Here I am in Beijing, reading through past blog entries, trying to relive the Silk Route. Being back in Beijing, life is a little too easy...no job, no responsibilities, no challenges. I feel like my cell phone, plugged into the wall recharging spent batteries.
I think back to that pass in Kyrgyzstan, manically laughing and pedaling downhill into swirly 100km/hour wind. Riding through Xinjiang, I recall the Tian Shan mountains, chameleon-like, shifting colors between rusty reds and majestic purples. During the silence of dusk, the sultry silhouettes disappearing against the night sky, awaiting tomorrow's performance.
The endless desert scape of Turkmenistan I cannot soon forget. My mind repeatedly teasing the possibility of resting in a dilapidated cafe, sipping a warm bottle of soda. Upon reaching the top of a dune and seeing no such outpost, I assure myself it must wait after the crest of the next dune. This game perpetuates until a promising speck in the distance turns out to be camp.
Everyday was an oxymoron, exactly the same but entirely different. The landscape could change in a matter of kilometers with the hubbub of language changing twice as fast. Though the faces of Istanbul contrast greatly with those of China, the gradually changing countenance of Central Asians was a pleasure to witness. We grew accustom to frequent change and sought refuge in the familiar monotony of cycling.
"Small roads bring good people, big roads bring many people." This quotation, one of many, would reverberate in my mind throughout much of the trip. In Tajikistan, I would see a Chinese road building crew and shortly after, my tires would sink into wet tarmac. Mack trucks in Kyrgyzstan, navigated roads our 4-wheel-drive support vehicles had difficulty driving. Large roads brought more children to the street shouting "Tourist, Tourist!" and extending their hand for a gift. On more remote roads, locals would twist their faces in polite confusion, then welcome us to their home for tea and a snack.
So we must continue to find these small roads, as they are where the lost spirit of travel lay. No tour buses, no fanny packs, no strict itinerary are to be found here. It is up to oneself to recognize an opportunity and embrace it. Sometimes the most thrilling moments lay within a modest hut, humble company and a simple cup of tea.
-CB
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Beijing...We've made it!
One hundred and seven day later, after cycling 10,600km and consuming countless kilos of Nutella, we've arrived in Beijing. The total time before Beijing was slightly shorter for me, as I came up several days early to prepare the festivities for Sunday's afternoon arrival.
To do list for Rach and I:
Scout a way in for the Cyclists
Scout a way into Beijing for the Trucks
Organize reception for Riders
Organize Banquet dinner
Find 50 bike boxes
Schedule the day's events
We were able to take care of most of these tasks, until we tried scouting a truck route to our hotel. We know that Beijing has truck restrictions but learned their method of enforcement is building bridges 4.0 meters high. Our Plan B was put into action, organizing a truck parking lot outside of the 5th ring road.
Although the stress wasn't too high, I don't think I've ever worked harder during such a short period of time. I was burning the candle at both ends, accomplishing tasks through the day and enjoying social engagements at night. This culminated with a terrible stomachache the night before the event. I had to drive 80km outside of Beijing, meet the trucks and bring them to the parking lot in the middle of the night (police would be less likely to stop our trucks at this time). With Pepto Bismol and a prayer, I fell asleep at the truck stop thinking how difficult it would be to lead 44 cyclist into Beijing while vomiting from my bike.
The next morning I was still sick, but after loading moving trucks with rider gear, my health miraculously improved. The convoy went very smoothly, all the way to Tiananmen Square (Now that I wrote that, the censors are going to be crawling all over this blog). We stopped between Tiananmen and the Forbidden City for a quick celebration and pictures. Once there, I was expecting to be shuffled along by police, but were not bothered until after 20minutes.
The welcoming ceremony at the hotel was brimming with Champagne, wine, cheeses, and other delicacies we've been without. All of the wine, even the wine for dinner, was quaffed by thirsty riders and staff. The restaurant owner eventually had to force us to leave sending the party 5 floors upstairs into a hotel room. I left to pick up 30 remaining bike boxes from the Giant headquarters while the hotel room party carried on. I was happy to take a drinking break during that stretch as the day was far from over.
DongBeiRen, one of my favorite restaurants in Beijing, held our banquet dinner. We showed Darrel's videos, Rachel's slide show and enjoyed several speeches from riders and staff. The atmosphere of the dinner was hushed with most recovering from the welcoming ceremony.
The arrival was successful and I'm ready to relax for the next month and a half. There is still much reflection needed on my part. It is difficult to understand a trip like this. The sideshow began to put the trip in perspective, capturing the cultures, people, and places we've experienced.
To travel by bicycle, across Asia is quite a feat. Unlike sitting in a car, riding a bicycle connects the rider with the surrounding environment. Whether it be people, obstacles, weather or scenery, one is inextricably linked and responsive to their volatility. Comparing this to a discovery of cultures by boat (Semester at Sea), the bicycle never leaves the culture-scape. We can't leave port once we've had enough, we must pedal onwards to our next country.
Semester at Sea gave us rapid, intense encounters as we circled the globe. Afterwards, we loaded onto our western ship and cooked in our academic incubator, discussing our experiences with professors, peers, and ourselves. We dined on Western food and could be in constant contact with our friends and family via Internet. Everything and everyone was only a click away.
The Silk Route gave us constant, intense experience with no familiar environment to reflect. As one can see with the blog entries, in most places, the Internet was a luxury. We'd fuel with local foods and drink local water. We sleep in their dwellings and listen to their language. Our only time to reflect is while pedaling onwards to our next encounter.
We covered 120km a day, while Silk Road merchants, covered a mere 25km each day. It's half desert. Roads have made the journey less perilous, but if anything goes wrong, you're nowhere. It's humbling, but some would say dangerous (thanks to the media in creating a fear culture). I never felt danger, even if it was there. Inevitable diarrhea, food poisoning and heat exhaustion were mere inconveniences, paling in comparison to the hazards of 2000 years ago.
More to come..
To do list for Rach and I:
Scout a way in for the Cyclists
Scout a way into Beijing for the Trucks
Organize reception for Riders
Organize Banquet dinner
Find 50 bike boxes
Schedule the day's events
We were able to take care of most of these tasks, until we tried scouting a truck route to our hotel. We know that Beijing has truck restrictions but learned their method of enforcement is building bridges 4.0 meters high. Our Plan B was put into action, organizing a truck parking lot outside of the 5th ring road.
Although the stress wasn't too high, I don't think I've ever worked harder during such a short period of time. I was burning the candle at both ends, accomplishing tasks through the day and enjoying social engagements at night. This culminated with a terrible stomachache the night before the event. I had to drive 80km outside of Beijing, meet the trucks and bring them to the parking lot in the middle of the night (police would be less likely to stop our trucks at this time). With Pepto Bismol and a prayer, I fell asleep at the truck stop thinking how difficult it would be to lead 44 cyclist into Beijing while vomiting from my bike.
The next morning I was still sick, but after loading moving trucks with rider gear, my health miraculously improved. The convoy went very smoothly, all the way to Tiananmen Square (Now that I wrote that, the censors are going to be crawling all over this blog). We stopped between Tiananmen and the Forbidden City for a quick celebration and pictures. Once there, I was expecting to be shuffled along by police, but were not bothered until after 20minutes.
The welcoming ceremony at the hotel was brimming with Champagne, wine, cheeses, and other delicacies we've been without. All of the wine, even the wine for dinner, was quaffed by thirsty riders and staff. The restaurant owner eventually had to force us to leave sending the party 5 floors upstairs into a hotel room. I left to pick up 30 remaining bike boxes from the Giant headquarters while the hotel room party carried on. I was happy to take a drinking break during that stretch as the day was far from over.DongBeiRen, one of my favorite restaurants in Beijing, held our banquet dinner. We showed Darrel's videos, Rachel's slide show and enjoyed several speeches from riders and staff. The atmosphere of the dinner was hushed with most recovering from the welcoming ceremony.
The arrival was successful and I'm ready to relax for the next month and a half. There is still much reflection needed on my part. It is difficult to understand a trip like this. The sideshow began to put the trip in perspective, capturing the cultures, people, and places we've experienced.
To travel by bicycle, across Asia is quite a feat. Unlike sitting in a car, riding a bicycle connects the rider with the surrounding environment. Whether it be people, obstacles, weather or scenery, one is inextricably linked and responsive to their volatility. Comparing this to a discovery of cultures by boat (Semester at Sea), the bicycle never leaves the culture-scape. We can't leave port once we've had enough, we must pedal onwards to our next country.
Semester at Sea gave us rapid, intense encounters as we circled the globe. Afterwards, we loaded onto our western ship and cooked in our academic incubator, discussing our experiences with professors, peers, and ourselves. We dined on Western food and could be in constant contact with our friends and family via Internet. Everything and everyone was only a click away.
The Silk Route gave us constant, intense experience with no familiar environment to reflect. As one can see with the blog entries, in most places, the Internet was a luxury. We'd fuel with local foods and drink local water. We sleep in their dwellings and listen to their language. Our only time to reflect is while pedaling onwards to our next encounter.
We covered 120km a day, while Silk Road merchants, covered a mere 25km each day. It's half desert. Roads have made the journey less perilous, but if anything goes wrong, you're nowhere. It's humbling, but some would say dangerous (thanks to the media in creating a fear culture). I never felt danger, even if it was there. Inevitable diarrhea, food poisoning and heat exhaustion were mere inconveniences, paling in comparison to the hazards of 2000 years ago.
More to come..
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Love for all, Henan
A mere eight days away from Beijing and everyone is chomping at the bit to close this chapter of their life. We’ve arrived in a small town in Henan province called Bo’ai—meaning love for all, something needed at this point. Luoyang, yesterday’s stopping point, marks the first city I scouted. I’ve started scouting ahead each day since I am more familiar with this area than most of this group; I spend the days double checking directions and finding new (cheaper) hotels than the ones I had previously found.
Double-checking requires me to drive through today’s destination and continue to tomorrow’s city only to return and report my findings. As you may imagine, my days have been long, usually around 400km spent with Mr. Xu (pronounced shoe) each day. Mr. Xu has a heart of gold and the tolerance of a saint. We have been working him entirely too much, but he takes it with a smile and only complains when I am the only one in the car. I think he is looking forward to Beijing more than anyone else.
Coming into Henan province, I’ve had to extinguish more fires than usual. The first hotel we booked in Henan nearly became a disaster. After confirming foreigners were allowed to stay there the day before, the day we arrived they told us we couldn’t stay there. With 40 riders and two trucks on the way, Mr. Xu and I vigorously argued this injustice.
I nearly burst out laughing when Mr. Xu said that we had stayed in hotels from Kashgar to here and had no problems, but the first day we arrive in Henan we are being cheated. [Chinese are notoriously racist against people from Henan. If something is stolen, missing or anything bad has happened, it is said that the culprit must be from Henan.] The verdict came back saying we could stay there, but at an inflated 150RMB/night as opposed to the negotiated 110RMB/night. They were so stingy that they charged a bicycle parking fee of 5RMB. I left the sales manager embarrassed and speechless when I told her that in my country, everyone pays the same price no matter where his or her passport is from.
Riders seem to be completely loosing their minds and sense of decency. In the middle of a conversation last night, I had a rider tug on my sleeve trying to get my attention. I ignored the gross impoliteness and continued my conversation…until the tugging turned to pulling and saying my name. What I said next scared me, “EXCUSE ME, I am in the middle of a conversation, I will help you when I am finished.” As I turned to continue the conversation, an image of my hand tugging on my mothers sleeve flashed in my head with my mother turning and enunciating exactly what I had just said.
We have two more days of riding until the next rest day. I will most likely jump ahead to Beijing and help finalize everything for our ceremony, banquet dinner, and accommodations for our arrival. I’m excited to be back in the capital, even though it’s for a short time. You may find my official updates for the TDA website below. Enjoy!
Double-checking requires me to drive through today’s destination and continue to tomorrow’s city only to return and report my findings. As you may imagine, my days have been long, usually around 400km spent with Mr. Xu (pronounced shoe) each day. Mr. Xu has a heart of gold and the tolerance of a saint. We have been working him entirely too much, but he takes it with a smile and only complains when I am the only one in the car. I think he is looking forward to Beijing more than anyone else.
Coming into Henan province, I’ve had to extinguish more fires than usual. The first hotel we booked in Henan nearly became a disaster. After confirming foreigners were allowed to stay there the day before, the day we arrived they told us we couldn’t stay there. With 40 riders and two trucks on the way, Mr. Xu and I vigorously argued this injustice.
I nearly burst out laughing when Mr. Xu said that we had stayed in hotels from Kashgar to here and had no problems, but the first day we arrive in Henan we are being cheated. [Chinese are notoriously racist against people from Henan. If something is stolen, missing or anything bad has happened, it is said that the culprit must be from Henan.] The verdict came back saying we could stay there, but at an inflated 150RMB/night as opposed to the negotiated 110RMB/night. They were so stingy that they charged a bicycle parking fee of 5RMB. I left the sales manager embarrassed and speechless when I told her that in my country, everyone pays the same price no matter where his or her passport is from.
Riders seem to be completely loosing their minds and sense of decency. In the middle of a conversation last night, I had a rider tug on my sleeve trying to get my attention. I ignored the gross impoliteness and continued my conversation…until the tugging turned to pulling and saying my name. What I said next scared me, “EXCUSE ME, I am in the middle of a conversation, I will help you when I am finished.” As I turned to continue the conversation, an image of my hand tugging on my mothers sleeve flashed in my head with my mother turning and enunciating exactly what I had just said.
We have two more days of riding until the next rest day. I will most likely jump ahead to Beijing and help finalize everything for our ceremony, banquet dinner, and accommodations for our arrival. I’m excited to be back in the capital, even though it’s for a short time. You may find my official updates for the TDA website below. Enjoy!
Daily Updates
11.7.07
What is the best way to get though one of China’s biggest cities? When we began cycling underneath the grand archway of Xi’an’s city wall—I had my answer…straight though the middle.
Like an amorphous school of fish, we swim through the city. We engulf unsuspecting pedestrians and cyclists, leaving them befuddled in our wake. Predators attempt to agitate the shoal from all angles, requiring one of us to distract the danger until the rest are safe. All the while, flurries of fingers fall from handlebars, highlighting the next pothole, crack, or rock for those behind. We make for a ravishing creature.
As we pedal, thousands of years of Chinese history pass. The terra-cotta army of Qin Shi Huang, the museum of Chinese writing and calligraphy, and the Wild Goose Pagoda are a few of the many historical fingerprints. Xi’an served as the capital during the Tang Dynasty--the “Golden Years” of China. As we traversed from West to East, we view Xi’an as the terminus of our adventure along the Silk Route. Gone are the minarets of Samarqand and the melting mud walls of Merv. Replacing them are the hum of neon lights and the green glow of Starbucks. Signaling our exit from the ancient and entrance into the familiar and ordinary.
11.8.07
As our days dwindle in China, many of us are rethinking our assumptions about this country. Some pictured millions of people, wading in rice paddies, wearing the stereotypical conical straw hat. Many riders grew up during the Mao era, a time when China’s progress looked rather grim. While others had the chance to visit the country after it was reopened in 1978…when wai guo ren were truly a novelty.
China is dynamic and impossible to describe entirely. How can one begin to compare the skyscrapers of Beijing to a mud hut in Gansu province? We have the pleasure of experiencing both these extremes, and everything in-between, walking away with an uncommon impression of China. These impressions manifest through anecdotes, explaining in minutes, where a university professor may explain in weeks.
Robert Ball recently had a ‘China Learning Experience’ during a ride. “We tried to enter the expressway and were stopped at the toll booth,” he begins. The tollbooth attendant pointed to a sign with a list of pictures: no horses, no carts, no carriages, no motorcycles, and no bicycles. Having no choice, the small group took the less attractive side road and battled a gusting headwind for nearly two hours. Having had enough, the riders slithered underneath six strands of barbed wire and clambered up a 12-foot embankment to reach the expressway. The next 100 km were spent on the prohibited expressway, with police passing periodically, but not harassing them in the least. “A month ago I would have assumed immediate deportation for this,” ends Robert.
11.9.07
Cycling through XinJiang and Gansu, brought spectacular vistas, marred only by the passing coal trucks. Now the trucks have delivered their payloads and are causing much more harmful effects. More than half the riders don their facemasks every morning, with the other half wishing they had brought one. When we arrived in China, we were appalled by the amount of hawking and spitting in public places. Now, due to the declining quality of air, many of us are hawking and spitting in much the same way.
It’s unsettling to blow one’s nose and see nothing but black mucus in the tissue paper. Soot takes residence along our eyelids and when a cold wind blows, ebony tears stream towards our ears. A typical day finds us passing several thermal power plants and burning trash in a drainage ditch. Days are shorter, terrain flat, but we battle manmade conditions.
China recently overtook the United States as the number one air polluter in the world. Additionally, China has 16 of the world’s 20 most polluted cities. Our original route to Beijing was deliberately changed due to the city of Linfen, Shanxi—recently deemed the most polluted city in the world. It is said, coal dust in the air is so thick that cars must use headlights during the day.
As our bodies experience repercussions of environmental denigration, we cannot help but meditate on greater cause and effects. While we are cycling, we are helping rather than hurting.
What is the best way to get though one of China’s biggest cities? When we began cycling underneath the grand archway of Xi’an’s city wall—I had my answer…straight though the middle.
Like an amorphous school of fish, we swim through the city. We engulf unsuspecting pedestrians and cyclists, leaving them befuddled in our wake. Predators attempt to agitate the shoal from all angles, requiring one of us to distract the danger until the rest are safe. All the while, flurries of fingers fall from handlebars, highlighting the next pothole, crack, or rock for those behind. We make for a ravishing creature.
As we pedal, thousands of years of Chinese history pass. The terra-cotta army of Qin Shi Huang, the museum of Chinese writing and calligraphy, and the Wild Goose Pagoda are a few of the many historical fingerprints. Xi’an served as the capital during the Tang Dynasty--the “Golden Years” of China. As we traversed from West to East, we view Xi’an as the terminus of our adventure along the Silk Route. Gone are the minarets of Samarqand and the melting mud walls of Merv. Replacing them are the hum of neon lights and the green glow of Starbucks. Signaling our exit from the ancient and entrance into the familiar and ordinary.
11.8.07
As our days dwindle in China, many of us are rethinking our assumptions about this country. Some pictured millions of people, wading in rice paddies, wearing the stereotypical conical straw hat. Many riders grew up during the Mao era, a time when China’s progress looked rather grim. While others had the chance to visit the country after it was reopened in 1978…when wai guo ren were truly a novelty.
China is dynamic and impossible to describe entirely. How can one begin to compare the skyscrapers of Beijing to a mud hut in Gansu province? We have the pleasure of experiencing both these extremes, and everything in-between, walking away with an uncommon impression of China. These impressions manifest through anecdotes, explaining in minutes, where a university professor may explain in weeks.
Robert Ball recently had a ‘China Learning Experience’ during a ride. “We tried to enter the expressway and were stopped at the toll booth,” he begins. The tollbooth attendant pointed to a sign with a list of pictures: no horses, no carts, no carriages, no motorcycles, and no bicycles. Having no choice, the small group took the less attractive side road and battled a gusting headwind for nearly two hours. Having had enough, the riders slithered underneath six strands of barbed wire and clambered up a 12-foot embankment to reach the expressway. The next 100 km were spent on the prohibited expressway, with police passing periodically, but not harassing them in the least. “A month ago I would have assumed immediate deportation for this,” ends Robert.
11.9.07
Cycling through XinJiang and Gansu, brought spectacular vistas, marred only by the passing coal trucks. Now the trucks have delivered their payloads and are causing much more harmful effects. More than half the riders don their facemasks every morning, with the other half wishing they had brought one. When we arrived in China, we were appalled by the amount of hawking and spitting in public places. Now, due to the declining quality of air, many of us are hawking and spitting in much the same way.
It’s unsettling to blow one’s nose and see nothing but black mucus in the tissue paper. Soot takes residence along our eyelids and when a cold wind blows, ebony tears stream towards our ears. A typical day finds us passing several thermal power plants and burning trash in a drainage ditch. Days are shorter, terrain flat, but we battle manmade conditions.
China recently overtook the United States as the number one air polluter in the world. Additionally, China has 16 of the world’s 20 most polluted cities. Our original route to Beijing was deliberately changed due to the city of Linfen, Shanxi—recently deemed the most polluted city in the world. It is said, coal dust in the air is so thick that cars must use headlights during the day.
As our bodies experience repercussions of environmental denigration, we cannot help but meditate on greater cause and effects. While we are cycling, we are helping rather than hurting.
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Xi'an, Shaanxi
It's truly remarkable, yesterday I was in a small Chinese village 65km outside of Xi'an and now I am at a Starbucks, mooching off their free Internet. The contrasts of China...
Well, I am more or less fresh back from my 5 day vacation to Hong Kong, although it feels as though it was months ago. The trip down was absolutely worth it; I realized how much I missed playing Ultimate and spending time with the Ultimate community. Our team came together nicely by the end of the tourney. I lost my voice and was successful in getting a nice, deep raspberry on my hip after laying out for a disc.
Chip was nice enough to bring my laptop, among other things, to the Tourney. Now having my laptop, I've been able to fix my iPod and recover the pictures I previously thought lost. Please view them here.
Since I have returned to the tour, it has been nothing but stress. They are testing me for Africa by loading me with responsibilities. They are mostly trivial, but when juggling it with the responsibilities I was already given, it gets a bit difficult. Not by any means beyond my capabilities, but the tour is no longer a walk in the park. My role in Africa is to run communications, not a bad job for a Communications major.
Part of the job is to write a daily blog entry, thus the past few days I have been writing about three paragraphs and sending them to the tour founder for review. This has been taking most of my computer time, hence I haven't written in a while. I am going to post them on this blog as well. Feel free to critique, I am trying a few different styles to keep it interesting. The current blog is a little sugar coated and I am trying to write in a more experiential way.
The other half of my time has been spent planning our entry into Beijing. My friend Adam works PR in Beijing and has been helping quite a bit. We've got a basic plan of events for the day and the hotel is finally book. We're in the process of contacting local media to cover our arrival and hopefully get some publicity for the tour.
Like I said, we've made it to Xi'an. We will enjoy two rest days here and then press onward to Beijing. I've organized an excursion to the Terra-cotta warriors and about 35 people signed up. Tonight I met with Lousia, my local contact, to catch up and make sure everything is set for tomorrow. She did a great job this past summer with my family and she is making the transition from tour guide to tour organizer. She was very excited to help with this excursion.
Thats all for now. I will be in touch more often now that we are in Eastern China , my official TDA blog entries are below. Enjoy.
11.1.07
A hysterical screech comes from behind, trucks are in every direction and the shoulder is uneven. There is no time to glance back. Was it a precautionary, warning or passing horn? The squeal sounds once more, sounding much closer. A maniacal 18-wheeler hurries by, coughing inky exhaust and showering the shoulder with dust and pebbles. Peering out of the heavily tinted, half open window is a sun beaten passenger showing his few remaining teeth. His tired eyes are fixed upon the most peculiar thing he has seen all day. His confusion is apparent as the truck speeds ahead. Seconds later, an arm becomes visible, with the thumb raised high in approval.
11.2.07
“Tsk tsk tsk,” clucks Mr. Xu followed by a James Dean like drag from his cigarette. “Mei ban fa,” he mumbles. It’s impossible to go further.
We’re returning from a scouting mission, reporting tomorrow’s ride and finding a decent hotel in the next town. We’ve encountered this traffic jam earlier, from the other direction. Contrary to our hopes, the four-hour ordeal has failed to clear and we’re once again the middle. We’re beginning to worry about tomorrow’s ride. The riders will have no problem, but our trucks certainly will.
Local trucks loom to the left, right, front and rear—deceptively quiet. A car moves in the distance! A chorus of diesel engines crank to life, spewing exhaust from their tail pipes while headlights cast their glow ahead. The light tries to pierce the dusty, polluted air with little success. Clutches are mashed and gears crunch in a race to be the first to the new opening. Mr. Xu takes the opportunity to use the shoulder and the hard pack dirt just beyond to jump ahead of a truck. We’ve made it between the next pair of trucks and plotting our next move when everyone stops and we’re waiting once more.
Ten minutes pass until headlights can no longer be seen in the oncoming lane, Mr. Xu again seizes the opportunity. Thrusting the car into first, we’re in the other lane and moving fast. The sleepy trucks remain as we breeze by; we’ve gained at least another kilometer, maybe two. The pollution ahead is backlit, brakes slam and Mr. Xu wedges us between two semis. We wait for a minute and then he cuts the engine. We’re not going anywhere.
11.3.07
A black pockmark mars the granite face. The humble entrance contains two kilometers of darkness, taunting us. As we pass under the archway, the temperature drops and despite the number of cars we hear the sound of few engines reverberating off the smooth walls.
The day’s traffic jam has piled into the length of the tunnel resulting in a passageway of exhaust…not unlike the path to a smoker’s lung. Truck headlights burn hopelessly into building fumes. Our AA battery powered cycling lights are no match. We cycle between the two lines of vehicles, praying that drivers on either side decide to keep their doors closed.
We’re doing well. One kilometer lay behind with the next well underway. We leave it to our lungs to battle the milky smog. Suddenly, engines are alive once more, halving the amount of oxygen. The jam turns to a rapid squirm and we are pedaling more cautiously, half of the traffic threatening us from behind, with the other coming head on.
A soft haze of daylight begins to appear in the distance. Our eyes and minds are fixated on the fuzzy light while our bodies instinctively weave through the scrambling cars. We’ve made it. Our eyes squint at the brightness of day while our chests heave, clearing space for much needed oxygen. We emerge as a coal miner might, faces shroud with soot. It’s a mascara commercial gone horribly wrong.
Well, I am more or less fresh back from my 5 day vacation to Hong Kong, although it feels as though it was months ago. The trip down was absolutely worth it; I realized how much I missed playing Ultimate and spending time with the Ultimate community. Our team came together nicely by the end of the tourney. I lost my voice and was successful in getting a nice, deep raspberry on my hip after laying out for a disc.
Chip was nice enough to bring my laptop, among other things, to the Tourney. Now having my laptop, I've been able to fix my iPod and recover the pictures I previously thought lost. Please view them here.
Since I have returned to the tour, it has been nothing but stress. They are testing me for Africa by loading me with responsibilities. They are mostly trivial, but when juggling it with the responsibilities I was already given, it gets a bit difficult. Not by any means beyond my capabilities, but the tour is no longer a walk in the park. My role in Africa is to run communications, not a bad job for a Communications major.
Part of the job is to write a daily blog entry, thus the past few days I have been writing about three paragraphs and sending them to the tour founder for review. This has been taking most of my computer time, hence I haven't written in a while. I am going to post them on this blog as well. Feel free to critique, I am trying a few different styles to keep it interesting. The current blog is a little sugar coated and I am trying to write in a more experiential way.
The other half of my time has been spent planning our entry into Beijing. My friend Adam works PR in Beijing and has been helping quite a bit. We've got a basic plan of events for the day and the hotel is finally book. We're in the process of contacting local media to cover our arrival and hopefully get some publicity for the tour.
Like I said, we've made it to Xi'an. We will enjoy two rest days here and then press onward to Beijing. I've organized an excursion to the Terra-cotta warriors and about 35 people signed up. Tonight I met with Lousia, my local contact, to catch up and make sure everything is set for tomorrow. She did a great job this past summer with my family and she is making the transition from tour guide to tour organizer. She was very excited to help with this excursion.
Thats all for now. I will be in touch more often now that we are in Eastern China , my official TDA blog entries are below. Enjoy.
11.1.07
A hysterical screech comes from behind, trucks are in every direction and the shoulder is uneven. There is no time to glance back. Was it a precautionary, warning or passing horn? The squeal sounds once more, sounding much closer. A maniacal 18-wheeler hurries by, coughing inky exhaust and showering the shoulder with dust and pebbles. Peering out of the heavily tinted, half open window is a sun beaten passenger showing his few remaining teeth. His tired eyes are fixed upon the most peculiar thing he has seen all day. His confusion is apparent as the truck speeds ahead. Seconds later, an arm becomes visible, with the thumb raised high in approval.
11.2.07
“Tsk tsk tsk,” clucks Mr. Xu followed by a James Dean like drag from his cigarette. “Mei ban fa,” he mumbles. It’s impossible to go further.
We’re returning from a scouting mission, reporting tomorrow’s ride and finding a decent hotel in the next town. We’ve encountered this traffic jam earlier, from the other direction. Contrary to our hopes, the four-hour ordeal has failed to clear and we’re once again the middle. We’re beginning to worry about tomorrow’s ride. The riders will have no problem, but our trucks certainly will.
Local trucks loom to the left, right, front and rear—deceptively quiet. A car moves in the distance! A chorus of diesel engines crank to life, spewing exhaust from their tail pipes while headlights cast their glow ahead. The light tries to pierce the dusty, polluted air with little success. Clutches are mashed and gears crunch in a race to be the first to the new opening. Mr. Xu takes the opportunity to use the shoulder and the hard pack dirt just beyond to jump ahead of a truck. We’ve made it between the next pair of trucks and plotting our next move when everyone stops and we’re waiting once more.
Ten minutes pass until headlights can no longer be seen in the oncoming lane, Mr. Xu again seizes the opportunity. Thrusting the car into first, we’re in the other lane and moving fast. The sleepy trucks remain as we breeze by; we’ve gained at least another kilometer, maybe two. The pollution ahead is backlit, brakes slam and Mr. Xu wedges us between two semis. We wait for a minute and then he cuts the engine. We’re not going anywhere.
11.3.07
A black pockmark mars the granite face. The humble entrance contains two kilometers of darkness, taunting us. As we pass under the archway, the temperature drops and despite the number of cars we hear the sound of few engines reverberating off the smooth walls.
The day’s traffic jam has piled into the length of the tunnel resulting in a passageway of exhaust…not unlike the path to a smoker’s lung. Truck headlights burn hopelessly into building fumes. Our AA battery powered cycling lights are no match. We cycle between the two lines of vehicles, praying that drivers on either side decide to keep their doors closed.
We’re doing well. One kilometer lay behind with the next well underway. We leave it to our lungs to battle the milky smog. Suddenly, engines are alive once more, halving the amount of oxygen. The jam turns to a rapid squirm and we are pedaling more cautiously, half of the traffic threatening us from behind, with the other coming head on.
A soft haze of daylight begins to appear in the distance. Our eyes and minds are fixated on the fuzzy light while our bodies instinctively weave through the scrambling cars. We’ve made it. Our eyes squint at the brightness of day while our chests heave, clearing space for much needed oxygen. We emerge as a coal miner might, faces shroud with soot. It’s a mascara commercial gone horribly wrong.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Scouting Ahead to Lanzhou
It's 9:30pm in Wuwei, Gansu and I am typing from my hotel room! Unbelievable! This very moderately priced hotel comes with a desktop equipped with Internet in every room. China is moving up!
I have come and gone from Dunhuang, a place where I could see myself spending more than a day. Despite the high traffic of foreigners to see the Mogao Buddhist caves and the sand dunes, the town is quite clean and charming. In fact many of the cities we have been through have been surprisingly unpolluted and clean. As I approach Lanzhou, this will certainly change. The towns are already developing a slight haze to them. This is either actual pollution or my mistaking the interior environment of the bus. *Cough* My fellow passengers enjoy endless packs of cigarettes to pass the time.
Our last stretch was not much of one. It was a mere three days, with a hotel on the second night, to Jiayuguan. Jiayuguan is known for the Jiayuguan Pass, the largest and most intact entrance to the Great Wall. I went to visit the area, but when I found that it cost 100 kuai for admission, I thought better of it and managed to take a picture from the entrance gate. Although these areas of China are quite inexpensive, the tourist spots are outrageous. The Mogao Buddhist caves were 180 for foreigners, I managed to haggle them down to let me in for the price of a Chinese ticket, only 20 kuai cheaper.
The Gansu landscape is quite amazing. At any given moment, there is a staggering, snow covered mountain range to one side. To the other is the most rocky and arid desert I have ever seen. I am happy that I opted to take the day bus, rather than sleeping through this majestic landscape. I'll miss cycling through this area, but for Ultimate, it is totally worth it.
I have come and gone from Dunhuang, a place where I could see myself spending more than a day. Despite the high traffic of foreigners to see the Mogao Buddhist caves and the sand dunes, the town is quite clean and charming. In fact many of the cities we have been through have been surprisingly unpolluted and clean. As I approach Lanzhou, this will certainly change. The towns are already developing a slight haze to them. This is either actual pollution or my mistaking the interior environment of the bus. *Cough* My fellow passengers enjoy endless packs of cigarettes to pass the time.I arrived in Lanzhou via Zhangye at 17:00. A mad dash ensued to find hotels before it got too late. By dusk, three were discovered, the last being what I feel to be the best choice. Tomorrow I am off to a very small city (by Chinese standards) named Tian Zhou and then off to Lanzhou tomorrow evening. I'll enjoy one day of rest and then will get up early for a plane ride to ShenZhen and then a hour long ferry ride to Hong Kong.
For those of you who have been following the TDA website you may have noticed that once a week Henry, the tour founder, does a radio spot on a travel radio show. The show is out of California and is hosted by Sandy Dhuyvetter. As it is an American show and our company is Canadian, Henry wanted two Americans to chat with Sandy.
The biggest drawback in being invited is that Sandy likes to do the show live, meaning that our time slot is around 0:30, 8:00 in sunny California. We wait until about 12:30 and then use our satellite phone to make a call into the radio station. Henry, Scott and I stayed up around a campfire (possibly enjoying some libations) passing time before Sandy could interview us. To make a long story short, you can listen to the three of us speak here.
Our last stretch was not much of one. It was a mere three days, with a hotel on the second night, to Jiayuguan. Jiayuguan is known for the Jiayuguan Pass, the largest and most intact entrance to the Great Wall. I went to visit the area, but when I found that it cost 100 kuai for admission, I thought better of it and managed to take a picture from the entrance gate. Although these areas of China are quite inexpensive, the tourist spots are outrageous. The Mogao Buddhist caves were 180 for foreigners, I managed to haggle them down to let me in for the price of a Chinese ticket, only 20 kuai cheaper.Duncan, Sandra and I took the time to see the Great Wall. The Xuan Bi section, quite a big disappointment. It looked more Disney than Badaling. As we were leaving, I had to laugh as I noticed a sign. It proclaimed that the Xuan Bi section was the "Badaling of the West" They weren't kidding.
The Gansu landscape is quite amazing. At any given moment, there is a staggering, snow covered mountain range to one side. To the other is the most rocky and arid desert I have ever seen. I am happy that I opted to take the day bus, rather than sleeping through this majestic landscape. I'll miss cycling through this area, but for Ultimate, it is totally worth it. I must say that I am thoroughly enjoying this computer in my room. The computer even has speakers, so I can listen to some smooth online jazz tunes. If I don't turn away from the screen, this standard Chinese room feels like a WiFi hotspot in a hipster coffee shop. However, it is getting late and I need to get up early to continue my pilgrimage to Hong Kong. Three more weeks of tour, with a week off for scouting and Ultimate. So really only two more work weeks until Beijing! I can't wait to get back to the Jing. As always, I hope all is well.
-CB
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Dunhuang, Gansu
I finally a few of my pictures uploaded to Facebook. The site told me this is the public address to see the pictures so hopefully it will work for you if you do not have a Facebook account. Please click here for the pictures.
Also, Skype is now call forwarding to my work cell phone. Call my 843 number if you would like to get a hold of me. The number is posted on my Facebook account. Don't forget that I am 12 hours ahead of you East Coasters.
We've just arrived in Dunhuang in Gansu Province. Tomorrow I will take an excursion to visit the largest collection of Buddhist cave paintings in the world. We will be on the road for another three days and will take another day of rest in the city famed for having the Western most part of the Great Wall.
Everything is going as smoothly as things go in China. It is hard to believe that we barely have a month left. More errands to run for the tour. Hope all is well.
-CB
Also, Skype is now call forwarding to my work cell phone. Call my 843 number if you would like to get a hold of me. The number is posted on my Facebook account. Don't forget that I am 12 hours ahead of you East Coasters.
We've just arrived in Dunhuang in Gansu Province. Tomorrow I will take an excursion to visit the largest collection of Buddhist cave paintings in the world. We will be on the road for another three days and will take another day of rest in the city famed for having the Western most part of the Great Wall.
Everything is going as smoothly as things go in China. It is hard to believe that we barely have a month left. More errands to run for the tour. Hope all is well.
-CB
Friday, October 12, 2007
Hami, Xinjiang
I am in the land of Melons. This area of Xinjiang is famed for the Hami Gua, a melon that is eaten all over China. Just in case we forgot, driving in this morning, we were greeted with a delightfully tacky statue of a Hami Gua in the middle of a traffic circle. Even with such a structure, my attention was directed to a nearby KFC.
Our last rest day was in Turpan, an area of XinJiang that is very famous for grapes. Cycling into the city, we passed hundreds of small brick structures walled in a lattice pattern. Later we found out these buildings were used to make Turpan's second most famous export. You guessed it, rasins.
We are three days into our 7 day stretch to DunHuang. The past two nights have been very cold, but we have enjoyed the now expected natural beauty of Xin Jiang. Our first day out of Turpan, we passed the "Flaming Mountains." These are petrified dunes, that when looked at from the right angle, Richard Simmons can be seen making out with Christopher Lowell. Seriously.
Ok, not so seriously. They are red sandstone hills on the northern edge of the Turpan Basin that when the sun light hits it just right, the hills look aflame. Brilliant orange, red, and purple colors play tricks on your eyes. They really look like they are on fire.
Cycling yesterday, we climbed small hills with spectacular purple mountains in the distance. "Purple Mountains Majesty..." kept playing over and over in my head. I had to remind myself that I was not in America. Although our local Texan likened the landscape to his home state.
Our disgusting tour guide has finally left and we are enjoying the help of a new guide. Before our old guide was put on a bus back to Kashgar, he had the nerve to ask each of us staff for a tip. Each of us responded in pun "Here's a tip, learn how to use a shower," or something similar. Zabi, our new guide, heard me and our boss expressing our disgust and shortcomings of our previous guide. Needless to say, he has been working extra hard ever since.
I'm going to take a short vacation from the tour in about two weeks. My cohorts in Beijing convinced me to come to Hong Kong and play in an Ultimate Tourney. It took little convincing other than Sandy telling me she could get a round trip ticket from Lanzhou at 60% off. Big Brother, Here I come! I can't wait to see all of you.
It's hard to believe that the tour is nearly one month from being over. We have already had a meeting for next years Tour D Afrique which will commence the second Saturday in January. Many of the staff have already been on the trip and each time they recall a memory gets me even more excited for the trip.
It's getting late in the afternoon and I am going to try and fix my iPod. It wants me to reconnect it to iTunes to restore, I hope it is not broken or all of my pictures from Turkey to Samarkand will be lost, which would be a huge shame. However, my favorite pictures are from Kyrgyzstan so it will not be a total loss.
As always, I hope all is going well with you all. Take care and I will be in touch.
-CB
Our last rest day was in Turpan, an area of XinJiang that is very famous for grapes. Cycling into the city, we passed hundreds of small brick structures walled in a lattice pattern. Later we found out these buildings were used to make Turpan's second most famous export. You guessed it, rasins.
We are three days into our 7 day stretch to DunHuang. The past two nights have been very cold, but we have enjoyed the now expected natural beauty of Xin Jiang. Our first day out of Turpan, we passed the "Flaming Mountains." These are petrified dunes, that when looked at from the right angle, Richard Simmons can be seen making out with Christopher Lowell. Seriously.
Ok, not so seriously. They are red sandstone hills on the northern edge of the Turpan Basin that when the sun light hits it just right, the hills look aflame. Brilliant orange, red, and purple colors play tricks on your eyes. They really look like they are on fire.
Cycling yesterday, we climbed small hills with spectacular purple mountains in the distance. "Purple Mountains Majesty..." kept playing over and over in my head. I had to remind myself that I was not in America. Although our local Texan likened the landscape to his home state.
Our disgusting tour guide has finally left and we are enjoying the help of a new guide. Before our old guide was put on a bus back to Kashgar, he had the nerve to ask each of us staff for a tip. Each of us responded in pun "Here's a tip, learn how to use a shower," or something similar. Zabi, our new guide, heard me and our boss expressing our disgust and shortcomings of our previous guide. Needless to say, he has been working extra hard ever since.
I'm going to take a short vacation from the tour in about two weeks. My cohorts in Beijing convinced me to come to Hong Kong and play in an Ultimate Tourney. It took little convincing other than Sandy telling me she could get a round trip ticket from Lanzhou at 60% off. Big Brother, Here I come! I can't wait to see all of you.
It's hard to believe that the tour is nearly one month from being over. We have already had a meeting for next years Tour D Afrique which will commence the second Saturday in January. Many of the staff have already been on the trip and each time they recall a memory gets me even more excited for the trip.
It's getting late in the afternoon and I am going to try and fix my iPod. It wants me to reconnect it to iTunes to restore, I hope it is not broken or all of my pictures from Turkey to Samarkand will be lost, which would be a huge shame. However, my favorite pictures are from Kyrgyzstan so it will not be a total loss.
As always, I hope all is going well with you all. Take care and I will be in touch.
-CB
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Kuche, Xinjiang
Kashgar has come and gone and we are enjoying our second rest day in China. China is just how I left it. If you dropped me in the middle of these cities and told me I was in Beijing, I would definitely believe you. The only difference is the high population of Uigers (the locals before the Chinese began pumping in Han Chinese).
The presence of Uigers add Delicious breads and kebobs for us to enjoy, but are also a huge inconvenience for communication. Their Mandarin is either non existent or very slurred and always impossible to understand. This area used to be called Turkmen in it's earlier days and in the smaller villages it does feel like we are still somewhere in the Stans.
My last post was in Osh, ever since we have crossed the border I have been working like a dog. My Mandarin is sufficient in booking hotels and other day to day communication with our local driver. It is still lacking for more advanced speaking. But this is only to improve, I've been studying and adding about 10 new words a day to my lexicon. By the time I reach Beijing, I will be an Expert in getting foreigners around this land.
Kyrgyzstan was, by far, my favorite country. I will certainly make it back to that part of the world. The Swiss have introduced a CBT (Community Based Tourism) program that is unlike anything I have ever experienced. They have established channels to contact local farmers, English guides, etc and it is very very inexpensive. In practice, they cut out the middle men (travel agents) so the money goes directly into the local economy rather than in the pockets of oversea investors.
The cycling in Kyrgyzstan was also my favorite, as we finally had a great deal of off road. Hence riding my mountain bike finally paid off. We had one 3700m climb which culminated for me when we were five switchbacks from the top and it decided to snow! I had meager clothing and most of my body was frozen. I must thank Chip for giving me the "Top 50 Funk Songs of All Time" before I left Beijing. I was soaking wet and navigating my bicycle around potholes and puddles at nearly 50km/hour. Once I got to the bottom, I had to drop my bicycle, crank some funk, and dance until I could feel my hands and feet. Thanks Chip!
Here is something I wrote for the website:
The temperature is falling and we are two hundred meters from the top. Inhaling brings in a mix of moon-like dust and the smell of cold. My lungs are trying to sort through the grit and the thin air of 3600m. My flaring nostrils steadily shoot two columns of icy air into my head, chilling me to the core. The temperature has fashioned my cheeks in a way that my teeth exposed and barred against the elements. A quick run of my tongue reminds me of what my nose already knows, cold and grime. Granny gear and pedaling ferociously, I move half as fast as a pedestrian, but I refuse to leave my seat.
After that intense encounter, I found a warm, dry yurt waiting for me. The second day was another of spectacular vistas and a fresh blanket of snow over the mountain range we cycled along the entire next day.
China is China, we have been blessed with a fantastic driver and cursed with an unbelievably unhelpful tour guide. He is a Uigur and speaks worse Chinese than mine. If it wasn't for me and the bicycle mechanic, there would be huge problems on this trip. We get rid of him in Turpan and all of us are quite excited.
My time is running low, more errands to run before we leave for the desert again. Hope all is well and stay tuned for great pictures!
The presence of Uigers add Delicious breads and kebobs for us to enjoy, but are also a huge inconvenience for communication. Their Mandarin is either non existent or very slurred and always impossible to understand. This area used to be called Turkmen in it's earlier days and in the smaller villages it does feel like we are still somewhere in the Stans.
My last post was in Osh, ever since we have crossed the border I have been working like a dog. My Mandarin is sufficient in booking hotels and other day to day communication with our local driver. It is still lacking for more advanced speaking. But this is only to improve, I've been studying and adding about 10 new words a day to my lexicon. By the time I reach Beijing, I will be an Expert in getting foreigners around this land.
Kyrgyzstan was, by far, my favorite country. I will certainly make it back to that part of the world. The Swiss have introduced a CBT (Community Based Tourism) program that is unlike anything I have ever experienced. They have established channels to contact local farmers, English guides, etc and it is very very inexpensive. In practice, they cut out the middle men (travel agents) so the money goes directly into the local economy rather than in the pockets of oversea investors.
The cycling in Kyrgyzstan was also my favorite, as we finally had a great deal of off road. Hence riding my mountain bike finally paid off. We had one 3700m climb which culminated for me when we were five switchbacks from the top and it decided to snow! I had meager clothing and most of my body was frozen. I must thank Chip for giving me the "Top 50 Funk Songs of All Time" before I left Beijing. I was soaking wet and navigating my bicycle around potholes and puddles at nearly 50km/hour. Once I got to the bottom, I had to drop my bicycle, crank some funk, and dance until I could feel my hands and feet. Thanks Chip!
Here is something I wrote for the website:
The temperature is falling and we are two hundred meters from the top. Inhaling brings in a mix of moon-like dust and the smell of cold. My lungs are trying to sort through the grit and the thin air of 3600m. My flaring nostrils steadily shoot two columns of icy air into my head, chilling me to the core. The temperature has fashioned my cheeks in a way that my teeth exposed and barred against the elements. A quick run of my tongue reminds me of what my nose already knows, cold and grime. Granny gear and pedaling ferociously, I move half as fast as a pedestrian, but I refuse to leave my seat.
After that intense encounter, I found a warm, dry yurt waiting for me. The second day was another of spectacular vistas and a fresh blanket of snow over the mountain range we cycled along the entire next day.
China is China, we have been blessed with a fantastic driver and cursed with an unbelievably unhelpful tour guide. He is a Uigur and speaks worse Chinese than mine. If it wasn't for me and the bicycle mechanic, there would be huge problems on this trip. We get rid of him in Turpan and all of us are quite excited.
My time is running low, more errands to run before we leave for the desert again. Hope all is well and stay tuned for great pictures!
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Osh gosh b' gosh
I'm in Osh, the second biggest city in Kyrgyzstan.
We have just entered the country from Uzbekistan. Our three border crossings over three days went exceptionally well. We lost one rider during yesterday's border crossing. After having alerted the US embassy and the Uzbek police, he turned up at our hotel in Osh. He somehow made it to a border crossing 25km north of us and then took a cab once it grew dark. It was nerve racking, but it proved to us that we as staff are ready for just about anything.
Kyrgyzstan is a spectacular country, certainly one I will return to. The country is over 94% mountainous with the average elevation around 2,750m. There are plenty of mountains and passes. I am very excited to leave Osh and begin our four days across this country. China will be our last border crossing. It is hard to believe that we are halfway through our trip and we will soon be in China!
Slavik, our tour guide, was explaining some of the passes to us. In one area, our tour rented four yurts to sleep in. Slavik told us that we could only use one once we get there because the other three blew away during some high winds! The night time temperatures may to drop to -5C and the wind chill will be significantly lower. We have been further warned to change to offroad tires because of the poor quality roads we will encounter all the way across this country.
The guide books warn us of other perils of the road...Landslides, oncoming traffic, and drunk Russian drivers! The book recommends rear view mirrors so you can see a swerving driver both behind and in front of you. [with a Russian accent] What a country!
Our stay in Tajikistan was very pleasant. Our first day of riding brought us through a desert, river valley, and a Chinese road construction project. Apparently the Chinese are building many roads in Tajikistan. I took the opportunity to practice my Chinese with the road crew.
We are almost to our official half way point. It is hard to believe it has been nearly two months on the Silk Road. I need to take care of laundry before we start getting into the higher elevations. I hope all is going well and I will post again once I am in China!
We have just entered the country from Uzbekistan. Our three border crossings over three days went exceptionally well. We lost one rider during yesterday's border crossing. After having alerted the US embassy and the Uzbek police, he turned up at our hotel in Osh. He somehow made it to a border crossing 25km north of us and then took a cab once it grew dark. It was nerve racking, but it proved to us that we as staff are ready for just about anything.
Kyrgyzstan is a spectacular country, certainly one I will return to. The country is over 94% mountainous with the average elevation around 2,750m. There are plenty of mountains and passes. I am very excited to leave Osh and begin our four days across this country. China will be our last border crossing. It is hard to believe that we are halfway through our trip and we will soon be in China!
Slavik, our tour guide, was explaining some of the passes to us. In one area, our tour rented four yurts to sleep in. Slavik told us that we could only use one once we get there because the other three blew away during some high winds! The night time temperatures may to drop to -5C and the wind chill will be significantly lower. We have been further warned to change to offroad tires because of the poor quality roads we will encounter all the way across this country.
The guide books warn us of other perils of the road...Landslides, oncoming traffic, and drunk Russian drivers! The book recommends rear view mirrors so you can see a swerving driver both behind and in front of you. [with a Russian accent] What a country!
Our stay in Tajikistan was very pleasant. Our first day of riding brought us through a desert, river valley, and a Chinese road construction project. Apparently the Chinese are building many roads in Tajikistan. I took the opportunity to practice my Chinese with the road crew.
We are almost to our official half way point. It is hard to believe it has been nearly two months on the Silk Road. I need to take care of laundry before we start getting into the higher elevations. I hope all is going well and I will post again once I am in China!
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Safe in Samarkand
What a stark change. Uzbekistan is worlds away from Turkmenistan. Although the country has experienced similar problems with their government, the powers that be allow things be somewhat progressive here i.e. working Internet, more cities and more free enterprise.
This is my first "weekend" of our trip. We are enjoying two days in this Silk Road mecca. Samarkand is where Silk Road goods could change hands and travel southward to India or continue westward. Samarkand is also known as the mid point of the Silk Road. This would be true for our trip if we ended at the true terminus of the Silk Road--Xi'an. However, we are continuing onwards to Beijing.
The buildings are spectacular; even though they are reconstructions...most of this city was leveled by the Russians during the early 20th century. History is everywhere. This morning we went to a Bazaar that has been unchanged for centuries. Pictured is the Registan, the center of the city for many centuries. The Registan was also the place where many public executions took place. Sand was thrown on the ground to soak up all of the blood that was spilled here. In Tajik, Registan translates to Sandy Place. Faces are looking more and more Asian. We will be in Kashgar on the 26th of September and I am very excited to be back in the Middle Kingdom. If any of you in Beijing would like to meet up with our tour somewhere along the way in China, drop me a line. I'm sure you would be welcome to spend a few days with us.
The ride from Bukhara to Samarkand was pretty uneventful. I rode sweep and kept loosing riders. Uzbekistan is much more populated than Turkmenistan and many people ride bicycles, which makes it very difficult for me to spot riders who have taken a break at a cafe along the way. Our biggest logistical challenge just ahead, we have three border crossings in three days. Out of Uzbekistan, into Tajikistan, back into Uzbekistan and then into Kyrgyzstan. What a headache. Five days later we will cross into China with no more border crossings until Egypt!
The Uzbeks are very friendly, with the exception of one little kid who stole a camel bak out of the truck. We managed to find him and so did the police. I don't think he will be looting from any more foreigners.
Thats about all from my end. I hope all is well. I am working on getting some pictures up, none of the computers here have USB ports. Talk again soon!
Monday, September 10, 2007
I'm Still Alive!
ilIf you have been following my progress, you can imagine why I have not been posting regularly. For the past 12 days, I have been in Turkmenistan Turkmenistan
The Tolkuchka Market is the highlight of Ashgabat. The market is a gargantuan place where you can find absolutely anything. Many of the goods I recognized from Chinese markets, but the rugs and the local food vendors give this market its charm. I even found some “American Tea” there.
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Baku, Azerbaijan
I've made it to Baku!
After a harrowing 14 hour train ride from Tbilisi and spending the better part of an hour with a cab driver, I made it to my hotel.
The Tbilisi-Baku train made me appreciate the trains in China. I was on a Soviet-Era piece of junk. The lighting fixtures were in ruins, the AC didn't work while the train was stopped and it felt as though the train stalled a couple of times before we actually got moving. Is it even possible for a train to stall? I'm not sure, but I AM sure that if there was a way, Russian technology would succeed in making it happen.
The language barrier here is getting more and more obnoxious. Living in China, I grew used to speaking the language in a foreign country. I forgot how difficult things can be if you don't have basic working vocabulary. Jumping country to country, my thank you's are mixing up with hello's and sorry's. One more month until China, then I will have some idea of what is going on.
I was going to write an entry yesterday when I first arrived in Baku. I am happy that I didn't. My first impressions were quite negative: it was cloudy, I didn't sleep well on the train, trash was burning outside of the train station and the pollution was terrible. I spent the better part of yesterday resting and relaxing at my hotel. Today has been my first day to really explore the city.
I found the Metro by my hotel, hopped on, and then waited for a stop where most people got off. Sure enough, by my brilliant idea, I wound up at the train station. Nearby was a Beer Garden, so I stopped for some tea and a bite to eat. My choice in table sat me next to a local English teacher who jumped at the chance for me to have breakfast with him.
Namazaly Musfahayer is very outspoken, and speaks some of the most polite English I have ever heard from a non-native speaker. He explained how he was translating Azer folk tales into English. Making a book illustrated by children was his goal. He explained at great lengths how important it was to learn a new language as a child. He hopes by these translated, tales, Azer parents will introduce English to their children's young, impressionable minds.
I begged to read some of these tales. He promised to email a few to me later next month. You can be sure that I will post them for all of you to read.
My afternoon stroll took me around Baku's old town. I saw the Maiden's Tower and walked around the old walled city. Now, I am somewhere in a main shopping district. This whole area is so much nicer than the Baku I saw around the train station. The architecture is much older and more specific to the region.This afternoon I will meet back up with the tour. We have another day here and then a day of travel across the Caspian. We will enter Turkmenistan on Tuesday, specifically Turkmenbashi. There we will enjoy one more rest day before setting off on our 12 day trip across Turkmenistan. We are soon to experience our first desert crossing (Karakum Desert). This will prepare us for our trip along the Gobi!
As always, I hope all is well. Any thoughts, concerns, suggestions or problems are always welcome.
-CB
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Georgia on my Mind...
I've made it to Georgia, no no, not the Peach State.Tbilisi, the capital, is a truly spectacular city. I spent the entire day climbing around ruins and exploring the many churches here. The architecture is jaw dropping while the neighboring mountains and streams can only add to the natural beauty of Tbilisi
Luckily, my bus ride was not the 30 hours I was told. It was only 29 and a half hours. I got in late last night and spent about a half an hour trying to find the hostel I reserved. After knocking on a very suspect door, I was greeted by an American asking me if I was a PCV. I thought for a second, I really wasn't sure what she was talking about...Peace Corps Volunteer I was later told.
There was a group of PCVs at the hostel that were up late drinking. They are all working in villages in Armenia and are in Georgia on vacation. They are planning to go to Baku, Azerbaijan tomorrow, as am I. I will hopefully meet up with the tour there. We will have a rest day and then hopefully board a ferry the next day for a day voyage across the Caspian Sea.
I spent most of my 29.5 hours sleeping, reading, or watching the black sea slipping by the window. During one of our rest stops, a Turkish English teacher introduced himself. He teaches in an Azerbaijan university and was very excited to hear that I once taught English. A very friendly guy, and you could immediately tell that he enjoyed speaking English with a native speaker. He is the Director of Communications and was trying to get me to teach an MBA program at his school. He asked many questions about what I had studied in college. If any of you want a job in Azerbaijan, I am sure I could get you one at this University!
The Georgian border crossing was a bit of a joke. When they scanned my passport, I noticed that there was a US seal on the back of the computer monitor that read "Homeland Security" They didn't charge a visa fee for me. I think that the computers were donated and will be the American visa fee for the next few years. Customs was even more lax. They unzipped my bag and didn't so much as peek inside.
Georgia is number four on the top countries that receive US aid. I have yet to see it, but I am told that there is a statue of George W. Bush with one arm waving. I am also told that the statue looks eerily similar to a statue of a dictator in a nearby country that was recently pulled down. During one of Bush's visits, a highway's name was changed to George W. Bush Highway. I suppose it is nice to be in a country that like America. However, I am a bit torn, because it is for all of the wrong reasons. I would compare the situation to a gold-digging wife.
The writing here is really interesting. The teacher I met on the bus likened it to spaghetti thrown against the wall. I stopped to think about it, but could not come up with a better simile. He also accurately described life here. Life is easy and beer is cheap. I liked that.
I know that some of you are interested in hearing this. The girls here are drop dead gorgeous. They all dress in a similar spunky style. They look western enough, but not quite 100%. If you think about it, it makes sense. Georgia skirts the Caucasus Mountains, the place where Western people originated. If you ever wondered where the word Caucasian came from, it is from these mountains.
My guide book raves about the wines in Georgia. I am about to do some empirical experimentation and see how accurate my guide book is.
Next stop, Azerbaijan, a 15 hour train ride from Tbilisi. I hope all is well!
CB
Monday, August 20, 2007
Istanbul?
I'm back ın Istanbul! Why you mıght ask? We ran ınto a problem wıth the rental company and they would no longer pıck up our two rental vehicles from the Georgıan border. Thıs meant that Hatcıa, our translator, and I had to drıve the 2000km back to Istanbul ourselves.
No bıg deal I thought, no speed lımıts here and there ıs plenty of breathtakıng landscapes to see. One problem. Somethıng very typıcal of vehıcles outsıde of the US ıs that they are all manual...I had a day and a half to fıgure out how to drıve stıck.
Two of the staff decıded to take me out drıvıng so I could learn how to work the clutch. As you saw from my pıctures Yusufelı does not have the best landscape for learnıng how to drıve a manual car. To further compound problems, the only tıme we had to drive was at nıght. To make thıngs more ınterestıng, a thunderstorm was approachıng and the only road we could practıce on was a narrow, wındıng mountaın pass. To all of our suprıse (and relıef), I learned quıckly and wıth only a few stalls.
It took two days of negotiatıng roads so bad that only thıng comparable would be local Turkısh drıvers. Early ın the trip, Hatıcıa was almost run off the road by a truck drıver. When we stopped for lunch, she explaıned that the truck drıver trıed to run her off the road because she was a female. ''Thıngs are stıll very conservatıve ın the eastern part of Turkey,'' she explaıned.
After our fırst day of drivıng, we stayed ın a cheap hotel. Hatıca explaıned to me that we were stayıng there because ıt was one of very few hotels that do not requıre a marrıage lıcence for a male and a female to sleep ın the same room.
We put our vehıcles though a lot of abuse over the past three weeks. Apparently the van especıally so. The van I was drıvıng decıded ıt was goıng to break down about 70km outsıde of Ankara. The town's name was Karıkkale, whıch translates to Broken Castle. There was a problem wıth the transmısson (I don't know how that could be, me beıng a very experıenced drıver). Hatıca assured me that the damage done could not have happened over two days (Although I'm sure I dıd not help the problem).
After much lyıng to the rental company (My name was not on rental agreement, so we were lookıng at ınsurance not coverıng anythıng), Hatıca fınally fıgured our way though the mess. We told them that I had to catch a flıght the next mornıng ın Istanbul so I couldn't meet wıth the rental company. There had been prevıous problems wıth the transmıssıon so we had some leverage. The company agreed to take all of our deposıt and we wıll hopefully not hear back from them.
We have been havıng a great tıme on our adventures. I have learned more about Turkısh culture over the past two days that I have over the past three weeks. Hatıca has ıntroduced me to delectable Turkısh meals. My favorıte ıs breakfast. Thıs consısts of slıced bread, local cheeses, assorted olıves, local butter, drıed fıgs, almonds, slıced tomatos and a glob of honeycomb. It may sound lıke quıte the hodgepodge of food, but ıt goes together very nıcely.
That beıng saıd, I am about to sıt down to another delıcıous breakfast. Tonıght I wıll take a bus to Tibilsi Georgıa and relax for a day. Then I wıll fınd some way to meet up wıth the tour, most lıkely ın Azerbaijan. The bus rıde ıs a cool 30 hours. Wısh me luck.
-CB
No bıg deal I thought, no speed lımıts here and there ıs plenty of breathtakıng landscapes to see. One problem. Somethıng very typıcal of vehıcles outsıde of the US ıs that they are all manual...I had a day and a half to fıgure out how to drıve stıck.
Two of the staff decıded to take me out drıvıng so I could learn how to work the clutch. As you saw from my pıctures Yusufelı does not have the best landscape for learnıng how to drıve a manual car. To further compound problems, the only tıme we had to drive was at nıght. To make thıngs more ınterestıng, a thunderstorm was approachıng and the only road we could practıce on was a narrow, wındıng mountaın pass. To all of our suprıse (and relıef), I learned quıckly and wıth only a few stalls.
It took two days of negotiatıng roads so bad that only thıng comparable would be local Turkısh drıvers. Early ın the trip, Hatıcıa was almost run off the road by a truck drıver. When we stopped for lunch, she explaıned that the truck drıver trıed to run her off the road because she was a female. ''Thıngs are stıll very conservatıve ın the eastern part of Turkey,'' she explaıned.
After our fırst day of drivıng, we stayed ın a cheap hotel. Hatıca explaıned to me that we were stayıng there because ıt was one of very few hotels that do not requıre a marrıage lıcence for a male and a female to sleep ın the same room.
We put our vehıcles though a lot of abuse over the past three weeks. Apparently the van especıally so. The van I was drıvıng decıded ıt was goıng to break down about 70km outsıde of Ankara. The town's name was Karıkkale, whıch translates to Broken Castle. There was a problem wıth the transmısson (I don't know how that could be, me beıng a very experıenced drıver). Hatıca assured me that the damage done could not have happened over two days (Although I'm sure I dıd not help the problem).
After much lyıng to the rental company (My name was not on rental agreement, so we were lookıng at ınsurance not coverıng anythıng), Hatıca fınally fıgured our way though the mess. We told them that I had to catch a flıght the next mornıng ın Istanbul so I couldn't meet wıth the rental company. There had been prevıous problems wıth the transmıssıon so we had some leverage. The company agreed to take all of our deposıt and we wıll hopefully not hear back from them.
We have been havıng a great tıme on our adventures. I have learned more about Turkısh culture over the past two days that I have over the past three weeks. Hatıca has ıntroduced me to delectable Turkısh meals. My favorıte ıs breakfast. Thıs consısts of slıced bread, local cheeses, assorted olıves, local butter, drıed fıgs, almonds, slıced tomatos and a glob of honeycomb. It may sound lıke quıte the hodgepodge of food, but ıt goes together very nıcely.
That beıng saıd, I am about to sıt down to another delıcıous breakfast. Tonıght I wıll take a bus to Tibilsi Georgıa and relax for a day. Then I wıll fınd some way to meet up wıth the tour, most lıkely ın Azerbaijan. The bus rıde ıs a cool 30 hours. Wısh me luck.
-CB
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Yusufeli, Turkey
I'm in Yusufeli
Today marks our second rest day. Yesterday the rıders cycled through the most breathtakıng gorges I have ever seen. The spectacular vıews came at a cost wıth road grades at 18% ın some sectıons. Everyone ıs very happy to rest ın thıs quaınt town.
The town ıs small and known for raftıng and other outdoor sports. Thıs town, lıke so many others here wıll dısappear ın two years. Lıke the Three Gorges Dam project ın Chına, Turkey ıs plannıng a dam that wıll fıll the gorge and all the small cıtıes nestled below, lıke Yusufelı, wıll slowly be flooded out of exıstance. It's a dam shame, I really lıke thıs place.
I'm holdıng up well and am quıckly adaptıng to the nomadıc lıfestyle. As we move west across Turkey, thıngs are gettıng more conservatıve ın the Muslım sense. Theır Call to Prayer fıts ın nıcely wıth our bıkıng schedule. The fırst of fıve prayers ıs blasted at 4:30am. It's just enough to wake you up and then say to yourself, "Thank God, I've stıll got another half an hour of sleep." They blare the Call to Prayer from mosque spıres all over Turkey, even ın the very cosmopolıtan Istanbul. But up to now, I have not actually seen anyone prayıng.
Other thıngs that my ear has pıcked up ıs Turkısh musıc. Turkısh musıc borrows from Greek musıc. Beıng a westerner and somewhat of a musıcıan, the beats are very dıffıcult for me to follow. Most of the musıc ıs ın 9/8 tıme and you wouldn't belıeve the dances the Turks can do to these grooves.
The rıder's personalıtıes are begınnıng to show whıch ıs both a good and bad thıng. There has yet to be any major problems on the tour. Thıs may very well change as we try to get ınto Georgıa. Our border crossıng ıs not 100% confırmed and we could be delayed up to three days, reakıng havoc on our reservatıons for the next month.
The fruıt ın Turkey ıs unbelıevable. The peaches here swell wıth flavor and the fırst bıte sends much of the juıce down your chın. I was born ın the Peach State, but these Turkısh peaches gıve Georgıa a run for ıts money. I've also dıscovered lıttle carbonated waters that are flavored wıth fruıt. Thınk Clearly Canadıan ın a small green bottle.
It ıs very refreshıng to see such a thrıvıng tea culture here. Walkıng down any street you wıll fınd mustashıoed Turkısh men sıttıng ın the shade wıth a tulıp-shaped glass of tea (Çay). The tradıtıonal tea ıs a strong black that ıs purpously overbrewed. Each cup of tea ıs served wıth two cubes of sugar and a tea spoon atop a small dısh. I'm not one to sweeten my tea, but the tea ıs so bıtter, ıt really needs the sugar.
I had my fırst bout wıth Rakı the other nıght. Rakı ıs the natıonal lıquor of Turkey. The lıbatıon has a strong lıquorısh taste and smell. The clear drınk ıs poured ınto a glass and then water ıs added. When the two combıne, the mıxture turns ınto a cloudy concoctıon. It ıs lıke a 7th grade scıence experıment, except producıng more euphorıc results.
Our Turkısh drıver brought a bottle of Rakı to our bush camp and some of us staff stayed up to help hım fınısh the bottle. Wıth a lıttle Rakı flowıng through our systems, we star gazed and saw several metors streak across the nıght sky, leavıng radıant golden traıls ın theır wake. The Mılky Way streched overhead, softly splıttıng the sky ınto two. The last tıme I had experıenced a nıght sky thıs clear was as a young boy ın the mountaıns of Western North Carolına.
We have about two more days left ın Turkey and then we are off to Georgıa.
Today marks our second rest day. Yesterday the rıders cycled through the most breathtakıng gorges I have ever seen. The spectacular vıews came at a cost wıth road grades at 18% ın some sectıons. Everyone ıs very happy to rest ın thıs quaınt town.
The town ıs small and known for raftıng and other outdoor sports. Thıs town, lıke so many others here wıll dısappear ın two years. Lıke the Three Gorges Dam project ın Chına, Turkey ıs plannıng a dam that wıll fıll the gorge and all the small cıtıes nestled below, lıke Yusufelı, wıll slowly be flooded out of exıstance. It's a dam shame, I really lıke thıs place.
I'm holdıng up well and am quıckly adaptıng to the nomadıc lıfestyle. As we move west across Turkey, thıngs are gettıng more conservatıve ın the Muslım sense. Theır Call to Prayer fıts ın nıcely wıth our bıkıng schedule. The fırst of fıve prayers ıs blasted at 4:30am. It's just enough to wake you up and then say to yourself, "Thank God, I've stıll got another half an hour of sleep." They blare the Call to Prayer from mosque spıres all over Turkey, even ın the very cosmopolıtan Istanbul. But up to now, I have not actually seen anyone prayıng.
Other thıngs that my ear has pıcked up ıs Turkısh musıc. Turkısh musıc borrows from Greek musıc. Beıng a westerner and somewhat of a musıcıan, the beats are very dıffıcult for me to follow. Most of the musıc ıs ın 9/8 tıme and you wouldn't belıeve the dances the Turks can do to these grooves.
The rıder's personalıtıes are begınnıng to show whıch ıs both a good and bad thıng. There has yet to be any major problems on the tour. Thıs may very well change as we try to get ınto Georgıa. Our border crossıng ıs not 100% confırmed and we could be delayed up to three days, reakıng havoc on our reservatıons for the next month.
The fruıt ın Turkey ıs unbelıevable. The peaches here swell wıth flavor and the fırst bıte sends much of the juıce down your chın. I was born ın the Peach State, but these Turkısh peaches gıve Georgıa a run for ıts money. I've also dıscovered lıttle carbonated waters that are flavored wıth fruıt. Thınk Clearly Canadıan ın a small green bottle.
It ıs very refreshıng to see such a thrıvıng tea culture here. Walkıng down any street you wıll fınd mustashıoed Turkısh men sıttıng ın the shade wıth a tulıp-shaped glass of tea (Çay). The tradıtıonal tea ıs a strong black that ıs purpously overbrewed. Each cup of tea ıs served wıth two cubes of sugar and a tea spoon atop a small dısh. I'm not one to sweeten my tea, but the tea ıs so bıtter, ıt really needs the sugar.
I had my fırst bout wıth Rakı the other nıght. Rakı ıs the natıonal lıquor of Turkey. The lıbatıon has a strong lıquorısh taste and smell. The clear drınk ıs poured ınto a glass and then water ıs added. When the two combıne, the mıxture turns ınto a cloudy concoctıon. It ıs lıke a 7th grade scıence experıment, except producıng more euphorıc results.
Our Turkısh drıver brought a bottle of Rakı to our bush camp and some of us staff stayed up to help hım fınısh the bottle. Wıth a lıttle Rakı flowıng through our systems, we star gazed and saw several metors streak across the nıght sky, leavıng radıant golden traıls ın theır wake. The Mılky Way streched overhead, softly splıttıng the sky ınto two. The last tıme I had experıenced a nıght sky thıs clear was as a young boy ın the mountaıns of Western North Carolına.
We have about two more days left ın Turkey and then we are off to Georgıa.
Friday, August 10, 2007
Our Fırst Rest Day
Merhaba!
Today ıs our fırst offıcıal rest day! Belıeve me, we are ın need of one, both the rıders and the staff.
We've been cyclıng for 6 days now. We are ın Amasya, a small cıty wıth tombs decoratıng the sıde of a mountaın. These are the tombs for kıngs who once ruled an area known ın Greek tımes as Pontus. The town ıtself ıs small and quaınt, really a perfect place to have a rest day. I am plannıng to explore the ruıns later today.
I wıll try and get more pıctures posted. Unfortunately, my camera suffered a tramatızıng fall from the seat of my bıke. It's broken. I am goıng to fınd a camera shop later today and try buy a new one.
We have another 12 days or so ın Turkey. After leavıng Turkey, we wıll be floatıng across the Caspian Sea for a day and then land ın Georgıa. From what I have heard, we wıll be ın Chına by the end of next month. I am really excıted to start explorıng the western areas of Chına and slowly make our way back to the Northern Capıtal.
The staff ıs just startıng to mold ınto a bang up team. My best buddy so far, Thor, ıs one of the truck drıvers from South Afrıca who loves sayıng "Cool Bananas". The Sılk Route ıs usıng the same drıvers that they do for the Tour d Afrıque. Over the month of July, Thor and four other South Afrıcans drove our vehıcles from South Afrıca to Turkey. They have loads of storıes about that trıp rangıng from funny to the absurd.
Well I must be off, I need to fınd a new camera and also take care of some other small thıngs before we get back on the road agaın. 5:30 wake up tomorrow mornıng! Thıngs are goıng great and stay tuned for my next update. Be sure to check out the Tour D Afrıque websıte. They are doıng a great job of gettıng pıctures and multımedıa up very quıckly.
Cheers
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
490Km Later...
We've made ıt to day four. I am ın a small town about 490km West of Istanbul.
In a nut shell, Turkey ıs beautıful but the beer ıs expensıve. We have camped twıce and stayed ın budget accommodatıons the other two nıghts.
The cyclıng experıence ıs second to none. It ıs much more personal than rıdıng ın a car, but you can cover much more ground then when you are walkıng. I was talkıng to Henry Gold, the tour founder, and he descrıbes thıs as returnıng to a hunter gatherer state of mınd. When cyclıng, one must use all 5 senses to ınsure a safe rıde. In today's world, we get further and further away from a relıance on our senses. Blastıng our way down the Sılk Road has awakened all senses ın each of us makıng us all feel especıally alıve.
I was goıng to waıt untıl a later blog entry to tell you what the average day ıs lıke, but here ıt ıs.
5:30 - The support vehıcles blast theır horns and plays some musıc to get us goıng. We lıstened to the Gorıllaz thıs mornıng.
5:45 - Breakfast, Carb heavy. Usually Oatmeal or some type of Granola
6:45 - Rıders begın hıttıng the road. Camp has been broken down. I am eıther rıdıng ın a support truck to begın lunch preperatıons, rıdıng ın the other truck straıght to camp to begın settıng up, or cyclıng behınd the last rıder as a "sweep"
6:45 - 12:00 We cover the fırst 75km or so and are eatıng a delıcous lunch of bread, fruıt, peanut butter, cucumbers and tomatoes.
12:15 - 16:00 Rıders fınısh the second 75km
16:15 - We are gobblıng down soup and water.
18:45 - Dınner
20:00 - 5:30 - Downtıme.
I saıd the entrıes would be short and I need to get goıng to help wıth dınner. Feel free to post any questıons ıf you have them. I hope all ıs goıng well out there!
-CB
In a nut shell, Turkey ıs beautıful but the beer ıs expensıve. We have camped twıce and stayed ın budget accommodatıons the other two nıghts.
The cyclıng experıence ıs second to none. It ıs much more personal than rıdıng ın a car, but you can cover much more ground then when you are walkıng. I was talkıng to Henry Gold, the tour founder, and he descrıbes thıs as returnıng to a hunter gatherer state of mınd. When cyclıng, one must use all 5 senses to ınsure a safe rıde. In today's world, we get further and further away from a relıance on our senses. Blastıng our way down the Sılk Road has awakened all senses ın each of us makıng us all feel especıally alıve.
I was goıng to waıt untıl a later blog entry to tell you what the average day ıs lıke, but here ıt ıs.
5:30 - The support vehıcles blast theır horns and plays some musıc to get us goıng. We lıstened to the Gorıllaz thıs mornıng.
5:45 - Breakfast, Carb heavy. Usually Oatmeal or some type of Granola
6:45 - Rıders begın hıttıng the road. Camp has been broken down. I am eıther rıdıng ın a support truck to begın lunch preperatıons, rıdıng ın the other truck straıght to camp to begın settıng up, or cyclıng behınd the last rıder as a "sweep"
6:45 - 12:00 We cover the fırst 75km or so and are eatıng a delıcous lunch of bread, fruıt, peanut butter, cucumbers and tomatoes.
12:15 - 16:00 Rıders fınısh the second 75km
16:15 - We are gobblıng down soup and water.
18:45 - Dınner
20:00 - 5:30 - Downtıme.
I saıd the entrıes would be short and I need to get goıng to help wıth dınner. Feel free to post any questıons ıf you have them. I hope all ıs goıng well out there!
-CB
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Istanbul, Not Constantinople
I've made it to Istanbul! I spent most of yesterday recovering from my flight and meetıng riders. Most of the staff have made it here and we are scheduled to have a meeting tonight.
Our hotel is located on the Asian side of Istanbul while the Old Town is on the European side. The Bosporous Straight splits the two. Like Hong Kong's Star Ferry system, Istanbul has ferries that run across the Bosporous. The water of the Bosporous is unmistakable. It is a dark velvet blue wıth equalally sized rıpples streching from bank to bank.
Walking around the deck of the ferry, one can see ancıent mosques and the hill sides that are littered with houses. Wandering the streets, it is easy to forget where you are. The markets remind me of China wıth the merchants being just as persistant; however, the food...oh the food.
The dining is an especially nice change from China, we had both lunch and dinner in small alley ways. Turkish tea and beer begins each meal, followed by mouthwatering appetizers like peppers suffed with hummus or spicy Turkish salsa. Just when you think that your tastebuds cannot take anymore, the main course of various kebobs appear. The unique mix of herbs and spices coating suculent chicken or lamb leaves you craving for more though you are much too full to eat another bite. The Silk road has played an obvious roll in Istanbul culinary tradition.
Wıth a population around 1o million people, I do not know where this cıty keeps them all. The streets are only crowded in the main shopping and eating areas. There are plenty of back alleys in the Old Town that boast delightful Byzantıne, Roman, Ottoman and various European architecture. Amongst the people, architecture, and food, it is impossible for Istanbul to hide its history of being the oldest melting pot in the world.
This afternoon work begins. We are preparing the vehicles for the trip and I am going to assemble my bıke for an afternoon ride around town. Please forgıve any 'i's that do not have dots on them. I am typing on a Turkish keyboard they have the real 'i' ın an odd place...I think I have caught them all. The same goes for my spelling. The Turkish spell checker doesn't help so much. I hope all is well and I will be in touch.
-CB
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Welcome
Welcome All,
This blog has been created to chronicle my latest adventure. One year ago I moved to China and have kept up with a blog at this address. I've once sailed around the world and now found a way to bike across the better part of Asia. The trip begins in Istanbul, Turkey and we will be riding all the way to Beijing, China.
My company, Tour d Afrique, (this is actually my new job rather than a vacation) is based in Toronto, Canada and is famed for a tour that runs from Cairo, Egypt to Capetown, South Africa. I am working as Tour Support...more or less a guide for the next four months. I'll be taking on a stronger leadership role as we cross China's western border.
Where will I be? The Silk Road is not just one path cutting across Asia. There are many different routes, each with unique challenges. There is a nice interactive map that traces our tour. As I mentioned, we are starting in Turkey and then through Georgia, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and finally to China. There are several blogs that will be updated during the tour as well as a company blog. From this site, you can also find blogs from other riders.
Obstacles to keep in mind... There is a little mountain range in the way, you may have heard of them, the Himalayas. We will pass through unforgiving deserts and through a country that is 95% mountainous. We're hitting all four seasons as we travel. In many places, paved roads will be a welcome luxury. China will not let us down with air quality. Especially when the mercury falls and the coal power plants kick it up a notch.
Updating this will be a bit tricky as I will not have my laptop or other electronic luxuries. When I can, I will be posting a few pictures and some short stories about our travels. We have a rest day about every five days. Please keep in mind that we have only 24 hours to explore cities that were once the most prosperous in the world. Time has passed over these places, but much remains to be explored. Certainly more than our itinerary allows.
My plane takes off for Istanbul on Tuesday at midnight. Then 4 months of biking, problem solving, and sojourning.
Until next time,
CB
My company, Tour d Afrique, (this is actually my new job rather than a vacation) is based in Toronto, Canada and is famed for a tour that runs from Cairo, Egypt to Capetown, South Africa. I am working as Tour Support...more or less a guide for the next four months. I'll be taking on a stronger leadership role as we cross China's western border.
Where will I be? The Silk Road is not just one path cutting across Asia. There are many different routes, each with unique challenges. There is a nice interactive map that traces our tour. As I mentioned, we are starting in Turkey and then through Georgia, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and finally to China. There are several blogs that will be updated during the tour as well as a company blog. From this site, you can also find blogs from other riders.
Obstacles to keep in mind... There is a little mountain range in the way, you may have heard of them, the Himalayas. We will pass through unforgiving deserts and through a country that is 95% mountainous. We're hitting all four seasons as we travel. In many places, paved roads will be a welcome luxury. China will not let us down with air quality. Especially when the mercury falls and the coal power plants kick it up a notch.
Updating this will be a bit tricky as I will not have my laptop or other electronic luxuries. When I can, I will be posting a few pictures and some short stories about our travels. We have a rest day about every five days. Please keep in mind that we have only 24 hours to explore cities that were once the most prosperous in the world. Time has passed over these places, but much remains to be explored. Certainly more than our itinerary allows.
My plane takes off for Istanbul on Tuesday at midnight. Then 4 months of biking, problem solving, and sojourning.
Until next time,
CB
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