You mean me??? WORKING!

I’m currently in Northampton, England, WORKING!!!
Yes, time to get back to reality and see what it feels like to be doing something serious for a change. After a shaky start, I managed to find a place to live and have settled in quite nicely already. My present employer, Barclaycard, is a top class organization and the job it quite good so far, I’ll get my ass kicked in a couple of weeks once the honeymoon period is over. My contract runs until the end of December, so if life gets too stressful yours truly will howl his ass back to asia knowing life. It’s all fine and dandy right now. It’s just the whole concept of getting up in the morning, doing something for somebody else that is quite alien to me. I know, in a few days I’ll be back in the routine.

I still have to wrap up my trip, I don’t have a pc right now so once I get it I’ll have more time to fool around.

Cheers for now mates and all the best.

Robert

Back to reality... for a little while

Hello to family and friends.

So many things have been happening as of late that I did not have the time to do proper updates.

First of all I’m in Bangkok and have been here for almost a month. Secondly I have been offered a fantastic position at Barclay Bank in Northampton, England. It was supposed to start on the 30th but is postponed until the 5th of next month. It is a 3 month contract at first with a possible 3 month extension if I don’t make a mess out of it. I’m quite delighted with my job search which was quite spectacular in itself. I do understand that many people will be calling me a ‘bastard’ but none the less. I applied for a few jobs purely out of boredom and also to see if I have any credentials for employment within the UK. Within five days while sitting on the beach drinking beer with my beautiful girlfriend I received a telephone call for an interview in 5 hours of notice. I accepted and started to get ready for something serious in the last 11 months or so. After a 40 minutes interview which I handled well I think, I thought, no this can not be. Next day while repeating the previous one, I received a phone call with a job offer. How great can life be, I ask myself the same question everyday.

The downfall: I will not be able to see my family and friends for at least 3 months. I’m truly sorry about this as I really wanted to come back, but as usual life takes me in a different direction. I will try to make it up to everybody at xmas time.

Otherwise life is quite normal here in Bangkok and I feel at home here. I’m being a good boy for most part. A lot of shopping for clothes to be used in the real world, setting up my own company in England, trying to avoid paying taxes, looking for an apartment. Grrr.

I will summarize travels in India and maybe give some thoughts about the whole journey. I know that this is only a temporary break, as well as my lifestyle has changed significantly over the last year or so. This is just the tip of an iceberg and I hope that the iceberg will not melt under my feet…


All the best and good luck.
I’ll write once I’ve settled in the UK!

Partial India photos:
http://ca.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/lloronapr/my_photos

Doing the tourist thing...

Hello again.

I’m presently in Pushkar (India) killing town in the holy city. The picturesque town set by a holy lake near the Thar Desert. After spending a few days in Leh, Alex and I moved on to McLoad Ganj to attend the teachings by the Dalai Lama. We had to go around the Himalayas in direction of Kashmir as the road we cycled on from Manali-Leh was closed due to a nasty storm. We were very lucky to get out of the mountains in time. But we had to spend 4 days on jeeps and buses going through the mountains with fanatical Indian drivers speeding on mountain roads. I don’t recall how many times I called the driver an idiot under my nose. How can you pass on a blind curve with the only defense on your side is a horn all while being up about 500m above a gorge. This happened way to many times, add frequent landslides and a bomb we missed by a week or so in Srinagar, the nasty feel of Jammu and well you get the picture. We were happy to spend a few days with the Tibetans.

The teachings were an inspiring and brilliant experience. The wisdom and energy coming from the Dalai Lama will transform and enlighten Buddhist and non-Buddhist alike. As well, the atmosphere within the temple, early morning chants and ceremonies are quite special. The translation was done in Chinese, English and Spanish on FM radio. Some aspects of the teachings dealt specifically with Buddhism which made it a little difficult to comprehend but none the least you can learn something. Other teachings were related to wisdom and essentially how to live your life as a good human being, this I think is universal to all people regardless of their believes. I wouldn’t say I left the teachings as a changed man, but a more aware person for sure. As well being 10 meters away from the Dalai Lama is an experience on its own, his smile is just incredible, as well he does have a great sense of humor. Often to break to monotony of the teachings he will crack a joke and use his deep laugh to further please the audience. A really great man.

Then it was two more days on buses do ‘smelly’ Delhi. I spent one day in the capital and was glad to get the hell out ASAP. Unfortunately I have to spend two more days when I get back. Off to Agra to see the Taj Mahal. WOW, what a sight (everybody knows about the Taj so I won’t waste the time). Let me just say, it is beautiful but it is not Angkor Wat. Other than the tourist area (Taj Mahal and the Red Fort) , Agra is filthy. Next, Jaipur-the pink city. Beautiful architecture and nice atmosphere, but touts are a pain in the ass.


Ok, off I go… I should be in Bangkok in about a week and then off for a vacation in Toronto.
Robert

Mission Accomplished

Internet is really bad here, so it’s just a quickie.

Three of us went up to Khardung La two days ago on the 5th and two of us made it. I was one of the lucky ones. The ascend took six, two in a snowstorm. At 32km I was close to turning around as visibility was around 5m. I decided to push on and after I ascended above the cloud the snow eased off a bit. At the summit it was snowing quite hard, we got shelter in an army camp and some tea. We descended to South Pullu only to find Alex shivering from cold. He turned around at 31km, 8km from the summit. We got back to Leh at about 5:30. Long and hard day but one of the most memorable.

So the great climb is over and ascend of the highest motorable road on a bicycle is in the books.
I hanged a Plolish and Canadian flag on a spoke along with prayer flags on the summit.

I’m off to Dharamsala in order to attend a series of teachings by His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Cheers.Very happy Robert!

Success!

I'm glad to report that the International Cycling Expedition (ICE) was a complete success. The route took 10 days over plus 2 rest days. The name ICE because I met up with a cyclist from Singapore (Alex) and a Swiss couple Sylvie and Blaise.

The Journey.
Manali. The view from my guesthouse was to the northeast, towards Rothang Pass. The first of five high altitude passes to be cycled over in the next 7-10 days. For three days I would try to measure myself against the 3978M pass and fight a mental warfare. I confess I had problems sleeping for the two days before departure. I finally set off and the first five kilometers were horrible, I thought about turning around and trying another day as my legs did not respond to the climb. After 1-hour things improved and I was able to get so k’s done. Total climb from Manali to top of Rothang is 51KM and 1270M climb. On the first day I did 37km-climbing up to Marhi. Camped for the night in my crappy Indian tent from which the rain fly fell off during the night. The second day I finished a very frustrating day of climbing due to a mass of Indian tourists wishing to see snow and therefore blocking the road completely 3 km from the top of the pass. For 2 hours I had to push my way through snow and trucks in order to get to the top. Not the reward you are looking for after a long climb. Rothang was done, I descended for about 17km down to the next village and then some more to Koksar for a rest. I was too tired to go on that day. I found a cheap guesthouse and was awoken several times during the night by an Indian family trying to get into my room. You figured that after saying three times, GO AWAY (Chelo in Hindi) that they might get the point, no such luck.

Next day was easier as no passes were in store, however I was already preparing for the biggest pass en route, Baralacha La at 4880M and a 50 km climb. I wanted to split into two days so I decided to ride 69km to Jispa in order to be at the bottom of the pass. I camped at a Himalayan Rescue Association for $1 and started eating at a local Dhaba. I had a good night sleep and started climbing up to Patseo, I felt confident as I clearly got into very good climbing shape very quickly and altitude did not bother me at all. The main problems were TATAs (Indian trucks, some very very nasty emissions) as well as stream crossings. At times the road resembles a river and walking into icy cold water is not so pleasant. Some streams toss out stones as very fast trajectories that can potentially cause serious injuries. I made to Zing Zing Bar, a relatively comfortable 30 km climb. There I met Alex from Singapore (he cycled from London to New Zealand two years ago!!!) and his friend from Germany (sorry I forgot the name). We decided to climb up to Baralacha La summit together but for anyone familiar with cycling, everybody climbs at their own speed. I got the top first and decided to head down to Baratpur. The first 15 km of the climb I was literally flying up the mountain. The glucose mix was working great, I kept spinning only took a break after 10km to wolf down a snickers bar. The last 4km were very difficult, the road disappeared at times an you had to ride through sand mixed with slush. 10 meter walls of ice were on both sides of the road. Add a section where a landslide seemed imminent and rocks were flying at you from the top. I had many close calls and was happy to get the hell out of there. The summit did not seem to arrive any time soon, only after an unexpected switchback I saw prayer flags and a sing signaling the top. I yelled out a roar of relief and sprinted to the summit. Cycling at close to 5000m is very difficult as at times you pedal 200m and stop with exhaustion grasping for air. It goes away after 30 seconds or so. It is not a pretty sight as your running nose and other nasty fluids leave your body involuntarily, it’s good thing you are alone.

Conquering Baralacha La was a very big accomplishment, as I knew that it was probably the most difficult pass on the way. I felt a big rush of confidence that it was possible to complete the rest of the journey. Alex’s German friend turned around at the summit back to Keylong in order to attend to his sick friend. Alex and I decided to take a rest day at Sarchu. The ride to Sarchu was amazing as you ride on a flat road in canyon with a tailwind, cruising at about 35km/h – incredible!

The next two passes Nakeela La (approx. 4890M) and Lachangla La (5,065m) were rather standard with a mention of Gata Loops; an interesting 21 switchbacks up a mountain. It was a bit difficult completing two passes in one day, but we made it. Alex was rather tired and we called for another rest day in Pang. We met up with the Swiss couple again and chilled out in a parachute tent drinking a record number of tea’s per day.

Following 3 days were the most incredible cycling I have ever done. After Pang you climb 300m up to Moray Plain. A 45km flat desert ride at 4700m, the colours of the mountains in Ladakh are something out a fairly tale. The incredible shades of brownish and red mountains combined with amazing shades are really inexpressible in words. I have photos to prove it. The feeling of inner peace at this vast plain in beyond reason, you have to experience it for yourself.

We camped at the bottom of the last pass – Tanglang La (5,360m). Everybody shared their food and the feeling around the camp was quite optimistic, we knew we were almost there. The next day we set off, I was the last one about 40 minutes behind the Swiss and 25m after Alex. The climb was moderate, I caught Alex after 30 minutes and the Swiss after about 1.5H. No bragging here, but with my lighter load I climbed very very fast. I decided to wait for Sylive and Blaise to get to the summit at a close interval. We made it!!! Blaise and I started making strange celebration noises and pumping our fists in the air. Sylvie arrived shortly and the Alex a bit later. We shot a lot of photos and set off on a 60km descent!!! It a crappy road at first and then the fun began, one had to be careful not to plummet down the ridge as you could fall about 300m. And then for the cycling treat, the mountains turned purple and the valley was green. Cruising downhill at 30km with a silky smooth tarmac. The look on everybody’s faces was that of something between disbelief and extreme euphoria. We cycled with our mouths wide open in silence. See photos later!!!

We got into Leh, the last 50km very via the Indus river valley. Beautiful Gompas and nice villages, but it smelled of civilization and it took a while getting used to. We took it easy and strolled into Leh midday. The first order of the day was cheesecake, followed by a hotel then beer and pizza.

Tomorrow we’re going up to the highest motorable road in the world Khardung La (5603m) at least according to the Guinness Book of Records. Whether I make it or now is secondary at this stage. The ICE expedition was the most difficult and most spectacular ride of my life and the memories of hardship, joy and new friendships will last for a lifetime. Another thing on my list of things to do is crossed off. Then again, I’m hoping to kick some ass on the climb as well tomorrow, ha ha!!! We’re going up without luggage and coming down the same day, a nice 39km – 1700M climb!!!

I’ll make a short entry if we made it to the top.

There’s still so much to write about, but I’m getting tired of sitting by the PC, it’s time for a beer!
Cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeers!

The big one...

The time has to do attempt one of the most difficult roads in Asia and perhaps in the world: The Manali - Leh highway. On the menu are four passes Rothang La at 3978M (which encouragingly means ‘a pile of dead bodies’), Baralacha La at 4850M, Lachang La at 5019M and the second highest road in the world Taglang La at 5360M. Total distance 485KM, duration: about 8-10 days; total cumulative climb :5816m. Have I lost my mind, perhaps, but I’ve been thinking about this road for a long time and now I’m quite anxious to get going.

I decided to rent a tent as some distances would be very difficult to complete in one day, a fine Indian tent may I add, let’s hope it will survive. Add altitude sickness pills, half a kilo of glucose, peanut butter, bread, hydration salts, almonds, a can of tuna, chocolate (lots!) and cookies. Water will be a problem and food for sure, I bought a plastic container to hold extra food. I’m hoping to hook up with cyclist on the way but in case of emergency there’s steady traffic so I should be able to get a ride if need be. I’m not doing anything heroic; I don’t want to get into any unnecessary health issues due to fatigue and attitude.

Road profile:
http://www.sentient-entity.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/route.html

If everything goes well I intent to ride the highest motorable road in the world (well at least according to Indian authorities, the Bolivians seem to have a different opinion) the Khardung La at staggering 5603 meters (some quote it at 5450 meters) in a 39KM climb starting in Leh at altitude of 3505M.

I rode for four days already from Shimla to Manali. The ride was spectacular although one day was very difficult and I will not be able to ever forget it, the Jalori Jot at 3050M. A 45KM – 2385M climb, 55Km total on the day, 5.5h riding time, 8h total time with staggering average speed of 9.6. The last 6km, 600M, were out of a cyclist horror movie. Gradients ranged from 10% to unbelievable 17%. I know this from notes from other cyclists I pulled of the web. 6km took me 2h to climb up and for most part I was pushing the bike uphill, at the same time I was close to giving up and hailing a ride. Finally I made it and decided to rest for about an hour sharing Chai (tea) with motorbike tourers on the top. When I decided to get going after just 2km a thunderstorm broke out, I was stranded under a pine tree (I know, not a good place to be especially when your bike is in close proximity). The thunderstorm was close and the sound of thunder so loud that at times I came close to pissing my pants, I decided to take a leak before it would be too late. Quickly I jumped into rain gear and put on extra layers. The drop in temperature was swift and I was afraid I would get a cold. Finally after about an hour or so it let off and I decided to head down to the next village to find shelter for the night, as soon as I got going it started coming down. The road was muddy and brake failure was not an option. You would drop like a rock to the bottom of the valley. I finally found a nice resthouse and called it a day.

The descent was quite harsh and I actually wished I was going the other way but what else is new. Very harsh on the wrists as I had to really pull the brakes hard in order to be descending at about 10KM/h. Later the road improved and it was quite nice rolling down by the river with picturesque villages and friendly locals. The road to Kullu valley was nice, but the actual valley is too developed. The next day I decided to go on the other side of the river, it was more difficult but well worth it, it seemed that the other side of the river was about 20 years behind the west side. On the way I met an India journalist who took my vitals and a photograph in order to write an article. I don’t know which paper and it will be in Hindi, hopefully he will email me some info on it.

Manali is a nice town, especially the Old Manali part of the town. Ganja grows just about everywhere and everybody seems to be smoking hash. Unfortunately, being a good cyclist boy right now I stay away from the substances and only drink fine Indian rum.

Ok, I’m off to get a good night sleep. Wish me luck as I will need every bit of it.
I hope to write from Leh.

Cheers, have a drink for me.
Robert

Burning bodies by the Ganges River

Cycling from Pohkara to Varanasi was quite an adventure on its own. Leaving Pohkara you encounter an enchanting highway ride through the foothills of the Himalayas. The road was splendid, climbing out of Pokhara valley into the mid hills. Two somewhat moderate climbs, about 1 hour each but for most part the road was clinging along a ridge along a river. The scenery was breathtaking and traffic very low, but it was getting hot the lower you got. One the last descent from the hills my rack broke! It lasted for this long but I guess the vibrations caused by the mountain descents finally did it in. No problem I thought, it is a steel rack so I can weld it and I'm in a mid-size town so I should be off in a couple of hours. Right!!! Well after trying two welders who were sure as well the rack was made from steel, the third welder laughed and said, it's aluminum, doh!. The sales person at MEC said it was steel, I should have guess it by the weight. I bought a cheap Chinese steel rack and had it custom welded to mount my panniers. The welding cost me 50 cents and the rack about $3. I decided to push on and get to the border in order to have a shorter next day but that's when sh*t happened again. A spoke broke on the back wheel. during welding the heat must have weakened the spoke and as soon as I got rolling again it broke. That's when I decided to call it a day and stay in Butwal. The day was not over yet, my wheel was replaced in Katmandu, what was supposed to be combination of 700cc and 27" spokes is really a pure 27" spokes wheel on a 700cc rim. YES it is possible. I gave it a local wheel specialist to take care of it. Hell of a day, I decided to spend the rest of my Nepali currency on Danish beer, well deserved.

Enter India.
The border crossing from Nepal to India is pretty strait forward. Get a stamp on one side and another stamp at Indian customs. The difference from Nepali side to Indian is quite staggering. Nepal's crossing is quite clean, enter Indian filled with garbage; some burning on the sides of the road. On the plus side the road quality is a lot better and what is quite amazing as well is that the landscape becomes absolutely flat. You would expect some rolling hills or undulating surfaces for some distance, but it is flat as a pancake.

The road manners and common courtesy are non-existent in India. The bigger the vehicle the more authority it gets and it the size is somewhat similar then it comes down the loudness of the horn. And boy do they love to use their horn, if a law came into place in India not allowing drivers to use their horns then the whole country would be in despair! I've been ran off the road many times already but you have to get used to it, just make sure you anticipate it happening before an incident takes place. Head on collisions are quite common and mayor accidents are a daily sight even on secondary highways. To add to your cycling experience you also have to have good reflexes whenever you enter a small town or a village for that matter. As well a couple times rocks have been tossed at me from kids by the side of the road. I started chasing the little buggers one time but they're just too fast. But it is quite a fascinating country and these are the things that happen on the road. Even though it can get frustrating sometimes cycling has been great. Cruising at 25-30km/h making pretty long distances in temperatures around 45C is quite fun believe it or not.

Riding into Varanasi was something else all together. Two km before town was quite relaxing and easy and I thought "This can not be", having the pleasure of riding into mid size town before I was expecting hell and hell was what I got. The amount of traffic is unbelievable add the honking and the heat, cows in the middle of the streets and everybody trying to get past everybody else. I kept my cool for the most part, I knew that if I snapped and tried to move to fast I would surely crash somewhere. Only when somebody slapped the arm of my back really hard to no apparent reason did I let him have it. I stopped and yelled at the man with every possible curse in English language. The Indians had a ball and the bugger ran away in a hurry. Then I was forced to make my through very narrow street in the old city of Varanasi, by then I mellowed out and was really having fun as all the merchants were taking a piss at a foreigner with a loaded bike going around piles of shit and wresting with cows in narrow alleys. Finally I found a guesthouse and was glad to sit down and have a Pepsi. I'm officially addicted to coke and Pepsi. The sugar rush is to die for!!!

Varanasi is an experience in itself. The very old city is famous for its Ghats by the Ganges river and of course outdoor cremations by the riverbank. The intensity of the atmosphere around you is something to be experienced and words can not do it justice. The sounds, sight and smell of several bodies burning infornt your eyes gives you a sick feeling in the stomach sometimes, add the sounds of Puja (worshiping) during the day and the energy in the air from the coming monsoon. Taking a boat ride in the morning is quite pleasant, you see pilgrims bathing in Ganga as well as a special treat dead bodies float beside as you sit in the boat. It is not uncommon to see people bathe in the river while 10 meters away a dead body is floating by the riverbank. I have yet to put my feet in the river and I'm not sure if I'll be brave enough to perform such a task.

Accommodations and food are quite cheap. I'm getting by on about $5 a day, eating well with a guesthouse overlooking Varanasi. We met some nice travelers at the guesthouse (I'm still traveling with Simon, we're on the same route right now) and went out with some people for a nice dinner with traditional indian music. Before we went for an evening boat ride on the Ganges. The main cremation ghat at night is such a surreal place to witness and every time I see the process shivers run down my spine.

Time to move on, I'm hoping on a train on Sunday and I'm making my way into the mountains. I'm skipping riding in the plains and opting to spend more time in the Himalayas. I'm preparing for the Manali-Leh highway and in relation to this I want to ride across Spiti valley to get into better shape and acclimatize a bit. Going over 5300M pass takes a bit prep work before you get around to it.

Bye for now.
Robert

Nepal Total: 386

Kathmandu - Muglin 110km
Muglin - Pokhara 91km
Pohkara - Galyang Chanjang 85km
Galyang Chanjang - Butwal 75km
Butwal - Border Crossing 25km