I watched the crash video about a dozen times and couldn't see what actually caused the spill. :confused1: No rocks, no unusually sharp turns, no notable oil on the road ... probably just hustling the bike a little too hard! :thumbsup:
Nice to see the bike held up well after the crash and the minimal damage to the back end is a testament to the luggage system which I"m sure must have generally strengthened the whole back end of the ride.
Sigh... wish I could have gone along with you guys! :riding:
CC
06-12-2010, 05:35 AM
ChinaV
Re: The rewarding us with punishment tour - fuel
Day 7
We're rejuvenated from our little sojourn to Kunming and head north out of the city on G108. Daniel and I are riding together, we will meet Felix later, as he stayed with friends outside of town. The road isn't very good, lots of construction and heavy traffic. I'm not feeling tremendously confident either, something about crashing always makes you feel a bit unsure, and I find myself over thinking how I ride instead of enjoying it. As noon approaches, I get a call from Felix and we decide to regroup in Wuding for lunch. After a quick feed, we're back on the road and become a little mixed up trying to get out of town. Sometimes the GPS and road construction projects seem to disagree on where G108 actually is. About twenty kilometers outside of town, we come around a corner and I slip and crash again.... yes... I wiped it again. Fortunately there's no damage, as I was only going about 30kph, but the bruise on my hip didn't enjoy another smack on the pavement. We stop for a few minutes and Daniel comes along. He exclaims, "wow I almost lost it in that corner back there". We move on, be it a little more slowly.
The road gets better and we start to enjoy some interesting scenery. I was surprised to see this little catholic church as I wandered along.
Even though I was driving like an old lady, we still made good time getting to Panzihua. One thing you need to remember about traveling China is the fact that it only has one time zone. Once you make your way West, you gain daylight on the clock, which meant we had until almost 8:00 before it would get dark. Being that we had some time, we decided to find a decent shop to change our oil. Felix's back brake also needed some attention. We were surprisingly lucky to find a good shop in less than 5 minutes. The shop guys were big motorcycle fans, and called in the troops to check out the foreigners. We all changed our oil and they attempted to fix Felix's brake but his rear master cylinder was toast. Calls were made and someone had a Galaxy that was willing to donate the part. Rather than keep everyone waiting, we decided to go have dinner with the bikers of Panzihua.
What a great group of people. Not only did they give us free food and beer, they also donated the part to fix Felix's brake. There are some very fine people in Panzihua, and we were lucky to be in such good company.
We feasted for hours and swapped tales as all bikers do. As time rolled on, so did the ganbei's. Eventually, Daniel and I had to call it quits, but the Irishman inside Felix was just getting going. It was a late night for that boy, but a great one I'm sure.
Distance = 345 Kilometers - Time = 12:00 Hours - Average Moving Speed = 50 kph
The next morning, hangover anyone :deal: :lol8:
06-12-2010, 09:11 AM
felix
Re: The rewarding us with punishment tour - fuel
Yes, very. It's a good thing there are pictures of the next morning's ride, as i don't remember most of it. Looked like a nice ride though!
06-13-2010, 03:52 AM
ChinaV
Re: The rewarding us with punishment tour
Day 8
Some of us were up earlier than others, and one of us was a little hungover. A group of Panzihua bikers were taking care of Felix's rear brake and they decided to escort us into the mountains on our way out of town. It was another beautiful day, and the locals told us the road from Panzihua to Luguhu was very good. We had a little bit of a late start, but there was no hurry, as we only needed to cover 250 kilometers to reach our destination. We headed North on S216 and were immediately into the mountains on a beautiful twisty road.
After climbing all morning, we made a long descent towards the town of Yumen and the Er Tan reservoir. I let the racers go ahead and took my time soaking in the beauty of all the little villages we passed. The amount of work that goes into these terraces for farming is amazing.
We stopped for lunch and enjoyed the company of this woman. She was carrying her grandchild on her back and enjoying a smoke. We couldn't understand much of what she said, but exchanged a lot of smiles.
After lunch, we reached S307 near Bodaxiang. I would like to try the section of S216 that goes north east from there, but that will have to wait for another trip. S307 runs with the Chahe/Jiami river and it's a very nice road with lots of deep canyons.
For some reason, I had this feeling I was here before. When I reached this waterfall, I realized this was a section of road I covered with CrazyCarl back in 2008. Same spot, different trip.
In the late afternoon, we finally reach our destination, the stunning Lake Luguhu. The lake borders Yunnan and Sichuan and sits over 2500 meters above sea level. Around the lake are many small villages, home to peoples of the Mosuo minority group, who for centuries have lived in a matriarchal society.
The small town of ShangLuoShui on the Southwest side of the lake. We stayed in the same hotel as the last time I was here. I love this place. It's laid back, the accommodations are inexpensive, and although it's a little commercial, it hasn't been overrun by the tourism industry…yet
Distance = 279.6 Kilometers - Time = 9:00 Hours - Average Moving Speed = 51 kph
06-13-2010, 04:07 AM
euphonius
Re: The rewarding us with punishment tour
Beautiful reporting, ChinaV, and wonderful photographs. As I scrolled down to that image of the Er Tan reservoir, my mind flashed on an indelible image I'd not thought about in years showing hundreds of poor gold miners tunneling like ants into a red-earth open mine, probably in India or Africa or maybe Brazil. Don't remember the place or photographer, but some MCM readers may know the image I have in mind. In your image you see more than a dozen people trying to rummage something of value out of their disappearing red-earth lake. Whether man helped create this drought is a subject of debate, but it's no less real to these folks trying to eke out a living. Powerful image, for which thanks.
Sitting on the edge of my seat awaiting Day 9. And also feeling a bit embarrassed not to have finished writing up my recent newbventure in Sichuan.
Glad you all made it back in one piece.
cheers
06-13-2010, 07:22 AM
SabineHartmann
Re: The rewarding us with punishment tour
yes, you guys have a great time! Monday, Thomas, Nigel and I will go on a 3 days Ride to Datong and back. hopefully I can also tell a fine story in the end!
Sabine
06-13-2010, 07:55 AM
moilami
Re: The rewarding us with punishment tour
Quote:
Originally Posted by euphonius
my mind flashed on an indelible image I'd not thought about in years showing hundreds of poor gold miners tunneling like ants into a red-earth open mine, probably in India or Africa or maybe Brazil. Don't remember the place or photographer, but some MCM readers may know the image I have in mind.
cheers
Yes, Moilami, that one. Salgado is in a league of his own! Should have figured you (or Ryan) would be the one to post that! Thanks!
:clap:
06-13-2010, 02:52 PM
ChinaV
Re: The rewarding us with punishment tour
Day 9
Waking up in a spot like Luguhu is breathtaking. I made some coffee and just stood there at the window of my hotel room gazing at the beautiful morning. I really didn't care what time we left, I probably could have sat there all day.
This would be our first day of riding into the "unknown". Up until this point, most of the roads we traveled were well documented on maps or the GPS. The road out of Luguhu going north branches off in several directions, and you must rely on passing strangers or gut feel to find the right way.
We proceeded through a few small villages and assumed we were making progress.
Felix sat waiting on this bridge while I tried to figure out why we were crossing rivers where the map showed none. Asking the horse would have been a better idea than consulting the map.
Asking for directions was fun, as the name of the next town we were heading to was called Wu Jiao Meng Gu Zu, a rather long name for a Chinese city. The road cut through deep gorges and there were some great campsites along the river. We will regret not camping there later this evening.
After Wu Jiao Meng Gu Zu, the road starts to climb and there's no traffic at all. We eventually reached 4000 meters before a very long descent to Taoba.
I have no idea what this checkpoint was for, but we all signed our names and got approval to continue on. I think it was a safety check for vehicles heading up the mountain we had just come down.
After a lovely afternoon, we started riding parallel to the Litang River. It was time for our punishment. According to the map, this should have been S216, but it will be many years before that road is ready for normal traffic. Currently there are huge hydro and mining projects going on here and it looks like a battle-zone from all of the heavy truck traffic. Each truck that passes creates a sandstorm of fine silt that covers everything and takes away your visibility. Eventually we reached a roadblock and had to wait while they blasted off the side of a mountain. It was getting late, and we were hoping to find a place to camp.
After passing the demolition detour, we kept looking for any kind of place to throw up our tents. We reached a junction with a tiny store and tried to get some intel on the road situation. The people barely spoke Mandarin and couldn't understand where we wanted to go. If we continued north along the river, we were doomed to another 30 or 40 kilometers of crap and little hope of a place to camp. My gut was telling me we should be at S216 going west, but S216 doesn't really exist yet, and being on the edge of a mountain made it difficult to determine which road actually went west. We agreed to head north for 15 minutes in search of a place to camp, found nothing, and backtracked to the little store again. It was now dark and with all the dust covering our bikes, and floating in the air, we couldn't see anything. Tempers flared for a few moments and things were not looking good. Fortunately we managed to pick the correct road west, and within a few minutes we came to a tiny town with a one bedroom trucker hotel. We asked if it was vacant and the owner was happy to put us up for the night. We unloaded the bikes and filled up on peanuts, crackers and beer for dinner. It had been a long day, and everyone fell into bed early, completely exhausted.
Distance = 222 Kilometers - Time = 10:00 Hours - Average Moving Speed = 33 kph
06-13-2010, 03:27 PM
jape
Re: The rewarding us with punishment tour
Stunning pictures of what is becoming a real adventure and a great story. I loved that old mastiff, old soul eyes asking you who you are. I hope you gave him a biscuit or a pat? Sod the rabies, he deserves one!
06-13-2010, 05:20 PM
moilami
Re: The rewarding us with punishment tour
Quote:
Originally Posted by ChinaV
Day 9
I'm fairly sure this person had no idea where we wanted to go.
And I also forgot to mention your little crash that day :eek2: . Must be my old age. :wheelchair:
Cheers!
ChinaV
06-15-2010, 06:57 AM
bigdamo
Re: The rewarding us with punishment tour
Great story Great photo's
Some people think China is a land just full of big cities this shows a side of China we will never see.
Those biker's from Panzihua where some on Japanese motorcycles?
06-15-2010, 08:26 AM
ChinaV
Re: The rewarding us with punishment tour
Day 10
If you're a light sleeper, never share a room with your riding buddies. On the two occasions in my life I've done so, both could have gone the wrong way and ended in murder. As the straight pipe Harley Davidson sleeping next to me continued to slumber, I decided to get up and start the morning ritual around 5:30. Felix and Daniel were soon to follow and we actually managed to get on the road by 7:00.
We had inquired about directions and road conditions the night before, and my earlier hunch was proven correct. The road we were now on may become S216 someday, but for now, it's basically just a logging trail through the mountains. It's hardly used, and almost impassible on anything other than a motorcycle. This sounded like a lot of fun, so we headed off to find gas and filled up at this "full service" station.
One of many small bridges we passed on our way up the mountain. Most of them were very narrow and barely strong enough for motorcycles. I couldn't imagine trying to get through with a 4WD.
We stopped at this pile of Mani stones and chatted with a local gentleman. He was sporting a very cool knife and mentioned we might need one in some spots where the road gets bad. The Mani stones are plates inscribed with a six syllabled mantra "Om Mani Padme Hum" (Hail to the jewel in the lotus). We will be seeing lots more, as we are now traveling in the Tibetan area of Sichuan.
Looking off into the distance, you can see the 3 holy peaks, which were blessed in the eighth century by Buddha Padmasambhava. The south peak Jambeyang (mostly hidden to the left) at 5,958m/19,547ft is the avatar of Manjushri, the Bodhisattva of Wisdom. Chanadorje (middle) also 5,958m/19,547ft represents Vajrapani , the Bodhisattva of Wrath. Chenresig (right) at 6,032m/19,790ft, the highest of the trio, symbolizes Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva of Mercy. It is said that if a Tibetan makes a pilgrimage to the shrine 3 times in their life, they will be blessed with all they desire.
We descended for over two hours, and as the afternoon wore on, our stomachs started to grumble. We hadn't seen any sign of civilization, and at one point, the road became little more than a trail passing through the trees. As we arrived at a junction, we were fortunate enough to meet a passing stranger who told us we would come to a logging camp in about three kilometers. We may even find some food there. Upon arrival, we were happy to see lots of beer, but the only food to be found were a couple containers of instant ramen noodles (starch, salt, MSG) good enough for us. This lady stopped to gaze at the strange foreigners, I liked the combination of ethnic dress complimented with her "Chairman Mao" hat.
We made it out of the logging forest and the scenery turned harsh. A deep gorge with the fast running Wuliang River was bordered by mountains that were brown and devoid of almost any vegetation. The only green areas were the tiny Tibetan villages dotting the sides of the hills. How these people survive here is a testament to their strong will. There was a newly built bridge spanning the river and I knew this was the crossing for S216. The problem, again, was that the road ended after two kilometers. The line showing S216 continuing west on the map was nothing more than an optimistic view of a road that will exist, someday. With nobody around to ask directions, we decided to head north. Not that we really had much choice, move forward and hope for the best, or backtrack 75 kilometers through the mountains. Onward ho!
Moving forward was working out well for us, and we eventually met a nice man tending his fields. We asked if the road would bring us to Daocheng and he nodded in approval. He told us the road could only be crossed by motorcycle or horseback and it would probably take four or five hours. I looked at the map and GPS, then estimated maybe forty kilometers. How could that take four hours? Surely the old man must have meant by horseback. Roughly four hours later we were half way to our destination looking for a campsite. Pretty smart old man.
We stopped at this small stupa and made a round of prayers. Make sure you walk around these from the left, as that is the custom of the Tibetans in this region.
Around 7:00 we finally resolved to camping at the next piece of flat ground. The canyon walls were steep and offered no place to set up a tent. There was little vegetation to hide behind, and whatever we seemed to find was obviously privately owned land that we were not keen to camp on without permission. We passed a bridge, and the low water level provided a nice sandy spot for us to call home for the night. It was a bit more exposed than we would have liked, but seemed like a safe enough place to settle. Finally we were camping, now if we could just get the damn stove going, life should be good.
Chinabiker and I always pick names for our campsites, so I guess I will name this one "Camp Bridgeside". The location turned out to be pretty good. A very friendly man had a house nearby, and he brought us gifts of firewood, walnuts, and some super strong hooch (moonshine). The conversation went late into the night as he shared many stories of how the area and people had changed since he was a child. With a billion stars overhead, the glow of the campfire, and the lack of my buddies snoring, I slept like rock.
That was probably one of the most epic days I've ever experienced on a motorcycle.
Cheers!
ChinaV
Distance = 130 Kilometers - Time = 11:00 Hours - Average Moving Speed = 21 kph
06-15-2010, 09:37 AM
ZMC888
Re: The rewarding us with punishment tour
Wow, the three peaks are a proper mountain view!
06-15-2010, 10:11 AM
moilami
Re: The rewarding us with punishment tour
Quote:
Originally Posted by ChinaV
Day 10
If you're a light sleeper, never share a room with your riding buddies. On the two occasions in my life I've done so, both could have gone the wrong way and ended in murder. As the straight pipe Harley Davidson sleeping next to me continued to slumber, I decided to get up and start the morning ritual around 5:30. Felix and Daniel were soon to follow and we actually managed to get on the road by 7:00.
That was probably one of the most epic days I've ever experienced on a motorcycle.
Cheers!
ChinaV
Distance = 130 Kilometers - Time = 11:00 Hours - Average Moving Speed = 21 kph
:clap::clap::clap: You're doing it right :lol8:
I have to say for me it would certainly been the most epic day as well! And can't say I have seen better in any other reports. Different yes, but not better though not worse. Epic is epic :clap: Yet I think the combination of scenary and roads were the best I have seen in this phase.
I am by the way also a light sleeper and can copy with your thougts regarding straight pipe harley davidsons :gun_bandana: :lol8: Have to remember that when travelling alone as a positive thing.
06-16-2010, 02:26 PM
felix
Re: The rewarding us with punishment tour
Quote:
Originally Posted by bigdamo
Those biker's from Panzihua where some on Japanese motorcycles?
Nope. One was on a Galaxy TGR and the other on a Shineray X2. I got a chance to try his X2 the night before and frankly it felt even less powerful than my XTR. There must have been something wrong with it to be honest.
06-16-2010, 02:44 PM
moilami
Re: The rewarding us with punishment tour
You tour China with a china bike. Like you eat thai food in Thailand. Or you do it wrong :lol8:
06-17-2010, 01:22 AM
SabineHartmann
Re: The rewarding us with punishment tour
isn`t there anybody outside who can publish books? on MCM are so may great ride reports, let`s put them together and it will become a bestseller !!!!
06-17-2010, 03:49 PM
ChinaV
Re: The rewarding us with punishment tour
Day 11
It was a bit cold as we got up that morning. Our campsite was at an elevation of 2600 meters (8500 feet) and the mountains blocked any sunlight from coming through. We slowly packed up, each of us wrestling with a small hangover from the previous nights hooch, and then remembered we had promised to stop at the old man's house for a cup of tea before heading on our way. We arrived at his house and he was ready and waiting for us. There was a kettle on the stove and he slowly mixed together a huge hunk of Yak butter with tea, and a few other ingredients, inside a big chandong. He pumped the chandong over and over to churn the mixture, and then strained the concoction into several beautiful porcelain bowls. Not a bad brew, but not something I would choose to drink every day. It goes down like 10W40 and ends up feeling like straight fifty weight sitting in your gut a few hours later. Along with our yack butter tea, he offered us some barley flour. First you throw a big heap of barley flower into your mouth, then you wash it down with some tea. Feels like swallowing concrete. Around eleven o'clock we finally bid him farewell and thanked him for his friendship and hospitality. Here's a picture of the very kind, very friendly, old man. Can you believe he's 76?
A row of stupas with some kids playing alongside the road. I think it was shortly after here that we saw our first four wheel vehicle in almost two days.
Around one o'clock we finally reached pavement near the beginning of route S216. It had been two and half days of wonderful dirt riding, and I was a bit sad to be on blacktop again. We noticed Daniel's rear tire was almost flat, so we decided to head north to DaoCheng to find lunch and make repairs. Fortunately it was a slow leak from a small thorn, and the only puncture we experienced during the whole trip.
After a quick blast up this immaculate road, we found a small motorcycle shop and pulled out our spare tube, as they didn't have one in the correct size. We breezed through the tire change and then feasted at one of the towns nicer restaurants. We were all pretty famished from lack of decent food over the last couple days.
We headed back down S216 through more valleys and Tibetan towns as we made our way south towards Yading. The road was in very good condition, with the exception of a few construction areas, and it was starting to become obvious this was a popular tourist route.
Many of the kids along the road would wave and say hello. A stranger occurrence was the number of kids saluting us, I have no idea what that was all about.
We arrived at the town of Riwa around six o'clock after a very rewarding day, time for some punishment. There are three Shangri Las that I know of. One is a fictional place described in the 1933 novel Lost Horizon by British author James Hilton. Another is the town of Zhongdian, renamed in 2001, to attract tourists. The third is the town we happened to be sitting in at that moment. If you want to ensnare the masses in China, just name your city Shangri La and watch them pour in. I think it's safe to say that if you're in a place named Shangri La, you're definitely not in Shangri La, as I'm sure Mr. Hilton never imagined concrete tiled buildings and tour buses as part of the mystical valley he describes in his book. I'm also quite certain he never envisioned all access to the area would be cut off with the exception of one road that had a toll gate.
The toll into the "Yading Nature Reserve" was 150 Yuan (about $22 US Dollars). Based on per capita income, that would be roughly equivalent to spending $220 US Dollars to look at Yosemite or the Grand Canyon. I'm not a cheap charlie, but if there's one thing I just wont do in China anymore is pay stupid fees to look at nature. I asked the boys if they wanted to go in and they just shook their heads, it wasn't the fee, it was where the fee would end up. [/RANT]
A last picture from the day, just outside of where we were hoping to go camping.
Dejected, we tried to find some other dirt roads but met with heavy construction and more inhospitable terrain. It was getting late and we were losing light. We decided the only safe thing to do was back track towards DaoCheng which was over 100 kilometers away. Fortunately, I remembered seeing a little hot springs resort about 35 kilometers back and we managed to pull in just as it got dark. The place was clean and had a huge hot spring swimming pool. Better yet, the place was mostly empty and they had cold beer. Rewarded again! :goodtime:
Cheers!
ChinaV
Distance = 195 Kilometers - Time = 8:00 Hours - Average Moving Speed = 43 kph
06-18-2010, 04:08 AM
jape
Re: The rewarding us with punishment tour
"Fortunately, I remembered seeing a little hot springs resort about 35 kilometers back and we managed to pull in just as it got dark. The place was clean and had a huge hot spring swimming pool. Better yet, the place was mostly empty and they had cold beer. Rewarded again"
Now that was fortuitous indeed. You are obviously making enough thanks and appreciation (libations? lol) to the local spirits as you go, and observing protocol with the elders. That will keep you safe and happy. Thanks for all the photos, they are good to see, especially the people. The smallest touches of adornment or decoration make them interesting and different despite the many 'western' clothes. I found that by scrolling the pic up to lose the heads, you can still sense the foreign or rather 'exotic'. i am really enjoying this trip with you guys. I feel that despite the many modern encroachments including turning the whole region into a pay for entry theme park, the natural, perhaps tribal or regional differences will hang on for a while yet. Do you feel that or do you see it as all disappearing too quickly?
Another thing I notice is that despite what seems like inhospitable and poor terrain, every little portion that can possibly be terraced and farmed is utilised. Some lessons there for us wasteful westerners. Is it all down to a chemical and additive free diet so 'night soil' can go to the land rather than the sea i wonder?
Distance = 195 Kilometers - Time = 8:00 Hours - Average Moving Speed = 43 kph
No, I can't believe xD I would not had been bothered of that though. It was a very nice gesture from him and for me it would had been one of the highlights of the trip to drink weird tea made by him in that fancy tea pot.
Thank you of the great report.
06-18-2010, 08:30 AM
ZMC888
Re: The rewarding us with punishment tour
Quote:
Originally Posted by V
The toll into the "Yading Nature Reserve" was 150 Yuan (about $22 US Dollars). Based on per capita income, that would be roughly equivalent to spending $220 US Dollars to look at Yosemite or the Grand Canyon. I'm not a cheap charlie, but if there's one thing I just wont do in China anymore is pay stupid fees to look at nature. I asked the boys if they wanted to go in and they just shook their heads, it wasn't the fee, it was where the fee would end up. [/RANT]
+1:thumbsup:
Whenever you pay it always seems like you been ripped off blind, that 20 yuan would have adequately covered the costs of their poorly paid staff, so who gets the new beemer?:rolleyes1:
Most wealthy Chinese like the high fee as:
1. They never pay face price always get a discount so always feel they are saving money.
2. Chinese often love to feel that they are 'exclusive' with a high cost keeping the peasants out.
3. Their guests are made to feel they are special with a high price being paid, and they are being 'treated'. It's all a cultural phenomenon connected to 'face'.
Some inventive parking and trekking can usually circumnavigate the need to pay to see nature! :icon10:
There are very probably prettier places you rode through anyway. Judging from the photos it would be hard to top some of the views.
06-18-2010, 01:55 PM
ChinaV
Re: The rewarding us with punishment tour
Thanks for all the nice comments everyone, really does keep me going. :thumbsup:
moilami,
I have to say, that kind old man was a major highlight of my last ten years living in China. Truly one of the nicest people I have met here and just a fantastic combination of wisdom and humor.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jape
I feel that despite the many modern encroachments including turning the whole region into a pay for entry theme park, the natural, perhaps tribal or regional differences will hang on for a while yet. Do you feel that or do you see it as all disappearing too quickly?
Another thing I notice is that despite what seems like inhospitable and poor terrain, every little portion that can possibly be terraced and farmed is utilized. Some lessons there for us wasteful westerners. Is it all down to a chemical and additive free diet so 'night soil' can go to the land rather than the sea i wonder?
Jape,
Unfortunately the "Real China" is rapidly fading away and that is one of the reasons touring it now is so important to me. I can easily see a situation where, in twenty years, everything interesting will be an exploited theme park. Very few of the younger generation is interested in hanging with their elders and most of them head for the cities abandoning their traditional ways. I think this is true in almost all cultures across the globe.
"Chemical and additive free diet". :eek2: Maybe they're not addicted to high fructose corn syrup, but the food here is not even remotely safe. Although it would appear that the farm lifestyle is in harmony with nature, the massive abuse of fertilizers and pesticides has left the countries water supply devastated.
There are so many good lessons Western countries can learn from "old" China, and unfortunately the "new" China seem to be repeating our mistakes. The scary part is, it's on a scale far, far, bigger than any westerner could ever imagine.
More good stuff coming soon.
Cheers!
ChinaV
06-18-2010, 03:09 PM
CrazyCarl
Re: The rewarding us with punishment tour
Quote:
Originally Posted by SabineHartmann
isn`t there anybody outside who can publish books? on MCM are so may great ride reports, let`s put them together and it will become a bestseller !!!!
I fully agree! Trip reports as fantastic as this one can certainly go in Adventure Motorcycle Magazine. The photos are there, it's all about the writing and I'd LOVE it if we could get some regular China representation in every issue.
MCM is actually at the stage it could produce a light periodical... maybe one issue every 6 months. It can even be digital to make it simple. The publishing resources are there, it's all about getting the right contributors!
CC
06-18-2010, 03:12 PM
CrazyCarl
Re: The rewarding us with punishment tour
Damn Lorne... makin' me miss the roads out there! Fn'A!
:scooter:
CC
06-22-2010, 09:30 AM
ChinaV
Re: The rewarding us with punishment tour
Day 12
Sorry for the delay in posting, a few moments of sunshine this weekend and my V-Strom was feeling neglected after weeks of sitting idle. :riding:
Another day in paradise as we awoke at the hot springs resort and prepared to head north. We would be connecting with S217, a road I had previously travelled with CrazyCarl, and I was looking forward to one of the climbs that takes you to 4800 meters / 15,750 feet of elevation.
As Felix and I stopped at one of the overlooks, Daniel passed by, and that was last we saw of him for the day. Somehow signals got crossed, and he missed our planned rendezvous in Daocheng. Not a big deal, as we were only going about 250 kilometers, and our end destination of Litang was a pretty small town.
Tibetan script on the hillside in one of the towns we passed through, I'm not exactly sure what it says. From here, Felix and I took a little detour to one of the peaks off of S217.
To get to this peak, you need to make it up a steep trail. I previously climbed it the last time I came through with CrazyCarl. This time wasn't so easy, as the middle section was all ice and the narrow path going up was pretty soft. The bikes were struggling with the elevation and eventually we both had to stop about 25 meters from the summit. We got off and clutched the hell out of the little engines while running along side and pushing. It doesn't sound so difficult, but I assure you, any activity at those elevations feels like running a marathon. We both collapsed at the top and just sat there panting and laughing.
Everyone managed to make it to Litang and we found Daniel at one of the local hangouts. We all filled our belly's, and stocked up on provisions, before heading out of town with hopes of finding a quiet place to sleep.
The inside had plenty of room, so we hung out at my place and discussed routes to Chengdu with the owner and his friend. After many hours, beers, and discussion topics, we decided to turn in. It was a rough night sleeping, as we were still at 4000 meters, and the Tibetan dogs yelped continuously until the wee hours of the morning.
