Mount Everest Base Camp through 6 Chinese province ending in Kathmandu, Nepal

[yem_paul]

6 Sept 2013 - Jiayuguan - Dunhuang

 

 

Before we left for Dunhuang, we had a stop at The Great Wall of China. Some history lesson by Mr Wang, the last bit of western GWC ends in Jiayuguan. We spent some time there and left about 130 pm. We took the secondary road which were half gravel and half broken road but managed to sneak into Gangsu National Highway for about 120 km. However, one of the Duke kept losing air pressure so there were quite a bit of hold up time.

 

We arrived Dunhuang town rather later than expected but were greeted with colors decorating the town. There were lots of activities with people walking around and hanging out in eateries way past midnight.

 

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From Wiki: Jiāyù Guān; literally "Excellent Valley Pass" is the first pass at the west end of the Great Wall of China, near the city of Jiayuguan in Gansu province. It has also been called "Jiayuguan Pass"; however, this form is redundant since "guan" means "pass" in Chinese. Along with Juyongguan and Shanhaiguan, it is one of the main passes of the Great Wall.

 

The pass is located at the narrowest point of the western section of the Hexi Corridor, 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) southwest of the city of Jiayuguan in Gansu. The structure lies between two hills, one of which is called Jiayuguan Pass. It was built near an oasis that was then on the extreme western edge of China.

 

 

And soon after, we got news of the other group who set foot on Mount Everest Base Camp.

 

 

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Edited January 5, 2015 by yem_paul

[yem_paul]

7 Sept 2013 - South Gobi Desert

 

 

We were greeted by 3 Chinese GS riders this morning who learnt of our presence in Dunhuang town and came by for a visit. Spent sometime getting acquainted with them.

 

Since the Duke won't be out so early, and the next town some 500 km away, I decided that we will spend another night in Dunhuang and use the time for sightseeing. We swooped hotels with the ones with WiFi and after lunch, we went for the sand dunes of Gobi desert.

 

 

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We took a track off the city for about 15km away to get to the southern Gobi Desert. The boys had loads of fun playing sand.

 

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Edited January 6, 2015 by yem_paul

[yem_paul]

8 Sept 2013 - Dunhuang - Huatugou

 

 

 

For the next couple of days over 1500 km, we rode across desert much to our excitement. Now although 90% of it are good tarmac, the desert offers a different kind of challenge. Hallucinations, mirages, heat exhaustion and shadows of weird things. The crosswinds were some the worst I've experienced.

 

For today, we rode a total of 530 km, to the town of Huatugou. The temperature changed drastically over the day. It got freezing cold in the morning and blazing hot by noon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 5, 2015 by yem_paul

[yem_paul]

9 Sept 2013 - Huatagog - Ruoqiang

 

 

We set off for our next destination right after breakfast. Today we are heading to Rouqiang, 350 km away. According to our guide, Mr Wang, the route we took today is still along Gobi Desert. According to him too, after we passed by a place called Miran, we will be travelling on the Ancient South Silk Road.

 

The first 60 km of our ride was on very vast sandy road plus construction passage. We took about 2 hours to clear the 60 km.

 

We crossed over to Xinjiang Province today. Police checks became more frequent. Passed through some of the best view.

 

 

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Edited January 5, 2015 by yem_paul

[yem_paul]

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Edited November 8, 2013 by yem_paul

[EJ]

Didn't realize they also used Arabic in China. Great adventure guys! 2 of them are from my workplace, the one riding the KTM adv and another the f800gs. Wished I could afford to have such an adventure..

[yem_paul]

10 Sept 2013 - Ruoqiang - Minfeng

 

 

Another day of riding along the desert field. Big distance distance of 560 km today. Arrived Minfeng town late afternoon.

 

 

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We thought the worst unfortunate was over but more surprises awaited. While being stopped at a police checkpoint, 15 km upon reaching destination, a rider realized his passport was nowhere in his possession. Again Mr Wang had to come into action. He made numerous calls and we suspected that the passport disappeared at a petrol kiosk some 300 km away. That was when it was last seen by the rider. Mr Wang suggested we checked into a hotel and wait for a reply from the police who said they were going to retrieve footage from CCTV.

 

 

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Mr Wang finally got a call and the police confirmed that the bag which contained the passport left the kiosk. The footage saw the rider placed the bag in his jacket.

 

We were all resigned to the fact that the his part of the journey ends here. He has to get to the Chinese embassy which is located at the other end of China, Beijing. But here's the tricky part. The rider needs to get letters from police station of 3 different location in order to board a plane to Beijing. One near the kiosk where he last saw his passport, the next one the county's police station and lastly the district's. It's just the law accroding to Mr Wang. The last one is located 1,300 km away from our location.

 

My sympathy for Mr Wang. Half of the journey he haven't been travelling with us tending to the other two major accident cases. And this time he has to accompany the rider to 3 locations.

 

Later in the night Mr Wang told me to think of how to settle the rider's bike.

Edited November 7, 2013 by yem_paul

[yem_paul]

11 Sept 2013 - Minfeng - Hotan

 

 

We wished Mr Wang goodbye and the affected rider best of luck as they left Minfeng for the start of their 1,300 km journey in a chartered car. I can see the disappointment in his face but he tried his might to hide them as kept saying he will be all right. My last parting word " Let's hope that some kind soul will return your passport in the meantime."

 

So we immediately look for a truck for hire.

 

We head back down to the police checkpoint as suggested by Mr Wang as all vehicles will stop there for we should have a bigger chance of finding a truck.

 

 

 

 

After a couple of hours wait, we realized that most trucks will only arrive town later in the afternoon. But Mr Wang's resourceful driver called us saying he found a small pick up in town heading towards Kashgar and the driver was wiling to accommodate.

 

 

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The night market offers refreshing cultures of Uighur people on display. The enchanting whistles played on flutes by the streets and the costumes they put on along with their unique and exclusive features doesn't give you an impression that you're in China.

 

 

 

 

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Back in the hotel, I rang up Mr Wang for updates.

 

Mr Wang: " Sess left for Beijing"

Me: "So fast? So when are you joining us?"

Mr Wang: " Not so soon. Your friend didn't give me any transportation fare. I am now in a cramped bus on the way to Kashgar"

Me: " What? Did he pass you his share of payment for the trip?"

Mr Wang: " No!! He told me to collect money from you! You're to pay for his share!."

Me: " What??!! How could he do that??"

Mr Wang: "I don;t know. I see you in Kashgar to talk about your friend."

 

As soon as the line was off, I called Sess up. Not answering. Something's definitely wrong. He wouldn't do such things. Decided to sleep it off and try again tomorrow.

Edited January 5, 2015 by yem_paul

[yem_paul]

Didn't realize they also used Arabic in China. Great adventure guys! 2 of them are from my workplace, the one riding the KTM adv and another the f800gs. Wished I could afford to have such an adventure..

 

EJ The western Xinjiang Province consists of 90% Uighur people. They are Muslims.

[yem_paul]

12 Sept 2013 - Hotan - Kashgar

 

 

Covering a distance of 490 km from Hotan to Kashgar. Our ride today took us across Taklimantan Desert, where the landscape was a simply vast formless desert stretching out to the horizon. We had some sightings of a few camels from a far distance. Other than that it was just oasis and a big spread of desert sand. The highest temperature recorded for that day ride was 38 deg C. Not that we complain since we wanted to ride the desert so much, but the blazing heat and the absence of clouds made this one long stretch to the pinnacle, a little bit demanding.

 

 

 

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Turning up in Kashgar, I sensed everyone's joy and satisfaction. Words of encouragement and wishes of congratulations were going around. A big achievement for everyone.

 

 

Kashgar, during its days, was the main trade hub of the ancient Silk Road, and was also the region international commerce region where Chinese and foreign merchants gathered. It is also the Silk Road hub that connects China with Kyrgyzstan and Pakistan via two high altitude mountain passes.

 

In the meantime, Sess was avoiding all my calls.

Edited January 5, 2015 by yem_paul

[yem_paul]

13 Sept 2013 - Day trip to Karakoram Highway and Karakul Lake

 

 

 

Today's ride took us about 190 km away from Kashgar to the famous Karakoram Highway and Karakul Lake. The scenes were magical. True to its mystical features, every turn of the road was coming into us. There was never a dull moment. We traveled close to Afghanistan and Tajikistan boundaries.

 

The locals as we discovered were of Tajikistan descendants . We managed to get up close and personal with some of the animals too.

 

 

Brief info on Karakoram Highway as described by Wikipedia

The Karakoram Highway is the highest paved international road in the world.It connects China and Pakistan across the Karakoram Mountain range, through the Khunjerab Pass at an elevation of 4693 m. Due to its high elevation and the difficult conditions in which it was constructed, it is also referred to as the 'Eight Wonder of the World'. The highway cuts through the collision zone between the Eurasian and Indian plates, where China, Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan come within 250 km of each other.

 

 

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We had a hold up for almost 2 hours at this police checkpoint for failing to produce third party insurance documents which Mr Wang was holding on to. But he managed to get in contact with the police chief in Kashgar who eventually made us wrote an indemnity letter. It was worth the wait as later, we were presented with many of remarkably mesmerizing scenes of the journey.

 

 

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[yem_paul]

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We're headed back to Kashgar with a regret of not staying the night in the tent by the lake. I told them to save it for Everest Base Camp.

 

While I parked the bike upon reaching the hotel, heard a whistle directed at me from a distance. It was Mr Wang sitting at the hotel's cafe. There he was, I thought and I have an apology to offer for what he's been treated by one selfish person. Then while walking over, I caught a glimpse of the person sitting next to him. Startled, I paused and gave an astonished look. Both of them immediately burst into laughter.

 

I was surprised but happy to see our guide and Sess who had lost his passport, waiting for us, laughing their heads off. Immediately Sess pointed at Mr Wang " It was his idea!! ". Mr Wang just couldn't stop laughing for the next 5 minutes. They had pulled a prank on me. This old man got me.

 

Apparently, a young shepherd found the lost bag containing the passport and all the documents, returned it to a police station . The boy managed to get in touch with the police before Sess flies to Beijing.

 

Luck was sure on his side. His bike was also still somewhere in Kashgar. He managed to get everything back in time to continue on the trip with the team. One soap opera, not much on the prank although I was a little angry but we're back to 11.

 

 

That night I accompanied Sess to retrieve his bike

 

 

 

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Edited January 6, 2015 by yem_paul

[yem_paul]

14 Sept 2013 - Kashgar - Urumqi

 

 

We spent the first part of the day exploring Kashgar Town before catching an afternoon flight to Urumqi. We visited the Id Kah Mosque, the biggest mosque in Kashgar. Id Kah Mosque was first built in 1442. It is distinctive for its yellow walls and Central Asian architecture.

 

Today also marked the beginning of our R&R and our bikes be transported down to Lhazi before catching an evening flight to Urumqi.

 

Info on Kashgar by Wikipedia

 

Kashgar or Kashi is an oasis county-level city with approximately 350,000 residents and is the westernmost Chinese city, located near the border with Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.

 

 

 

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Arriving late night, we checked into the Bo Er Ta La Hotel for 300 yuan.

Edited January 6, 2015 by yem_paul

[yem_paul]

15 Sept 2013 - Urumqi - Almaty

 

 

We spent the day going round the capital of Xinjiang province and caught an evening 24 hours sleeper bus to Almaty, Kazakhstan.

 

 

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That night was a long bus ride to the border of Huocheng.

[yem_paul]

16 Sept 2013 - Urumqi - Almaty

 

 

It was early morning at the border. We were ready to cross over but somehow they were some problems with the documentations. It was not very clear then as English was rarely spoken. We waited like 6 hours just to clear both customs. The Kazakhs seemed to have brought a lot of luggage from China and the baggage clearance was chaotic and disastrous. Lots of shouting and shoving. We didn't have much problems though as they treated foreigners very well, By the time we arrived at Almaty was very late at night.

 

 

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[yem_paul]

17 Sept 2013 - Almaty

 

 

Spent the day just exploring the city of Almaty and it's beautiful people.

 

 

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We were wandering aimlessly after lunch since a visit to a travel agent bore nothing since they don't speak English. Luck was around when we bumped onto a group of local students majoring in language, They were on a way to a scenic spot of Koctobe and invited us to tag along. The boys didn't refuse.

 

 

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Edited January 6, 2015 by yem_paul

[yem_paul]

18 Sept 2013 - Almaty - Urumqi

 

 

Today was a visit to a big wholesale market of Barahoke before catching an evening flight back to Urumqi. Kazakhstan was totally a different culture, language and lifestyle.

 

Almaty, in my opinion is a clean city with lots of beautiful people. The people of Kazakh possess unique and exotic outlook of Korean, Arabic and European look. They appear to be apprehensive at first but they were more than helpful once they know of your real intention. They speak mainly Russian or Kazakh.

 

We might have appeared weird to them as they don't normally receive Asian tourists. They are fascinated seeing our dark and tanned feature. Short time in Kazakh but definitely refreshing.

 

 

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It was a 5 hour transit from our next flight to Chengdu so we sprawled around to catch some winks.

[yem_paul]

19 Sept - Urumqi - Chengdu

 

 

We boarded the first flight out of Urumqi to Chengdu for another evening flight to Lhasa. Mr Wang has arranged for our Tibet permit to be handed before our flight to Lhasa. All tourists heading to any point of entry into Tibet needs to provide this precious document where prior arrangements was made 3 months earlier. Chinese government has strict requirements on all entrance into Tibet. The actual plan was to arrive Lhasa on the same day.

 

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Our flight to Lhasa was unexpectedly cancelled at the very last minute due to bad weather in Lhasa. The airline put us up at a nearby hotel and will inform us of the next flight to Lhasa. Immediately I worked out the next possible itinerary.

 

 

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They checked us in a hotel set in a similar Hongkong Gangster Movie 'Young and Dangerous'. Too many vices activities going around. The dinner nearby was good though.

[yem_paul]

20 Sept - Chengdu - Lhasa - Lhazi

 

 

We received news from the airline that our rescheduled flight will be at 0630 hours. Great i thought. Not much to make up for lost time.

 

 

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We arrived in Lhasa surrounded with banks of peaks and 11 eager individuals craving to run Tibet after the much appreciated recess. Our rides were waiting some 230 km away in a town of Lhaze. So in the meantime, we go public but not before a visit to the famous Potala Palace. Quoting Mr Wang's convincing refute; “You haven't been to Tibet if you don't visit Potala Palace".

 

Earmarked as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the new Seven Wonders of the World, the historic site offers inspiriting insights of the history of Dalai Lama(s) and his teachings. Due to the overwhelming enthusiasts they receive every day, all visitors are only given an hour of pilgrimage of the site.

 

 

A chartered bus prearranged by Mr Wang awaited us as soon as we left the palace.

 

 

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Our Tibet guide, Phun Tsok greeted us at the airport. Now another regulations for visits to Tibet will require all tourists to engage a Tibet guide. Not any Chinese guide but a local Tibet guide and on top of the existing permits entering China, Tibet also calls for additional permits like an 'Alien Travel Permit among a few.

 

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Edited January 6, 2015 by yem_paul

[yem_paul]

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After lunch we were off for Lhaze.

 

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We arrived Lhaze to an anxious Mr Wang and all the bikes covered with road dusts. Checked in De Xi Hotel for 230 yuan.

Edited January 6, 2015 by yem_paul

[yem_paul]

21 Sept - Lhaze - Everest Base Camp

 

 

 

We bade goodbye to Mr Wang who was a paramount figure in ensuring the group still advance even after numerous counts of misfortunes. Ironically as our official guide, he spent half the time not being with us but in hospitals, police stations, vehicle inspection centers amongst a few places and then after, in numerous modes of public transportation exhaustively trying to reconcile with the team. He could have easily point his finger on us and blame it on our riding styles instead of luck but in his most accurate statement which I recalled, " Don't worry Ibrahim, it is my job to help you guys. I will settle this problem, You continue with my driver but be careful". Those proved to be most re-assuring when calamity took place and the setbacks piled up one after another resulting in undesirable casualties. He is not one who goes by the itinerary religiously but gives variance in times when preference is a privilege but he does on critical times when needed, stressed that other alternatives are not an option. In short, this 2nd acquaintanceship with him re affirmed my perception of him being honest, direct and realistic.

 

 

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We left Lhaze for Old Tingri but was interrupted by the power outage the town was experiencing during our usual morning re fuel. So we head back into the town when the attendant suggested a kiosk which carry a generator.

 

 

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Of all the 6 Chinese province, The Autonomous Region of Xizang or Tibet must be one most lawful and authoritative territory. Apart from the various permits, our activities are closely monitored as well. When we arrived hotel the previous night, soon after, two police officers turned up to check on us. Even for fuel refilling, all consumers are required to register with the district police before they are allowed to buy petrol. They are normally located at the entrance of the kiosk under a makeshift tent. Time consuming in my opinion. Park vehicle near the entrance, register with the police, look for a can, walk to kiosk with can, fill up, pay up, walk back to vehicle and refill. Most of the time, you are only able to find 2 cans at most. 3 on few occasions. And a full can is not sufficient to fill up the entire tank on our bikes.

 

 

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Then she presented herself from a distance.

 

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Edited January 6, 2015 by yem_paul

[yem_paul]

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We were supposed to cover a distance of 194 km with about 100 km off road. However, our guide brought us to the south gate route which is longer but with only 70 km off road thinking this will save us time. But the treacherous trail was packed with plentiful huge rocks. Most times, I was strenuously trying to keep the bike upright and only managing low speed travels on this highly demanding terrain. Fatigue sets in fast on this grave backbreaking trails and the thin air contributed a significant extent to that as well. I was lucky but few others took some heavy punch.

 

 

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Edited January 6, 2015 by yem_paul

[yem_paul]

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One third to the end of the journey to the Everest Base Camp, I was travelling alone. The harsh terrain strategize everyone to ride at their own pace for fearing of tipping over. At this stage, lifting the bike would be a distressing ordeal. Even getting off the bike begs for hard gasping of air. There was a point, out of a sudden, the lethargy, faintness and exhaustion brought out fear. I was anxious if I was on a right track. There seemed to be no road at a certain junction and it was all 'bash through' protocol. We were stringing along the cable lines atop that should lead to the base camp. Until a tiny settlement, I was uttering 'Qomolangma' to the locals and they nodded in affirmation that I was on the right path.

 

Meanwhile, the majestic peak of snow capped mountain kept peeking on me.

 

 

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Ultimately, I found the last checkpoint.

 

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It was joyous. Accomplishment of the pinnacle triumph. I took some time to admire the beauty and reflect on the conquest. Thanked the Creator a million times for my witness of his alluring grand accessory. In my own words, it's orgasmic. The military officer reminded me that it's still another 5 km before i arrived Qomolangma Base Camp or famously known as Mount Everest.

 

 

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The tent costs 60 yuan per bed. I tucked in without removing any riding apparels except for the boots. I anticipated the cold was going to get on me.

 

That night I was fighting for air. Sleeping was difficult. I was contemplating for medical evacuation but even to cry out seemed a gruesome effort. It was almost impossible. It turned out I was not the only one. And the cold was awful.

Edited January 6, 2015 by yem_paul

[yem_paul]

22 Sept - Everest Base Camp - Zhangmu

 

 

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QdsbmeepNP4/UnLPMETd58I/AAAAAAAAGDE/teciV6uQXNU/s1600/1375259_10151884721019127_472118469_n.jpg

Taken at 5 am by Anwar

 

 

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We left base camp by 10 am. This time we took the north gate which was about 100 km off road but more manageable. We took about 4 hrs to clear that route. After that, there was another 244 km of good road to Zhangmu Pass. The whole ride took us to an elevation of 5035 m passing through 5 mountains along the way with the prospect of spectacular scenes. We also had to go through a total of 4 police and military checkpoint. Quite stringent in Tibet. Some significant jaw dropping backdrops as we took the north gate.

 

 

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Then a rider discovered this on his tire.

 

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Edited January 6, 2015 by yem_paul

[yem_paul]

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We were back on good tarmac when the fragmented tire gave way. We sourced for a truck to transport the bike to Zhangmu Pass. This delay caused us to ride about 100 km in the night. About 70 km before our destination, another bike stalled. We waited for the lorry which was transporting the earlier bike to arrive so we could load the second bike.

 

 

 

 

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Zhangmu is a border town with lots of tourists transiting from Nepal to China. It is a unique town sitting by the valleys of the mountains.

Edited January 6, 2015 by yem_paul