Archive for the ‘Cycling’ Category

Day 262. 104km. Pakxong – Napong

Posted: November 19, 2015 in Cycling, Laos
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I was psychologically prepared for the heat. An early start in the cooler morning, regular stops (like I always do), and a midday sleep in a hammock made for a less heat stressed day. Oh. The road surface was better too.

In the hammock

In the hammock

It remained a boring road, though. One for endless podcasts and audio books to help the kilometres pass. Looking at the map, detours on more pleasant roads are unappealing in this heat. I think a nice hammock in the 4000 island area in the far south of Laos is much more appealing. Maybe with an exotic tropical fruit juice in hand.

Water buffalo

Water buffalo

Day 190. 145km. Shanshan – Qijaojin

Posted: November 18, 2015 in China, Cycling
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‘What is huoche in English?’
‘Train.’ I answer.
I slam on the brakes. What is that symbol that I have seen everywhere that my Chinese app doesn’t recognize. ‘And,’ replied Achun.
Usually we speak in Chinese, and we get by. He is our spokesperson when we speak to others. We saw lots of people in the green, grape growing region. And then no-one – just cars zapping by as we passed the through rocky desolate plains.

The empty road

The empty road

I got up early to see the desert sand dunes that Shanshan is famous for. Although they look good, I really don’t like arriving, passing the tourist gate, and then the sand buggies, the camels, and the sleds that can all be hired to traverse the dunes. Achun was asleep when I left for the dunes, and asleep when I returned.

The Shanshan dunes

The Shanshan dunes

Today was always going to be a long ride. We followed the road parallel to the freeway until it fizzled out. Then it was just eating the kilometres, climbing up to 1200m before descending again to below 1000m. We’re staying in a little room in a restaurant. I’m glad I know where all these places are – lots of helpful information from a Chinese cyclist I me in Turpan.

Me and Achun

Me and Achun

Day 261. 87km. Savannakhet – Pakxong

Posted: November 18, 2015 in Cycling, Laos
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My energy level collapsed as I cycled into the heat. The small road along the Mekong became dirt, and I crawled along it. Lying down on a bench under a little shop verandah, I wondered if I had dengue fever, and closed my eyes.

Lying down in the heat

Lying down in the heat

Mark had lost his energy as the first sign of dengue fever. I had no energy, and no appetite. Even sugary drinks were not appealing. Just water.
No. I didn’t have a temperature. I checked. It was just hot, and unlike my Uzbekistan heat experience, it was humid.

The dusty road

The dusty road

Listening to a new book while inching forward – a book on climate change, how society got to this point, and what needs to be done now – I thought about how unseasonably hot it is here now. The locals all mention it. In some of the more dire scenarios by 2100 this part of the world could have lethal heat waves. Heat waves that not everyone can escape from using energy consuming air conditioning. The people here have no escape and will feel the full brunt of the warming and climate change our use of fossil fuels has created.

After returning from the dirt to the main road – Highway 13, I passed the village that I had my eyes on for the evening. No aircon in the guesthouses. Only in a karaoke place 2km out of town nowhere near food. An aircon trumped lack of food. I felt the energy returning, lying naked under the fan and aircon combo. No, I don’t have dengue fever.

Day 189. 96km. Turpan – Shanshan

Posted: November 17, 2015 in China, Cycling
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I left Turpan ready for the scorching desert without anything or anyone. Food for lunch and 11 litres of water. It didn’t seem like a desert – it was raining and quite cool, with villages, shops and people. Slowly, I navigated the fully loaded Drahtesel against the wind to above sea-level and beyond.

Mountain face

Mountain face

In Shanshan I met Achun who was also staying at my guesthouse in Turpan. He is cycling from Urumqi to Beijing with amazingly little luggage. Still, he has room for a good camera, and has taken lots of amazing photos from his bike trips around China.

In the mountains

In the mountains

Day 260. 117km. Thakhek – Savannakhet

Posted: November 17, 2015 in Cycling, Laos
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Mark has dengue fever. The blood test results are conclusive. When I arrived in Savannakhet the doctor was just leaving. Mark will not be doing any cycling for a while. I hope he has a fast recovery.

Road along the Mekong

Road along the Mekong

Tucker – a friend of Mark’s – is currently working in Savannakhet and will be here for Mark. I will take a day off too and rest up, but will then continue on.

Today’s cycling was pretty boring along a road that followed the Mekong through little villages. Straight and flat, it was again time to listen to podcasts and let the mind wander.

Day 188. 121km. Yuergou – Turpan

Posted: November 16, 2015 in China, Cycling
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Turpan is famous for its heat, so I left early and descended the last metres to the second lowest place on the planet. I passed barren rocky plains and some saltbush plains before arriving in my backpacker’s hostel. Its great to sink into the backbacker’s environment and be amongst travellers.

The low flat plains

The low flat plains

Turpan borders on what I thought was a salt pan. I imagined cycled through landscape similar to Lake Eyre in outback Australia. It was a bit underwhelming – just flat saltbush country. Also, it wasn’t as hot as I had imagined. Uzbekistan was hotter.

Arriving in a backpacker hostel was lovely. No worries about police registration. People that speak English and understand my questions. An oasis of familiarity amongst a sea of foreignness. And I could speak with people in lots of different languages. I love that. I spoke English, German, Swedish, Spanish and Chinese. Yay!

New friends in Turpan

New friends in Turpan

Day 259. 111km. Thalang – Thakhek

Posted: November 16, 2015 in Cycling, Laos
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Mark and I left the Mekong and Highway 13 four days ago in search of mountain serenity. We admired cultivated valleys surrounded by a rocky, karst landscape. We swam in cool, deep blue pools, and gaped in awe at panoramas of forest and plains. Today, I returned, alone, to the Mekong. The graceful sunset over the still Mekong was stunning – the highlight of the whole side-trip. Mekong – I’m glad to be back!

Sunset on the Mekong

Sunset on the Mekong

Mark is sick. He had a temperature and chills yesterday. This morning he messaged me from his room. His friend Tucker who is living in Savannakhet would come and pick him up in the car, and take him to Savannakhet to recover. Mark wrote he is in good hands, and I should cycle on. After seeing him briefly in his cabin door, and after him assuring me that it is OK, I packed up and hit the road for the Mekong town of Thakhek.

The road was pretty, and, except for a 400m steep drop, mostly flat. I put myself into distance mode, and scooted along towards Thakhek – trying to make time to also be able to visit the Falan caves and waterhole. I made it in time for a swim, and also to see the amazing sunset on the Mekong. Tomorrow I will take the little side road that follows the shore of the mighty river.

Rocky backdrop

Rocky backdrop

Falan waterhole

Falan waterhole

Umbrellas on the Mekong

Umbrellas on the Mekong

Mekong River

Mekong River

The Mekong River at sunset

The Mekong River at sunset

Day 187. 131km. Village before turnoff to Turpan – Yuergou

Posted: November 15, 2015 in China, Cycling
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I missed a day to the rain. The village that I got to know as wet and grey I discovered was perched in a beautiful snowy mountain lined meeting of valleys. I cycled up one of these valleys and down the other side, watching the landscape transform from grassy high mountain plains to a barren flat desert.

Summit prayer flags

Summit prayer flags

When I left my little room at 3am to have a leak, I stepped outside and saw a starry sky, and a crescent moon. I smiled. The rain has gone, and the day cycling will be awesome. And it was. Three more kilometres on the crap road surface before the turn-off, and the smooth roads I have come to love in China.

My bedroom for the night

My bedroom for the night

The rainy village in the sun

The rainy village in the sun

The road was a bit rough

The road was a bit rough

Then a steady climb through the grassy yurt valley before the steep climb. I have grown used to these big climbs. I reach the end of the valley, look ahead at the ring of mountains and wonder where the road is going to go. Then I spot the road way up in some impossible place. How is the road going to get there? Well, it does. Somehow.

Yurts

Yurts

High mountain valley

High mountain valley

Top of the pass

Top of the pass

And then the descent to beat all descents. In total the road drops from 3200m to below sea level – over 200km. It drops from the rolling grassy green landscape to the hot, desolate, rocky flats. I stopped after 131km at the edge of the wide flat expanse. The crossing of that to Turpan can wait until tomorrow.

The way down

The way down

It's getting dryer

It’s getting dryer

The dry rocky mountains

The dry rocky mountains

Day 258. 52km. Lak Sao – Thalang

Posted: November 15, 2015 in Cycling, Laos
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Today is the most beautiful part of our side loop from the Mekong – according to the Lonely Planet. The newly created ghost forest of dead trees, standing in the newly created dam was pretty. The road-works did not enhance the tranquillity. We had an early stop due to fever.

Lake of dead trees

Lake of dead trees

Did this used to be virgin rain forest? It certainly wasn’t very dense now. It was hot on the dusty road, giving me flash-backs from China and the endless road works there. Here the density of trucks and excavators, jack-hammers and rollers was much less than in China meaning there were moments of peace. Then suddenly the good road surface started and the meandering through the newly created lake started.

Today I passed 22000km.

22000km

22000km

We stopped for lunch at a lovely little resort on the lake, with naked kids frolicking in the water as the thunder-clouds loomed.
‘Do I have a temperature?’ asked Mark. I put my hand on his head. He did.
Then he felt my forehead.
‘You’re like a refrigerator.’
We checked in and Mark disappeared into his room. He joined for dinner, rugged up and shivering. I hope he is better tomorrow.

Day 186. 107km. High Plains – Village before turnoff to Turpan

Posted: November 14, 2015 in China, Cycling
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A drop of 1500m over 50km on a smooth road, and a climb of 800m over 40km on the road from hell. The police nearly didn’t let me take the road from hell – it took me two attempts to pass the police checkpoint. I’m all ready for the last climb to over 3000m before the long roll into the below sea-level furnace called Turpan.

A bumpy road

A bumpy road

A day of contrasts. Frost on the tent at 3300m, and the midday heat having lunch at 1800m. A smooth paved road descending 1500m from the heavens, and a bumpy, rocky, sandy road, plied by big trucks ascending back into the heavens. Failure to pass the police checkpoint. I said I wanted to go to Urumqi (which is the same road to Turpan). Then success – I said I wanted to go to Turpan. (I think they know that a cyclist can handle 40km of crap roads to the turnoff to Turpan. The whole 180km on crap roads over a 4000m high pass is a bit much.. ☺)

Summit monument

Summit monument

The long descent

The long descent

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