2004年12月30日
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BACK IN BEIJING
We reached Chengdu at 5 PM on the10th of October. Lily rushed to the airport. She said she had some work awaiting her in Beijing, but we think that she had enough of both of us and our smelly Mila, the new Tibetan Mastiff female that we bought on our way.
Yes, we did find a nice TM. In Chengdu I managed to bring her in the hotel room and the first thing she did was to jump on the bed. I guess that she said to herself “now that I won the Loto, enough of that hardship life”. Here are some pictures of my return to Beijing after this extraordinary trip of 10 weeks and 16,125 km.
Thank you to all of you who have been sharing this adventure with us, and sending us those nice comments. Felix, Lily and myself wish you all the best for this New-Year.
2004年12月22日
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POMI-CHAMDU-DEGE-LUHUO-KANDING
OCTOBER 3-10
What we originally thought would take 3 days took over 7 days. The Tibet-Sichuan road is amazing. You drive on a beautiful asphalt road for 200 km and then you have to zip in between construction workers, over rocks, mud and rivers for another 200 km (average speed 10 km/h). So far we evaluated that almost half of the road between Lhasa and Chengdu is completed and in great condition. The other half is on its way and when it will be, this will certainly be one of the most, if not to say the most beautiful road to cruise on the word. We are already dreaming of going along this road in the Honda convertible…summer time of course…
Meanwhile the good thing about it is that it is deserted except for a few crazy peoples like us.
We did reach Chamdu three days later then our schedule, so we had to do camping, Lily tought it was great, her first wild camping in Tibet.
But I found it cold
In Chamdu we had to stay one more day since there has been a landslide the day before due to the rain. In this time of the year, this was unexpected. It rarely rains in October. Fortunately there is a nice temple in Chamdu.
On the road again....
The trip is almost coming to an end. We will miss those sky, where else can you see them
2004年12月12日
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Oct. 1-2, Heading East
The Tibet-Sichuan Road
We were told many times that the Tibet-Sichuan road is the worst and most dangerous road on this part of earth. It has the highest passes of Tibet and they closed by the middle of October because of the snow. A group of TV reporters even told us that we were almost going to die there, they themselves decided to change their itinerary in order to avoid that road.
Fortunately we met a driver who just did the road a few days before, according to him there was nothing to worry about except for a few landslide, where he recommended that the passenger cross by foot, so to avoid too many casualties…J
The first day to Bayi was just wonderful, a paved road all the way and only one landslide, easy to cross, Lily and Felix did not have to get out of the truck.
The landscape between Bayi and Pomi is just extraordinary; we stopped almost every km to take pictures. It is a continuous forest of high pine trees with snowcaps and beautiful valleys.
And the road gets from bad to worst. You have to drive down in the river while they are building a bridge. We were happy to have the Suburban.
But the scenery
Lunch time, have a good day.
2004年12月10日
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Nam-tso (Lake) Sept. 30
Elevation: 4718 m
Distance from Lasha: 190km
Km from Beijing: 10211
Since Namtso Lake is at 4718 and Lasha at 3595, we spent the night of the 29th in a small village on the way to Namtso, Dangchun. Dangchun elevation is 4275. This gave the time to Lily to adapt to the higher altitude. The rule is to spend a day or a night at no more then 500 m higher then the previous day. This gives your system a chance to build-up the red cells that carries the oxygen in your blood. It did work perfectly for Felix, and myself by now we were completely adapted to the altitude. So we did the same for Lily and it worked perfectly. This technique do not avoid you from having light headache for the first 2-3 days, but keeps you in a good physical condition so you can enjoy your trip. We met peoples who flew from Hong Kong and went from 0 m to over 5000m in less then three days. They could not sleep or breathe and they look as if they wanted to go back as soon as possible. I do not think that they enjoyed their trip a lot.
In Dangchun, we gave a lift to a nun who leaves in a cave by the lake. She had provisions for months and filled-up the Suburban. She leaves with a monk and it was nice to have yak-milk tea in their cave.
AND THE LAKE
Bonne journée
Nam-tso (Lake) Sept. 30
Elevation: 4718 m
Distance from Lasha: 190km
Km from Beijing: 10211
Since Namtso Lake is at 4718 and Lasha at 3595, we spent the night of the 29th in a small village on the way to Namtso, Dangchun. Dangchun elevation is 4275. This gave the time to Lily to adapt to the higher altitude. The rule is to spend a day or a night at no more then 500 m higher then the previous day. This gives your system a chance to build-up the red cells that carries the oxygen in your blood. It did work perfectly for Felix, and myself by now we were completely adapted to the altitude. So we did the same for Lily and it worked perfectly. This technique do not avoid you from having light headache for the first 2-3 days, but keeps you in a good physical condition so you can enjoy your trip. We met peoples who flew from Hong Kong and went from 0 m to over 5000m in less then three days. They could not sleep or breathe and they look as if they wanted to go back as soon as possible. I do not think that they enjoyed their trip a lot.
In Dangchun, we gave a lift to a nun who leaves in a cave by the lake. She had provisions for months and filled-up the Suburban. She leaves with a monk and it was nice to have yak-milk tea in their cave.
AND THE LAKE
Bonne journée
Nam-tso (Lake) Sept. 30
Elevation: 4718 m
Distance from Lasha: 190km
Km from Beijing: 10211
Since Namtso Lake is at 4718 and Lasha at 3595, we spent the night of the 29th in a small village on the way to Namtso, Dangchun. Dangchun elevation is 4275. This gave the time to Lily to adapt to the higher altitude. The rule is to spend a day or a night at no more then 500 m higher then the previous day. This gives your system a chance to build-up the red cells that carries the oxygen in your blood. It did work perfectly for Felix, and myself by now we were completely adapted to the altitude. So we did the same for Lily and it worked perfectly. This technique do not avoid you from having light headache for the first 2-3 days, but keeps you in a good physical condition so you can enjoy your trip. We met peoples who flew from Hong Kong and went from 0 m to over 5000m in less then three days. They could not sleep or breathe and they look as if they wanted to go back as soon as possible. I do not think that they enjoyed their trip a lot.
In Dangchun, we gave a lift to a nun who leaves in a cave by the lake. She had provisions for months and filled-up the Suburban. She leaves with a monk and it was nice to have yak-milk tea in their cave.
AND THE LAKE
Bonne journée
2004年11月28日
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29-09-04
Nehneng Monastery
Our initial plan was to visit the Tsurphu Monastery and then go the Namtso-lake, the second largest saltwater lake in China, the first one being Qinghai, which we saw earlier in the trip. Tsurphu is 70 km out of Lhasa and the Namtso-lake 120km further down. We left Lhasa at 11 am and changed our mind one hour later when we saw the road condition to get to Tsurphu.
Tsurphu Monastery is where the 14 year-old 17th Karmapa, head of the black hat sect (and third most important lama in Tibet after the Dalai and the Panchen Lama)used to leave, before he escaped to India in December 1999. Since then the Monastery is empty. A rich Malaysian (as the story goes) offered to build a new road in 2000, so to give better access to the Monastery, but the locals refused in respect to their leader in exile. And it seems that they make sure that if you get there, you win your Nirvana. Well, we did not. Halfway there we had enough of the bumping road and we saw a sign showing the Nehneng Monastery. A passer-by told us that a living Buddha was there?
The Monastery is on the pick of a mountain. It was Lily first roller coaster ride in the Suburban. She thought we would never make it. US TOO, but Felix and I acted as if it was another day in Tibet.
It took a while before we understood where we were. The Temple was empty except for a dozen of lama. It was beautiful, but strangely empty. After half-hour or so, the head lama who offered us tea said: “Its time”. He then led Lily and myself to the top floor of the Monastery. He asked us to take out our shoes and our hat, and then open the curtain door to a room where a young (plumy) lama was seating in the lotus position. The surrounding was exactly as you see it in a movie, silk carpets, gold accessories, shade lightning, and in a corner standing all is 6 feet tall, FELIX (I pinched Lily, it was real).
We then understood that he was the 17th Karmapa chosen by the Chinese government in replacement of the one that escape in 1999. And to make sure we did know where we were, a guard of the Liberation Army was standing aside. Felix also noted a Nintendo and an exercising bike…(no picture sorry…)
But Felix managed a few inside the temple
And, since we are good Chinese and we do not take any chances (after all he might be the one) Lily, Felix and I bent to get his blessing. Lily took all the bracelets, necklaces and whatever red strings she could find, added 20 Yuan and asked the guard to get them bless. I am still wondering what she intend to do with them ??? Anyway, if you want a bracelet or necklace blessed by the Karmapa tell Lily you learned about it from this web, so I can get my commission.
Have a nice day.
2004年11月14日
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Lhasa Sept. 23 to 26
Lily came to join us from Beijing on the 23th. Felix was almost sure that she would not recognize me. I was almost sure that she wouldn't want me anymore. Well I guess that the altitude helped, she did recognize me and was not to scary.
Here is how I looked after 7 weeks of Tibet.
The second day we kept wandering in the city so Lily could adapt to the altitude. Lhasa looks a lot better from the “interior” as Scotty would say.
On the 26 Lily's adaptation was going well, so we went to visit the Samye Monastery. It takes two hours by road. A paved road, so paradise again. You cross a beautifull sandy river for an hour, yes a sandy rover. There is sandy dune in the middle of the river. It was quite impressive. The Samye Monastery was built in 775-780. “It represent the Tibetain state's first effort to allow the Buddhist faith to set in the country” (LP).
On the boat:
For those who do not remember, the next picture shows Christine our German friend who spent the last 15 years on a Chinese Junk doing research on Coral. Christine was the Captain of the Junk for 12 years. Here she is, back in her natural element. Christine is presently heading for Iran (she had to hide those blonde hair for the visa picture). Good luck Christine.
The Monastery
On the way back
Felix took almost all the pictures you have seen so far. The next one was selected as “picture of the day” by the website “photoshop”. Bravo Felix and thanks for the nice pictures.
HAVE A NICE DAY
2004年11月9日
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Lhasa-First Impressions
22-09-04
Ping Hui (Miss Taiwan) warned us that the first impression of Lhasa is a bad one. To begin with you don’t really like the city, but after being there for 2-3 days your feelings change. After 8 days with Miss Taiwan we certainly fell under her charm because this is exactly how we felt. Here are some pictures of our wander about on our first day.
This guy came on bike from Langzhou
2004年11月8日
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September 21, 2004
From Shigatse to Lhasa
THE DOGS-HOW HANS TAKE CARE OF THEM
From the time we entered Tibet up to Shigatse, big dogs are every where. Scott already made a special on the Tibetain Mastiff also called the Dogue du Tibet or Do Khyi (for Closed door). They really impress the first time you see them, but you soon realize that they sleep all day (more or less like cats) and do not care about passer-by. But they bark all night. In Everest we couldn’t sleep at all.
And here is what Lonely Planet says about Shigatse: “Don’t expect to get much sleep in Shigatse. By around 10pm packs of dogs begin to wake up with a few yelps and howls and by midnight the night-time silence is torn to shreds by a cacophony of blood-curdling canine cries of attack and wild retreat”.
In Everest only one dog kept us awake, so we expected the worst in Shigatse. It then took us a few days to realize that not only we did not hear dogs at night, but we did not see any during day time. I then asked the manager of the hotel and here was his answer: “Han peoples come here more and more. They arrive with empty belly, so they are hungry and eat dog meat. Now there are no more dogs in the city. Yes I think someone should correct the Lonely Planet.”
Departure time from Shigatze: 9h45
There is 2 passes between Shigatse and Lhasa. The second one was 5400m, this was the highest one we have done so far. Then the last 100km before Lhasa were paved, the Suburban felt like being in heaven again. Still the lanscape was astonishing. Enjoy the pictures.
The 5400 m pass. The highest in Tibet, contrary to what Lonely Planet says. It is not on the road to Sichuan. At least according to our GPS, although the pass in Sichuan is more scary.
After 3 hours drive, we found a nice place for lunch. There is also more traffic coming from Lhasa, on their way to Everest. A proud Suburban in the middle of those Land Cruiser.
Getting closer to Lhasa.
Some of those nomadic peoples that we met could walk up to 400 km to their destination.
Then the paved road begins
Welcome to Lhasa. Did not see so much traffic since a while ago.
Here we are
adid
2004年11月7日
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September 19-20
Tingri-Shigatse
Departure time: 9h20
We left Everest base camp on the afternoon of the 18 and slept in Tingri, 125 km from there. Heading to Lhasa, still far away.
On the morning of the 19th, Xukai was in great form. As usual he was awake by 6 AM. I woke up an hour later and when he asked me if he could wake up the rest of the tribe, I said you can try…still w e left at 9h20. So I guess that Xukai was not very convincing.
And why rush?? Would say Felix. A landslide was awaiting for us a few km later, so we hade to wait, anyway…
Power lunch.
At noon, we stop in Sakya to visit the Fortress Like Monastery. It was built in 1268 and there is 156 lamas still leaving there. It is in a very good condition and they are repairing it. But, as usual, the modern city adjacent to it is ugly as can be.
As usual the sign said: NO PICTURES . Felix alsways likes to take the challenge...
Shigatze. Lonely Planet says that you can find western food. The first night we could not resist and had a Yak burger. We had a hard time to find any meat between in the bred and when we finally found it it was hard and burned. Our first encounter with Yak burger was discouraging. Still we tried a second restaurant the following night, more meat, but hard as a rock. We will have to wait until Lhasa to reconciliate ourself with Yak meat.
Tashilhunpo Monastery, founded in 1447 by a disciple of Tsong-khapa and that will become the seat of the Panchen-Lamas, second only to the Dalai Lama. It did not take long before a rivalry emerge between the Panchen and the Dalai Lama, and up to this day, the Chinese have been trying to manipulate a schism between Panchen Lama (who remained and China) and the Dalai Lama.
Have a nice day
2004年11月3日
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18 September 2004
Everest Base Camp
It’s a 7 km walk from the Ronghpu Monastery where we slept for 20 Yuan a person (free for the driver J) to the Base Camp of Everest. Everest Base Camp is at 5200 m and when you get there you feel like relaxing with a hot Sucha, the Tibetan tea. And, for those who think that being there and looking at a picture of Everest is the same, I have to say that you are wrong. I never thought that I would have the chance to see Everest in my life time and now that I did, I know that I will never forget the feeling.
The night before we had Curry rice with Yak meat at the only restaurant in the area. It was nice and cozy with travelers from all around the world, some coming back from a 16 days trekking, others planning to climb as high a 7000m. A group from Hong Kong was suffering from the altitude. They left HK for Lhasa 2 days before and head-up to Everest the second day. 5200 m climb in 2 days is certainly not the best thing to do…L
Here are pictures of our 7km walk, except for Xukai who also had a hard time to sleep because of the altitude and decided to hire a donkey cart.
We were lucky it was a very clear day. The night before they announced a cloudy day...
2004年11月2日
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September 17, 2004
Lhatse to Everest
Lhatse altitude : 3830 m
Distance : 230 km
Departure time : 10 :00 AM
Arrival : 8 :00 PM
Rongphu Monastery (Everest) altitude : 4980
Road condition : First 80 km paved. It felt like flying in the sky. But it could not last long. Then the gravel road and the washing board start again. We went over the Geula pass of 5182m and the last 20 km took almost 2 hours.
Fees : To enter the National Park where Everest is located, it cost 100 yuan per wheel, so 400 yuan, plus another 5 yuan for the steering wheel, all together 405 yuan for the Suburban. The driver does not have to pay J, passenger have to pay 65 yuan. The trick is that you have to pay in Tingri, a small village 15km before the gate, where we had a great lunch. But since nobody told us, we had to drive back L.
The scenery is beautiful as usual with nice clean villages and pretty valley.
Our average speed
Picture taken on Mt Gehla at 5182 m.
And here it is, our first sight of Everest
Getting closer
Have a good day
2004年10月28日
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Apart from the Farmer Hotel, the Public Bath and a few good restaurants, the new Lhatse is of no interest. So we went to see the Old Lhatse, a beautifull Tibetain village with an Monastery partly destructed in 1964 during the Cultural Revolution, but where 56 monks still leave. The atmosphere was very friendly and the monks let us visit everywhere.
The Monks had a great sense of humor
And the kids loved us
There is 10km between the old and the new city, we gave her a ride.
The end of another great day
2004年10月26日
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The road from Zhongba is one of the worst we have seen so far. Our average speed on the 14 was a little over 30km/hour. That day we drove 12 hours and finally made it in a small village called Sangsang. We got there at 10 pm. The second day we left at 11h45, since we had to wait for the repair shop to open and fix a flat tire. In that part of the country, even in September, the sun goes down after 9PM, so the day never start before10 am.
At 2h30, almost 3 hours after we left, the odometre indicated that we made 56 km, it was lunch time and as usual the local peoples made it a nice relaxing time.
Here is Yukai posaing with a local kid. 
And Patrick grabing another one: 
And Miss taiwan got involved
Harvest Time
Nomadic family
At last, Lhatse.
Above is the Lhatse Farmer Hotel. 35 yuan per person per night. A nice place to spend a few days and rest before the second lap to Everest.
2004年10月24日
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There is 948 km between Lake Manasarovar and Lahtse, one of the major city on our way to Everest. The road conditions were from bad to worst, so it will take us 4 days to reach Lahtse. Still the landscape and the peoples on the way made it a pleasant journey, not accounting for the fact that we had 3 new passangers.
Here is Ping or Miss taiwan as we called her, after we told her that we agreed to take her with us.
And the rest of the group. This picture was taken at 5075m over the first pass after the Lake.
And guess whom we met a fewhours after we left?
Dan of course. He knew Miss Taiwan. They met in Ali and here the meet again almost 1000km later. Dan kept biking while we staid in Kailash and at the Lake. Yukai couldn't restrain from trying his bike and felt after 2 metres. The combination of the weight and the bad road make it almost impossible to keep your balance...how do they keep going for 1000 of km...???
Dan is biking around the world if you anybody goes to Nepal, Thailand or Australia, you might meet him there.
We also met a lot of local people on the road. They do travel differently, stil as you can see they are equip with the latest technology.
That day we drove 300 km , from 9h30 in the morning to 8h00 at night. We finally slept in Zhongba, a small Tibetain city with no oter interest then to stop by. Still the landscape around was as usual.
2004年10月22日
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Lake Manasarovar is around 30km from Mt Kailash, or an hour and half drive. It is the most venerated of Tibet's many lakes. According to ancient Hindu and Buddhist cosmology the four great rivers of India subcontinent, the Indus, ganges, Sutlej and Brahmanputra, arise from Manasarovar.
Still the first thing that foreigners do when they get there is to go and take a bath in the hot spring. We spent a few hours there, realizing that we did not have a bath or a shower for more then 10 days...
Now cleaned although it does not show
The lake from the roof of the Chiu Temple
India in background
The Tibetain women where we staid served Su Cha and we were 10 that same night to share our experience. We met Christine who was the captain of a Chinese Junk maping the coral all over the world for 15 years. Yu, a backpacker from Shenyang who left his job in Shenzhen and wanted to see what it feels to be on the road by yourself. Then Ping from Taiwan and Patrick from Holland both of them being old time backpackers. The second morning we realized that all of them where looking for a lift...:) and since we had some room, we left with three more persons in the truck...The Suburban was full again...
2004年10月20日
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There is 225 km between Zanda and Dorchen, the small city in front of Mt. Kailash. We left Zanda at 13h30 since one more tire had to be fixed and arrived in Dorchen at 20h00, after a passing over two pass. We first went over a small hill of 4057m, then we reached 5107m which we tought was high enough until we reached the second pass at 5166m.
Mt Kailash is an object of worship for Buddhist and it has been a lodestone to pilgrims and aventurous for centuries, but until recently very few had set their eyes on the sacred montain (lonely planet). It is only 6714m high but because of its shape and the fact that it is cover with snow all year round it stands apart from the pack.
Pilgrims on their way to Kailash
A few km before Dorchen, we meet Dave for the second time. Dave came from Yecheng and we met him for the first time a few km before Ali (1200km half of it in desert) . 3 days later, we meet him 250km from Ali at the door of Dorchen. His friend was too tired to continue and took a lift with a truck in Ali. Dave is on his way to Nepal, we will meet him again later on.
View of the Indian border from the base of Mt Kailash
Pilgrims camp beside Dorchen
Yaks getting ready to go with foreigners for the kora around Mt Kailash. 3 days
On the way to Lake Manasarovar
2004年10月16日
#
In order to get to Guge, you go to Zanda, an army post 200 km east of Ali. It took more then 8 hours to get there, we had one flat tire and broke the right chock absorber. Felix was wondering why we went there, until he went to Guge the second day, 18 km or 22 km from Zanda, depending who you ask. Anyway it took more then an hour to get there. So as we say in this area: “normal road condition”.
Guge is an ancient kingdom dating back to the 9th century and used to be an important stop on the trade route between India and Tibet. The kingdown fell into ruin just 50 years after the first European to enter Tibet arrived. (Lonely Planet). Still the ruins of the capital is an amzing sight, although it is little known.
More pictures
Having lunch at 5200m
The highest restaurant we have never been to. Run by a couple from Sichuan
Xinjiang-Tibet broder
One more pass of 5300m high. Happy to be on the top.
This part of Tibet is a protected natural park.
In the middle of this plateau a one street city call Ritu. Just in time for lunch
Getting closer to Ali, following the Indus river.
8h30pm we arrived in Ali from Yecheng after 3 nights and 4 days of driving. I guess Dorothy had enough of us, so she choose to stay in another hotel.
2004年9月28日
#
01-09-2004
On Septembre 1st, Scott and JF had to leave. JF went back to work in Canada and Scott proceed to see the rest of Xinqiang.
C抏st la larme ?l挏il que F閘ix et Gervais disent adieu ?JF qui retourne au Canada via Urumqi et ?Scott dit Laprise, qui continuera sur un diff閞ent itin閞aire au Xinjiang, pays des brochettes de mouton et des nams (pain en galette, d閘icieux lorsque sorti du four). La Suburban est d抋utant plus heureuse qu抏lle se voit all間er des 100 kilos de monsieur Big et les pneus Pirelli encore plus.
Un dernier souvenir de Kashgar :
Comble de bonheur la route qui m鑞e ?Yecheng, la ville au croisement du Tibet et du Xinjiang, est goudronn閑. Le V8 ronronne ?120 km heure, Gervais se retourne vers F閘ix : c抏st trop beau pour que sa dure?/SPAN>
Arriv閑 ?Yecheng ?13h30, c抏st l抙eure de la sieste. Il faut aller chercher un permis au bureau des travaux routiers car la route n抏st ouverte que 3 jours par mois, ?tous les 10 jours. A Kasghar, John de John Cafe nous assure que nous pouvons avoir un permis pour la somme de 250 yuan. Le bureau ouvre ?15h30, en attendant on fait le plein, et puisque la prochaine station d抏ssence est a Ali, ?plus de 1300 km, on y rempli deux 25 litres de diesel.
Oups 鏰 coule?o:p>
The distance from Yecheng to Ali is 1,233 km and there is no gaz station, so we had to carry an additionnal 100 litres of Diesel. The plastic can we bought had holes, but they were fixed with soap.
Un peu de savon et le tour est jou閰
15h30, les responsables du bureau sont en r閡nion. Gervais monte ?l掗tage bien r閟olu ?interrompre la r閡nion. Inutile, la r閡nion n抋 sans doute pas commenc? le chef du bureau se gratte la t阾e tout en relevant son pantalon, qui est cet 閠range qui parle chinois.
Le chef : 慍抏st une zone interdite aux 閠rangers je ne peux pas te donner de permis?o:p>
Gervais : 態on. Je sais. Je vais aller chercher mon permis ?Ali, mais pour y aller il me faut un permis pour passer sur la route en construction?o:p>
Le chef : 慜uin. Viens avec moi?o:p>
Le chef : 慙ao Zhang, fais-lui donc un permis de passage?o:p>
Gervais : 慍ombien??o:p>
Lao Zhang : ? yuan?o:p>
Si le calcul est bon, les chauffeurs de John se font 248 yuans ?toutes les fois qu抜ls vont au Tibet?nbsp;J
Pas de construction sur les premiers cents km et notre premier soir de camping. Le bonheur ?deux quoi.
La veille s抏st termin閑 par une petite vue. F閘ix a trouv?moyen d抋pporter l抩rdinateur dan la tente pour visionner Kill Bill 2, ce sur quoi Gervais s抏st endormi.
02-09-2004
Premier usage du permis de 2 yuan. Les trucks attendent, nous on passe J
Since the raod was on construction, we needed a special permit to go by, hte permit cost us 2 yuan and was very usefull.
Fa鏾n de parler?/SPAN>
La route est bien en construction, par ou on va?
Par l鄥Which way?
Lunch break, F閘ix en profite pour jouer de la cam閞a.
Es-tu belle ! La montagne. Pretty.
Il n抋rr阾ait pas de fixer F閘ix, je me demande pourquoi? Lui trouvait-il un air familier?
Deuxi鑝e jour de camping et notre premi鑢e pouceuse, Dorothy, allemande de 52 ans qui a visit?145 pays ?date, sans compter qu抏lle a termin?3i鑝e dans une course transatlantique avec son mari. On lui a offert notre deuxi鑝e tante et les spaghettis de F閘ix.
Dorothy a doctor from Germany was the first backpacker we took with us. She visited 145 countries. She travels 4-6 months a year by backpacking and finished third in a transat race with her husband. A fantastic woman.
03-09-2004
De Yecheng ?Ali notre vitesse moyenne est de 20 km ?l抙eure, heureusement qu抜l y avait Dorothy pour nous parler de ses p閞iples ?travers le monde et les paysages. En passant Dorothy recommande le Venezuala, selon elle il s抋git d抲n des plus beaux pays qu抏lle a visit? avec le Tibet. Elle en est ?son deuxi鑝e s閖our ici et elle compte monter Everest jusqu掄 6000 m鑤res. Si le c渦r vous en dit elle cherche un partenaire?/SPAN>
A ton tour F閘ix
Bravo, 5200 m (16000 pieds et plus) d抋ltitude, y faut le faire.
Dorothy a d閏id?de coucher sur la banquette avant de la Suburban, nous on a regard?un autre film. A demain.
04-05 Septembre 2004
Sur l抩dom鑤re de la Suburban, la distance entre Yecheng et Ali donne 1,233 km, un peu moins que pr関u. Cela nous a pris 4 jours et demie, en conduisant une moyenne de 10 heures par jour. Faites le calcul 鏰 vous donnera la moyenne.
Outres le paysage extraordinaire, il y a les cyclistes :
Sur la route de Yecheng ?Ali, soit 1233 km a plus de 3,500 m d抋ltitude on en a rencontr?8, dont un groupe de 3, deux de 2 et 1 chinois de Hong Kong, qui 閠ait parti de Beijing avec son v閘o ?160 yuan (30 piastre). Et nous qui nous croyons aventuriers?nbsp;L
Et puis il y a les passes ?plus de 5000 m鑤res. F閘ix et moi ne savons toujours pas comment ils font ?v閘o, nous on a de la mis鑢e ?tenir le volant.
Lunch ?5168 m.
Oui, les passes ou les cols comme on devrait dire ?plus de 5,000 m鑤res 鏰 donne le vertige. Il faut s抋ccrocher au volant pendant plus d抲ne heure, alors que la Suburban crache de la boucane noire en signe de contestation et reste en premi鑢e. On arrive en haut essouffl?et content.
Mais les paysages en valent la peine :
Fronti鑢e entre le Xinjiang et le Tibet
(Not the right pic sorry)
Le Lac
Lunch time, la seule rue de Ritu, dans le far far west.
(desole mais Gervais a oublie de uploader les dernieres photos..... on esseyera de les rajouter) DOH!
Gervais doit arr阾er, F閘ix veut prendre une photo. Comment r閟ister?
Et si on campait ici. L抋ltitude n抏st que de 4,710 m ce sera bon pour notre acclimatation
Finalement arriv閟 ?Ali, Dorothy nous laisse ici.
2004年9月19日
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Mastiff
The Next Dog Scott Gervais and Jerome plan to own.
While going through Tibet Gervais is searching for 3 dogs, 1 large male for me, 1 bitch for Gervais and a small poodle for Jerome.
Size and weight
Height: 25-28 inches (61-71 cm.)
Weight: 140-170 pounds (64-78 kg.) Some European owners claim the dogs can weigh up to 220 pounds (99 kg.), but the vast majority of these dogs have a weight that fall in the range stated above.
Throughout our drive around the lake we see a lot of animals but the one that we love the most (Jerome even more) is the Tibet mastiff dog.
They are guard dogs that you can find all over the Tibet plateau. They are good guards dogs very smart and sensitive.
The Tibetan Mastiff has several characteristics which are unique in the dog world. This is still a primitive breed, as marked by the fact that the Tibetan Mastiff bitch has a single estrus per year.
Tibetan Mastiffs are generally considered to be hypoallergenic, which makes them an excellent candidate for those with allergies. They also lack the usual "doggie" odor.
Tibetan Mastiffs mature slowly, with females reaching maturity between three and four years, and males between four to five years of age.
Personality will differ from dog to dog, but generally they are a strong-willed, courageous animal, endowed with strong protective instincts of home and family. They adapt well to different lifestyles. Tibetan Mastiffs are aloof with strangers. Tibetan Mastiffs are highly intelligent, and have an exceptional memory. Once introduced to someone, they will rarely forget that person.
The Tibetan Mastiff, being a large dog, does require enough room to romp and exercise properly. While they are an active dog out-of-doors, they are usually fairly quiet when in the house. Because centuries of being bred for guarding flocks and homesteads, the Tibetan Mastiff does tend to be a 'night barker', and this may be a consideration depending on where you live (close neighbours), and whether or not your Tibetan Mastiff will sleep outdoors or indoors at night.
It should be stressed that the Tibetan Mastiff is a strong-willed breed, and proper socialization with people and other animals, and training, will help both dog and owner enjoy their life together to the fullest.
Tibetan Mastiffs have been known to chew and dig. Chewing is a habit that most puppies of any breed acquire during periods of teething. Chewing can be channeled in a non-destructive direction by providing items to chew that are safe and non-toxic. Digging holes is a pastime that some Tibetan Mastiffs seem to especially enjoy. They must be outwitted, circumvented, or if you have the right area, indulged.
As previously stated, this is a highly intelligent breed which has the ability to adapt to a variety of functions, but it is a breed which has been making its own decisions for thousands of years.
The Tibetan Mastiff by nature is a guardian dog, and is used in livestock-predator control by some. Their natural instinctive ability makes them an excellent home protector. They are patient with children, when children and puppy are taught to be considerate of each other. They make an outstanding family dog.
They are truly a beautiful sight to behold in the show ring, and can be taught obedience. Because they are intelligent and independent, never compare them to the easily trainable breeds. They are aloof, independent, and capable of making good judgments.
Is This The Right Breed For You
The Tibetan Mastiff is NOT a breed suited for just anyone. It is a statement of truth that cannot be emphasized enough.
The most obvious component in meticulously finding the right home for these dogs stems from the size factor. Small adorable puppies grow and most will approach or exceed the one hundred pound mark upon reaching maturity. They need to be raised in a home with a well-protected fenced yard in order to run and play and grow in safety. We do not feel that an apartment or a home without a yard would be suitable.
The second reason that we feel we must be very careful in placing this breed deals with the character of the Tibetan Mastiff. We believe that the Original Purpose of this breed must never be forgotten. This is not the fetch-me-the-ball-or-stick type of dog. A harsh Asian land helped to produce an animal that demanded a fearsome ability to survive and adapt to extreme climatic conditions. A massive dog created to fulfill a guardian role as a protector of herds and livestock against such predators as wolves or leopards. A vigilant breed, the TM was often asked to tend his charges without human supervision. He was expected to make decisions on his own in assessing various situations. This resulted in a highly intelligent and independent breed. To ask that the Tibetan Mastiff forget his instinctual and primary function is foolhardy. It is perfectly natural for a TM to patrol his territory, be it home or yard or meadow, in order to determine that all is safe within his domain. It is also perfectly natural for a TM to sound the alarm to alert owners when something is amiss.
While his protective skills are legendary, we feel that these abilities should never be exploited. It is NOT perfectly natural for anyone to train or encourage these dogs to attack on command. This is a guardian breed; it is not a guard dog breed. In today’s world, there is a need for both but there is a vast difference between the two and the TM should never be confused for something he is not. The stable and well-socialized Tibetan Mastiff uses only adequate "force" in getting across his message that he is within his rights to be responsible and protective.
The interaction that today’s dog owners require from their pet leads to the question of socialization. It is of paramount importance that the TM be taught proper manners in many different situations. Investing time in training is a must. Typically these dogs are very aloof and wary of strangers. It is important that new people be introduced to a Tibetan Mastiff very carefully. We have also observed from our dogs that the TMs ability to judge human character is astounding and quite uncanny. We have learned never to question their gift of being able to determine who is a "good" person and who is a "bad" person. This breed is quite perceptive.
Barking is often a complaint that owners have of this breed but again...form followed function. How to warn villagers or herdsmen of potential danger without that deep, mighty bark? In the black of night is the usual time for TMs to set up their round of messaging. Warnings to others that he is on duty. Stubborness is another renowned quality that the Tibetan Mastiff possesses and he can set up his barking for hours. It is up to owners to make sure that having a barking dog does not cause any problems for the neighbourhood or to make sure that their dogs are safely inside for the nigh
There are also two excellent books in print that may help understanding of history and character of these dogs better. One is entitled "The Tibetan Mastiff: Legendary Guardian of the Himalayas". This book was written by Ann Rohrer and Cathy J. Flamholtz and was published in 1989 by OTR Publications. The second book is "The Venerable Tibetan Mastiff" by Max Siber. It is revised and edited by Cathy J. Flamholtz and was published in 1985 by OTR Publications.
NEWFOUNDLANDS
Gervais, Felix (he has 2) and I all have raised Newfoundlands. I think they are the best dog in the world. My dog was Louis a big male Newfoundland that was named after my father. He died 2 years ago.
The Newfoundland dog is an important symbol of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. This breed of dog was developed here from other breeds brought to the island by European fishermen and settlers hundreds of years ago.
Newfoundlands feet are unusual because they are webbed. This means it has a growth of skin between its toes, similar to the webbed feet found on waterfowl like ducks and geese.
Its webbed feet, powerful legs and strong tail, which it uses as a rudder, make it a strong swimmer thus a great rescue dog. There are many stories of Newfoundlands bravely rescuing men and women from watery graves. There are stories of shipwrecked sailors being rescued by life-lines carried by a Newfoundland to vessels foundering in the waves. In the days of sailing ships, Newfoundlands were kept on board to rescue any unfortunate enough to have fallen overboard.
Being a rescue dog is also helpful to families. Children who have fallen into deep water have been brought safely ashore by the Newfoundland dog. Some have even been mistakenly rescued when they have simply been having fun splashing in the water. Most of the time, the dog can tell the difference. Louis 1 tie made a mistake when a child pretended to drown in the ocean in Carmel, California. He went in and grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the water,
It is estimated that in 1824, as many as 2,000 Newfoundland dogs were working for their owners in the city of St. John's alone. They were often used to deliver milk and to move loads throughout the city. In winter, they were often used as sled dogs, especially by children who used them to pull their toboggans and sleighs.
Newfs were used for draft purposes and as ship dogs. Few ships in the 18th and 19th centuries set sail without a Newf on board. Their reputation for heroic water rescues was unparalleled. Legends abound of Newfoundlands saving drowning victims by carrying lifelines to sinking ships. The dogs were kept in the “dog walk’ on early sailing ships. If the sea was too choppy when land was sighted, the dog carried a line to land. In 1919, a Newf was credited with saving the entire crew of the “Ethie” which was caught off the coast of Nova Scotia. The ship’s dog carried a line through the treacherous sea and rocks to shore and the line, secured by those on shore, enabled the crew to make its way to safety. This is but one of countless stories of heroism performed by the Newfoundland Dog.
Size and Weight
Newfs can get over 200lbs and my dog Louis was on his hind legs the same height as me 184cm.
Myths
Most people look to buy a dog they think a small dog needs a small area to run like an apartment and a big dog needs a big. This is wrong. When buying a dog you need to understand your breed and what the breed was made to do. The small dogs are often designed to hunt. A medium dog is the worst kind of dog as they are often a big dog mixed with a small dog. For example a Labrador is a mix of a Newfoundland and hunting dog. Much smaller but this dog needs 3 hours of exercise each day. A big dog lie a Newfoundland needs much less exercise. As he is so big he gets tired easily which makes him a good pet for a small area even an apartment, sop long as he has regular walk outside.
have 3 colors: black, chocolate and lanseer (half white half black color)
2004年9月15日
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A Day with Police in De Ling Ha
Xi Ning to De Ling Ha
Highway 109 beautiful road in good condition
Highway 315 supposed to be the National highway of China in very bad condition but being repaired the whole way.
We arrived late at night after a long drive down the gravel road that takes you up to De Ling Ha, this is Highway 109 to Highway 315. Highway 315 is just a rocky road most people would not call it a road. It has construction work the whole way on this road.
We drove into the small city of De ling Ha and drove around it for a few minutes. It is a new city in good condition. We found the small newly built city center and we found the newest hotel that was just opened. I went in to negotiate the room price and look at as room. For 100rmb/night and the room was beautiful. Beautiful with nice wood all around, a big nice new wood desk and a clean bathroom. We were happy to find such a nice place after driving a long day through the countryside and bad roads. At check in there were many men dressed in military uniforms also checking in. We chatted a bit and they told me they were from Harbin. This is a common strategy in China to have soldiers that come from a different area and work in a different city. This way if anything needs to be done
After about 30 minutes of cleaning up and getting ready to go to dinner 3 hotel staff came to our room. They apologized that their hotel was newly opened and that we should move to another hotel as it was not convenient for us. That their ability to give us proper service was not possible. When we heard NOT CONVENIENT this is a code to mean there is some other problem. after a lot of talking they finally said we had to go. We told them to call the police and we would discuss the issue with them. They left and came back several times obviously very nervous about the fact we would not leave.
We got ready for dinner and went downstairs. Waiting for us was the “gong an zhu” or public security bureau ( the plain clothes police). It was a lady who immediately began speaking to us in a not so good quality English. We let her talk a bit then finally when we got a chance we replied in Chinese. She did not know what to think. She was obviously a little confused. We chatted a bit more and told her we needed to eat. (In China eating is always more important than anything else). We offered to take her to dinner and after a few offers she came with us. She helped us to ifnd a place open in this small town, as it was past 10:30p.m. We found a place and sat and chatted. We were told that we need to go back to Xi Ning and that this area was off limits to foreigners. It was a closed area. If we wanted to drive it we need to have special approval in advance of our trip. We told her we were going to drive the road even if we got arrested and that we did not mind. This obviously caused her concern. But we were having a nice chat about were she was from. She was born in Shan Dong but was sent by the government to live in this town, no choice as most of the people who were living in the west of China.
After about 1 hour chatting she told us she need to go to the washroom, this is code for call the boss and let the boss know what was the situation. I think at this point she got the feeling we were not a danger and that we were ok people but she need to find out what her bosses wanted her to do with us.
When she came back we asked how many foreigners came through this city each year. She said 3-4 would come by every 2 years. Mainly cyclists that she would then put on a train and send them back from where they came.
We finished dinner and we invited her to come back to our room for more discussions and looking at the map. Gervais the lead negotiator (Scott the secondary negotiator, Felix and JF the lead sleepers they were tired from sitting in the truck and not driving all day), kept letting her know we were not going back. This concerned her as she obviously was told clearly by her bosses that she was not to let us go. She was adamant that we were not going to be able to pass and that someone would certainly arrest us. We looked over the map and tried to come up with alternatives. The negotiation was under way. After many hours now about 230am we decided we would go back and around. She was sleeping at our hotel as she was told to not let us out of her sight.
In the morning we began to pack the truck to get ready to leave. Her boss drove by obviously worried we were not going to go back. He wanted and tried to order us but changed his tone and ended with asking us to please go back the road we came in.
That morning was the first real argument I had with JF. JF who was doing a great job taking many photos and who had slept through the discussions with the police was maybe not fully understanding the situation. I told him we were asked by the police NOT to take pictures and I told him it would be a good idea to put away his camera that has the nice expensive telephoto lens. The police were very nervous and his camera was going to make them feel worse. He was quiet stubborn and felt pictures were the most important thing. Guess that is a lawyer. They make lots of money causing lots of people problems.
We drove off and back the road we came. We were happy not to have to go all the way back to xi ning so we felt we had a small victory. All along the way there were local police watching us drive through the roads and obviously checking in that they saw us.
2004年9月11日
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After awhile we stopped getting out of the car as the views were too many and so beautiful.
The mountains are so high and so beautiful. All over 5,000 meters
This pictre is trying to show you the size of the mountains. Look at al the sheep and how small they are.
There was alot of traffic on the roads but not cars.
Most beautiful washroom on the planet, dont forget your toilet paper
So as we have lot of stories during the trip, when we stopped here for lunch the place was perfect. By the lake over 3,000 meters high, mountains all around perfect. The place was perfect and the food was nice. I gave them peanut butter to try and we had a great time. They wanted their picture taken and we promised to sen dthem a copy of our pictures. When we went to pay they tried to charge us the most we ever saw during the trip. 200 rmb just to sit in their tents, in china to sit in a restaurant is free. Then the food bill was was over 400 rmb. gervais had negotiated the price before as you must in China if the menu does no thave the prices clearly marked. But as usual his negotiating skills were lacking. With a total bill of 600rmb, unheard of in the west of China (normally a meal like this is 60-80rmb) master negotiator and tactician Gervais renegotiated. After what seemed 3 hours (actually 20 mintutes) we had the bill down to 220rmb. We were ther estupid foreigners. There were not many that would come by the road but lucky for them we came by. Needless to say they will not be getting any pictures from us.
An interesting point was as this lady was married but her younger brother of 20 years was not he had to do most of the work. He cooked and cleaned. Only when married do the men get their importance and then can sleep around and do nothing like we do in Canada.
We had lunch at the lake you see in the pictures below. This is the owner of the place. I introduced her to peanut butter and jelly. It was her 1st time to eat. She did not like it but her brother did.
PLEASE TELL ME IF YOU LIKE THE MAP.
Xi Ning to De Ling HA
Now we started back on the road with Scott in top form. This was the start of the most beautiful views to be found in China.
Qing Hai He or Qing Hai Lake
The drive along the lake which is a salt water lake is absolutely spectacular. One of the most beautiful lakes in China ad maybe the world.
Once you get onto the Tibetan plateau which is about 3000m things get very beautiful. The road is good and the cars are few. This is a beautiful highway.
Tibetans living in Qing Hai.
There was the odd strange thing you find on beautiful roads.
We drove a little and once we got to the beginning of the lake it was lunchtime and so we had to stop at the local Tibetan restaurant
We were the only customers for them this lunch. We had boiled lamb, local wild mushrooms and homemade bread. It was delicious.
2004年9月7日
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