Back on the bikes for a celebration!

Finally it was (nearly) time to get on the bikes again. We had needed a break in Kashgar, but we were starting to really miss cycling - especially because travelling by public transport with the bikes could be very frustrating. In Labrang we bumped into Nico and Sarah (http://www.lesroueslibres.com/liens.html, check their blog out for amazing photos) who we had previously met up with in Uzbekistan and Kashgar and we decided to cycle the next leg together.

It soon became clear that we were once again off the tourist trail. This is the only hotel in Lanzhou that would accept foreigners and I am not sure that they were too happy about the bikes! We set off to Xining by bus the next day from where we would finally start cycling.

Eating noodles chinese style in Xining... it is very important to slurp loudly and make as much mess as possible!

There are strict travel restrictions for foreigners in this part of China and organising a route to take was quite frustrating work. Eventually we were able to set off from Xining towards the ethnically Tibetan grasslands of Qinghai and Szechuan Provinces. The idea was to complete a 1000km cycle ride across the fringes of the Tibetan plateau ending in Chengdu, from were we would then head home. That was the idea anyway... (more about that next post!)

The first day was brutally hot as we had to start reascending all the height that we had descended on the way into Kashgar. Having not cycled for around three weeks, we were not feeling particularly fit. The roads in Chinese cities are very busy.
We collapsed in the shade of a concrete tunnel on a section of road that was being upgraded. We soon had some curious workmen coming over for a chat.

The roads gradually became quieter and, despite the heat, it was great to be away from the constant noise and soon the scenery started to improve.

It felt good to be wild camping again and, to our surprise, this part of the trip turned out to be one of the best for finding great campsites. On the first night we found a campsite in a field full of edelweiss and watched yak being herded up the mountain.

After the first pass we had to descend back all the way to the altitude that we started from (and back into the heat), but soon we were ascending again onto the Tibetean plateau and the roads were fabulous. A man on a motorbike drove passed and shouted "welcome to Tibet".

Prayer flags on the second pass

Vultures circling around a sky burial.

We stopped for yak butter tea and tsampa in a tent and then had a late lunch under our tarp to escape from the searing sun. We set off in the late afternoon as a storm started to brew. Ed had been eagerly watching his counter all day and at around 5pm, somewhere between the villages of Zhacangsi and Tongde he got rather excited and made a quick video.

It was a double celebration. Not only was today was the 365th day since we set off from Glasgow, but we had also reached 15000km of cycling!

We felt an amazing sense of achievement. One year and 15000km of cycling through 23 different countries (the excitement had evidently affected Ed's arithmetic skills when he recorded this video). Countless obstacles to overcome and so many fabulous people met. Memories that will stay with us for a long time!

That night, as we set up camp in a field, we were spotted by a passing Buddhist monk and his friend who came over for a chat.

As has so often been the case throughout this trip, a lack of common language was no obstacle to communication and we chatted while we put up the tents and cooked dinner.



A fabulous day!!