KRANKING FOR KATHMANDU... A ride on the rooftop of the world! with Peak Freak Expeditions .
Canadian team will pedal their mountain bikes from Lhasa, Tibet to Kathmandu, Nepal starting May 4, 2004. In total the trip will last 19-days and cover 1,000 kilometres. They will cross over six major passes, ride to Everest Base Camp from the North Side and descend the world's longest downhill, an amazing 15,000 foot drop to the valley floor in one day.
READ ON FOR DISPATCHES.....
May - 23 NamasteFirst of all I simply want to reiterate that we are all well, safe, very happy and floating on the laurels of our most successful expedition. I received a few emails concerning the unrest in Nepal but we really have seen very little of this. A few demonstrations but never anything violent and we have never felt threatened in any way.I thought I would give one last update dating from my last email in Shigatse From Shigatse we set out on perhaps the windiest day of the trip with fierce winds in our faces the whole day. We estimated constant 50km/hr winds with gusts up to 80km/hr. You got dust in your ears, nose, every crack (and you know what I mean by that crack) and even in between your teeth. Who needs dental polishing? We climbed up one pass at about 17000 feet and it was a long grind. However, the vistas and brilliant panoramas made it all very worthwhile. I am sure I've collected enough dust to start my own little Tibetan corner in the garden. We ended the 80km ride that day with a great campsite by the river. The sherpa team really knows how to take care of you especially after a long day like that. Our campsite was at the base of the Tsuo La (remember that La means pass). The next morning we were yet again greeted with sherpa tea in our tents. The wind had died down through the night and we set out over the pass. Unfortunately by lunch time the wind was howling again but the amazing vistas and beautiful mountains more than made up for it all. You also cross through small Tibetan villages with people that simply steal your heart with their smiles and simple way of life. We finally camped at the base of Gyatso La (also called Cho La), which is 5520m high!! The day we went over the pass their was virtually no wind and it was very bright and sunny and we were down to biking shorts and short sleeved cycle jerseys and slathered up in sunscreen. We climbed about 1200m to be greeted at the top by the chortens festooned with hundreds of prayer flags to which we added a few. Bert and I somehow caught the eye of an Italian TV crew who are in Tibet doing a documentary on an Italian group doing a climb on Chomolongma (as an anniversary of the first ever climb of K2 done by Italians 50 yrs ago). Anyways they interviewed us on Italian TV asking us what we were doing ....they seemed a bit amazed that "anyone" would want to bike from Lhasa to Kathmandu! They were also amazed that Bert is 71 and that I was 50. Perhaps our flags on our bikes attracted them ...I am still flying the prayer flags and Bert had brought with him a Canadian flag which he has been flying. So peakfreaks.com got a good mention on Italian TV! The ride down from the pass was great fun .....even thought I tried at one point to take out a darting sheep for our supper ....and then its youngen which darted out behind momma and had to skid on all fours to avoid me and being made into the appetizer ....I'm sure I missed both of them by no more than inches at over 40km/hr!! That night we stayed at Shegar, which has become the main staging area for expeditions into the north side of Everest. Like everything else around here Everest has three names the Tibetans call it Chomolongma, the sherpas call it Sagarmartha, the westerners Everest. The Chinese have bastardized it and call it Qomolangma. The maps can be very confusing as they often have different names on them and our Tibetan guide often has a totally different name for the pass or mountain or village or river or whatever feature we are interested in. From Shegar we crossed another very high pass the Pang La that snakes up the mountain with numerous switchbacks until you finally reach the top to be treated to the most amazing panorama. It takes away your breath both literally and realistically ...I brought along a little device that measures your oxygen levels and at the top of the pass on arriving our SaO2 levels were between 60-70% ...normally they should be >90%, at home we routinely put people on home O2 if their SaO2 is <85%. We have all acclimatized reasonably well though and there have been no major problems and the few small health concerns we have had we have been able to deal with effectively. The view from the top is WOW ..You have at least 5 peaks over 8000m including Makalu, Lhotse, Chomolongma, Cho Oyu, and Shishi Pangma ...and hundreds of others, which tower over 7000m. It is simply stunning. Once over the top we rode down into the Rongbuk valley and up to the Rongbuk monastery, which are just a few kilometers from EBC. We had perfect weather and the north face of Everest becomes more and more prominent until it fills the entire landscape it seems! We saw her in brilliant sunshine, starlight, with alpenglow and with wisps of clouds giving it dramatic effect. It certainly is a bit colder but nothing that another layer couldn't fix. Our dining tent was situated such that our view was of the north face. I have been very lucky to visit both sides of the mountain and I feel that north side is much more impressive with its massive bulk and sheer dominance ...the other side has to share it's glory with Nuptse and Lhotse and from the south side base camp you can not even see the summit. The next day we rode the extra 7-8km into base camp .....it has become a bit commercialized with enterprising Tibetans having set up tents for tea and selling their wares ....but in no way does it detract from the magnificent views of the mountain or the whole experience of simply being here!! Reluctantly after 2 hour w3e headed back down the Rongbuk valley and eventually amped by the the Rongbuk river at the base of the Lamna La. Tim and I organized a game of Tibetan Bocci ....we found fairly round hand sized stones reasonably round from thousands of years of being tumbled in the river and put duct tape strips around 4 of them and then one smaller off colored Bocci ball and voilá Tibetan Bocci ...we had fun teaching the sherpa boys how to play but they caught on quick and we all had a blast. The next day it became overcast and we lost our views of Everest ...we were very lucky (good karma!!) to have been there when we were. We crossed over the Lamna La which is really only 4WD or mtn bike accessible ...it was the roughest bit of "road" that we rode. At the pass itself we had some hail but it certainly did not dampen our spirits at all. The road was fascinating and very varied with multiple streams to cross and ford (poor Con slipped and fell in once ...I've never seen anyone bounce back up so quick!) and we eventually came out at Dingri. This is the route that the original pioneers who first tried to get into Everest and climb her came ....so we were following in the footsteps of Mallory, Irvine, Shipton, Odell and many others. Looking back you could see that Everest was now completely clouded in ...5 deaths on Everest so far this season. It is sobering to contemplate that despite all our modern gear and medical technology she still has a very big stick and can be very unforgiving and deserves nothing but respect. From Dingri we rode over the Lalung La. Just before the pass one of my tires literally went bang ...a hole the size of my little finger in the tube and the beading on the tire also had blown out. I had to wait for the support vehicle ...it happened alongside the Bum Chu river ..which we have chosen to say as bum "chewed up and out" ...which was as at least a fairly sheltered and restful spot to await the support vehicle. The others went ahead and by the time the support vehicle got to me and I had put in a new tube and tire I was good hour behind. I therefore got to ride up the pass alone which took me 2 hours and up into a most barren land which again was blasting wind ...I wonder why it always seems to blow in your face ...or is that what you remember the most? I eventually arrived in camp with the others all cheering that I had made it. We have become a close-knit group, which has jelled well. The next day there was one last pass to climb up onto the high plateau with stunning views of Shishi Pangma and Gauri Shankar. We paused awhile here as this was the last time we would be up so high. We then began the world's longest downhill ....over about 100 km you drop from 17000ft to 2000ft!! It was a wild and bumpy ride! Once we got to Nyalam the valley narrows into a gorge and the cascading Sun Kosi river makes a terrific din. You also feel the rich thick air and oxygen flowing through your veins ...you feel like superman! Also at Nyalam suddenly it becomes very green and very lush and as you descend even more and more jungle like. We also had the treat of it raining with steamy mountains and mist making everything look surreal. It was a treat to see it tin the rain because their were hundreds of small and huge waterfalls coming down the steep gorge walls. We slipped and rode down in the mud like small kids but with big boy toys!! We eventually got down to Zangmu where we spent the night. The next day we crossed into Nepal at Kodari 7km further down the trail across the friendship bridge. What a morass of people and trucks trying to go in opposite directions all at the same time. From Kodari it is a little over 100kms into Kathmandu. It was interesting to ride through this land and see the dramatic change between here and the high arid barren plateau. All in all we rode about 1300kms Tim figures. Me nor my butt is going to argue with that!! We are now in KTM and tomorrow fly home.Pictures to follow:Clair
May -22 Greetings from KathmanduWell we are safe!! The trip was simply amazing. We are now back in Kathmandu and will soon be on our way home. There is so much to tell and share re our adventures and I will need a bit of time to absorb it all and put it into some kind of framework. We had perfect weather when we needed it.....for example the day after we left Everest base camp it clouded in and you could not see anything! Everest from the north side is simply amazing ....it is so much more isolated and dominating as compared to the south side where it has to share the space with Nuptse, Lhotse and Lingren. We saw it in all types of light i.e. morning, afternoon and twilight and by star and moonlight. With wisps of clouds and with nothing but brilliant blue skies. The riding has been great up steep passes in thin air only to be rewarded by vistas unsurpassed anywhere. The Tibetan plateau is a vast and very forbidding place but has a magical and mystical charm about it that is simply and genuinely phenomenal. We had a lot of adventures punctuating our trip and too many to share right now. The Tibetan people are high on the list of "'best of the trip''.I am tired and very dirty and need to spend some time with Mr. soap and a scrubbing brush. So I will say goodnight now and promise to write again soon with some more details about our trip across the roof of the world. When I am back in Canada I also promise to write at least one last email with some photo attachments.Clair
May -18 Hello dispatch watchers. Today the team should be arriving at Everest Base Camp on the North Side. It is possible that they may be able to get a dispatch out from there. Stay tuned! To all the family members and friends watching- "no news is good news"May -12 Greetings from Tibet.This may be my last email before Nepal as there is no readily available internet access between here and Kathmandu. We arrived in Shigatse earlier today after a 106km ride from Gyantse. Actually we were camped 8 km the other side of Gyantse. "Camping" has been fun. You ride hard all day and see amazing mountains, see and meet incredible people and then arrive at "camp" which is some place along the route which the sherpa crew have picked out ...usually by a stream in a field with views of the himalaya our some Tibetan village. The tents are all up and you are greeted with a fresh cup of tea and a basin of water to refresh and wash up. The trail is very dusty at times and we all get sweaty and quite dirty. Shigatse is the second largest city in Tibet and so we are staying in a modern Chinese hotel here. It will be our last the rest is all camping and "roughing it". After today's long ride though it was nice to get into a hot shower and wash of the layers of dirt. There are many of you who will know what I mean when I say it almost, not quite but almost, rivalled the hot water showers in Paris on returning from Africa. Our first day out riding we crossed the Tak Li La which is a pass just over 5000 meters. What a grunt for the first day! After riding for hours through spectacular country you start to climb and climb and climb on innumerable switchbacks and finally you come out on this amazing pass with prayers flags streaming in the wind and views of the Tibetan plateau and Yamdrok lake with the Himalaya off in the distance. I left one of the kata's I had been given at the summit. A kata is a prayer scarf. From there it was a quick downhill to our first campsite beside the lake. We had a crowd of curious Tibetan children crowd around. I brought out my stethoscope and before long was holding a little impromptu clinic. There is so little you can truly do though in such a brief time but it was fun and I did dispense a few medicines. The next day we rode around Yamrok lake which was mostly a flat ride but the lakeshore dips in and out and so we rode a long ways to get around the lake. It is considered one of the 4 holy lakes in Tibet. Its name means "scorpion" so you can imagine all the little inlets etc. along the lake, The "road" is also under construction ...it is a gravel, dirt road and they are trying to make it less likely to be washed out and more level in certain areas. This along with the winds made it very dusty. Someone had asked about temperatures and the weather ...it has been great weather with temps in the 25-30 range during the day, no rain at all, some clouds to make it interesting and at times wind up to 50km an hour with the occasional gust up to 80km. Living in Lethbridge and riding bike out in the countryside before coming got me quite used to the winds though. At night once the sun goes down it gets quite nippy and it usually dips below freezing ....as there is ice on the creeks and it takes a little while for it to warm up. Usually I start out in wind pants and a windstopper fleece but by an hour or so I am down to riding in just shorts and a cycle jersey and I'm plastering on the sunscreen.We camped near Nagartse and then the next morning set out over the Karo La another high pass (La means pass in Tibetan) with towering mountains to either side up over 7000 meters. Tim of course picking out routes to climb. They are heavily glaciated and snow covered. This day the winds were ferocious and in our face the whole day making it that much harder to ride up and up. The scenery though made it worth it. We stopped at the summit and had some lunch and then started the long ride down alongside this magnificent valley and river with stunning views of the mountains to the south of us. We eventually came to camp at Ra lung a small village were our support staff those ever smiling sherpas had set up camp alongside a small river just before you get to the village. Most of us take advantage of the river and strip down for a refreshing dip and to wash off the days dust. Cold glacial water but very refreshing. The next day we rode to just before Gyantse alongside a smaller lake and over 2 smaller passes and so the riding was not as hard. I can tell you though that the washboard is definitely giving me a sore butt!! ...Especially after riding for 6 to 8 hours. At one point Tim and I decided to ride off road to visit some old ruins and a small Tibetan village. I felt like we were the first westerners to have cycled through this place off the beaten track which itself is off the beaten track!! In Gyantse there is a very old and interesting monastery and a dzong (fort) so Tim and I rode the 8 kilometres in and back to see it. The others went in on the minibus, which is one of our support vehicles. I think Tim and I had the better deal though as we had the time to go to a local watering hole and sample the local beer ...Lhasa beer which I can tell you that after being in the saddle all day long on a dusty road goes down very nicely thank you very much!! Anyways the monastery was very interesting. People in the town would stop and ooh and ahh at our bikes and when we would say "Lhasa-Kathmandu" they would ooh and ahh even more. They are so friendly and have such an intrinsic beauty about them. They also have an incredibly hard life and I appreciate so much more what we have when I do have the privilege to visit these places. It is amazing to see how many people are out working in the fields ploughing them by hand behind teams of yaks, and then others sowing the fields all by hand as well. That brings us to today and as I said earlier we rode over 100kms just so as we could get here to Shigatse our last intersection with a big enough town to have decent hotel and email services. This particular internet place is filled with a few hundred Chinese of which 90% are smoking and so I think it is time to say ...happy trails. Will email when I can but I expect it will be awhile.Love to everyoneClairPS We love the emails from home even if they are very brief so please send them on!! Send emails to: trek@peakfreaks.com
May -7 Namaste to y'allToday was amazing! We toured the Jokhang, which is the oldest and holiest Bhuddist temple in all of Tibet. It was alive with literally thousands of pilgrims doing their Kora (i.e. Tibetan pilgrimage) and with the monks in their brilliant saffron robes chanting in the soft light from the hundreds of butter lamps. It is so much more alive than the Potala which is so impressive but this is just alive with all the people crowding into the temple, praying their prayer beads, the soft chant of "Om mani padme hum", the intricate lights and the fascinating faces at every corner. I prefer the vibrancy and the richness of all the Tibetans practising their way of life rather the museum atmosphere of the Potala ....not that it makes the Potala any less impressive!! We then wandered around the Barkhor for awhile doing a little more shopping and bartering with the locals. I bought a very nice medical Thanka, which they then put into a very colourful silk frame for me and then delivered to the hotel this evening. It is gorgeous and must be seen to be truly appreciated. We then did some last minute tuning of our bikes as we set off for the edge of the world tomorrow .....and it will be awhile before I can email again. 4 of us (Tim, Con, Sandy and I) then set out for a ride into the countryside and up into the surrounding hills. We climbed about 1000 feet ....cycle high and sleep low is our new maxim!! We visited two monasteries including Derpung monastery which is situated high up over the Ky chu valley and Lhasa and had spectacular views of Lhasa and the mountains. The locals thought we were a bit loco riding around on our mountain bikes especially as we went off trail a bit and found our way over some goat and Yak trails ....the Yaks didn't know what to make of us either and gave us wide berth. It was fun to ride along a long string of prayer wheels and spin them from our bikes. I have fitted my bike out with a bamboo pole off the back carrier and to that tied a string of prayer flags. At one point we were stopped and some local Tibetan ladies came along and pointed out to us that the very top flag needs to be blue and so we took the time to correct that ...no need to offend the locals or the spirits which are so prevalent in this very special and holy place. Above the monasteries we continued up and eventually came to a place where they had constructed a tent 20 to 30 feet high made of prayer flags ...the inside was very cool and very colourful with the sunlight filtering in through the layers of prayer flags. WOW!! Tim then took us back down cross-country until we hooked back up to the road leading into Lhasa. Exhilarating!Tomorrow we set off on our serious bike tour and our itinerary for those who may wish to look on a map (yes I admit I am map crazy) looks like this: bike to Gongkarshulde, cross Chulde pass (4500 m),to Nagartse and to Yamdrok lake. Then to Karo-la, then Gyantse, then Shigatse (side visit to Shalu) which may have email as it is a bit bigger ...let's hope anyways. Then to Shapkeding, then Chola and onto Gyatsola. Then to Shegar and from there to Rongbuk which has a famous monastery and where the northside Everest expeditions go to have their climbs blessed. Then to Everest base camp (and Tim has friends who are there now making their attempts on the mountain weather and good karma permitting). From Everest we bike to old Tingri and onto to Gutso. We then bike to Lalunga and eventually to Zhangmu. From Zhangmu we start the worlds longest downhill a mere 15,000 feet to the friendship bridge on the Nepal-Tibet border and from there back to Kathmandu. We will ride 80 to 90 kms per day or sometimes more depending on side trips and how people feel. It is nice to know we will have the support vehicles following us. We will be camping out and I can't wait to see the stars from the Tibetan plateau. In total we will be biking a bit more than 1100 kms.The names themselves are steeped in a sort of magical mysticism. I can't wait to actually see all these places but I am also fully aware of the need to drink in and fully breathe in and experience each moment as it comes. Truly time seems to be suspended as one travels through this place they so aptly call Shangri-La.I hope everyone back at home is well. Love you all.Clair
MAY -6 Greetings to you all!!First of all thanks to everyone who has sent emails it is always good to get news from home.We ended up spending only one night in Chengdu. They flew us back to Lhasa early the next morning without problem. It was quite funny though their wake up call system ...a young Chinese lady knocked on our door at 0315 with a handwritten note that said "Time to get up please" bowed gave us the note and left.Lhasa is around 3700 meters (about 12000 ft) and you really notice it when you get off the plane. Everyone has stayed healthy though except for some mild AMS. We had fun getting our bikes put together in the hotel courtyard with all these Tibetans looking on shaking their heads at these crazy westerners. The tires were all flat on purpose because of altitude changes and pressure changes in the aircraft. So to expedite getting air into 8 bikes we loaded the bikes up in the bus and set out to find a gas station. Would you believe they have entirely different valves over here and we ended up going to a motorcycle repair place to get air ...it was hilarious trying to explain what we wanted and when they finally understood they moved into high gear..... but a bit overzealously as they have no gauges just compressed air and the first tire they blew the inner part of the valve right into the inner tube ....alas they were able to repair it. It made for comic relief after getting up so early in the day. Bert, Con, Sandy, Tim and I then went on a little bike tour of the city. It was great to get into the saddle and ride a little. The hotel we are staying at in Lhasa is in the old Tibetan part of the city and very colorful with rich Tibetan fabrics, murals in bright colors everywhere, beautiful old rugs on the floors, Thangkas, and warm Tibetan staff. Today we toured the Potala, which is in the very centre of town on a high hill overlooking the valley. The Potala is two palaces ...the red palace which is the religious (Buddhist) seat of power and the white palace which is the political seat. It is the residence of the 14th Dalai lama, which as you know fled Tibet in 1959 when the Chinese invaded. Potala in Tibetan means beautiful garden and it is indeed beautiful!! There are still monks in residence and it remains a very active monastery. The treasures within the Potala are almost too much to really describe and do it justice. It was almost too much to take in. There is one tomb ...that of the 5th dalai lama which has 3760 kg of gold in it and 10,000 precious stones and jewels!! WOW!! There are innumerable books and scriptures of all the dalai lamas dating back to the 7th century. The Potala itself with its whitewashed and deep ochre walls dominates the skyline. When we climbed up onto the roof of the hotel we were able to get great views of it and all of Lhasa. Also on the Potala itself we were able to climb up onto the roof and able to see the surrounding countryside and the distant mountains which have had a recent dusting of snow are stunning. I do hope some of my pictures do it justice. This afternoon we visited the Tibetan school of medicine. A Tibetan doctor took my pulse ...they use three fingers and take your pulse in both wrists for about 3 minutes look at your tongue and then tell you what is wrong with you. My blood moves too slowly and as a result I have problems with my knees ....and her I thought it was those darn trees getting in the way when I ski. Anyways he gave me a prescription for some herbal medicine and with just 2 bottles I will be good to go.Tonight we are going out for a traditional Tibetan meal and Tibetan dancing. Peak Freaks is treating us very very well.Also today we wandered around the main market place. I bought a few things and had great fun bartering over the price. I am convinced it is as much fun for them and they enjoy it even more when you bargain really hard. In the end I don't think they would ever sell you anything without making some profit. One memorable exchange was when this elderly Tibetan lady in traditional dress says to me "I have to feed my 5 babies" and I just as quickly fired back "I have to feed my 6 babies" and she says "and my 15 grandchildren" and I say "what about my 20 grandchildren" ...and we both laugh. We settled on a fair price and everybody was happy.We spend another day in Lhasa as we really need that time to acclimatize and then we set off on our bikes. The road is beckoning. Tomorrow just to get a bit more acclimatization and also to get out on the bikes we are riding out to 1 or 2 monasteries up in the hills. How far and how high we will ride will depend on how everyone is feeling at this altitude. I myself am very well. My oxygen levels are in the mid 80% range, at home they are in the mid 90s. My pulse has gone up about 10 beats (maybe that is why the Tibetan doctor thought my blood was too slow).For those interested it is 1830 here in Lhasa and 0430 in Lethbridge. All of China including Tibet is on the same time zone as Beijing. Weird.Clair
May 4- Greetings from China!!Yes China. Well we were supposed to fly into Lhasa today but once we had crossed over the Nepal-Tibet border over the himalaya (and Everest, Makalu, Kanchenchunga and all the himalaya were absolutely stunning!!) we began our descent into Lhasa only to begin climbing again and to hear "we are so sorry to inform you but due to unfavourable weather conditions we can not land the airplane". Apparently the winds were too high to land the aircraft safely. So we flew onto Chengdu the next scheduled stop on this flight ....it is a mere ~1500kms further east and located in south central China. China airlines has put us up in a hotel and they are feeding us but we would all really rather be in Lhasa!! Ah well the adventure continues. Hopefully we can fly to Lhasa tomorrow.....I wonder were our bikes are?Clair
May 2- We have safely arrived in Nepal. It was a long journey with the longest leg being Los Angeles to Bangkok, which was a 19hour flight with a 60-minute stopover for fuelling in Osaka. It sure is good to be here though and stretch my legs. The weather is perfect at 25 and a gentle breeze. Thamel is as I remembered it with all the hustle, bustle, shopkeepers hustling you, the colours, the incense, the smells both good and not so good, the great food, and the warmth of the locals making you feel welcome. The group is a varied one. We are 8 people with one couple from Norway, she is an ENT surgeon and he is an ICU nurse. Bert is 72 but looks the same age as me almost ....very fit and wiry looking with that outdoors look about him. Doris is 68 and has obviously spent a lot of time travelling and has been to Nepal before. Sandy and Con are the hotshot bikers from Nelson who have done some serious biking all over the world. Tim our leader at 42 is the youngest person but clearly the one with the most "mountain" experience and this is his 17th trip to the himalaya. We are staying at the Nirvana Garden hotel which is the same place we stayed at when we came trekking with the kids 1 1/2 years ago. In fact I have the same room that girls had when we were here last!! It is almost like we were here yesterday. It is currently 2026 in KTM and 0841 in Lethbridge. For some strange reason Nepal is 15 minutes out of sink with the other local time zones. Otherwise it is essentially 12 hours different ....literally 1/2 the way around the world. Tomorrow we shall collect our mountain bikes and get them ready for the trip over to Lhasa. We fly to Lhasa on Megan's birthday May the 4th (which is also the full moon). Lhasa is at 12,000 feet and so we will need a few days to acclimatize before setting off on our bikes. However there is so much to see in Lhasa itself that I'll be glad to spend a few days poking around.ClairApr. 30- Con and Sandy have gone to the Khumbu Valley- Everest region to gain some altitude. They will reach 3800m to rest and let their bodies adjust before flying back to Kathmandu to join the team.
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