Well I’m finally home again, the final leg from Ali to Kathmandu in
some ways was the hardest.
I cycles about 1500 km from Ali to Kathmandu.
The weather on this leg was harder than before, with the start of
summer rain starts in the afternoon and it was sometimes still raining
in the morning. The rain makes starting in the morning much harder.
As I got further along the road to Kathmandu, there were more and more
tourists and more of the Tibetan kids start begging when riding through
towns. Tourists have a lot to answer for in central Tibet.
Its nice to be back in a clean place, even Bangkok seemed clean after
china, no more spitting on the floor, shitting of the street and all
those nice Chinese things.
Thanks to everyone I met along the way for the conversation etc, except
all those 4WD drivers who kept on trying to run me off the road. If
your in Tasmania sometime drop us a email.
Ive started to scan some of the 18 rolls of slide film I took, Ill try
and put them on a web site some time. Attached are two photos, one on
the border on Xinjang and Tibet (from the month before) and the other
one on the last pass in Tibet at 5100m where we camped and got
excellent views of Mt Everest in the morning.
Here is some of what happened over the month and a half of cycling,
1/7 – Depart Ali, camp at KM1114 opposite village in distance, 58km,
4:12,
The road south from Ali goes over a 4700m pass and is paved, which
makes for quite different cycling. I meet a Chilean cyclist who had
come from Lhasa bus had decided to bus out to Kashgar (which I can
quite understand).
After the pass its cycling in the first of some large valley floors,
with nomads grazing goats and yaks on the grass at the bottom of the
valley.
2/7 – Camp at KM 1152 42km 4:02,
The pavement ends just after the small town of Namru and just before
the top a the pass, so its back to to dirt roads for the next 1100 km.
I stopped to take some pictures of yaks around a lake and the nomads
invite me into there tent (much larger than mine) for yogurt, butter
tea and flat bread.
As well as the pavement ending, the KM markers are missing from the
road (as the road is now about 44 km shorter) and I don’t see any for
the next 400km.
3/7 – Camp at KM1230, 30km,
A day with very strong head winds, at one point I’m stopped at the top
of a rise by the wind and dust blowing directly at me, down the rise I
can manage 6 km per hour cycling hard, so I stop and wait for the wind
to stop.
4/7 – Camp in Tibetan nomad tent, 21km, 2:22,
It was a very slow day and I stop in several tents for tea and some
food, I’m feeling sick, so stop early when invited into a tent by a
family to sleep, it also rains over night.
The family give me rice, topped with yogurts and sugar, what an
excellent meal.
After the turnoff to a place south call Zandar (a big military and
tourist place) the road is worse and harder cycling for the next 500km
to Saga.
5/7 – Moincer guest house, 40km, 3:45
Feeling much better today, its wet in the morning, but feeling better I
don’t mind going on and going over the next pass. Over the pass its
mostly down a long valley to the town on Moincer.
Moincer is the first mostly Tibetan town I come across, it also has a
check point on the way in, so as I have a travel permit not I thought I
would try and see it if works, I push the bike under the wire across
the road which is the check point, and push the office door open. The
police man is asleep on the bed on the room, I make enough noise to
wake him up, he asks be to sit down (probably the only english he
knows), so I walk out again. So much for needing a travel permit.
6/7 – Camp 53km, 5:13
Trying to make Darchen, which is the next town with telephones and
tourists, mostly a flat valley floor to cycle on, and a pass 4900m just
before Darchen.
I camp in a excellent place by a river with views of Mt Kaliash in the
north.
7/7 to 9/7 – Darchen, 10km
10/7 – Camp OD 2514, 48km, 4:00
Through the towns of Braga and Hor with nice views of lake Mansenover
and Kailash in the west.
Its wet over night, but by mid morning things are dry and I get going
up the next valley.
11/7 – Camp OD 2547, 32km, 3:34
Not much energy today, the meal I had at Hor does not seem to be doing
it, its up the river and hard riding.
I have some Tsampa (tibetan yak butter tea, and rolled barley flour)
for lunch which helps a bit.
12/7 – Camp OD 2579, 32km, 3:36
Little water around, and I walk to the edge of the lake about 1 km
south of the road. Its still hard going up the valley.
Its very windy and wet overnight, the water is blowing through the wall
of the tent, I’m glad for the dryloft sleeping bad as its still warm
inside even though its wet on the outside.
13/7 – Camp OD 2622, 44km 4:13
Another pass and lunch just before the pass under the ground sheet due
to sago snow and rain.
I unpack everything and dry it out in the afternoon sun shine and camp.
14/7 – Camp OD 2667, 45km 4:02
Another wet start to the day, but things are a bit cleaner and get
packed up not too wet.
15/7 – Camp OD 2719 51km 4:16
I cycle into a tent village for the perfect cycling breakfast, butter
tea, tsampa (flour and butter tea) and yogurt.
The tourists are getting thicker now, they are good for some english
conversation, but some are quite painful at times, and they never want
to give be a lift or slow down when passing me.
16/7 – Paryang 13 km, 1:14.
A small town with guest houses, I decide to stop in town, wash a fix a
few things.
17/7 – New Zhongba, 30km cycled and lift for 30 km.
I get a lift when cycling out of a very small village by a small truck
going me way while Ill sitting on the bike thinking about the next pass
into a head wind. We arrive in New Zhongba after about 1 hr which was
nice.
New Zhongba is off the main road and had good places to stay, and at
one stage about 100 people around be looking at what I’m doing. The
only good thing about the town was it has fresh vegies, and has 5 km of
paved road going out of town.
18/7 – to Zhongba, 22km, 1:50
After 5km its back to the road made from river rocks.
After a bad nights sleep and not a good breakfast, I stop in the next
town with a headache for lunch and decide to sleep there to get some
good rest.
I meet 2 chinese cyclist cycling from Lhasa to Kashgar, they had much
less gear that I had so maybe the trip will be a lot easier.
First KM marker 1703 after Namru.
19/7 – Camp 61km, 5:25,
First 60+ km day for a long time better road and feeling mush better. I
stop just outside a village and only have one local visitor.
20/7 – Camp 43km 3:38
Wet start to the day, but good days cycling.
21/7 to 23/7 – Saga 31km, 2:51
Saga is at a cross road, a road comes directly up from Nepal and
another one from Lhasa. Its not a nice town, with shitting in the river
and a very strange feeling about it though. The rumor going around is
that there was plague in the down a few weeks before, they had to close
the town for a few days and kill all the dogs in the town. This does
not surprise me with dogs, people not washing, mice and rats, and
people shitting in the streets and all the waste going into the river.
I receive a message from Kirsten that she is in SangSang (a town down
the road) and cycling this way, from a note she gave to a passing motor
cyclist tourist who found me in Saga and handed to to me.
24/7 – Camp 56km, 4:37
Had permit hassels departing Saga, I had to play the waiting game, then
was told I could go, without a fine.
I get away from Saga as fast as I can and over the next pass and camp
in the rain by a nice river.
25/7 – PaDeng Cun, 40km
In the small town of Raga, the spedo shows I have cycles 3000km since
Islamabad.
This was about where I was expecting Kirsten to be, I was expecting
that she would be working her way up the other side of the pass on the
other side of town. It was raining and I stopped in town for a break
and tea, thinking to go on when the rain eases. I cycle out of town
after some time and starting to see what I think are tracks that could
be Kirsten’s, I cycle a bit more then stop and think about it for a
while, I decide to turn around and just check that she is not in town.
Once I turn around the kids in town indicate there is another cyclist
in town. I find Kirsten in the guest house across the road from where I
had tea, when I came into town I check the guest house so she must have
arrived while I was having tea.
26/7 – guest house, 15km, 1:22
Over the pass out of town and down the other side, with a late start we
decide to stop and rest in the guest house.
27/7 – Camp 41 km 3:42
Another pass only 4500m though.
28/7 – Camp 39km, 3:20
Through through the town of SangSang for an evening meal and to pick up
fresh vegies.
We camp and get a visit from some local young kids. In the morning its
very wet and the kids are back to visit and help packup. At one point
when Kirsten and I are in the tent to keep dry, the kids come inside as
well, in a tent much smaller than they are used to.
29/7 – Camp 31km 2:52
We spent most of the morning drying out gear after the wet night,
another pass to go over in the morning then mostly down.
At KM2061 I see my first tree in about 2 months and 1700 km.
30/7 – Camp 44km 3:43
After small passes we camp above a river with a monastery on a hill in
the distance.
31/7 to 1/8- Lhatze 64.2 km 4:46
Seeing more villages now with much more that just tents, houses etc.
Mostly down a long river valley to a flat plane to Lhatze. At KM2140
highway 219 ends (which I had cycled all 2140 km of it).
We cycle 10 km past town to some hot springs which was nice and I think
it was my first wash since leaving Ali.
2/8 – Camp 28km 4:21
Tough climbing all day from Lhatze almost to a the top of a pass. They
are re-building the road up the pass so the road is very bad, difficult
to cycle in parts and very wet.
We camp and Kirsten is exhausted.
3/8 – Camp 41km, 3:50
4/8 – Camp 44km, 3:36
no rain overnight.
View of Everest in the morning
5/8 – Hotel at hot springs, 51km, 4:13
rode the last 10km from Dingri (or old-Tingri) in heavy rain, but
knowing the hot springs were there it was not so much of a problem.
6/8 – Guest house, 42km 4:05
We meet two spanish cycists doing Lhasa to Kathmandu (via Everest base
camp) and spend the night in the same guest house in a small town with
them.
Mostly flat up hill on a good dirt road, but have a head wind for the
last 2 hours.
7/8 – Camp on Tong-La 37km 4:57
Last two passes both over 5000m.
But we bet to camp on the top of the last pass in Tibet, at 5150m. In
the evening the mountains in the distance have cloud around, and fog
comes in over night. However in the morning its clear and we have
excellent views of Mt Everest, Chu Oyo, Lhatse, and Sisabangfeng.
8/8 – Down to Zhungumu, 90 km, 5:57
Almost all downhill for 90 km down 2400m, down this amazing valley
starting above the tree line and ending in the tropical forest.
9/8 – to Dolagart, 68km, 5:23
About 20km in the pavement begins.
Over the border (and out of China) into Nepal, what I change, different
food, people that speak english, what a change.
Dolgart is at 600m, 4550m below where we were the day before.
10/8 – to Kathmandu, 55km
a few climbes back up to Kathmandu, I see how hard I can push up the
hills, and I just keep pushing its quite amazing.
Back in Kathmandu after 10 years, the hotel I stayed in 10 years ago is
still there. Kathmandu has good places to shop, and excellent food,
what a change from China.
When I got to Bangkok, I had the flight from Hell home, the plane into
Bangkok was delayed 15 hours from London, so another night in Bangkok,
and we arrived into Melbourne at about mid-night, only to miss my
flight in the morning.
