Tibet

Prologue

In 1995, Brice Minnigh and I arrived in Kashgar, the westernmost city in China, having cycled more than 6,000 kilometers from Beijing. Most of the trip was good but there were some difficult moments. At one point, in fact, a...(more)

several good meals and booze

I stood in the cavernous foyer of the new Hong Kong airport when a voice called down from a platform above....(more)

Keep the distances in check

In the apartment sipping some beer, thoughts of the 1995 trip flood back. That journey had lasted three months and spanned 6200 kilometres. With 4000 kilometres under our belts we had been thoroughly fed up. We were psychologically finished with...(more)

Capacity

Calories are on my mind. How can we bring more of them? There is limited storage capacity on a bicycle. The ‘trunk’ is the rear rack. You can hang a pannier off of each side. For temperate climes this is...(more)

Praying to upgrade

I take some time to pen the first notes in my journal, a hardbound black and white diary roughly the size of a letter with the thickness of a modest paperback book....(more)

Damage in transit

We reach Golmud, Qinghai Province, having spent three days on the train. Since we have arrived ‘at altitude’ comparatively quickly, we decide to rest for three or four days to acclimatize....(more)

Chinese cities rule it

Brice is suffering a splitting sinus headache. I think this will go away with the medicine. It's his second since reaching Qinghai. We suppose the climatic change from humid Hong Kong to arid Golmud is responsible. Yesterday, phoned Rudolph...(more)

First light over Golmud

It is 5:15 am. We have been up all night getting the bikes and gear ready for the 6:30 am departure. With a half-hour's sleep, we roll the bikes into the hotel lobby in the pre-dawn darkness. There we meet...(more)

Shoeless and wet

We emerge from the tents to a gorgeous morning. Slivers of sunlight paint the desolate mountainside. The idyllic setting of our first bivouac has set an auspicious omen for the journey. After a bowl of morning noodle we're off for...(more)

Tylenol test

Brice awakes with a headache. Is it a symptom of AMS? We give him the "Tylenol test" and he fails -- the analgesic does not resolve the headache. We delay departure another day. Jianping also seems to be in bad...(more)

Mid-summit cigarette

Brice and Jianping awake with headaches again. We again delay departure. Now I'm raring to be in motion. Fangkun and I decide to hike the barren hill behind Xidatan. Gao Ceng is not inclined. Amazingly, Jianping decides to come along....(more)