ROAD REPORT - Cycling Day 6
Distance: 58 kms (plus 5 km in a pick-up truck)
Ride time: 6:22 hours
Avg. speed: 8.5 kph
Max speed: 30 kph
Passes: none
Sleeping place: Tibetan Home/Truckstop Restaurant, Jiding Qu 3875m
Tibet Mileage: 670 km
Worldwide Mileage: 7656 km
Comment: Dust storms and brutal headwinds

October 23rd, 2004

Getting off around ten in the morning, still feeling a little sluggish, maybe due to so many days off the bike, the food poisoning, the previous day's headwinds, or accumulated sleep deficit, it seemed my pace was slow, so I decided to just take it easy and enjoy the day's ride at whatever pace it was going to be, going as far as I could.

Part of the route was a 'mostly' asphalt road, so that made things a bit easier. Generally, the day was an enjoyable ride. There wasn't a lot of wind, so I cycled along hearing just my tires revolving on the road, and the sound of my breath. My stopping places were quiet and even the shepards herding their sheep passed by far off in the distance. At about three in the afternoon, I stopped after traveling just 35 kms for a delicious meal of fried rice, egg, and vegetables at a roadside restaurant near road marker 4498. I was prepared to camp before Langpa La, so after eating I was identifying potential sites as I continued on my way. Then about 5:30 p.m., I was at the foot of the pass, and could see the top just 4 kms away and only another 230m above me. Deciding to go for it, 45 minutes later, I was at the top tying a scarf, taking pictures, and putting on some warmer clothes for the downhill ride. I would still camp if I had to, but there was supposed to be some accommodation at the turnoff to Sakya, just 15 km on. So down the mountain I flew, descending along a mostly well-packed dirt road, crossing a few streams, while the sky turned red with some rare evening clouds.

I still had some light arriving at Sakya junction, but not much. A man told me there was no place to sleep, but the Tibet Overland book said there was both a hotel and that accommodation was possible at the compound as well. I couldn't figure out where the hotel was - only seeing a small building set back from the road without much activity going on, so I opted for the Chinese Road Crew Compound. These buildings used to be the only building shelters for cyclists and other overlanders to stay in if they weren't traveling on jeep tours. I showed myself, and the Chinese military guy in charge decided to let me stay the night. There would be no charge for this courtesy. He called a manager/grounds keeper guy who opened up a vacant concrete room for me and handed me a candle. After my sleeping bag and mattress were set up for the evening, they came by for a look, offered me the chance to join them for some food, and then said good night. It turned out to be a nice quiet relaxing night, where I woke up to the sounds of birds singing in the bamboo trees outside my window. Quite pleasant in a strange kind of way.

ROAD REPORT - Cycling Day 7
Distance: 77 kms
Ride time: 6:09 hours
Avg. speed: 12.58 kph
Max speed: 30.9 kph
Passes: Langpa La 4450m
Sleeping place: Chinese Roadworks Compound, Sakya Bridge Junction 4040m
Tibet Mileage: 747 km
Worldwide Mileage: 7733 km
Comment: Sweet Day, Superb Downhill demanding some cautious riding

October 24th, 2004

Leaving the compound early(ish) at around 9 a.m., I had a relaxing ride to Lhatse, approx. 25 kms down the road. Along the way, I yelled at a few rogue kids, taught another group "Head and shoulders, knees and toes¡­", and stopped for tea at a military caf¨¦. After checking out most of the hotels in Lhatse, I settled on the courtyard hotel called the Dewang hotel, located on the left just inside the town boundary. A big room for one person was just 40 yuan, but more importantly, they were the only hotel in town with a hot shower to wash off all that dust from a couple of days ago.

Just after I got my bags unpacked and did up a sign for Pierre and Sonia - who shows up? Sonia and Pierre of course. They decide to stay there as well and use the sign to alert their friend Chu that they are there. After lunch, it's shower hour. Then it's time to do some bike work. I've got some bolts to tighten as well as some cleaning, and Pierre has a tire to change. Then we're off picking up supplies for the upcoming mega pass. We meet Chu on the way back, and while the rest go for Chinese dinner, I eat some Tibetan food in the hotel while catching up on some writing and memory card downloads.

ROAD REPORT - Cycling Day 8
Distance: 27 kms
Ride time: 1:50 hours
Avg. speed: 14.2 kph
Max speed: 27 kph
Passes: none
Sleeping place: Dewang Hotel, Lhatse, 3990m
Tibet Mileage: 774 km
Worldwide Mileage: 7760 km
Comment: Short and Sweet, Easy Day

October 25th, 2004

It looks like this will be the first day since our trip to Ganden Monastery that I actually cycle along with Pierre and Sonia. Chu (from Singapore) is also coming along. There's been some discussion about how we tackle this next pass, Gyatso La at 5220m. It is an 1100m climb with a distance of 38 km to the peak. It seems that we will do it in two days, going halfway up on the first day, and then continuing on to the Mount Everest turnoff on the second day.

Leaving after lunch around 1:30, it's a relatively easy cycle, in fact, I don't even notice that we are climbing at all. Sonia had been quite sick the night before, so we are all taking it nice and slow. Cycling along the river, we look for some campsites, finally settling on one around the road marker 5069. We think it's the one that's mentioned in the guide. It's barely suitable and not that picturesque, but it will do. The night is cold and unfortunately, the truck traffic never completely stops.

ROAD REPORT - Cycling Day 9
Distance: 16 kms
Ride time: 2:05 hours
Avg. speed: 8.1 kph
Max speed: 16 kph
Passes: none
Sleeping place: Camping at road marker 5069, 4405m
Tibet Mileage: 790 km
Worldwide Mileage: 7776 km
Comment: Short, Easy Climb

October 26th, 2004

After the sun hits the valley around 10:00 a.m., we are off to tackle Gyatso La, our highest pass so far. The first part of the road, we have a bit of a tailwind, but soon enough it changes to icy headwinds. They're not that strong, but they are persistent. On reaching the top of Gyatso La, the winds are blowing quite strongly while there are a couple of jeeps and some Tibetans. Sonia chats with the jeep people. Pierre and I take some pictures including some of me tying prayer flags at the pass. Chu has fallen behind and does not appear to be in sight. We think he might have met up with another Chinese speaking cyclist that we heard was on the road just behind us. The cold wind is getting to me and I've decided that I really don't want to camp again tonight. That means I'll have to hustle to get to some accommodation. Sonia and Pierre plan to camp.

The descent is described as a "brake burner" in the guidebook. It is anything but that. I find myself pedaling into strong icy winds, stopping every ten kilometers or so to let my hands and feet thaw, checking the distance remaining, calculating my potential arrival time in Baipa or Shekar. It seems I should make it before dark, but just before. My water is running low and I resort to my quick energy snack - chocolate bars.

I get to Baipa around sunset. The first place I see is a rather dumpy, dirty dorm room - not what I hauled ass to sleep in tonight. I want a nice warm bed in a clean room, so I cycle up the nicely paved road to Shekar. The sky is turning purple behind the mountains as I arrive at a hotel 7 kms up the very fast road from Baipa. After some noodle soup, I'm tucked under two large comforters, sleeping soundly until daybreak.



The road to Tingri

ROAD REPORT - Cycling Day 10
Distance: 72.39 kms
Ride time: 6:20 hours
Avg. speed: 10.4 kph
Max speed: 34.7 kph
Passes: Gyatso La 5220m
Sleeping place: Hotel in Shekar, 4050m
Tibet Mileage: 862 km
Worldwide Mileage: 7848 km
Comment: Tailwind for first 5 km, then icy headwinds, followed by more icy headwinds. Prolonged gradual descent along bumpy roads that required a lot of pedaling. Not the "brake burner" descent mentioned in Tibet Overland.



Shekar Fort

October 27th, 2004

Shekar has a spectacular fort built up along a mountain ridge, and in the morning light, the view can transport you to another time. A time when horses were the only form of transportation, when Yaks were massive creatures roaming wildly through the land, and Khan was ruler of all the lands.

I leave Shekar around noon after cleaning my chain and dispensing of some unnecessary luggage, like the oxygen canister I've never used. I ride down to Baipa and have lunch before going to pick up my entrance ticket for Mount Everest Conservation area. It is going into the ticket office that I meet up again with Pierre and Sonia. The have yet to eat lunch and do some shopping, so after waiting a while, I end up setting off for Chay ahead of them. There's a Chinese checkpoint along the way that wants to see my passport, but doesn't bother with the travel permit. At Chay, there's a checkpoint for the Everest admission, and right next door is the home of a Tibetan who rents a backroom for cyclists and other overlanders. There's also another guesthouse in the village where an American trekker is staying for the night. Pierre and Sonia arrive a short time after I'm settled in and also decide to stay for the night. We cook our Chinese takeout from Baipa in the room before turning in.

ROAD REPORT - Cycling Day 11
Distance: 24.73 kms
Ride time: 2:00 hours
Avg. speed: 12.67 kph
Max speed: 39.2 kph
Passes: none
Sleeping place: guesthouse in Chay, 4260m
Tibet Mileage: 887 km
Worldwide Mileage: 7875 km
Comment: Easy day - some headwinds.

October 28th, 2004

Our day in Chay started off quite well, although neither Sonia nor I slept very well at the altitude. The new markers on the road to Everest Base Camp count down the kilometers from the main highway, starting at 101. Chay is at approximately 97, and so it is here that we begin our climb over Pang La via a continuous series of switchbacks.

One of the side benefits of these switchbacks, is that the headwinds become tailwinds as the road makes it's abrupt turns on the way up the mountain. Everything seemed to be going smoothly with very little traffic, until we were about half a kilometer from the top. Then the winds became so gusty and strong, that it was almost impossible to just stand and hang on to the bike without getting blown over, or worse, getting blown down the steep drop off. After putting on more warm clothing and realizing that the gale force winds would not abate, we ended up pushing up the last bit when there were slight eases in the strength of the wind. At the top of the pass, we endured the winds as long as possible while looking out at spectacular views of the Himalayan mountain range. There were some cross-country shortcuts on the downhill, so that allowed me to cut out some of the switchbacks. Unfortunately, some of those shortcuts brought me to the edge of a roadway that was either 4 meters above me or 4 meters below, but that just meant a bit more cross country riding. At one point, I wondered if I was still on the right road, because Sonia and Pierre were taking so long to pass me. It turned out that they had some bike problems caused by the rough road.

On arrival in Tashi Dzom, I found a pretty good guesthouse. The room was cold, but private, and there was a good restaurant with an English menu. My LP Tibetan phrasebook has turned out to be quite useless here, so English menus are a welcome addition. My pronunciation of Tibetan is so pathetic, a large number of Tibetan people are illiterate, or the local people I encounter speak and read Chinese as opposed to Tibetan. The food section in the LP phrasebook, usually the most important, is also laid out completely differently than most other LP phrasebooks, and unlike many other nationalities, Tibetan people don't repeat out loud the phrases that you show them in the book, so it makes the language that much harder to learn.

Pierre and Sonia arrived about an hour later with some bad news. Sonia had broken a key bolt on her seat - one that attached it to the seatpost. Apparently the vibrations from the road had caused it to snap, so Pierre and the hotel owner made plans to see if they could find something to solve the problem in the morning. Thankfully, there are tractors in much of Tibet, so there is sure to be something that can attach the seat. It would be impossible to ride without it.

The delay also allowed me to have a couple more helpings of fried potatoes and yak meat from the restaurant. This was some of the most delicious food I had sampled in all of Tibet, and my only disappointment is that I do not have the name of the guesthouse, only that it has a very long name like "Cheng Di Song Mo Guesthouse" and sits directly across from the junction where you turn to go to Everest.

ROAD REPORT - Cycling Day 12
Distance: 47.25 kms
Ride time: 5:18 hours
Avg. speed: 8.9 kph
Max speed: 24.1 kph
Passes: Pang La 5050m
Sleeping place: guesthouse Tashi Dzom, 4090m
Tibet Mileage: 934 km
Worldwide Mileage: 7922 km
Comment: Many switchbacks on ascent. Alternating headwinds and tailwinds. Extremely windy at the top of the pass. Road conditions pretty good.

October 29th, 2004

We had a bit of a late departure due to the seat being fixed, but the ride itself was nice, warm, and wind free. Sonia and Pierre had thought to go on past Cho Dzong, but turned back to the schoolhouse compound guesthouse after a couple of kilometers as the wind was picking up and making riding difficult. The American trekker had already checked in to one of the guestrooms in the schoolhouse compound. Trace, originally from Oregon, was taking a year off from being a PhD microbiology student at the university of Washington, and remarkably, because of our extremely easy pace on this road to Everest section, and the fact that he had cut out about thirty kilometers by walking cross-country, was following the same schedule as we were following by bicycle, but he was doing it on foot! If I couldn't explain, it would be quite disheartening!

This section of the road is extremely beautiful, with very few villages, and constant views of the Himalayan Mountain Range.

ROAD REPORT - Cycling Day 13
Distance: 24.9 kms
Ride time: 3:00 hours
Avg. speed: 7.32 kph
Max speed: 16 kph
Passes: none
Sleeping place: Schoolhouse guest room Cho Dzong, 4360m
Tibet Mileage: 959 km
Worldwide Mileage: 7947 km
Comment: Nice warm ride. Bumpy, bumpy road. One soaker on detour.

October 30th, 2004

We shot some cycling video today, and met Trace on the road, recruiting him as our cameraman for some shots of all of us going along together. It was a pleasant ride, although the road was non-stop bumpy with almost no sections where we could find a smooth line. I stopped a lot on the road today, taking time to enjoy the absolutely superb views of Everest and the Himalayas.

On arrival at Rongphu Monastery Guesthouse, a place that receives hundreds of tourists every week during the high season, I was surprised, that even for Tibet, it was so disorganized, so unhygienic, and so limited in it's services. The toilet was the most disgusting in all of Tibet, with a mound of frozen shit piled so high, it came up through the whole in the floor. It was difficult to figure out who you could talk to about getting a room - a room where the wash basins are still full of dirty water and spit and the floors still dirty. The restaurant didn't have a menu, but offered the following dishes: pancake, omelet, fried rice, and noodle soup. There was a shop, but it opened when the guy who ran it happened to show up for five minutes at a time.

I cleaned the basin with boiled water and a scouring brush, bought a few supplies including a candle from the shop, and had some food before crawling under three comforters in my icebox (a.k.a. my guestroom).

ROAD REPORT - Cycling Day 14
Distance: 21.24 kms
Ride time: 2:58 hours
Avg. speed: 7.22 kph
Max speed: 22.4 kph
Passes: none
Sleeping place: Rongphu (Rongbuk) Monastery Guesthouse, 4825m
Tibet Mileage: 980 km
Worldwide Mileage: 7968 km
Comment: Bumpy uphill ride at elevation. Fantastic Views - ALL the way!!!

October 31st, 2004

Today, was a brilliantly sunny day without too much wind, and a good opportunity to visit Everest Base Camp, just up the road from the monastery. On arrival, Pierre had already set up his tent, and Sonia had made arrangements to sleep in one of the heated tents that serves tea and soup. Some mountain goats were grazing at the edge of the camp and Pierre was complaining about all the litter. After some food, we headed off to the glacier. It is actually quite a hike from the base camp, and after a couple of hours, we were in view of the glacier, but still quite some distance away from the actual base. Sonia had already turned back, and soon I would as well. When you see Everest and the surrounding area, it looks quite mountainous, but up close, it's just loads and loads of rocks upon rocks, upon even more rocks that never seem to end. I can't even imagine climbing the north face of Everest. It looks dangerous and forbidding, which I guess is what attracts some people to attempt it. Gazing up at the north face summit, each afternoon, it seems to have its own ecosystem with clouds swirling and masses of snow sliding down and then billowing up into the sky. It's not somewhere that you would want to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. There are no rescue services, and no medical facilities on the Tibetan side. No wonder most summit attempts are made from the Nepal side of the mountain.

ROAD REPORT - Cycling Day 15 (day tripping)
Distance: 16.55 kms
Ride time: 1:23 hours
Avg. speed: 10.3 kph
Max speed: 27.2 kph
Passes: none
Sleeping place: Rongphu (Rongbuk) Monastery Guesthouse, 4825m
Tibet Mileage: 997 km
Worldwide Mileage: 7985 km
Comment: Easy ride, and then a 3-hour hike to and from Rongphu Glacier viewpoint.

November 1st, 2004

After another night in the Rongphu icebox, I decided to attempt the shortcut road to Old Tingri back on the Friendship Highway. The turnoff is about 20 kms from Everest Base Camp, and then it's supposed to be 54 kms to Old Tingri, but is more likely 54 kms to the highway, and then another 5 kms to the town. Another cyclist who had done the ride from Lhasa to Lhatse before grabbing a minibus to Everest, and then trekking to the advanced camp, had come down from the mountain with a couple who I would later discover were on a rather unique mission. Sebastian, as well as Sonia and Pierre, were also planning to ride to Old Tingri, but our departure times were all a bit different. Sebastian was off first, me second, and Sonia and Pierre a bit later in the day.

After turning off the main Everest base camp road, the road was at first quite smooth, then became nothing more than river rock, before being submerged below a river. On the other side, I followed the road straight along rather than turning, which turned out to be a wrong turn. Backtracking, I headed off in the right direction, up a different hill, alongside the other river, and into the winds. After about ten kilometers or so, I was pushing the bike, and decided to head back down the valley for some shelter, and try again in the morning when, hopefully, the winds would subside. I just had no energy in my legs - no power, and this was at elevation, so the oxygen content was around 52% of that at sea level. I ran into Sonia and Pierre on the way down and let them know what I was doing. They continued on for a bit before camping somewhere up the ridge for the night, while I found a spot further down the pass near the river.

ROAD REPORT - Cycling Day 16
Distance: 21 kms (approx.)
Ride time: 3:00 hours (approx.)
Avg. speed: unknown kph
Max speed: unknown kph
Passes: unknown
Sleeping place: Campsite near entrance to Rongphu valley, 4500m (approx.)
Tibet Mileage: 1028 km
Worldwide Mileage: 8006 km
Comment: Icy headwinds, river and stream crossings. Attempted pass, but turned back due to icy headwinds. Found sheltered camping area approx. 5 kms back down the road.

November 2nd, 2004

I wouldn't say I had a restful night, but that was becoming quite common. Never the less it wasn't that uncomfortable waking up within the majestic Himalayan landscape. I was up and ready to go about an hour or so after the sun was shining down into the valley. Unfortunately, so were the winds. They were persistent, the road was not improving much, with several sections running underneath streams, covered in ice on steep sections, and simply rocks and more rocks covering the surface in many areas. It became a series of sections where I could ride, followed by pushing, followed by waiting for the winds to subside, followed by more pushing, more riding, fording streams, resting, more pushing, and then more riding.

After passing through a village, and through another river, I caught sight of Pierre and Sonia just ahead of me. I called out to them, but I'm sure the wind would have pushed the sound of my voice far behind me. I kept going for another half hour or forty-five minutes, but after another iced-over uphill section, my legs were without power, my lungs were struggling, and quite frankly, I wasn't having any fun. I had no idea of how far up the road went, how bad it was, or even any concept of how far along I'd come as some Tibetans had played with my computer a few days previous at Everest Base Camp, knocking it back out-of-order. I was still having some dysentery, suffering from lack of sleep, and it was time to call it a day. I decided to back track to the village and try and catch some kind of transport, at least back to the main Everest Base Camp road. Luckily, a jeep came along and gave me a ride to Rongphu, where I had a good chance of catching some kind of transport back to the main highway. Even more lucky, was that I ended up with three options for leaving. I could grab a truck down to Tashi Dzom where several trucks left for New Tingri, or I could wait a day and grab a jeep with either a London based couple heading for the border, or a Swiss couple and Korean guy, heading for Old Tingri, and then the border.

The next morning, I found out that the Swiss were leaving a day early, so in just a few hours, I could be on my way to Old Tingri. The driver and passengers agreed to take me, so by noon, we were bumping along the road to old Tingri - the same road I'd now been up and down several times. It wasn't a much better ride in the jeep, and I'm glad that considering the weather and my condition, that I had made the decision to seek transport. Torsten and Pia based in Switzerland, were great company, and I'm very grateful they let me join them in their jeep. I think they felt concerned that I was looking quite drawn and undernourished. Torsten is a doctor and Pia also works in healthcare. You could say I've had some angels along with me on this Tibetan plateau.

Part of me had hoped to go all the way to Katmandu, but I also wasn't originally planning on going to Everest or getting sick, so I swallowed my pride, and have called this the ride to Everest - enough of an achievement for me to be happy with. I know of dozens of cyclists that have never even able to get this far, even after making the journey all the way to Tibet, and I will always hold close to me the memories and moments of cycling serenity through this, one of the most majestic landscapes in our world.

ROAD REPORT - Cycling Day 17
Distance: 12 kms (approx.)
Ride time: 3:30 hours (approx.)
Avg. speed: unknown kph
Max speed: unknown kph
Passes: unknown
Sleeping place: Rongphu (Rongbuk) Monastery Guesthouse, 4825m
Tibet Mileage: 1040 km
Worldwide Mileage: 8018 km
Comment: Too windy to continue. More rivers, streams, iced over road on hilly sections, barely able to push bike. Turned back approx. 3 kms past village and caught an empty jeep to Rongphu Monastery for 100 yuan.

Source: worldsurface.com

Author: Wojo / Photos by Wojo



Packing List for traveling to Tibet

Luggage and Bags:
Dragging along a sleeping bag is a MUST. Make sure it's covered because if you're doing a road trip over land like we did, you'll see more dust than you can ever imagine. Even though your bag is piled on top of the vehicle, it's not exempt from the dirt and dust that kicks up from any living thing passing over the roads. And believe me - you'll want your bag to snuggle in when you're holed up in some Communist dump called a "hotel" along the way.....a small refuge from the cold nights at altitude.

When our trip was done, we gave our sleeping bag to Dawa. Maybe she'll use it on one of her pilgrimages to a monastery in the interior of the country.

Clothing/Shoes/Weather Gear:
Layer, layer, layer. And protect your skin from the sun! You're up high, so slather on the lotion AND the sweaters. As long as you're in the sun, you can be reasonably warm...we went in mid-October and the temps required jacket and sometimes just a sweatshirt or long sleeve shirt. But along those high-passes as you're traveling the Plateau - yikes - windy and C-O-L-D! You can see the Tibetans' cheeks are windblown and ruddy. Yours will be too if you don't protect yourself. Wear comfortable shoes - tennis shoes or my personal faves, my trusty Timberland hiking boot-shoes. They loved my feet and vice versa.

Toiletries & Medical Supplies:
Ahh, that saline nasal spray will really come in handy because the air is so dry, your nose is likely to bleed. If you keep it moist, however, you'll be winning the battle. Plus, you'll breathe better.

Make sure to get a prescription for Diamox (250 mg should do) from your doc, just in case you have an uncomfortable night of altitude sickness. We were somewhat bothered maybe one night and one day during the entire 8 day trip, and we each took half a pill. Sleep is about the only thing that will help, plus a pill - if used with caution and the approach that it's a precautionary measure - not a panacea. Altitude sickness is a serious ailment and if left to continue, can KILL.

Oh - DRINK PLENTY OF WATER!!!! Staying hydrated will help your body deal with the altitude.

Note: if you fly directly into Lhasa, forget the above...you'll need at least a full 24 hours of absolute REST. No eating - just sleep and water. It's the only way to help your body build those extra red blood cells needed for precious oxygen!!

Author: Wojo / Photos by Wojo
Source: worldsurface.com