Archive for the ‘Cycling’ Category

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

Day 257. 67km. Na Hin – Lak Sao

Posted: November 14, 2015 in Cycling, Laos
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When the distance required is low, the breaks become longer, and side-trips are included. Cycling through the undulating landscape, surrounded by rocky peaks, we detoured for a swim in a cool, deep pool. In the end, we only just made it before sunset to the distinctly ‘border-town’ Lak Sao.

Entering the water

Entering the water

The road was lovely and peaceful, but climbing in the roasting sun was a very sweaty affair. This made the promise of a cool break at the cool spring irresistible. It turned out to be irresistible for the hoard of western motorbike riders too, so we had some company.

Road to springs

Road to springs

Kids

Kids

The beautiful plains

The beautiful plains

Day 185. 118km. Wulan Hate – High Plains

Posted: November 13, 2015 in China, Cycling
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It’s a different China. This morning I left my holiday yurt, climbed into the heavens, and dropped down onto wide, open plains, with snow-capped mountains in the distance, and void of people. With the wind at my back, I rolled along these endless plains, feeling free and happy in this beautiful place.

The high plains

The high plains

You can see for miles – in fact more than 20 kilometres. This is a photo looking back at the previous photo.

The High Plains

The High Plains

The plains roll on in all directions for-ever. Leaving the road you could walk until you are a dot, invisible from the road. Slowly, I climbed on the plains, and they turned into a high yurt valley – but this time real yurts – not the holiday yurts below. The plains are flat, and a fence lines the road, making a secret camp challenging. My tent is in view of the road, in a tiny dip, next to a small river.

Frosty camping spot

Frosty camping spot

View from the high pass

View from the high pass

Summit monument

Summit monument

Day 256. 92km. Pakkading – Na Hin

Posted: November 13, 2015 in Cycling, Laos
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We left the main road along the Mekong, and left the busy boredom, exchanging it for rocky, pointy mountains, karsts, and a spectacular view over a wide flat plane surrounded by cliff faces.

An amazing view - the photo doesn't do it justice

An amazing view – the photo doesn’t do it justice

The stress lifted as we turned the corner, and made our way through a rolling landscape. The speeding white Toyota Landcruisers were no more, and the road was returned to local traffic. We undulated our way through dense forest, with the calls of the cicadas and chainsaws reigning supreme. Not as krass as in China, but, we passes some ugly quarries and tree harvesting. Mostly it was a cycle through nature and the heat.

Karst landscape

Karst landscape

Rocky hills

Rocky hills

Banana and pineapple stop

Banana and pineapple stop

Day 184. Areletuobie – Wulan Hate

Posted: November 12, 2015 in China, Cycling
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I squat, pants removed, over the hole in the cement. As the first shit spatters out with a burst, my neighbour leans forward and looks at me around the chest-high dividing partition.
‘Where are you from?’
My next brown package explodes out.
‘Germany. By bike.’
I get the thumbs-up (with pants down).

River

River

And so the conversation goes. I am quite proficient at it now in Chinese. From Germany. Yes. 15000km. 10 months. Via Turkey, Iran and Kazakhstan. Australia. 2 years. Worked at Philips. About $10000 (amount I have spent up to now). Today my story brought me an invitation to a picnic on the river with bread and honey from the local stall. A lovely couple from Urumqi with 2 small children invited me to join them.

Picnic friends

Picnic friends

This morning, before I was allowed to leave the hotel, my passport had to be shown to the police again. It’s stressful – you aren’t allowed to camp, and usually, you can’t stay in a hotel either. Other cyclists that had tried my planned route had been turned back by the police, and so I was nervous approaching the police checkpoint at the turnoff. My fluorescent vest removed, all filming equipment hidden, I was luckily part of a massive crowd of people that were being waved through. Still, no hotels for me on this stretch of road, lest I be taken to the police and turned back.

Cycling up the river my mood changed. It was not flat, hot, busy and boring, but rather, I was following a lovely forested valley with a beautiful raging river. The river abounded with lots of beautiful flat places to pitch a tent away from view of the road, and so my hopes were high. I planned to camp just before the road left the river to wind its way over the pass. Unfortunately, holiday yurt developers had the same idea. The last 10km before was wall-to-wall yurt – a bit like the Spanish Mediterranean coast but Chinese style. Then it started to rain. I would risk it. I asked some yurt owners if I could stay in the yurt. They were only boys, and probably don’t know about reporting tourists to the police. Yes. I could pitch my tent behind a yurt for free, or stay in one for 150 yuan. With the rain getting heavier, a yurt it was.

Day 255. 100km. Thabok – Pakkading

Posted: November 12, 2015 in Cycling, Laos
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The music on, the flat road continues. Music brings out the emotion, and today I felt joy as I saw the kilometres posts flying by, indicating Australia getting closer by the kilometre. I felt I really am going home, in the most awesome way – by bike. Happy, proud, laughing, I cycled along the Mekong River in Laos.

The boring road

The boring road

The late afternoon sun cast an orange light on the fields and villages. The kids were very excited, calling out Sabaidee, waving frantically and running to the bike from their bamboo huts. And I was waving frantically back. Music from my youth was blasting in my ears. Meeting with cool students in Vientiane a few days ago made me realise the world will be in their hands, and it gives me hope. The youth have impressed me on my whole trip. The politics in Australia and Canada is changing, and maybe even in the USA. Today I felt hope for this amazing planet of ours, and I smiled.

Dried fish sellers

Dried fish sellers

Today we met an English cyclist that told us of a beautiful side-road into the hills. We are considering taking it, meaning an end to these bellybutton contemplation days with the bike on automatic pilot. I’m ready for some less boring road and some beautiful mountain landscapes. Oh, with some dreadful roads – I kind of miss them..

Day 183. 135km. Gongliu – Areletuobie

Posted: November 11, 2015 in China, Cycling
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The people here are wonderful – I’ve been showered with happy faces and gifts. On the other hand, like Iran, this is a state ruled by the iron fist. Again my hotel looked a bit shaky after a police station visit. I am only passing through. The people that live here have to endure this indefinitely.

Unity of the people

Unity of the people

Every kilometre or so I pass by a bright red sign with yellow script. I had a bash at translating one – it was all about unity and solidarity of the people. The signs were about as frequent as the two heads in Iran, and the president in Tajikistan. They were everywhere.

Just in front of a red sign, I was stopped by a good-looking young man I had smiled at a kilometre back down the road. He had hopped on his motor scooter and gave me a bottle of water. I was handed another bottle of water out of the window of a passing car. I was given some watermelon by two kids who were at the same melon stall as me. I was given a new cap, towel and two cobs of cooked corn at my lunch stop. And I was given all sorts of different fruits when getting some fruit for dinner. Lovely lovely people.

Melon stall

Melon stall

Gift showerers

Gift showerers

Fruit gifts

Fruit gifts

I found a hotel, put my bike in the room, and went with the hotel manager to the police station. (He wanted to take my passport there himself. I said I would come with him.) I could sense it coming (I understood a lot of what they were saying at the police station.) I wasn’t allowed to stay in that hotel, or indeed any hotel in the village. I needed to go 25km to a different village where there was a foreigner hotel. Then the, now standard, phone call with the English speaker confirmed my suspicions. I played the same card as yesterday – ‘I’m tired, it’s late, and I can’t cycle further. I just want to sleep.’
Mm. Some police websites were opened, some protocol documents checked, and then, amazingly, I could go. I was allowed to sleep at my non-foreigner hotel. All this is getting tiring, though. I think tomorrow I’ll be sleeping hidden in my tent.

Day 254. 97km. Vientiane – Thabok

Posted: November 11, 2015 in Cycling, Laos
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Cycling along the flat, straight road in the heat, the mind wanders. In Vientiane I talked with world cyclists Martin and Susanne, and with Mark about the big question – ‘what will you do when you finish the trip?’ A boring cycling stretch can sometimes bring surprising mental clarity – and so it was today.

Boring road

Boring road

Key words float in and out of my mind as the cars and trucks roar past. Environment, helping disadvantaged people, Australian aboriginals, Australian healthcare policy (I have worked in healthcare research and healthcare communications), Aboriginal health (life expectancy 15 years less that non-Aboriginal Australians). Then the massive illegal destruction of the Indonesian rainforests. Issues in areas I will be cycling through. Issues that are important. What will I do when I get to Australia? I don’t know – yet.

A rest-day in Vientiane with interesting people can break the cycling mindset. I had a day of sightseeing, guided by a local, lots of smoothies, and bought some of the cool sticky rice and coconut tubes (sold in bamboo tubes).

Sticky rice in bamboo

Sticky rice in bamboo

Meeting with Twisting Spokes

Meeting with Twisting Spokes

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