed a specific tool like a real skinny wrench or something else to be able to get off the cam. A French Canadian guy had one when I had a problem last time. I continued on and it was still uphill but not as steep for 10 kms to another small village.
I went over to one of the truck stop or workers hotel to get a room for a couple dollars. The young guy about 20 certainly didn’t have the best logic. We went up to the third floor where he wanted to show me a room but I guess he couldn’t find the key. To resolve this problem he took a large tool and beat the hinge off the door that the lock was attached to. I told him the room was OK but there was no lock. So now he showed me the room next door which I agreed to was OK. I got downstairs to where my bike was which he knew I had and since it was heavy he decided maybe I should just take a room on the second floor. Needless to say it was a brilliant moment. I also went to the bathroom later in the dark with my headlamp and noticed that what was in the bottom (meaning what looked like rice and shit) appeared to be alive. Upon further examination I found the largest breeding ground of maggots I have seen. Hey, everyone has to eat.
9/15 Continuing up the enormous climb and then downhill in the dark to Deqin 85 kms.
I took off around 9, every morning it seems to rain which makes me hesitate a little. I began going up what would be a 30 km climb, about half on pavement and the rest on a cobblestone road. I had already finished the first 20 kms the day before. Today it wasn’t as steep at least so I almost did 20 by lunch where I cooked noodles in a nice area by a river. I don’t cook that much usually so I felt like I was camping which is something I miss. I also met a few people who stopped in an SUV to take pictures. The driver told me that there was a road up ahead which was a short cut about 8 kms up the road. Soon after the road turned into the cobblestone nightmare which slows you down by about 20 to 25%. The best way to go is close to the shoulder where it is more dirt and sand which is also slow but it’s less bumpy. You also have to be careful of falling into the ditch if you go too far to the right which is usually a couple feet deep and could damage you or your bike. I saw another road but it was definitely closed with a large barrier and several huge pot holes about 4 feet deep so no one would go around the barrier. Of course I wasn’t 100% sure this was the road but it was about 8 kms up and also on the left side as he said. I hadn’t seen anything else either so I decided to try it. The only thing I was worried about was going a few kms up the road and then having it washed out and having to turn back. Luckily after less than a km I saw a sign for the 240 which means it was the old road. It wasn’t a cobblestone road which was nice and there was no traffic so it was kind of neat. It was still a little difficult because it seemed a little steeper and also was sand and dirt which isn’t fast, so I walked most of the way. I think the elevation, wear of the day and being out of shape didn’t help either. I took the short cut for about 8 kms thru the dense fog where I had no idea where I was for the most part but I could hear trucks in the distance. I also used my compass for the first time. I got back onto the main road and the clouds broke so I could finally see the area around me. The next area 15 kms was more like a plateau. After a couple kms I was at the top of the first pass which was at 4000 m (over 12,000 feet.) I went down for about 3 kms and then back up 4 kms to the second pass and then back down a few kms and up to the last pass which was at 4292 m (I guess around 13,000 ft), which I think is the highest I have ever been. (When I cycled across the US I think my highest area was around 12,000 feet.)
It was obviously getting pretty cold and drizzling and the time was around 7. I could camp in one of these shelters near the top and I would be OK but freeze my ass off or I could do 35 kms most of it in the dark to the big town of Deqin. So I took off down the mountain the first 8 kms were cobblestone roads but it was just light enough to get to where it turned into pavement. My bike came with a light that is almost as good as one headlight on a car which is great. The road was at least really good except thru a couple small parts near construction areas and I finally made it into town around 945。I tried to find western food but it was too late so I ordered barbeque of the street and had a beer in a bar where the Chinese kid knew English. He said he would try to help me find what I needed tomorrow, but there was no bike shop because the town is so steep no one rides bikes. The good thing about today is since I did 85kms in a difficult area without being in shape ，I know that Tibet will be easier as time goes by。 I wouldn’t be surprised if this area would be the most difficult part of my journey.
9/16 Day off in Deqin
I began to repack stuff and throw away stuff I didn’t need. I met the Chinese kid at 11 so he could help me. We went back a couple of hardware shops but no one would have something that skinny so I was pretty much screwed until I met another cyclist. The kid went back to work so I ate and walked around the town which is pretty small. Of course the mountains surrounding the are beautiful but like many places in China the town is ruined by noise pollution among other things. The whole town can’t have more than 1km of roads combined but the taxis and cars passing by are beeping like its New York city. I can’t imagine anyone within 500kms in any hurry to go anywhere. I guess the people get in the taxi and say “hurry take me one block up the road as fast as you can so I can sell a bag of potatoes so I can buy the latest Harry Poter movie!” Since I came in last night I also noticed tons of brothels, pool halls and bars which were more than I have seen in China for such a small town.
Anyway, I saw a couple cyclist who looked like they just came into town so I caught up to them and asked them if they had the tool which they did and I directed them to the hostel. They are in there 40’s from Barcelona so and seem ok so I will probably cycle with them for a little bit. I will take care of a couple things today and leave tomorrow. I should be in Tibet in a couple days.Ｉam technically not supposed to stop at most of the towns in Tibet because of the police so I may not use the internet until Lhasa which could be about 25 days so don’t worry if you don’t see any posts。 I will probably be cycling most of the time with other people anyway. From the few cyclists that past me there should be about a dozen people a day or 2 ahead of me and probably more behind.
Into Tibet on 20 hours of cycling on the road only great Satan could have created
September 19th
9/17 Deqin past Yanjing into Tibet 130 kms
I left Deqin the next morning with the 2 Spanish guys before 10. Today was the first day with totally blue skies after several days of scattered showers. The weather has since been good. We had a moderate 10 km climb to a view of a beautiful snow mountain in the distance called MeiLi shui shan, which is a famous holy mountain in this region. We then had a 35 km downhill but after 20 kms it turned to dirt which was what I called the beginning of the road that Satan must have created. The road went slowly upstream along the Mekong on one side and some pretty steep cliffs on our other side. At one point a few small rocks began to far so I sped up and one rock the size of a small football fall into the center right of the road. For this reason I wore my helmet and rode closer to the left side. The area was pretty much tundra and pretty hot, there was only a vehicle every 20 minutes or so and hardly any people anywhere. The road wasn’t the cobble stone road but varied from good to bad. Overall it wasn’t really that bad though, just a little hot and we also had headwinds to. There were also only a couple of small shops along the way where we could get food or water. We knew that we would be close to the Tibet border so we had to decide whether or not we wanted to get there late at night or early in the morning because of the police checkpoint at the first city Yanjing 7kms into Tibet. Around 7 or so we ran into a French couple who were riding tandem in their late 20’s who already had their tent up about 30 kms from the border. We ate there and then we all decided that we wanted to try to go to Tibet that night. So the French couple put their tent in there bag and we took off into the night past 9 I think. At least the wind wasn’t hitting us like before but the road turned into what I call great Satan. There were many areas that turned into waterways or pot holes and if you went too far to the left you could fall into the Mekong which meant instant death pretty much. We finally got up to the border and expected the road to be the same or the cobble stone one but unfortunately we were wrong. The road was under heavy construction and was quite possibly the worst road I have cycled. What makes it worse it that it was in this condition more or less for the next 100 kms or so to Markham where the next checkpoint was. The road had some deep holes in some areas and also had in some parts with tons of immobile softball size rocks that are real easy to slip on. Also, because of my clip less petals it’s not that easy to put my leg out if I slip so I ended up falling a couple times, one time pretty good which hurt my left elbow and knee. What also didn’t help is that it was a 7km climb uphill to the first checkpoint. We finally got up there around 3 in the morning I think and of course the guy was asleep so there was no problem. Since it was under construction we did go down the wrong road for a little bit before having to go back toward the beginning and taking the road to the right that bypassed the town. We got on the right road and went 3 kms to the other checkpoint on the other side of town and continued on but unfortunately there were no camping areas because both sides were cliffs. The one to the right and the one on the left which went down to the Mekong. After less than 5 kms we were all so beat and it was almost 6AM. There were no houses or places to camp so they all decided to settle on the left side of the road and I decided to try to go on to see what I could find. After about 5 kms and an over an hour later there was a large building or house where a few guys were on the balcony. It happened to be the office building where the plans for the construction took place. It was already light and after 7 so I asked them if I could sleep in a tent next to their place and luckily they were nice enough to give me a bed in one of their dorm rooms where I slept for about 4 hours.
9/18 House to Monastery
They gave me some apples and milk and I took off again around 11:30 AM. I didn’t realize at the time but I had already begun climbing 10 kms into another 40 km climb up to a pass at 4400m, which is higher than the last one I went over. I passed the French couple and since they do allot of videos during the day they only do about 30kms a day. The Spanish guys were farther ahead of me. I didn’t see anyone until that night. It took me until about 7 to finally get to the top of the pass. The road was OK at some times and bad at others. Every half km or so there was a group of people working on an area and their tents were beside the road where they slept at night. I went about 13 kms downhill to a pretty flat area where I followed a river upstream thru the country side with no large mountains beside me anymore. It was getting dark by the time I got to the bottom so I hurried along hoping to get to this monastery I heard about where an English speaking monk was. A guy in a truck surprised me by speaking in English and telling me that 2 Spanish people were ahead of me at a shop. I got there and it was a different Spanish couple (actually they are from Catalina to) I heard had passed me earlier that day when I was sleeping. A little later the two other Spanish guys Francis and Peter came in. The shop was run by a pretty strange monk who was pretty large with eyes in two different directions and was noisy and kind of assertive about me staying there. He also had a real hard time trying to get change for me 100 yuan I gave him. The Spanish couple I just met decided they would stay there. I thought there may also be some scam but it was only 10 yuan. It was a small shop so it seemed too crowded and dirty so I figured I would go up the hill to the monastery which I did. Peter and Francis were coming to but it was steep and we thought it was 1 or 2 kms so they went back to the shop. It turns out it was only a 15 minute walk to the top. I didn’t meet the English speaking monk but I went to one of the young guy’s room who I met at the shop who had a large battery to operate his light. The rest of the place didn’t have electricity so it was dark. I made some food and chatted a little with him and a couple younger boys. I guess the kid’s room I was in had no parents. It was a little difficult to communicate since they don’t know English and there Chinese has a heavy accent. I slept in the room next to his which was also a small kitchen so I knew there would be mice or rats. I should have just stayed in my tent. Of course it was real noisy, the ceiling above me had a tarp across the top that sounded like the rats were drag racing. I’m not sure who won but it kept me up from time to time.
9/19 Monastery to Markham hotel about 60kms?
I awoke to the crazy monk in the distance who must have come up to get change. The Spanish told me that the guy was drinking all night and super noisy so I was lucky to go up to the top. Francis remarked that the monk will probably come back next life as a fly or dog shit. I got down to the road but everyone had already left but I caught up to them within an hour. There are tons of villages but hardly any services. Between Yanjing and Markham there are no restaurants and only a few shops so you have to eat noodles. The road was pretty nice even though it was under construction. A few areas we had to pass over streams that were only about a foot deep in areas. One was a little tricky with a 2 by 6 to cross with my 100 lbs? bike in my hand. The weather got a little windy and looked like a storm later in the day but nothing happened. They were going to pass thru the checkpoint in the day but we found a hotel before the checkpoint so we all stayed and ate there which was pretty good. The fiver of us had dinner together and used the internet for a little bit and then passed out. We plan to meet at 6:30 tomorrow to cross the border before 7 and hopefully we won’t have any problems.
Went up 40 kms over 5000 m (16,000 ft) and got hit with snow storm
9/20 Markham to Guesthouse in valley. 85 kms.
We left Markham together around 6:45 and passed by the first checkpoint which was only about 100 meters from our hotel which was kind of funny. After another km we hit another one with no problem and we began a 12 km climb which wasn’t too bad. Then we had a 37 km downhill on a dirt road (of course) to a river and Juka bridge. On the way down I stopped at one place and met a dozen Chinese tourist from Kunming all of who had to get a picture of me. We also met a German woman in her late 40’s that was going the other way who seemed a little strange. She was riding an old one speed bike, her equipment seemed really old and she didn’t want us to take a picture of her. She said she had left Germany in April which we knew was too soon to get to this point so we joked that it may have been April 1976. We continued along and a large army convoy passed since there is was a large base in this area. I read that this region of Tibet which is called Kham the people here were the biggest problem for the Chinese. I guess about 15,000 Kham warriors gathered around here and killed 700 Chinese. The CIA provided weapons and some were even trained in Colorado in the 60’s. Of course there were too many Chinese after that and the Dali Llama left so funding ceased by the late 60’s.
We had lunch at the bottom near the bridge where the price seemed expensive. It seems in Tibet that the price can be much higher than in Kunming. I thought we were getting ripped off but it may be because items are scarce and transportation costs are allot. Like water in Kunming is 1 to 1.5 yuan but here it is at least 2 to 3 yuan. Sometimes I can’t find water so I drink the water from the springs on the mountain. Anyway, we then began another big climb about 25 kms around 3. It took me until past 7 as usual to get to the top. The others had already gone a good bit ahead of me. Since they travel in pairs they can share some equipment and make it a little lighter. They also all started their trip in Dali so they have ridden about 500 kms more than me. Before I got to the top I also met an Austrian couple who were about my age with allot of equipment. It was a funny coincidence because they had seen my broken bicycle in my friend Kevin’s outdoor shop in Zhongdian. I went down the mountain in the dark because I knew the others were staying at a small guesthouse at the bottom of the valley. I know many cyclists that camp most of their trip but I would rather not camp for a few reasons. One is because I cycle by myself all day with my own thoughts so if I camp by myself then I have no dialog. I also like being near a shop so I can buy some snacks, food or beer. If I am in a town I may even meet some English speaking people as well which is more interesting than being in my tent alone. If my bike is in a guesthouse or hotel it is also safe from a thief. If I camp I have to take everything out of my bags and into my tent which is time consuming. It also sucks to wake up if it is raining or at the top of a pass where it will most likely be freezing at night. The only down side would be cost but I never spend more than $8 on a room and if my bike is safe it’s much better for me.
I saw them eating in a crowded restaurant attached to where the guesthouse was. They had just gotten some food so I joined them and then after I got a room for 30 yuan ($4) and passed out. About 4 in the morning I could hear a bunch of truckers leaving in the rooms around me. I went out to go to the bathroom and one of those big Tibetan dogs were roaming around and acting strange like getting his head low with his paws in front as if he was going to strike me. Luckily he was friendly and there was no problem. There are tons of these dogs in Tibet. There are like Rottweilers but with bigger heads. If I get bit I have to get rabies shots which would be a huge inconvenience of course. My friend in Kunming about a month ago went to pet his neighbor’s dog like a dumb ass and got bit so he had to get several rabies shots (what an asshole you are Charlie!) (I know he will read this.)
9/21 Guesthouse to Zuogong. 60kms
Although 60’s kms is not a lot it was still a real tough day. We began the day with a 39 km climb which we thought would only be 33 to 35 kms. The first 20 kms or so weren’t really that bad so I could cycle most of it without stopping, the weather was pretty warm and we had tail winds. During the day so far I always wear a t-shirt and I have always worn shorts and no pants this trip until later this day. The road was an OK dirt road, which is much better than the cobble stone road. On straight aways the road is usually OK and during turns it gets bad because the trucks tear it up as the turn the corners. We had lunch around 1 or 2 about 15 kms from the top in an open plan area. The Spanish couple Francis and his wife Mona went ahead about 20 minutes in front of us and then we took off behind them. Peter had mentioned we wouldn’t have to look for water because a storm was coming. I had my north face jacket on over my t-shirt and shorts on when I began. The winds changed and went hard against us and hail began to hit my face pretty hard. We had passed a house and continued and the hail turned into snow. Peter and Francis came behind and we all decided to go back to the stone house for shelter which was only a couple hundred meters behind. We went into this old woman’s home who had a fire going and waited until the storm passed. There were many goats and cows that came by for shelter and the goats managed to knock our bikes over into the massive piles of shit that surrounded the structure. If I didn’t get outside it time they would have probably ate thru my bags. It was crazy how fast the weather and temperature could change. For the first time I put on pants and I won’t underestimate the weather again. Especially at 5100 meters. I saw Francis and his wife later and they continued thru a storm. They could have even stopped at another shelter about 5 kms from the top but they continued anyway.
The storm passed after about 40 minutes and the sun was out after a few minutes and it got warmer again. We had about 10 kms to the top. The first few weren’t really super bad but the last 5 or so took forever because you get out of breath very easily. Everyone else was ahead of me so after getting to the top around 6:45 or so I continued down the mountain for 35 kms. The top of the mountain were open plains with surrounding mountains but nothing steep on my sides so it wasn’t dangerous besides the weather. After about 20 to 25 kms the road finally turned to pavement. I could see from the moonlight that the scenery around was pretty nice with some high cliffs around me on both sides. I finally came into town. It seemed like there were 2 parts. The first part had a bunch of hotels and some government buildings for about a quarter km and then there was nothing for about another half km as I went around a lake to the other part of town. The other part had a bunch of brothels, looked older and only had a few hotels. I luckily ran into Peter who told me they all had a room at some hotel nearby. They only had rooms with two beds for 120 yuan so I went to a couple other places before getting a room for $8. We got some food and then went to sleep because we were so exhausted.
Usually on previous bike trips I go to a bar or at least have a few beers in a town but we have all been so exhausted. When you combine the long days on bad roads going uphill for so long and have such extreme temperature changes, it really takes a toll on you. That’s why we decided to take the day off in this town Zoudong. The police could technically ask us for permits and we could get in trouble but we need to take care of things from time to time. The bumpy road going downhill really takes a tool on our bikes as well. I need to find some screw for my front rack because 2 of them had fallen off going downhill into town and now my rack is loose. I also need to find warmer gloves. The strong winds just rip thru the gloves rendering them pretty useless. It looks like I found a good leather pair. Francis could also use some brakes and we all want to get decent food from stores and restaurants and use the internet. A decent bed doesn’t hurt either. Hopefully we don’t get harassed by the police or PSB which are all around and we can leave tomorrow in good shape.
At my hotel there was a small mechanics shop and they luckily had the screws I needed for my front rack. I was also looking at some of my information about Tibet and I didn’t realize I’m already about a third of the way to Lhasa. From Zhongdian to Lhasa it’s about 1600 kms and I’ve done over 500 kms. Also from looking at the topography and other information it seems like the hardest is over. There is more paved road from here (the last 350 or so to Lhasa alone is paved) and yesterday’s pass at 5100 feet is the highest pass between here and Lhasa.
Another thing concerning good news is the condition of my leg. Before I got surgery in Thailand my leg was at about 65%. After surgery it felt like it was about 90%. When I took that 150 km trip to Dali about 3 weeks ago I had some minor pain but it wasn’t that bad. However, I did assume during this trip that the heavier equipment, bigger climbs and higher elevation would create at least a moderate problem for me. Luckily there has been no problem at all. I don’t even notice that I have any problem with my leg. The only other problems I usually have are with my knees. When I hiked the AT, cycled across the US or any other serious trip I almost always have pretty severe pain in my knee the first couple weeks. Since Tibet is more intense than anywhere else I’ve been I thought it would be real bad but I have had only very minor pain which is surprising. The next couple days aren’t super difficult but my information did mention that we should be careful of landslides. Luckily it hasn’t rained much so it shouldn’t be a problem.
Mellow day thru rolling hills to intense day thru narrow gorge. Halfway to Lhasa
September 24th
9/23 Zougong to Bomda 108 kms
I stopped by a local bar the night before for about an hour and hung out with some locals. Allot of people gave me free drinks and even a cop passed me and gave me a surprised look but didn’t do anything. There were some working girls of course but I told them I wasn’t interested and I left past 11.
I awoke to a truck blaring his horn thru town. My friends heard it in their hotel down the road also (the Chinese horns on the big trucks are one of the worst and loudest sounds I have ever heard.) The older guy who worked at the hotel and probably smoked 10,000 cigarettes for the last 35 years came kindly knocking on the door and yelling about something. I told him the night before I was getting up at 8 so I think he assumed I wanted him to wake me up. Apparently I wasn’t going to sleep if I wanted to.
Anyway I got up and headed over to the other hotel where the other 4 Catalonians were. They were still getting ready so I took off and they met me down the road. The road today was the best so far. We went upstream along a river with some gentle hills and villages around us. We also ran into about 7 Chinese guys from Hunan province who started at in Chengdu and knew each other from a bike club in there city. The villages were pretty nice because many of them were painted in different colors and had some prayer flags. The children have been getting a little obnoxious. Since many travelers and cyclist come thru this area I think allot of them give them candy so the children come running to the street and many times hold on to my bags to try to stop me or reach into my bags. Usually I would keep food in my closed panniers but since I don’t have that much room I have been just keeping it in a regular plastic bag from a store and tying it to my front handle bars and the bag rests on my front rack. In the last village the kids started sticking their hands and taking things out. One kid grabbed my cookies and had such contempt on his face like I owed him the cookies so I tried to kick him and luckily for him I just swiped him. This is always a big problem in the world. When people give something to someone then they think that you owe them. In these kids minds they think “hey the last foreigners gave us food so you better give us food.” I don’t think it is right any under circumstance for anyone of any age to take or grab anything from me. I have given some cookies and candy to children before that haven’t begged but I probably won’t do it anymore because it really changes there thinking. When Francis was going thru town behind me the kids laid down horizontally in the street so he couldn’t get by at first.
Anyway the day did go well but over 100 kms in any condition is long. It would be nice to stay in some of the villages but they never have hotels and camping nearby could attract too much attention. We got to a truck stop and small army base at a cross road, one way to Lhasa and one way north. We found a hotel that me Francis and Peter shared for 70 yuan total and the other Francis and his wife Mona got their own room. It was pretty cold so we went to where the stove was downstairs. There wasn’t much to see in town because only 100 people at most lived there and the electricity didn’t come on until 7:30 which was funny. One of the Chinese cyclists came by to chat who was staying at another hotel. The five of us had dinner as the electricity went on and off from time to time. We could hear some music from a small club across the street which was funny because there was hardly anyone around. We were all tired as usual so we passed out before 10.
9/24 Bomda to Baxoi 90 kms
I got up first because usually I am slower. I knew today we had a 14 km climb to 4618 m then down 40 and then about 37 slightly uphill along a river. I took off around 8:40 and did pretty well along the climb. I can feel that I am stronger now because I can go most of the way without stopping. I met Francis and Mona at the top and the other 2 came just after. This area was a pretty open area with rolling hills. Unfortunately as I went down the road which was just paved a couple years ago I read was now unpaved because of some construction plans like making walls for falling rocks and to say the least it sucked ass. It wasn’t under big construction and it wasn’t the cobble stone road either but it was hardly ever flat even in straight areas or on the shoulder. There were also tons of pebbles to golf ball size rocks all over the road since most of the area next to the road were rocks and cliffs. I could hardly ever get over 15 kms and only after a couple kms going downhill I got my first flat of my trip on my front tire which naturally pissed me off. I can’t believe they finally paved this road in the last few years and then they will tear it up because they forgot to put up some walls or a ditch (I don’t know which.) Anyway, the others were ahead of me and I continued on slowly, a few areas had isolated areas of pavement for 50 feet at a time but it didn’t help much. The last few kms to the bottom were probably worse because it had the washboard effect across the whole road. By the time I was at the bottom it was probably one of the hottest parts of the trip so far. However the area was one of the most amazing. I finally got down to the Salween river? and went a few kms until I crossed a bridge. It was pretty much like biking the bottom of the grand canyon, which made it amazing but also dangerous because of possible rock slides. There was also no restaurants or shops which also made it more difficult. I passed over a bridge with some army guys directing the trucks. I ignored them and then stopped on the bridge to take a picture over the river and the army guy started yelling so I took off. I guess Francis was talking a picture and the guy yelled at them to. I went about another km and realized there was not going to be a shop so I stopped at an army gas station? There were many people in civilian or construction worker clothes so I crossed a small bridge and asked them if they sold any water. They only had the hot water in the thermostat so I decided to eat my lunch there so I didn’t have to use my stove. It may have been a little risky but I ate quickly. Everyone seemed friendly, maybe one guy didn’t look to happy. I took off filling my bottle with hot water and continued going up stream. At one point two rivers converged which was neat because the one river was brown and the other one was blue green. I followed the smaller blue river on a dirt road but at least it wasn’t as bad as when I came down since some areas were flat. I finally ran into Peter who had just fixed a rear flat and we continued and finally ran into the other 4. I rode in this really steep canyon next to the river for about 10 to 15 kms before it finally opened up and we hit the first village with a shop and then road turned to pavement for the last 25 kms to the big town. The last part had some pretty nice scenery thru some villages until we came to a big town with a large base called Baxoi. On the ride a few children held on to my bike as I passed and at one point 3 kids about 8 years old held a vine or something across the road to block me outside of a village. 2 of them had military fatigues on and it was kind of funny in some way considering I was supposed to have many problems with the military or police and so far it was just three 8 year olds. A motorcycle came the other way and they dropped the rope. I cruised by and they held on to my bag and after letting go one of them threw a golf ball size rock at me. I noticed later someone spit on my bag as well. After a few more kms I got into town and we began looking for a place to stay. I saw the group of Chinese cyclists and considered staying at their place but the hotel said they couldn’t accept foreigners. The same thing happened at another hotel the others were checking out. The guy told us we could stay at the government hotel for foreigners which didn’t sound too good since we didn’t have permits for Tibet. We passed the government hotel and found a place where an older couple ran that was cheap, only 15 yuan and we took a shower nearby for 5 yuan. After my shower I used the internet for a while (pictures take forever to download) while the others ate because they didn’t have lunch. By tomorrow I should be halfway to Lhasa from where I started. We have a climb tomorrow, which I hope continues by the river.
Most spectacular scenery as we begin a decent over 200 kms long
September 27th
9/25 to Baxoi to Rawu 97 kms
We left town going uphill along a river so it wasn’t too bad of a climb. We ate lunch after about 30 kms and unfortunately afterwards we had headwinds to the top which was another 40 kms. At least the road was paved all of the way. The valley was about 200 to 500 meters wide and was mostly tundra with some shrubs and not too many trees. There were some nice villages we passed and the top of the pass was a large wide grassland. We began to slowly go down towards Rawu along another river. As we got towards to the bottom we could see a snow capped peak in the background. From here thru the next day was the best scenery I have seen so far. We got into town and had the problem of finding a place that allowed us to stay. Like usual this was another military town and there were also more tourists around because it is the Chinese mid-autumn festival so many people have off work for a week. They didn’t have a three person room so I considered camping outside of town, which we realized the next day would have been a great idea, but everyone split the total cost for 3 double rooms so I didn’t have to pay twice as much. We ate dinner and then passed out. Of course it was noisy since it was a holiday and many people came back drunk. The Chinese are completely unaware of anyone else and the walls are paper thin so it wasn’t the best night.
9/26 Rawu to Pomi 125 kms
Today was our biggest day yet. It was mainly downhill along a river but was still difficult at times. We left Rawu around 9:30 and went the first 12 kms along the lake which was amazing. There were views of snowcapped peaks and there were allot of pine trees and vegetation along the way which made it more attractive. It kind of reminded me of Colorado at times with higher surrounding peaks. After about 5 kms passed the lake the road turned into a dirt road. It had a lot of the washboard effect but at least I could move to different places on the road to avoid the worst spots. This continued for about 30 kms and then there was pavement. We ate lunch around 2 or 3 at a police checkpoint. Luckily they weren’t interested in us and only checking passing vehicles. We still had 60 kms and most of the day was over so we moved quickly. We also had some strong headwinds again which didn’t help. We passed a few cyclists going the other way. One guy started in England and the other 2 in Poland just over a year ago. Luckily during the last 25 kms or so we had some friendly trees on the sides of the road which blocked the wind so we could move quicker. Since we lowered so much in elevation the trees and area around us was not much different from being in the Adirondacks in New York around fall. There were a lot of ferns, pines and other trees around. Not to mention more bugs than usual. We made it into town around 7 or so while it was still light. We had to play games with what hotel would take us as usual. We found a hotel with double rooms but no three person rooms which was a problem so a Chinese guy on a bike helped me go around town and try to find a place but everyone would not take foreigners. Aggravated I ended up going back to Francis and Peter’s room so I could crash on their floor instead of spending $15 a night for my own room. The four of them had agreed to split the total cost but I thought it was ridiculous. I used my, Francis and Peters sleeping mats so the ground wasn’t bad at all. Most of the Chinese beds aren’t far from sleeping on the floor anyway. We went out to eat and after me and Peter stopped at a bar which was really slow so afterwards we went to sleep. We plan to take off the day tomorrow for rest. I have completed 1000 kms since Zhongdian with only 600 to go to Lhasa. I can’t believe where already getting there. Tomorrow we continue downhill to the lowest point in Lhasa before we have a big climb again. There is a big base at the bottom and allot of people get tickets there for not having a permit. There is no checkpoint but people in cars pull people over. Hopefully we won’t have problems even if we go thru in the day. I guess we have heard that people got fined 300 yuan ($35) which isn’t real bad. Anyway, we should be in Lhasa in less than 10 days.
Lowest part of Tibet back uphill, only 300 kms to Lhasa
October 1st
9/28 Pomi (2750m) to Tangme (2000m?) 92kms. Another beautiful day and one of the easiest days on slight incline to a one horse town.
We left town and began an easy decent on good roads. There was only a couple kms of dirt roads but there wasn’t much to complain about. The views were great and I liked the area because the flora was very similar to New York or the Carolina mountains since the elevation was the lowest (around 2000m) so far on our trip. We got to where the guesthouse was around 4:15 and could have continued a little further but we decided to have an easy day. There was nothing in the area but a hotel, guesthouse and maybe one restaurant. We stayed at the guesthouse for 20 yuan. I went to take a nap and heard the 15 year old kid occasionally screaming like a girl with some others around. They had caught some kind of red snake. I’m not sure if it was poisonous, but after being taunted in a cardboard box it ended up in a large bowl with some bijiu (hard liquor like moonshine) added until it drowned. This kind of drink is popular in Asia. We had dinner at the same place and then passed out. I slept pretty well but one of the dogs in the area was barking like it had smoked crack and was running all around the area of the hotel.
9/29 Tangme (2000m) to Lunung (3300m) 58 kms. Going down to the lowest point of Tibet on some pretty bad roads then up again
We got up to leave and I checked my spokes and realized that 2 of my spokes were broken, probably for a few days at least. Anyway we fixed them and got on the road by 10. After about 300 meters we passed thru the bigger part of town we didn’t realize existed. We continued a couple more kms down to where we crossed a bridge. The road good pretty shitty after the bridge for a few kms about 12 kms. We were technically going downhill along the river but the road had some steep 30 foot up and downs and it was real narrow so there was tons of traffic that was getting backed up and made it more dangerous. We got to the lowest point of our trip around 1700 meters and went up to a small town Trulung where we had lunch. I talked to a Chinese guy studying plants in the area who told us that the road was paved after 20 kms or so. This was pretty good news considering we have about 70 kms of uphill so we want all the pavement we can get. We lucked out even more when the pavement actually started only 8 kms from the town. The area was not too steep either so we were making good time for a while. I got my km marks a little messed up because the information I got off the internet had a mistake so I thought I had 20 kms left but it was 30 kms from where I took a break. The road got steeper as the river cascaded beside me so I could only ride in first gear. Also, ironically the last 10 kms is where I got rained on the most this trip which didn’t make me too happy. It was only a medium to light rain but after a couple hours I was pretty cold by the time we got to Lunung around 7 or so. We took a shower and ate a chicken hotpot across the street which was decent but about $25 which was allot.
9/30 Lunung to Bayi (3100m) 80 kms. A military town we could of and should have gotten a ticket in.
I took off after 9 because I wanted to get a start on our 27 km climb which was mainly riding in the lowest gear. I did about 20 kms and took a break where a shop and an overlook was that you had to pay to observe. I met a Dutch guy about my age that started in Holland and went thru Iran and Pakistan to Tibet. He loved Iran and said northern Pakistan was safe where I was going but the south was getting real dangerous. He heard some gun shots and a police station he stayed at was hit with a bomb and a few people died. I guess the political situation is getting pretty bad. I ate lunch and continued to the top. Afterwards it was a steep downhill to Nyingchi. After about 10 kms going down you could see the valley and after another 14 or so I hit the small town Nyingchi which we planned to stay at. The next town called Bayi is the biggest city (70,000 pop) of our trip and was only 18 kms away but it is notorious for people getting busted for not having tickets. We have heard of someone getting a 300 yuan ticket and a worse story of a Canadian who got caught camping and had to take a bus to Lhasa. The city is important because I guess the most important army base of the region or maybe Tibet is located there. The name of the city Bayi means 81 which is the name of one of China’s famous units from the revolution (kind of like the 82nd airborne division maybe.) The town of Nyingchi wasn’t appealing and we knew there was a monastery nearby so we took our chances and went 1 kms there to see if we could stay there. We could get in for 5 yuan to observe the temple but we couldn’t stay. The monastery was average but they did have a 200 year old tree next to the monastery which was kind of neat. We went back to Nyingchi to see if we could stay there but the guesthouse wanted us to register with the police. There was still a couple hours of day light so frustrated we decided to go ahead and see what happens. We got to Bayi and a couple of us were hesitant but the first Francis I met decided he wanted to go ahead and see what happens. So all five of us went into this pretty large city and rode around taking our chances of finding a hotel. We went to about 8 different places and all of them said no to foreigners or said we needed the travel permit, so the rules were really strict in the area as I may have assumed. We decided to leave town and hit up a couple places on the way as it got dark and we finally got lucky on the outskirts of town. One hotel that looked like there was no one else staying there took our money and didn’t ask us for our passports or papers or anything. I thought someone may take us if they were kind of desperate. All of the hotels which people want to stay at in the center of town were pretty occupied and were the most expensive we have seen on our trip. We got settled in our rooms and headed off towards the center of town to get some food. While I was checking out some hotels Peter made the good observation of a potential burger or western fast food place on the top floor of a 4 story building. He was luckily right and it looked light we just caught them before closing. We got a burger, chicken, fries, ice cream and cokes. I even had some beers while I was there and they even sold wine which was pretty funny. The food ordinarily would be average but at the time it was great. I don’t even mind the Chinese food that much but even in Kunming I eat western food half the time. The Catalonians I’m with hardly like Chinese at all so this was good for them to. We headed back and had no problems with authorities going to bed past 10.
10/1 Bayi to Namse Zampa 84 kms. Easy incline along river, 300 kms to Lhasa
It drizzled in the morning a little and we got up late so we weren’t on the road until around 10. We were already on the road outside of the town so we cruised into the countryside going slightly upstream so it was pretty easy. We road through the valley which was about 500 to 1000 meters wide with surrounding green mountains and a couple snowcapped peaks in the distance. We had some noodles in a small town and continued on luckily missing what appeared to be a large storm which went north of us. Around 5 we got to Namse Zampa which is where there is a one way 45 km turn off to a beautiful lake called Draksum Tso. Mona and Francis first hesitated because the Lonely Planet Tibet guide mentioned that there was the PSB on the road there to check permits. However the book is a couple years old and I asked a couple people if there was the PSB and they said no. We are about 300 kms from Lhasa but we aren’t totally safe until we are within about 150 to 200 kms or so of Lhasa. We have made it this far with all the rumors but since nothing has happened yet I doubt anything will happen at all. Luckily there are no problems going on the road to Nepal, so I should be totally safe soon. We got into this small town and got a bed in a guesthouse for 20 yuan. I talked to the guy at the hostel about arranging a bus tomorrow to the lake since it is one way a good way to take a break. It seems a little strange but if we cycled or went on our own it would be 50 yuan to enter the lake which is what the guy said and Lonely Planet. However this guy could take us there and back for 65 yuan each and we don’t have to pay the fee for the ticket. I guess he knows someone or he goes around the toll. Anyway, I hope it works out and I’m sure it will. This lake is supposed to have a nice monastery and high snow capped peaks surrounding it. Tomorrow we will stay in this town and the next day we make our final leg to Lhasa!
Went to Draksum Sto for half day and then to Kongo Giamda where it took an hour to find a hotel
October 2nd
Namse Zampa to Kongpo Giamda 48 kms.
I arranged to have a driver take us to the lake the day before so there weren’t any problems. The fee to get into the park was 50 yuan but the driver said he could take us for 65 yuan each but we didn’t have to pay the fee for the ticket so it made sense to get a ride from him. He took us five the 42 kms at 9 o’clock which took about an hour. The lake was not as impressive as Rawok Sto which we passed last week but it was OK. I thought we would get more views of the snowcapped peaks around but it wasn’t anything so amazing. We first took a 50 meter bridge to a small island where there was a small monastery and a couple other buildings. We then waited a little bit to take a boat with about 20 other passengers to a different part of the lake. We got out and walked up hill for about two minutes where a bunch of people prayed briefly in an opening into some boulders where there were many prayer flags around. We went back to the shore and got a ride back to town with no problems. It was only 2 pm so we decided to cycle on to the next big town which was about 48 kms away. As I was leaving town I met a Dutch couple around their 30’s who cycled from central Asia to here who were doctors in Africa for the last five years. They recommended Tajikistan just above Iran and said Kazakhstan was pretty boring on a previous trip. I took off around 2:30 and got to Kongpo Giamda (pop 7000) around 5:15. I began to look for hotels or guesthouses which have recently been a big problem in the last week. About 5 different places rejected us and one hotel was 500 yuan ($60) for 2 people which was too much. We eventually found a cheap place on the west end of town for 30 yuan. They tried explaining to us which I realized later that they wanted us to register with the PSB which we didn’t. We played dumb and they gave up trying to explain. I only knew because they later gave Peter a note and I looked up the name for PSB in my dictionary and it was on the sheet of paper. Anyway, after today we should be close enough to Lhasa that this should not be a problem anymore (we are less than 300 kms away at this point.) We rested a bit, used the internet and had dinner. Only three more days to Lhasa!
Finally got ticket from cops. Probably for using our flash to take pictures of cows eating trash in town. Finally in Lhasa!
October 6th
10/3 Busted by police in Kongpo Giamda then went to Shungdor Truck stop (96 kms)
Well we thought it couldn’t happen being so close to Lhasa (280 kms) but it did. After using the internet the five of us had dinner and we walked back to our hotel around 9 or 10. As we passed through the center of town we saw a few cows eating trash so we took so photos. We got to our place and about a half hour later we could hear Francis who was with his wife Mona in the room next door talking to some authority. Me, Francis and Peter decided not to do anything but laugh. It was ironic being China of course that as we tried desperately to hear what was going on just next door someone below in the street started to fix their truck and were making tons of noise. Francis English isn’t that good and the cops didn’t know English so you could hear him asking questions like “do I sleep here or in the police station?” “I am only a tourist with my wife” over and over. He finally talked to a cop on the phone and it sounded like we had to go to Lhasa the next day but we didn’t know if that meant cycling or by bus. Finally the cops came to our door just to get our passports which they said they would return in the morning.
They cops came by around 9 and we followed the 2 officers who looked like teenagers on our bikes to the station. It was a pretty funny situation actually because the young cops didn’t care but it was probably there chief who saw us the night before. We sat down in the office and the cop who knew English started a funny speech “first of all, welcome to Tibet it’s very nice to meet you……… (continues for a couple minutes and then the crusher,) unfortunately you have entered Tibet illegally so you each have to pay a 500 yuan ($60) fine.” Of course we responded that we couldn’t pay because we didn’t have the money but first they had to get all of our personal information and ask a few questions which managed to take about 3 hours but didn’t surprise me after being in China this long. They basically asked us the information which was already in my passport anyway and they asked us where we were coming from and going to. We lied and said that we were coming from Lhasa and then going back. He wanted to see my photos which made me a little nervous. The first picture was the cow eating trash and so was the second and by the third picture of the cows eating trash he had enough and couldn’t quite understand its importance. Luckily he didn’t check more photos because he would have seen that we came from the other direction. We said we didn’t have enough money so we ended up negotiating down to 200 yuan each and then we left and got on the road around noon.
We still ended up pulling a long day going slowly uphill along the river. In the late afternoon we had stronger headwinds which made it worse. We pulled into a small town in the evening and stayed at one of the Tibetan guesthouses which have a colorful and appealing interior but no running water or bathroom. I really like the Yak tea but the Tibetan food is just bread and boiled Yak so we got Chinese food next door and afterwards passed out in our large dorm room with about 7 beds.
10/4 Shungdor truck stop to Medro Kongkar (108 kms)
We began our last pass before Lhasa which was about 27 kms. The first 17 were not too bad but then we had strong headwinds and the pass was around 5000 meters so it was pretty high and tiring. We got to the top around 2 and began the long decent to Lhasa the first part was pretty steep but we still had headwinds so it was still difficult. We ran into a couple Germans at separate times that came from Europe. We got into town after a long day and food one of the cheap guest houses which had pretty good food to. The cops came to our room to check our passports but didn’t need the permit the police gave us the day before. They just wanted to know if we were headed to Lhasa the next day.
10/5 Medro Kongkar to Lhasa (72 kms)
We took off around 10 and didn’t waste too much time getting to Lhasa. We had some headwinds in the afternoon but we still got there around 2 or so. We first went over to the Potala palace to take pictures and then went over to a popular place called the Yak to get a room. We got a four bed room for 40 yuan each and Francis and his wife got a room together. We ate a late lunch next door at Dunya, which is owned by a Dutch guy whose brother I know Alex who runs a pizzeria in Kunming called Weis. Afterwards I walked around a bit and got the feel for the city which is definitely developed but at least had a Tibetan feel and not totally Chinese like Bayi or some other cities in Tibet. This is also because so many Tibetans make there pilgrimage to Lhasa so thousands of people were making their way there the maze
like alleyways and roads to the Jonghang and Potala. I went back next door to the bar and met an American from Colorado named Ken who had come from Zhongdian a couple days before me and had been in Lhasa for about a week now. He is also going to Nepal and doing some parts in South East Asia before heading back home. The others met me and we ended up eating at the same place again which is average and then I crashed out since I was tired. I have to wait until Monday to apply for the visa and I can pick it up the next afternoon so I will stay in town for a few days or a week at the most. I have until November 3 on my visa so I still have time.
Week in Lhasa to get Nepal visa, see a few monasteries and the Potala Palace
October 11th
The annoying Nepal consulate
I went to the Nepal consulate which was a drag on Monday morning at 10 when it opens to apply for a visa. There were about 50 people there so it took until 12 just to go in and pay. There were many people who come to Lhasa in groups so as I waited peoples friends and cut in line as well as a bunch of young monks. I guess budging was nothing they learned about at the monastery. After I left at noon they just closed so about 20 people behind me had to come back the next morning. I would have been highly pissed if they just closed the doors before me. The people at the embassy could have cut off the line at some point so people didn’t have to wait thinking they may be open to 1 or 1:30, which is often the case in many places. The guy barley looked at my application and only asked if I had been to Nepal before. Usually you pay your fee the next day but he wanted the money at that time which wasn’t a problem but he didn’t have change. The fee was 255 Yuan ($30) and I had 300 yuan so I had to wait until a few people passed so he had the 45 yuan change. He also didn’t have glue for my picture which I assumed the embassy would provide but I guess they ran out. I came back the next day expecting only to pick up my visa quickly but of course this was not the case. I waited about an hour and a half and the consulate general wanted to see everyone to give the visa so each person took a couple minutes of so. I saw a few people had to come back like one Tibetan girl in front of me in line so I wasn’t sure if I was going to have a problem. He just said he had been to Manhattan and Niagara Falls and asked me if I was taking a bus which I said yes and then left with a 60 day visa which I think is the highest you can get now. I guess I can extend when I get to Nepal.
Areas and sights in and around Lhasa
The Jokhang
This monastery in the center of town just minutes from my hotel is the holiest site in all of Tibet. Many people were praying in front and walking clockwise around the structure which takes about 15 minutes to get around. I checked out the inside before I left town for 70 yuan which was nothing amazing and very crowded. You do get some good views from the roof.
Potala Palace of the Dali Llama
I’ve seen a few sights and monasteries around Lhasa that have been pretty decent. We went to the Potala on Sunday which was pretty nice because of the views. Most insides are beautiful but I don’t know all the meanings to the Buddha’s so I can’t respect it as much as I could if I was educated about it more. Of course you can’t go throughout the whole palace which would probably take all day. You go thru a specified area which took us about an hour and a half.
Sera Monastery
In the afternoon on Tuesday the five of us went to the Sera monastery which was about 5 kms north of town. This monastery is more like a group of colleges to teach monks various knowledge or disciplines? We went thru the monastery’s and thru some buildings but the main attraction is going to the courtyard to watch the younger monks debating with droves of western tourists taking pictures of course. The monks ask a certain question and slap their hands hard together at the same time.
Ganden Monastery
Ganden Monastery was my favorite not because of the monastery itself but because of the views around. The monastery itself is about an hour bus ride west of town which leaves unfortunately about 7 so we got up early. The bus goes up about 1600 feet from the main road to the monastery and then you can go to the peaks next to it which takes about a half hour to get up but has amazing views.
Drepung Monastery
This monastery and colleges were 8 kms west of Lhasa on the mountain side. It was similar to the Sera monastery with the monks debating but it was a little better since it was on the mountain side. I went with my friend Rick and we went around so we didn’t have to pay, which was 50 yuan.
Critique of Lhasa
The city of Lhasa itself is pretty decent. The area I’m staying at seems 90 percent Chinese but after being around the city more I think it could be just 20% Tibetan near the Jokang and my hotel and the surrounding area 80% Chinese, which is a little depressing. The Lonely planet lists the restaurant Dunya next to our hotel as having excellent food which I think from the times I have been there is highly over rated. The atmosphere is great and it has a nice bar but the western food is average at best. You are better off getting Nepalese or Chinese food it seems. I couldn’t wait to get western food when I got here but nothing is great. As far as the monastery’s goes it can cost allot to see all these places which are considered holy sites. I have spent about $35 to see the Potala and some other monasteries. In Europe or America I don’t remember ever having to pay to go into any church. By the way the Tibetans don’t have to pay either which I understand. I hope the money goes to something useful other than the Chinese government.
Social scene
The drinking seen is nothing to special. I have met a few cool individuals but almost everyone who comes to Tibet comes in tours from 5 to 25 people so a bunch of cliques form easily. I met an Italian cyclist who left on Tuesday who was cool and an American cyclist named Ken who left a couple days before. Hopefully I’ll run into them in Kathmandu which will be pretty probable. There is one cafe called Spinn which is run by a guy from Hong Kong and Thailand which is good to get some information. My second last day I met a Canadian named Rick who has lived in Guangzhou, China the last few years who was a riot. He does motivation seminars around Asia so he obviously has an intense, funny and interesting personality. He even does fire walks during his seminars and he has also sold many books in China so he’s doing really well now. We went to a couple monasteries and hung out for a couple days before he took off towards Kathmandu and then do a seminar in India. He mentioned If I came back to China after my trip I could be a guest speaker because of my experiences which would be funny.
I leave tomorrow for Nepal which should take less than 3 weeks with a side route to the base camp of Mt Everest. I will pass by a couple more famous monasteries and scenic areas and luckily the road should be good most of the time.