Planning

29 Jul 2010
Sticky Post By Posted in Bicycle, Planning, Route, Tech Stuff With No Comments Permalink

Back On the Road

Sticky Post By On July 29, 2010 With No Comments

This time I have company, my “teammate” Jason Yen. He is riding his handbuilt frame he made at UBI in Oregon. It’s a real beaut’.

I had my front fork replaced in Chifeng and my chain.

We left Chifeng on Saturday in blazing heat. Before leaving, my derailer begin to have problems. We had about 10 people from Chifeng riding with us, which Jason and I don’t really like…but that’s okay. They meant well.

Jason and I continued on after lunch together and met up with Qi Ge at our next town. We are headed to some “Mongolian Festival”…I don’t know…

The next morning, “Mr. Know it All” rode along with us. He ended up calling his cronies to pick him up in an SUV. Besides being a Know it All (as we had met him at that bike shop in Chifeng) he is also a fake and a braggert. On top of this, he orders me around. He got in Jason’s way when Jason tried to buy us a snack. He orders me to eat and eat until I’m about to die. We take a rest at the police dorms (where he use to work) and then doesn’t want to ride because it’s 34C outside…so now he is a baby too. I don’t like this man AT ALL.

His cronies make fun of him because a woman can ride harder and better than him. He will have to live with that shame.

I say I’m leaving…either way. We head out. Jason and I arrive at the next city without them and we find a bingguan…too late…Mr Know it All orders us to stay at his house…with no shower…and no AC…I have to sleep on the floor in my underwear to try and stay cool. No fan…you would think that a man that carries around a Leica digital camera and drives a Toyota RAV4 could splurge for a fan or even AC.

The next day he takes us to a joke of a repair shop and I finally put my foot down and I say I’ve had enough. Jason and I try to make adjustments and I AM NOT going to the festival…I’m fed up. We load up after Lotus arrives, and it’s a heartfelt goodbye.

We hit mountains for 3 days, now the Inner Mongolian Plateau.

It took us 2 hours to walk our bikes up a mountain – it was no joke. I’ve ridden 500 km, moutains, and the plateau with 3-4 useless cog wheels. There is nowhere for repairs.

My pants won’t fit because my thighs are now crazy big.

Broke:
-iPod
-fake GShock watch (my sweat flooded it after 2 days)

We camped the night before last…went 3 days of riding without showers – I was rank.

Today is a rest day in Xilinhot.

We should be at the Mongolian border in 3 days max.

26 Apr 2010
Sticky Post By Posted in Email correspondance, Planning, Route With No Comments Permalink

Russian Visas, what a pain in the booty.

Sticky Post By On April 26, 2010 With No Comments

I guess I never shared with you all that Russia has been taken out of my route.

Getting a Russian Visa has proven to be more difficult than a Chinese Visa – and quite frankly, it just means I’ll be spending more time in China and Mongolia.

First, you have to receive an “invite” from a registered Russian travel company/group. Okay, so if you google this you find places that do it between $100-$300 USD. My difficulty…I don’t know my exact date of arrival to the border so I wanted a 3 month Visa which made the price go up. It’s not like China where you have 3 months after your date of arrival – you have that time span when you applied and that’s that.

I just could imagine myself settling for a 1 month and not making it, or being too early or some awful minor catastrophe. So, okay, I’ll apply for a 3 month Visa. I try this fellow in Texas: www.direct-passports.com and it was the most awful Customer Service I have ever experienced. Rude and snarky and obviously could not read my email completely through before being a complete dick. Hey Tony Abrilian, now you are on the internet as being an awful business person.

I go to another agency, they obviously know the ropes a lot better than the previous fellow. The problem is that I can only be issued the invite a couple of weeks before my entrance into Russia. That is impossible as I’ll be riding around China on a bike and have no guarantee of a Russian Consulate on my route.

Strike it from the route. Shucks. What a pain and as an fyi, it costs close to $500 total for a 3 month Russian Visa. Bummer. I can spend that money in a better way, say 6 months worth of food on the road.

18 Apr 2010
Sticky Post By Posted in Bicycle, Planning, Soma Fab, Soma Saga With 1 Comment Permalink

First ride.

Sticky Post By On April 18, 2010 With 1 Comment

Just a little peek. Still need to add fenders and switch out the tires to Panaracers.

I want to thank Chain’s Sprockets here in Shanghai for doing such an awesome job on the build. It’s the smoothest ride I’ve had in a long time. Chain’s also helped support the cause by giving me a wonderful discount and did not include a fee for the top of the line labor. Best shop in Shanghai, perhaps China – hands down.

I’ll give a run down of components later.

09 Mar 2010
Sticky Post By Posted in Bicycle, Planning, Soma Fab, Soma Saga, Tech Stuff, Touring Gear With 2 Comments Permalink

Saga arrived in Shanghai

Sticky Post By On March 9, 2010 With 2 Comments

So it seems that the Saga has gained some popularity, not to mention that some of my friends have become very interested in this bike because of their generosity. I was expecting to get the frame shipped to me while I was in the States, but they were behind orders for 54 frames. I’m still in the States, preparing to return and just got notice of the arrival of my frame to my home in Shanghai.

12 Feb 2010
Sticky Post By Posted in Email correspondance, Motorcycle Touring, Planning, Route, Tibet With 4 Comments Permalink

Kashgar to Chengdu – Tibetan Plateau and Qinghai, change of plans.

Sticky Post By On February 12, 2010 With 4 Comments

Thanks to Carl Parker and his motorcycle forums.

I am not going to post all the info I acquired from such a kind and giving source. It would be too easy for anyone to use all the info I have been researching for over a year, work for what you want, right?

I learned that my previous route cutting along the Tibetan plateau and heading SW through Qinghai Route of the Silk Road is very difficult…and perhaps insane for someone traveling alone and at least with my little experience and knowledge of the area.

Rather than taking the the Qinghai Route I will cross the Taklamakan Desert on a main route somewhere between Khotan and Charchan, closer to the latter. There is water supply throughout the desert and then I will backtrack towards Dunhuang, even though I took the Northern route already. Depending on time, I may jump on a train/bus since I have already cycled this area…no it’s not cheating, it’s rather beating wintertime in NW China.

Dangers along the Qinghai route: furious sandstorms, lack of water, large open asbestos mine, and often you will need a permit to get through because of all the prisons in the West.

NOTE: After nearly a year of planning, it is still impossible for foreigners to trek through Tibet without a tour group or the correct paperwork. I constantly see postings on forums by foreigners wanting to cycle through Tibet – right now, don’t attempt it, it is nearly impossible. Either way, I don’t want my visitation rights to China ripped away from me. Obey the government when a guest.

14 Aug 2009
Sticky Post By Posted in Planning, Tibet With No Comments Permalink

At first, it was only to be 6 months.

Sticky Post By On August 14, 2009 With No Comments

At the beginning of 2009 – I had my heart on applying to Graduate School for Journalism. My background being photography, I wanted to add something to my credentials – not leave it behind. So I figured, I would just apply and go off for a bike ride around China for 6 months. Here I am, nearly 2 months into planning this journey and I find myself pushing the lift off date back BUT lengthening my trip indefinitely.

Graduate School will always be there- and well, being an American living in China, learning the language and customs…I have to take advantage of this.

Many people are surpised when I tell them the only country out of America I have ever been is China. “Not even Europe?!” is the typical response. No, not even France or the UK.

About 4 months after graduating college (in the winter) I was in a full time, “real person” job. Salary and a 401k and all of that. Yes, so my friends were leaving me behind to go travel wherever, however. I was really, really envious – and then getting to hear of their travels upon their return…only made me feel like I was missing out on something that everyone did in their early twenties.

Here I am, age is irrelevant – but let’s just say late 20’s, and I am so glad I put it off. It’s not that I had much of a choice, but I this trip is going to matter, it’s going to say something…it’s something so much greater than going to Graduate School for 12 months.

I would love to hear from you!

Studio Address: Front Street Artist Studios

 

 

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