Saturday, November 18, 2006
Nov.16 Cu Chi Tunnels
The morning started off early as usual catching the bus off to the Cu Chi area. It was a joint 'Happy Tour' and TM Bros trip. The younger guide was only 22, but the older one (his big brother) was well over 50 and served with the South Vietnamese Army during the American War, alongside the Americans. He had a funny sense of humour, but I wonder how he really feels, guiding tourists back to the tunnels used by his former enemies.
There was a great set up throughout the jungle trail, showing the types of traps the Viet Cong used to use, they were just brutal traps, but I guess they accomplished the job. It couldve been worse, they couldve Napalmed entire villages of civilians and let Agent Orange linger and deform future populations. It makes the pitchfork leg breaking foot trap look like a happy ending compared to them.
There was an eerie feeling though, walking throught the Jungle, and actually hearing the gunshots and machine gun fire going off at the nearby rifle range. A few of us took some shots on the AK47, hopefully the only time in my life, super loud with a huge kickback into the shoulder. The tunnel itself has actually been widened for the 'big westerners', the originals are tight enough that even the small Vietnamese would have had to crawl through them snake like. As we descended some stairs then suddenly into the entrance of the tunnel, I had that cold sweat on again. The problem being a few others freaked out, and that worried me, if theyre in front of me in this tight little tunnel and they spaz out and need to get out, it gets ugly in there. I ducked in and started crawling but soon reversed out and had to take a few breathes and re assess. First of all, its the only time in my life Ill be here. Second of all, theres that macho thing to worry about. Third, suck it up. So I went in again and made it the whole 50metres (felt like 500). It weaved, went up, down.. but as soon as I saw that small exit on the left I bee lined it out of there, then realized my shirt was dripping with sweat worse than my office shirt in July.
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Sunday, November 12, 2006
Friday, November 10, 2006
Monday, November 06, 2006
Nov.4th - Halong Bay Kayak back to Hanoi
The last morning here on this private beach, everyone's feeling the same, we don't want to go yet. It's been so good to be away from all cars/motorbikes, streetstalls, noise... and be on this secluded beach with kayaks, huts, and a fridge of Tiger Beer.
The morning kayaking was good, if anything it was a bit too short. The cave we went into was only about 70m, a far cry from yesterdays nutshow in the cave. We paddled into some eerily quiet lagoons where you just lift your paddle out of the water and sit back and listen.
On the ride home, a really strange dude got into the van with our group, apparently he's with a different group sharing the way home.. anyways.. he was on SOMEthing. There really wasn't much going on upstairs, he mumbled a bit, then would rock out to himself, then pretended to punch the window because Jeff (who he hadnt met yet) didnt want to get out and have an ice cream. Just messed up.
Into Hanoi to pick up train tix, soak up some more of the Old Quarter, then jump on the train. Sharing the room is a couple from Germany, no idea of names, I only reconfirmed that noone loves beer as much as the Germans. He killed 2-3 cans of Heine then said goodnight and shut out the light.
Nov.3rd - In a Cave with the Tide Rising
Day 2 is our full day in the kayaks, complete with full caves etc. The morning was spent cruising into some quiet lagoons and enjoying the perfect weather while paddling around. For lunch we docked up against the boat and they served up a 'white fish' to us. Whats a white fish? I dont know, but thats what our guide called it. I thought Id give it a shot, until we noticed the GUTS still inside of it, normal in Asia, not so normal in Canada. I scraped some off and ate a bit of the fish meat anyways, and a bit of shrimp. After lunch we all jumped off the second deck of the boat into the ultra warm (and ultra salty) water. The SanFran couple took awhile to jump, until the guy nearly pushed her off, good times. Awesome swimming then lounging in the sun up on the deck again.
The afternoon though was ... interesting. We cruised to a small cave that you could barely notice, where our guide then greased the palms of some local 'environmental guards'. Duc tells us its a 200m narrow cave and we'll pop out at the other end. As we're paddling in, its getting darker, and musky, and Im getting that clausterphobic feeling. 140m in, and Im battling off wave after wave of panic attacks, and its narrowed to 2m wide. We've had to put all the paddles inside, and use our hands to steer/direct the kayaks holding onto the roof, which is about a foot above the kayak. Now Im leaning way wayyy back in the boat, my forehead is scraping the top, and even typing about it now has me breaking into a cold sweat. Like my Dad says, "why cant you be normal and take a vacation to Vegas??". With my headlamp I can see Duc (guide) in front but he's stuck, trying to literally push his kayak deeper into the water so he can squeeze onward.
Im not liking the looks of this. 
He gives us all a choice, we can get out and swim (but risk getting cut up on the floor and walls of the cave he adds after), or we can reverse and turn around. He assures us that the tide isnt coming up too fast, but I dont see "Tide Expert" across his forehead so Im all for getting the hell out of there, as was everyone else. The reverse was interesting, and once we were heading OUT it felt alot better. Showing impeccable timing, Duc then told us of the story of another kayaking company who lost 3 tourists in that cave last May when the tide came in and they were trapped. Lovely.
The Tiger beers around the beach bonfire went down smooooth after that.
Nov.2nd - Kayak Trip to Halong Bay
Up and on the way to Handspan's Office by 6 (six?!) am. The drive from Hanoi to Haphong was about 2 hours, and Duc the guide, told us all some stories. Theres Canadians, Dutch, and Americans on this trip, no Brits??
From Haphong we caught the boat for an hour to Cat Ba Island, then a 15 minute van ride, then a 45 minute boat ride to the Handspan Beach. Its a private beach (see pic above on the right), no roads to it, just on an isolated island. We grabbed a good lunch with yesterdays group then took off in the kayaks for 3-4 hours all afternoon. The typhoon that was supposed to come caused a few waves but thankfully it turned away far south of here. Went through some small caves, and to a quiet beach in Halong Bay where we had tea and apples (nice mix!) and chilled out a bit. Back at the Base Camp everyone had a great dinner and a few beers, then laid down on the beach. So good to be out of the city.
Oct.31st - Arrival in Vietnam
The flight was short and budget. Budget flights arent really that bad of a thing, as long as you can trust the plane (I know my Dad is shaking his head right now) and it gets you there on time. I went on Air Asia for $40, can you go wrong? Except they try to charge for water, all went fine.Immigration at Hanoi is a breeze too, only IF you have the paperwork done. I guess almost 3 yrs in J-land have done some good since Im organized with the paperwork (like my office super book).
There's a million motorbikes here. Actually maybe more. Motorbikes carrying families of 5, who needs a minivan or SUV?? Motorbikes carrying building supplies. Motorbikes carrying 3 dead pigs strapped on the back. Hanoi has a cool feel too it, and the lake in the center of town (Hoam Kiem) is nice, so is the Old Quarter nearby. Tons of shops, lots of energy. Crossing the street here is a nutshow though, its like a real life frogger game. You just have to walk into the madness of mopeds motorbikes taxis bicycles and cars coming straight at you, they usually turn (if they DIDNT turn would I be here writing this?). It all works out somehow, like all things in SE Asia, and the main thing is DONT HESITATE. If you freak out and start ziggin/zaggin you're going to the next one strapped to the motorbike.
Tonight I even caught the Water Puppets show. Supposedly world renowned, a 'must see'. It was pretty good, and impressive how the actors (puppet masters?) can control the puppets on the long pole while underwater.
Oct.30th - Bangkok Storage Day
It sucks to have to use a vacation day as an 'errand day', but this had to be done. In short order, I had to get rid of the beard, arrange laundry that can be done fast, lose said laundry, re-find said laundry, print off a map to the storage joint, beg taxis to take me there and not rip me off, wait a long time for a taxi to agree to a reasonable price, breath smog, store the bike/gear bag, kill a frappo from Starbucks and get a beer in me before I snapped.
Anyone who knows me, knows Im a bit of a freak about time. I love my time. Time is more valuable than almost anything save a signed Gretzky jersey. So a day like today had me sweating (Id sweat anyways) and running around like mad, but it had to be done, so like they say in Japan, shoganai.
24 hrs in Bangkok and Im ready to get out, heading to Hanoi, Vietnam in the morning.
Anyone who knows me, knows Im a bit of a freak about time. I love my time. Time is more valuable than almost anything save a signed Gretzky jersey. So a day like today had me sweating (Id sweat anyways) and running around like mad, but it had to be done, so like they say in Japan, shoganai.
24 hrs in Bangkok and Im ready to get out, heading to Hanoi, Vietnam in the morning.
Oct.29th - Nepal to Thailand
Waking up this morning, I felt like I was completely spent. Packing last night, I could barely hold my eyes open, and walking makes my achilles feel like its about to tear. Still though, feeling good from the whole ride.
3 riders are going to make the trip 30k down into Kathmandu (reaping the benefits of our brutal climb last night), since they dont fly out right away. Im definitely jealous, but what can you do?
Its the tour company's fault that we can't all make the entire trip, since they changed our China flight and told us about it with a week before arriving in Nepal.
A quick breakfast and some pics before heading onto the bus with Pema Sherpa. I couldnt even box my bike up (Makalu brought out a water soaked box from the 30's, I refused to use it). In the airport I tried to get a snickers and water (Im addicted to Snickers now, thanks Dr.Nick), but didnt have enough Rupees left.
The flight to Bangkok was fairly painless, and once again Thai Airways didnt charge any extra for my bike, so huge thanks to them for being one of the last 'bike friendly' airlines.
Bangkok hasn't changed a whole lot in the past 5 yrs since I first came here. Im staying in Sukhumvit area. Pretty much, its a white/western world transported into "Asia", this city. Everything and anything you want you can find. For some travellers that may be enough and just what they need actually, for others though its best to escape. By the way, the massive hamburger I had tonight was my first in a month and went down in less than 1 minute.
Tibet Day 15 Zangmhu to Dulikhel
Sat Oct 28 2006
98kms 5hours:34mins
98kms 5hours:34mins
Hungover (from 3 beers???), and super tired this morning. Felt like I barely slept in this hole of a hotel, really missing the tent.
We crossed the border, and then rode downhill for eight k of 'no mans land'. I cant believe it was 8k long, creeepy, and lots of people around the place, what country do they live in?? Had to say goodbye to Palden, our Tibetan guide, good guy.
Into Nepal, the Venezuelan team decided to roll off in teh jeep today since their time was tight. There was no way I was gonna miss this downhill though, not with all the climbing I did this trip. Also a part of me wanted to do the whole thing, unassisted, unaided, no vehicles, no holding onto trucks on the climbs, nothing but bike and on my own power.
The downhill RIPPED, so much fun. Bad luck struck team Venezuela though when their jeep broke down, and it turned out that they got to Kat alot later than us who rode, that sucks.
5 of us once again ended up riding together, and we turned it into a fun ride, adding sprint attacks, mountain climb challenges, you name it. Of course, it blew us up, but what is there to save it for?... a big fucking climb as it turned out later.
We did a bit of a pub crawl, but only Chris boozed, those Austrians love their booze. We inhaled junk food at a few villages, just because we can. Then the climb started, from Dologhat up to Dulikhel. It turned into a 37km climb. Fitting that our last climb was BRUTAL. It really did take a team to push each other up it though. We took a good Pepsi break, then pushed on. Chris and Terry put down punishing paces, and we all tried to gut out the last hard day. I couldnt believe the lactic acid in my legs, the dizziness, I was spent.. we got to the summit, the goal, the town of Dulhikel by sundown, spent.
Its a weird feeling, the end of a ride... the end of 2 months, 2400kms for me, from Japan to Tibet to Nepal. I couldnt pack up my bike, not just yet.
Our group had a final dinner, but people were actually falling asleep at the table, everyone is so tired. NOt sure how to sum up a trip like this, amazing, unforgettable.. It was easily the hardest thing Ive ever done, by far, the furthest Ive pushed myself. Now time for rehab and relaxing times in Nam on the beaches...
We crossed the border, and then rode downhill for eight k of 'no mans land'. I cant believe it was 8k long, creeepy, and lots of people around the place, what country do they live in?? Had to say goodbye to Palden, our Tibetan guide, good guy.
Into Nepal, the Venezuelan team decided to roll off in teh jeep today since their time was tight. There was no way I was gonna miss this downhill though, not with all the climbing I did this trip. Also a part of me wanted to do the whole thing, unassisted, unaided, no vehicles, no holding onto trucks on the climbs, nothing but bike and on my own power.
The downhill RIPPED, so much fun. Bad luck struck team Venezuela though when their jeep broke down, and it turned out that they got to Kat alot later than us who rode, that sucks.5 of us once again ended up riding together, and we turned it into a fun ride, adding sprint attacks, mountain climb challenges, you name it. Of course, it blew us up, but what is there to save it for?... a big fucking climb as it turned out later.
We did a bit of a pub crawl, but only Chris boozed, those Austrians love their booze. We inhaled junk food at a few villages, just because we can. Then the climb started, from Dologhat up to Dulikhel. It turned into a 37km climb. Fitting that our last climb was BRUTAL. It really did take a team to push each other up it though. We took a good Pepsi break, then pushed on. Chris and Terry put down punishing paces, and we all tried to gut out the last hard day. I couldnt believe the lactic acid in my legs, the dizziness, I was spent.. we got to the summit, the goal, the town of Dulhikel by sundown, spent.
Its a weird feeling, the end of a ride... the end of 2 months, 2400kms for me, from Japan to Tibet to Nepal. I couldnt pack up my bike, not just yet.Our group had a final dinner, but people were actually falling asleep at the table, everyone is so tired. NOt sure how to sum up a trip like this, amazing, unforgettable.. It was easily the hardest thing Ive ever done, by far, the furthest Ive pushed myself. Now time for rehab and relaxing times in Nam on the beaches...
Tibet Day 13 - Tingri to LaLung Pass
Thurs - Oct 26 - 2006 4300m-4800m
77kms Riding Time 5hours:27mins
The dogs were out in full force last night, the well known tibetan wild dogs who love to bark, fight, near tents. I still slept well, but many others didnt it turned out. As we started out on another frosty morning, the peaks of Everest and Cho Oyu sent us off. My achilles is at its worse today, stayed stiff and cold for at least 10k, and didnt get much better the whole day. I started dead last, and kept a slow steady pace, trying to get warm, but my feet were numb all morning til I massaged them to life at lunch. Eventually I joined up with Chris, Nick, Mike, and Terry and we rode in to lunch by 1130am for a siesta and food.
The afternoon ride from 1:15 went uphill, the whole way. LaLung Pass is a beast, over 5000metres yet again, but it couldnt be as bad as Lakpa the other day that broke my spirit completely. Decided to leave nothing in the tank today since tomorrow we were told is an 'easy' day, and the start of the ultimate downhill.
The pass turned out to be one of the toughest. The freezing headwind at times sucked, and a few false summits werent fun at all. Chris was the only one in front of me at his steady Jan Ullrich like pace, and I just kept my own pace. Unfortunately my gas ran out just before the summit, suddenly I became dizzy, a little disoriented, and swerved to a stop on the bank edge. Thankfully Dr.Nick was right behind me (note:always have a doctor riding behind you if you try to blow yourself up). He made sure I was good to go after a Snickers break. He swears that the two snicker diet is the way to go on this kindof trip, so Im taking his word for it. The downhill into our camp wasnt too long, but sweet nonetheless. We were all pretty blasted (4 of us, Terry was on his way though) by the time we got there for some Masala tea and crackers. Terry rolled in looking utterly screwed, and I remembered I had told him Id give him a Snickers bar today...but we hadnt ridden together it turned out. I forced one on him and he was revived in no time.
Its our last night camping tonight. The chef somehow made a massive thank you cake, its amazing the things that they can make here in their little cook tent. One last night in the tents, our tenth night camping in all. Not sure why, but Ill miss it.
77kms Riding Time 5hours:27mins
The dogs were out in full force last night, the well known tibetan wild dogs who love to bark, fight, near tents. I still slept well, but many others didnt it turned out. As we started out on another frosty morning, the peaks of Everest and Cho Oyu sent us off. My achilles is at its worse today, stayed stiff and cold for at least 10k, and didnt get much better the whole day. I started dead last, and kept a slow steady pace, trying to get warm, but my feet were numb all morning til I massaged them to life at lunch. Eventually I joined up with Chris, Nick, Mike, and Terry and we rode in to lunch by 1130am for a siesta and food.
The afternoon ride from 1:15 went uphill, the whole way. LaLung Pass is a beast, over 5000metres yet again, but it couldnt be as bad as Lakpa the other day that broke my spirit completely. Decided to leave nothing in the tank today since tomorrow we were told is an 'easy' day, and the start of the ultimate downhill.The pass turned out to be one of the toughest. The freezing headwind at times sucked, and a few false summits werent fun at all. Chris was the only one in front of me at his steady Jan Ullrich like pace, and I just kept my own pace. Unfortunately my gas ran out just before the summit, suddenly I became dizzy, a little disoriented, and swerved to a stop on the bank edge. Thankfully Dr.Nick was right behind me (note:always have a doctor riding behind you if you try to blow yourself up). He made sure I was good to go after a Snickers break. He swears that the two snicker diet is the way to go on this kindof trip, so Im taking his word for it. The downhill into our camp wasnt too long, but sweet nonetheless. We were all pretty blasted (4 of us, Terry was on his way though) by the time we got there for some Masala tea and crackers. Terry rolled in looking utterly screwed, and I remembered I had told him Id give him a Snickers bar today...but we hadnt ridden together it turned out. I forced one on him and he was revived in no time.
Its our last night camping tonight. The chef somehow made a massive thank you cake, its amazing the things that they can make here in their little cook tent. One last night in the tents, our tenth night camping in all. Not sure why, but Ill miss it.
Tibet Day 14 - Lalung Valley to Zanghmu border town
Fri Oct 27 2006
94kms Riding time 5hours:32mins
94kms Riding time 5hours:32mins
Well, the "Ultimate Downhill"...that light at the end of the tunnel for many of us, proved to be overhyped to start our day. It turned into the ultimate headwind...
The tents hit -21 last night, and it was tough to get things packed this morning in the cold when your fingers hurt. Our first contest is a little pass, rising not much, but steadily, for about 9k. That could mean 4 or 19k though. I started out, but within one k, my rear shock was dead flat out of air, and my shock pump was still on the bus back at camp. I waited, expecting the bus to be there shortly, while everyone continued on the climb. The bus took a full hour though. I got it set up then pushed to get up to the summit where some had waited for me thankfully. No time for a Mars, just a picture then get ripping.
The downhill from this point was pretty cool, lots of shortcuts and crazy trails. Mark duct-taped his video camera to his handlebar, catching some legendary footage of the downhill. The downhill lasted only an hour or so, and when we got to a small village a few of us had our brake pads changed (thanks to Mike). From there though, it was rough going for 20-30kms. The wind was just sapping our strength. Mike and I waited for Dil, our guide, but even he was beaten down by the wind and couldnt hold onto our backwheels, so he jumped on the bus. Mike and I stopped behind a massive boulder for lunch with some Belgian cyclists, then rode on, alternating with the headwind. Andres had a flat tire, his first, the lucky bastard. We got to the bus at a small village and ate a quick bite to eat before carrying on. I think a few of us (well me for sure) had poured it out yesterday, and had too high of expectations for this downhill promised to us on an 'easy' day. The road rolled up and down, and at one point I threw my bike down in disgust to sit down and recharge. Mark sat down and got me past my spaz moment. We made it to Nyalam, a shithole of a town, and from there it was actually a big big downhill.
But first I had a flat tire from a thumbtack picked up in Nyalam.
As I fixed it, a yak strolled right behind me, cool.
From there though, Mark and I cruised the downhill. Before we knew it, we were changing zones. What a contrast as we dropped a few thousand metres, suddenly it got warmer. We had started the day in full winter gear, now just shorts and tshirt. There was one point when I felt mist from a nearby waterfall and was shocked into realizing Id basically just left Tibet, instantly I missed it up there on the roof of the world. Mark pointed out that there were insects around too now, so many things, sights sounds and smells overloading the senses. We got to the border town of Zanghmu by 630pm, another full day, hard day. The town is sketchy, like all border towns tend to be, think Tijuana meets corrupt Chinese/Nepalese. ON top of all that, our hotel only would turn on the hot water from 930-1130pm, I thought the front desk was gonna get murdered, maybe he deserved it. So we went to dinner and celebrated with Lhasa Beers for a few hours, and showered later. One last day of riding left, too bad.
The tents hit -21 last night, and it was tough to get things packed this morning in the cold when your fingers hurt. Our first contest is a little pass, rising not much, but steadily, for about 9k. That could mean 4 or 19k though. I started out, but within one k, my rear shock was dead flat out of air, and my shock pump was still on the bus back at camp. I waited, expecting the bus to be there shortly, while everyone continued on the climb. The bus took a full hour though. I got it set up then pushed to get up to the summit where some had waited for me thankfully. No time for a Mars, just a picture then get ripping.
The downhill from this point was pretty cool, lots of shortcuts and crazy trails. Mark duct-taped his video camera to his handlebar, catching some legendary footage of the downhill. The downhill lasted only an hour or so, and when we got to a small village a few of us had our brake pads changed (thanks to Mike). From there though, it was rough going for 20-30kms. The wind was just sapping our strength. Mike and I waited for Dil, our guide, but even he was beaten down by the wind and couldnt hold onto our backwheels, so he jumped on the bus. Mike and I stopped behind a massive boulder for lunch with some Belgian cyclists, then rode on, alternating with the headwind. Andres had a flat tire, his first, the lucky bastard. We got to the bus at a small village and ate a quick bite to eat before carrying on. I think a few of us (well me for sure) had poured it out yesterday, and had too high of expectations for this downhill promised to us on an 'easy' day. The road rolled up and down, and at one point I threw my bike down in disgust to sit down and recharge. Mark sat down and got me past my spaz moment. We made it to Nyalam, a shithole of a town, and from there it was actually a big big downhill.
But first I had a flat tire from a thumbtack picked up in Nyalam.As I fixed it, a yak strolled right behind me, cool.
From there though, Mark and I cruised the downhill. Before we knew it, we were changing zones. What a contrast as we dropped a few thousand metres, suddenly it got warmer. We had started the day in full winter gear, now just shorts and tshirt. There was one point when I felt mist from a nearby waterfall and was shocked into realizing Id basically just left Tibet, instantly I missed it up there on the roof of the world. Mark pointed out that there were insects around too now, so many things, sights sounds and smells overloading the senses. We got to the border town of Zanghmu by 630pm, another full day, hard day. The town is sketchy, like all border towns tend to be, think Tijuana meets corrupt Chinese/Nepalese. ON top of all that, our hotel only would turn on the hot water from 930-1130pm, I thought the front desk was gonna get murdered, maybe he deserved it. So we went to dinner and celebrated with Lhasa Beers for a few hours, and showered later. One last day of riding left, too bad.
Tibet Day 12 -Rongbuk to Tingri
Weds Oct 25 - 2006
5000m to 4200m
83kms Riding Time 5hours:32mins
Frost lined the walls of the tent, and my contacts were frozen solid in their case. Pema had lied, it hit -27 last night.
The ride today was gonna be a battle, mainly to get started. Only four of us (nick, michel, chris, and I) are doing the first 17k, where upon terry mark and andres will join up, and the rest of the group will meet at lunch at about 42k.
It was FREEZING. My toes were numb, my fingers numb, my eyes watering and freezing tears. The 17k was downhill on the washboard, and we ripped it as fast as we could to get it done. We turned away at 17k, and up towards the pass. Its a beautiful valley, one of the nicest Ive seen ever. We passed the bus and truck a few times, and some of the kids in one village were ultra aggressive, even throwing stones at Chris. Thats not to say all kids are like that, but some believe now that foreigners=money/candy/pens.
Today Tibet really showed off for us though.. the bright sky, such a deep deep blue , the contrast with teh gray and brown of the lifeless hills, with the white capped glaciated peaks in the background forming the Himalaya. We all cruised to lunch, where a group of nomads sat near us and watched with interest, then feasted after on leftovers.
The afternoon ride was just....awesome. Crazy downhill to start where we hit 55kph on gravel/rock, then singletrack along a cliff edge. SO good, I dont even know how to explain it properly. The group even rode all together today, 13 riders, which doesnt happen often. One creek crossing was pretty tough, shoes/socks off wade across. A moron landcruiser slammed through the crossing just after us, as Michel was still putting his socks back on, and the water flooded his gloves that were on the side. He yelled at the guy, then kicked the back of his truck. The Chinese driver stopped, got out, looked at it, and then slowly, deliberately, picked his nose. Not a word spoken.
After reaching the town of Tingri we were thrown back in time again. A wild feel to the town again. Mark, Terry and I all stopped in a local joint/house for a coke. The last 10k or so was easy going, but everyones tired out, especially the few of us who rode the whole day. We barely made it before dinnertime, early sleep tonight holding my chronically cramped left hand. Even had heart pains today (prob just chest or muscle), and Oreo made me wear a moniter to watch it. Nothing serious, but maybe the altitude and long days of exertion are wearing on me. The summits of Everest and Cho Oyu were in view tonight, lit up with the Alpen glow.
5000m to 4200m
83kms Riding Time 5hours:32mins
Frost lined the walls of the tent, and my contacts were frozen solid in their case. Pema had lied, it hit -27 last night.The ride today was gonna be a battle, mainly to get started. Only four of us (nick, michel, chris, and I) are doing the first 17k, where upon terry mark and andres will join up, and the rest of the group will meet at lunch at about 42k.
It was FREEZING. My toes were numb, my fingers numb, my eyes watering and freezing tears. The 17k was downhill on the washboard, and we ripped it as fast as we could to get it done. We turned away at 17k, and up towards the pass. Its a beautiful valley, one of the nicest Ive seen ever. We passed the bus and truck a few times, and some of the kids in one village were ultra aggressive, even throwing stones at Chris. Thats not to say all kids are like that, but some believe now that foreigners=money/candy/pens.
Today Tibet really showed off for us though.. the bright sky, such a deep deep blue , the contrast with teh gray and brown of the lifeless hills, with the white capped glaciated peaks in the background forming the Himalaya. We all cruised to lunch, where a group of nomads sat near us and watched with interest, then feasted after on leftovers.The afternoon ride was just....awesome. Crazy downhill to start where we hit 55kph on gravel/rock, then singletrack along a cliff edge. SO good, I dont even know how to explain it properly. The group even rode all together today, 13 riders, which doesnt happen often. One creek crossing was pretty tough, shoes/socks off wade across. A moron landcruiser slammed through the crossing just after us, as Michel was still putting his socks back on, and the water flooded his gloves that were on the side. He yelled at the guy, then kicked the back of his truck. The Chinese driver stopped, got out, looked at it, and then slowly, deliberately, picked his nose. Not a word spoken.
After reaching the town of Tingri we were thrown back in time again. A wild feel to the town again. Mark, Terry and I all stopped in a local joint/house for a coke. The last 10k or so was easy going, but everyones tired out, especially the few of us who rode the whole day. We barely made it before dinnertime, early sleep tonight holding my chronically cramped left hand. Even had heart pains today (prob just chest or muscle), and Oreo made me wear a moniter to watch it. Nothing serious, but maybe the altitude and long days of exertion are wearing on me. The summits of Everest and Cho Oyu were in view tonight, lit up with the Alpen glow.
Photo Captions:
Top Left: Last goodbye, sunrise on Everest
Top Right: Yak
Pic 3: Group on the Pass' Summit, with random trader in there too.
Pic 4: Ullrich
Pic 5: Road ahead to Tingri
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