On January 21 2014 I board an airplane for Dhaka. From there I will be working on another self-funded project. During my off days of working I plan on doing some motorbike trips around the country on a local bike. At this present moment, I don’t want to give away too much information but the planning is in the works.
There is a new print listed on Etsy and all profits will help go to the funding of this trip. A perfect holiday gift for anyone that’s lived on the road, or needs inspiration for 2014. I just can’t bare to do another Kicstarter at this moment, or rather, save it for something I’ve got brewing up on the back burner.
Happy holidays everyone, and I hope to get the rest of the Uzbek writing completed as I anxiously await my new China Work Visa. It’s been a very consuming process. Special love and thanks to those that have helped me with it, whether mailing items or allowing me floor space to sleep as I had to exit China to resolve the matter. New strict regulations. I guess if it was easy to obtain, everyone would have one. And of course, why should I expect anything “easy” or simple, ever.
The moment, I knew, it was going to be a very long and cold winter. Watching snow flurries fall to the ground during the first week of August, as we ride from the Tibetans we had spent the night with.
Sunrise near Amnematchen (Amdo/Kham Tibet). One of the most beautiful mornings so far.
The evening before, sleeping with the nomads, we had been shoved in a corner together. I was in the worst pain of my life from my stomach problems and got no sleep, Brandon told me he didn’t sleep at all either.
When getting ready for bed, the Tibetan girl and I were giggling with each other for about an hour. There was a language barrier and we would just communicate with laughter and giggles. We were watching each other, curious of the other. One of us would do something, and catch the eyes of the other, and we would both burst out in laughter. Old cranky pants that I was sharing my “personal space” with was probably confirming in his head that I’d lost my mind.
That girl was absolutely beautiful and I have about 3 dozen photos of her. I can still hear her laughter and giggles, while adding a white powder/flour to her traditional Tibetan hat. What I would do to visit her again…………………..well, it’s not that far away?
Self Portrait from August 2011, Amdo/Kham Tibet January 24th, 2012WanderCyclist
We were in Amdo/Kham Tibet. Nearly 4 days of cycling to see one of the three Tibetan Holy Mountains: Amnemachen.
Arriving in the town the night before and not finding a cheap place to stay, Brandon and I opted to sleep in an open field. No tents and under the open stars. Our favorite way. During the night we could hear a man praying into the early hours.
We had just hit tarmac after a very long journey through the mountains. Beat. I was pretty relieved to hear when Brandon admitted to this, because I thought maybe I was just being a baby. He at 22,000km let me know that the stretch we traveled together had been the most difficult in his life – in my opinion – probably both of our favorites.
I never accepted free rides or tried to hitch in China, but with Brandon’s Visa, we had to get to a PSB every 30 days. With his inability of speaking Chinese, communicating with drivers was left up to me. Sometimes I’d do dances on the side of the road, or lie down kicking my legs up in the air. Hell, who doesn’t want a crazy fun American passenger. Brandon pulled his weight, he was a work horse at getting our loaded bikes on trucks – and I felt safer having his short fuse around.
We spent nearly the entire day on the edge of town trying to hitch a ride. There was a little boy that spent it with us.
Earlier in the day, he had been throwing rocks at the road sign. There were probably 3 dozen stones in the road, trucks running over them.
Then Brandon helped him with a new game of lining up our empty beer bottles and throwing rocks at them. Thanks Guy, you’re such a great influence on the kids.
Needless to say, we went through a fair amount of beers, snacks, and cigarettes (as our nasty new habit from boredom and hangin with locals).
The little boy worked on keeping his snot in his nose, but that poor kid…haha…oh man. Then he brought me a bag of cookies and I could see the dried snot all over his hands and arms. Tibetan kids are notorious for this.
At one point he rides his bike out and Brandon and I cheer him on. We spent the entire day with this kid, with random visits from monks and local Tibetans. Of course the street sweeper, who was REALLY REALLY stoked to be cleaning up the BOYS mess!
We did get a ride, eventually, that took 18 hours because we got held up by a landslide on the mountains. Yes…for about 5 hours…rocks tumbling into a deep abyss. The pass was more than 5000m and the driver had this mix tape with about 6 song and one was the Cardigans “love me” and this other one that’s about a baby bottle or something. Brandon and I could hear it in our head’s for days after.
These are the moments, the days, that still make me laugh and remind myself how wonderful touring is.
August 2011 – Touring is sometimes all fun and games! January 12th, 2012WanderCyclist
