For the first time in months we have something of a time limit. In less than three weeks our plane flys from Shanghai, our visas run out, and classes start for Nils. Three weeks is a long time but we are a long way from Shanghai (~7000km). So after a week of some of the most brutal riding I have done through constant road construction, sand dunes and snow we decided to start thumbing it out of central Tibet. Although we were on the only real east-west road in Tibet, this part of the world is fairly sparsely populated and the traffic isn't too heavy. Our initial hitch-hiking attempts weren't very promising and the first day we waited 7 hours before getting a ride. Since then we have refined our technique and are moving along quite well on a good mix of trucks, army transports, buses, PBR and interesting characters. In a week of hitching we have made it to Ali, the last major town in north western Tibet.
En route to Ali we took we took a brief detour to lap Mt. Kailash. The mountain is the source of the Indus, Tsangpo, and tributaries of the Ganges, and is considered sacred for Hindus and Buddhists. Doing a Kora around the base is supposed to wash away a lifetime of sins and accumulate significant points for your next incarnation. Unfortunately I don't think it works for us non believers but it was worth a shot and the scenery wasn't bad either. With only three days not cycling in the last couple months I have never walked less in my life, and after two solid days of hiking Nils and I were both hobbling around like old men. The one redeeming fact was that we were breathing easy at 18,600 ft.
In Darchen (the town below Kailash) the law finally caught up with us, slapped us with a small fine and issued temporary permits. So with only several days left in Tibet we are finally legal. This doesn't really change anything except encounters with the police and army usually come with free food. We are now seeking out the authorities instead of evading them.
En route to Ali we took we took a brief detour to lap Mt. Kailash. The mountain is the source of the Indus, Tsangpo, and tributaries of the Ganges, and is considered sacred for Hindus and Buddhists. Doing a Kora around the base is supposed to wash away a lifetime of sins and accumulate significant points for your next incarnation. Unfortunately I don't think it works for us non believers but it was worth a shot and the scenery wasn't bad either. With only three days not cycling in the last couple months I have never walked less in my life, and after two solid days of hiking Nils and I were both hobbling around like old men. The one redeeming fact was that we were breathing easy at 18,600 ft.
In Darchen (the town below Kailash) the law finally caught up with us, slapped us with a small fine and issued temporary permits. So with only several days left in Tibet we are finally legal. This doesn't really change anything except encounters with the police and army usually come with free food. We are now seeking out the authorities instead of evading them.
From here its another thousand or so empty kilometers to Kashgar where hopefully we can jump a train to Urumqi then the long haul back to Shanghai.
Thumbs Up Boys!
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to hearing the stories.
Ma and Pa
I have friends who visited Urumqi and they say it is a fascinating city. The Uighur people live there and are more Turkic than Chinese. Good luck! Sounds like the sort of place you need to wear Keen Targhee ii boots !
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