CRAZY SIGNS IN CHINA

We had made it to Shangri-La in the Yunnan provence with one day left on our visa. And when we walked into the PSB (Public Security Beurea) requesting another extension, we had expected a one week (or 2 week max) extension. It came as a complete surprise when the lovely police lady behind the counter gave us another full 30 day extension. She advised us that this was the last time and we must leave the country before it expires. I should be over the moon. Another 30 days is plenty of time to pedal down to the south east Asian countries. Another 30 days means that this trip can continue in the way in which it was originally planned. It means this journey should continue as a bicycle trip . But the thing is I've got lazy, or at least, I'm just so, so exhausted. We've covered 3,200KMs in China - crossing the world's second largest sand desert and rising to the Himalayan frontier. The thing is Markus and I have spent the last 2 weeks trying to come up with ideas since we only expected a final one week visa extension. I've seen all I want to see in China and now the excitement lies in getting to South East Asia. I'm happy giving my tired cycling legs a rest and instead I've decided to take a bus south. But before we go, we want to see our great friend Haji again.You may remember I mentioned meeting the American cyclist Haji before. He's 69 years of age and has more energy that most people half his age. He proudly held the torch for the Chinese olympics last year and he plans to cycle around Australia and South America next year. We stayed 3 days in Litiang (where Haji now lives) and once again, he was introducing us to all his friends and to all the best restaurants in town. Haji is the only person I've met who has completed the 2,200KM bike ride from Xining to Litiang and he lost 5 kilos during this 38 day cycle. Markus and I managed 1,600KMs before taking a bus after 21 days. Photos and stories were exchanged. The bikes got a service and we took a night bus down to the provincial capital of Kumning.

THE ADVENTURE GOES DOWN STREAM

Trying to keep up the exciting momentum of the time in China could prove to be difficult. I want adventure but my legs are too tired to pedal. Markus and I have tired to put a plan together based on adventure and something new. It seems a popular trip for people is to take passenger ferries and tour boats from the Golden Triangle down the Mekong river. The Golden Triangle is the point where Myanmar, Thailand and Laos meet. And although we have little interest in taking tour boats, the reality is, if tour boats can get down the river, why cant we buy our own boat and take it down the river. The internet is hugely censored in China and I couldn't find any blogs of anyone attempted to try this. I had my brother, Paul, check if he could find anything about attempts to buy a boat and take it down this river. But nothing could be found, even on Irelands' uncensored blogs. And now I'm in Thailand and I can't find anything about it either.But, if boats can get down it, then, in theory, we can too. Almost everything in your home has a 'Made in China' sticker on it and so the cheapest place to buy such stuff, is in China. Markus and I decided to go shopping in the city of Kumning for a 4 person zodiac boat - The inflatable kind that is used in white-water rafting. We found the perfect size boat, with life jackets, oars, pump and everything else you could need for €340. It should easily be able to take the weight of us, the 2 bikes and all our gear. Its a pretty crazy thing to have little or no rafting experience and attempt to take a boat down the 16th largest river in the world. But I've been to South East Asia a few times and what I remember of the Mekong is just a huge brown river. Ultimately, I think we are able for this and so we bought the boat. Now the problem was getting it to water. We bought a hand trolley to transport the inflatable zodiac boat and took it (and everything else we have) to the bus station. Loaded everything onto the bus and got an overnight sleeper to Jinghong. The Mekong acts as the border between Myanmar and China and we knew we would never be able to take the boat through this heavily policed region. But we decided to take a seven hour boat tour down the Mekong out of China and into Thailand. Once again, the Chinese border police were in usual paranoid form. All 45 people trying to board the boat to Thailand were part a tour group, except the two smelly ones with the bicycles and the 48 kilo box containing an inflatable boat. Border officials refused to accept the photo of Markus in his passport was really him. I must admit it doesn't really look like him as he has shaved off his dreadlocks since having his passport photo taken. But why it took so many police (about 10) over an hour to check all our stuff is beyond me. The dear old ladies sat on the bus and waited patienceently for Chinese law to do its job. "First, they wouldn't let us in the country, now they don't want us to leave" was mentioned well within their hearing range. But we were in no hurry and it didn't worry us what time we got to Thailand. We were getting out of China and into wonderful Thailand. Eventually we got out of there and joined the dear old ladies on the boat down the Mekong. I must admit, I got a bit of a shock when I first the river. This is not going to be a leisurely cruise down the Shannon kinda trip. This thing flows fast. But during the seven hour boat trip down to Thailand, we watched the river carefully and we both agree, it is very achieveable. Thai immigration welcomed us with smiles and an entry stamp in our passport. Most European countries don't even need a visa for this great country. We checked into a guesthouse beside the Mekong. We are having a busy day sorting everything out and updating this blog. Tomorrow, we plan to set sail from just outside the Golden Triangle town of Chan Saen to where ever the river takes us.

DAY 288 - STAGE 3 GLOBAL CYCLE RIDE

I'm beginning to think the best parts of Global Cycle Ride are the parts where I'm not cycling. I've just returned from Bangkok, Thailand to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan after spending the last 6 weeks on a holiday away from the bicycle. It was an incredible time. The first 4 weeks were spent with my dad, Jim. It was 'boot to the headlight' all the way. We toured around Laos, visiting Buddist temples and caves and stayed in a wonderful river side hut on the edge of a jungle. The highlight of Vietnam would have been a cruise through Halong bay in a beautiful old style junk boat and then in Cambodia we visited a mass grave memorial site of the Polpot regime, then a few days spent at possibly the world's greatest archaelogical site of Angkor Wat. We also got to visit the family of a Cambodian friend of mine. Although this family is desparately poor, they gave us a great welcome. Relatives, friends and neighbours visited Kimseng's home to witness the unusual arrival of foreign guests to this poor village. We, in turn, visited the neighbours' homes. In all cases it was warm welcomes, but I was surprised how openly the people wished to talk about the Polpot regime and the terror it had brought to their lives. A neighbour described how he climbed out of a mass grave "half-dead", while his 10 year old son stared at the floor and listened. Cambodia is certainly the poorest country I've ever visited and its a hard one to figure out. Everyone Cambodian I met, sings praise for the government, who have been in power for almost 30 years, even though not one person has been found guilty of any wrong doing during the Polpot regime. Its almost no surprise to see the country promotes itself as; "Cambodia-Kingdom of Wonder". In south east Asia, a traveller can find a basic but comfortable hotel for under US$10 a night. This generally worked fine for us, but once we unknowingly checked into a hotel between two nightclubs. Crap music played till 5am and dad slept in the quietest part of the room;- The bathroom.
Genevieve certainly had no intention of staying at such accommodations after flying half way across the globe. The only stars that I am used to are the ones that fill the sky above my tent, but in Thailand's islands of Koh Samui and Koh Phanghan, our resorts had plenty of stars after their names. We had a beach side villa with private pool. There was the cliff top appartment with balcony and spectacular views across the sea. Infinity pools. I didn't even know what these were till I jumped in one. Our candle lit dinner on the beach was a far cry from my noodle soup in the tent. A cruise through a marine national park for some kayaking. And a private boat hire to go snorkling off some remote islands. Apart from when we rented a 4 wheel drive to do some off-roading through the centre of Samui, almost all our time was spent on, in or near the water.
It has been a great 6 week break from cycling. The best of company, continually happy moments, great and interesting conversations in exciting and exotic locatons. But the holiday is over and its back to work (!?!). I'm back in Kyrgyzstan in Central Asia. I took a 500KM shared taxi from Bishkek back to Osh (with the bike on the roof). And its time to continue this big bike ride around the world. And to continue it from where I left off. Although I have two countries left to cross, China and USA, I reckon I'm approximately half way around the globe. I'm about 400KMs from the Chinese border and I must admit, crossing the next one is a bit of a daunting task. China is 130 times the size of Ireland. Its going to be a big one and a tough one. we've got big mountains coming up and the winter is on its way. But first theres the Taklamakan desert to cross (The world's longest road through a sand desert). Its all ahead of me and I'll keep ye posted. But for the moment, its time to get back in the saddle and pedal to the Chinese border to begin stage 3 of Global Cycle Ride.
P.S. Just to let ye know, it could be a long time before I get to update this blog. I've heard blogspot.com is banned in China

LEAVING UZBEKISTAN

Its been a while since I've got a chance to update the blog, but the following passages are of some of the craziest times since starting the tour..... So to begin where I left off. As soon as I had the Kyrgyzstan visa pasted into my passport, I was pedalling fast and hard out of Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan and towards the Kyrgyzstan border near Osh. My Uzbek visa finishes on the 26-6-09 and its a 400KM uphill run to the border. All things considered, we're tight on time but we're doing ok. The heat is crazy in Tashkent but it would be worst in Samarkand and Bukhara. Khiva would be just unbearable now. And as for the Karakum desert, surely even the camels must be discussing the pros and cons of migration.

LOOKING BACK OVER UZBEKISTAN

Today I got a Uzbek exit stamp in my passport and I'm sitting in a cafe in Osh, Kyrgyzstan. I had a 30 day visa for Uzbekistan and it took the full 30 days to cross it at a lively but comfortable pace. Its a challenging country to cycle across but I imagine, it would be a interesting one to do a designated tour of. The architecture throughout the cities of Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva are just incredible. The desert ships at Moynaq are unreal. Travelling through the nothingness on the edge of the Kyzylkum desert is surreal. And meeting the friendly locals in the markets is just an afternoon full of laughter. Looking back over the last month in Uzbekistan has been a fascinating, exciting and difficult adventure.Its a country I'm thankful I wasn't born into. Its harvest season in the Fergana valley and it seems you are not long walking before you are carrying something. And when you get too old and tired to walk, you can always direct a donkey and cart to the fields. But Ireland 50 years ago was probably a similar picture. I was really surprised by the levels of poverty I saw here. I can't even imagine the state of desperation someone must be in, to sweep the grain off the road as it falls off the passing trucks. Sweeping their breakfast up off the street in full view of their whole village to witness.Its very ironic how the country is a complete police state and yet I was offered heroin about 10 times during my months' stay here. Especially along the desert road between Nukus and Bukhara. I can only guess that the desert heat and my poor diet had me mistaken for a junkie in need of a fix. Every single day I had dealing with the police. I'd honestly stay, I've seen as many police in Uzbekistan in the last 30 days as I've seen in Ireland in the last 30 years. They are mostly traffic police and the cycle tourist is the perfect fodder to feed their amusement and boredom. Once a passing policeman even stopped to help me repair a puncture but generally its just friendly curiosity. I do my best not to look wasted on opium (or the desert heat/poor diet equivalent). But occasionally you met an awkward cop who has to telephone someone to check if my visa is valid, or he wants to see what photos I've taken, to ensure there is no sensitive material photographed. But that said, no officer ever attempted to extort a bribe from me. Although one full time policeman/part time pimp pitied my solo venture and suggested he could arrange for a "special lady friend" to visit my hotel later if I wished. Obviously in a complete police state, "fly-tenting" is illegal. Tourists are supposed to stay at designated tourist hotels instead of camping in the wilds. You must register with the hotel and each morning they will give you a registration slip. When you finally leave the country, the police may wish to check your registration slips. I was in the country 30 days but I was missing 27 slips. I had jumped in a canal earlier in the week and that morning I put on my cleanest (dirty) clothes, but I still anticipated the "Where have you been sleeping?" question. The border guard spoke perfect english. I just pretended not to understand him.Border guard:'Where did you sleep last night?'Wasted tourist:' Oh tonight I'll probably sleep in Osh'.But he kept questioning. A search of my bags revealed my tent, sleeping bag and stove. He wanted answers. I was afraid this might happen. But this is how I got out of the situation and it may be of interest to the cycle tourers coming behind me. My advice is, when you are filling out the declaration form only disclose that you have a few dollars and hide the rest well. I only found 1 working ATM in Uzbekistan and considering thats 400KMs away in Tashkent, the largest the police can fine you is the figure you disclose on your declaration form. I told the police a medical student invited me to his home for food and a spare bed and so he could practice his english with me. I continued talking about the great generosity of the Uzbek people and their helpfulness and the amazing architecture and the beautiful landscapes...etc etc. They are less likely to fine someone who is leaving the country and full of praise for Uzbekistan. And besides he is supposedly only got US$20 in his pocket. It worked for me but I've heard of tourists facing fines of hundreds of dollars upon leaving UzbekistanIf you are coming to Uzbekistan, make sure you pack a lunch. I didn't expect to get this far without an occasional dose of food poisoning, but its so frustrating when you see markets packed full of the finest fruits and tastiest vegetables and yet the road houses outside of the main cities serve such fatty, oily and greasy slop. I've ordered even the simplest dishes, such as soup, and I've gotten, what is best described as a bowl full of boiling oil with lumps of fat. And the crazy thing is you could be sitting at a table in the shade, under a tree full of the tastiest apricots. But even the top class hotels seem to have no understanding of food hygiene. In Tashkent, I was sitting under a tree in the car park of a 4 star hotel, using their unsecured wi-fi connection. A delivery guy arrives and takes a load of meat from the booth of his car and wheels it into the the kitchen. Correct me if I'm wrong, but Ladas don't have a refrigerated boot, do they? I have a very strong stomach and have never got food poisoning before, but everyday in Uzbekistan has been testing on my system. Thankfully, I got my stove working again and I enjoy spending my evenings preparing the food I buy from the markets.And so by leaving Uzbekistan, we have pretty much completed stage 2 of GCR. I'm only 240KMs west of the Chinese border but I need a break from the bike. (We are starting to argue and its not good for the overall morale of the trip). Its been 6000KMs since Istanbul and I've lost over a stone in weight that I need to gain before I head into the deserts of Western China. The biggest desert of the global circuit is coming up,- The Taklamakan desert, which is Chinese for 'He who enters, does not leave'. And so the plan is to spend the next 2 months getting fat and lazy. Its time to take a holiday from this 'holiday(?)' and return to Osh after the 2 months and continue pedaling across China to the Pacific Ocean.My dad, Jim, recently retired from work and we are keen to do a 3 week tour Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia. And my girlfriend, Genevieve, has an eye on a amazing island in south Thailand, which is full of white beaches and waterfalls. It should be two perfect weeks. So on the 16/7/09 I plan to fly from Bishkek, capital of Kyrgyzstan to Bangkok, capital of Thailand. I return to Bishkek on the 1/9/09 with, hopefully, a Chinese visa in my passport and an extra layer of fat under my belt. I plan to continue cycling east from where I left off. By mid September the Taklamakan will start to cool down, which should make the ride around it (or possibly through it) more possible. I've staying a cheap comfortable central hotel in Osh. (Hotel Alay) and I'm presently happy just sitting in the shade, drinking tea and watching the world go by. I've just over 2 weeks to kill in Kyrgyzstan and I'm just weighting up my options. Kyrgyzstan offers some of the best mountain scenery in the world, but the first thing I need is rest and then I'll decide what direction to take.........Stage 2 complete. I think I'll order more tea.

LADA-KING OF THE ROAD

The photos above are just the briefest snap-shot of the modern day 'silk road camel'. They are an amazing vehicle and are used by everyone from boy-racers to bulk hauliers. A Lada that breaks down just once a month could be described as "being in perfect condition". They are fed the dirtiest of fuel, transporting ridiculously heavy loads across deplorable roads and all at break neck speed. I've seen Ladas packed full of everything from melons to goats. It seems as long as the car horn is working the car is deemed road worthy. Like most of the locals from this part of the world, I too, have been requested to help out when a Lada needed a push start. They are a surprisingly light vehicle and very easy to push. Is it possible that the engineers at Lada took this fact into consideration and designed an 'easy-to-push-car'.

KYRGYZSTAN

The single greatest thing about getting into Kyrgyzstan is that the pressure is now off. The pressure of having to make borders before visas ran out is no longer my daily headache. The food is a better, but could it have gotten any worse. The heat is less intense and there is also the option to venture into the cooler mountains. And it is so much easier to manage your finances here. In Uzbekistan, I found only 1 ATM working in the whole country. In Turkmenistan, I found only 1 bank that would give me cash advances on my credit card. And in Iran, visa, mastercard, cirrus and maestro are not accepted throughout the whole country. But here in Osh, there are 3 working ATMs within walking distance of my hotel. And they give out local currency, so there is no need to go looking for the black market money changers. In Uzbekistan, these guys give a 25% better rate than the official bank rate, but you really have to have your wits about you, or you'll get a pocket full of change for your 100 dollar bill.Osh is Kyrgyzstan's second largest city after the capital Bishkek. I've found a few other tourists in town and from emails I received there are a few friends on the way. Its kind of a cross roads on the silk road route. Some are heading north to Lake Issyk-Kul and the Tien Shan mountains, others are going east into China, while others plan to go south on the Karakoram highway to Pakistan. I'm presently happy enough going down to the park, or having a stroll through the markets or wandering down to see the massive statue of Lenin. I'll get itchy feet to start moving again soon. But for the first time in a long time, I'm happy just chilling about.