tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43959948473312471792024-02-20T02:53:08.160-08:00Just CyclingGoAnohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10930591980851047258noreply@blogger.comBlogger64125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4395994847331247179.post-29647710981663000872014-07-11T12:29:00.003-07:002014-07-11T12:30:33.599-07:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I finally made a commented gallery on the trip to Lake Baikal!<br />
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<a href="http://imgur.com/a/6QBWf" target="_blank">http://imgur.com/a/6QBWf</a></div>
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<a href="http://i.imgur.com/DLYWuYh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i.imgur.com/DLYWuYh.jpg" height="183" width="320" /></a></div>
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GoAnohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10930591980851047258noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4395994847331247179.post-57150485859937794912014-06-27T00:33:00.002-07:002014-06-27T00:33:19.956-07:00Biking in Yangshou<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
On my <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDxjgXGwJoU" target="_blank">China trip</a>, I rented a bike in Yangshou for a day.<br />
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<a href="http://imgur.com/a/jXSln" target="_blank">Link to the photolog</a></div>
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GoAnohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10930591980851047258noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4395994847331247179.post-72260189897360130022014-06-19T02:40:00.000-07:002014-06-19T02:41:09.975-07:00Kazkhstan - The Steppe<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Kazahstan was better than expected, however there were bad days too. <br />
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I just uploaded this gallery:<br />
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GoAnohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10930591980851047258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4395994847331247179.post-63583249002764799432014-05-27T04:12:00.001-07:002014-05-27T04:12:48.927-07:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I uploaded a commented Gallery of my first bicycle tour on my own in Austria:<br />
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<a href="http://imgur.com/a/inc1u" target="_blank"><img alt="http://imgur.com/a/inc1u" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYqx22cx99SMmu8Vjc61nC6SF30l1zKk7Ye8oViY4neZ93JUmy1lYfSSdnw0ZAnljezGTvM32oeC-D7bu3JP1hc0tCsB4vXL_g0LYV1-JWcN_RMUpMr36cLXz9d29BRki-aPw5s_7pgnE/s1600/IMG_7006_(1024_x_768).jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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GoAnohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10930591980851047258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4395994847331247179.post-91408744662592706862014-02-17T06:24:00.001-08:002014-02-17T06:24:15.253-08:00Videos of the Summer 2013: China, Kyrgyzstan<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
In case you were wondering what I was doing in 2013's summer:<br />
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I was traveling, but not with my bike this time. I had a knee injury and decided to go hiking in Kyrgyzstan and China for two months.<br />
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I missed my bike in Kyrgyzstan and Eastern Tibet. The other destination are better seen by foot.<br />
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I made bunch of videos:<br />
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDxjgXGwJoU" target="_blank"><img alt="https://vimeo.com/76668532" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJcKrymexNFO-LhRBwsglKEWTLi8Ftyg6bkkQQg5qNgBdIsEgnSPCcOD1IIXAOhGRdGskzsXsQOXESwaSsJ_R2MDB_JaatFEfli8C0P8yk70OlYEJZ_bJdhOZqaPqTzsBbqNSDyfzHB_s/s1600/STA_2402-STC_2404_b.png" height="144" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://vimeo.com/76668532" target="_blank"><img alt="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDxjgXGwJoU" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjksAoJPu8E3YQ50NRjI2cN2WSmj5CnXhijScb4po_6zvENSeJfZR1cXhxnlkThcD2C_JjQPcRT3C_apZS2_ha7hYJOS9ShRGpCSZ-fjMqA4kPJDR9lrEzyWoCvuA8ZIpczworY_01ykM/s1600/STA_4747+-+STC_4749_b.jpg" height="138" width="320" /> </a></div>
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<a href="https://vimeo.com/79591744" target="_blank"><img alt="https://vimeo.com/79591744" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSG0jDey_tc3ji7BY9N6-coFPl8meZV-ELiw9Zn_olicv5AgOBGCQ3shwOWkkkuOduAg-2pBrsUmmKCxW6w0sTLGRnXDqbN2P3TndUXyiDKvin-nZ40cGC2gGmCFHlkmZViAZVx1VlZxk/s1600/STA_2304-STC_2306_b2.png" height="127" width="320" /></a></div>
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I will upload the Eastern Tibet video separately. </div>
GoAnohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10930591980851047258noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4395994847331247179.post-8817387846823405522013-11-03T01:59:00.000-08:002013-11-03T01:59:00.656-08:00Kazakhstan in the Autumn<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Here is a commented gallery of my trip to the Altai Mountains (Kazakhstan) in Autmn:<br />
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<a href="http://imgur.com/a/0Py3R" target="_blank"><img alt="http://imgur.com/a/0Py3R" border="0" height="281" src="http://i.imgur.com/bxhR4L3h.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<a href="http://imgur.com/a/0Py3R" target="_blank">Link </a></div>
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GoAnohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10930591980851047258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4395994847331247179.post-44116803526202836502013-10-09T05:54:00.000-07:002013-10-09T05:54:01.062-07:00Bikepacking on the Koralpe, Austria<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
A few weeks ago, the the weather report predicted some days with perfect weather and I had to pack my bike and go for it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJerFpxQ0_ZEX2F6jr3xVhmvJlMzvfRMxTa3b9zFVkr-gPe2nfM7wawS0tY6lPodr9WjKXQCutTjGBKSgQFgue00fivElxaHRb1Km1MKkvDnza4dRsqPWghIA8i8wQ7CsfyAoEM0Mon7k/s1600/IMG_2318_%25281600_x_1200%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJerFpxQ0_ZEX2F6jr3xVhmvJlMzvfRMxTa3b9zFVkr-gPe2nfM7wawS0tY6lPodr9WjKXQCutTjGBKSgQFgue00fivElxaHRb1Km1MKkvDnza4dRsqPWghIA8i8wQ7CsfyAoEM0Mon7k/s320/IMG_2318_%25281600_x_1200%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;"><b><a href="http://imgur.com/a/qaSGV" target="_blank">Link to the Photo Report</a></b></span></span></div>
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GoAnohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10930591980851047258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4395994847331247179.post-16254428762796136412013-07-08T01:14:00.000-07:002013-07-08T09:06:36.941-07:00My solution to get USB power during touring<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I wanted everything to be as light as possible, because I am into bikepacking (aka. offroad touring) and have to push and carry my bike a lot.</div>
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So this is the generator, a very light, but affordable <a href="http://www.sp-dynamo.com/8seriesdynamo%20hub.html" target="_blank">PD8 hub dynamo</a>. I got mine with a mount for disk brakes, in case I need it some day. It weights about 410 gram, which is less than a normal front hub and a side runner dynamo combined. If you twist the spokes like on this frontweel, you won't need to get extra spokes for the hub dynamo. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFz_O5Tl0uTOh6q4J0jOPFofHb9BkXfg7hfDWQbkC4pW2DgBtJZPGVXeMOnyT1dl3KtgUAGzWxkjfvOTa19TJ1oB6VRD8sMyN81FfljCffYiM9oec1DDggETTgvgh0yhR940f9CNpVcoE/s1600/IMG_2505_(1600_x_1200).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFz_O5Tl0uTOh6q4J0jOPFofHb9BkXfg7hfDWQbkC4pW2DgBtJZPGVXeMOnyT1dl3KtgUAGzWxkjfvOTa19TJ1oB6VRD8sMyN81FfljCffYiM9oec1DDggETTgvgh0yhR940f9CNpVcoE/s320/IMG_2505_(1600_x_1200).jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The next part is the USB-connector. I got a device which convertes the AC-current from the dynamo to the 5V DC, the USB Standard requires. It's very simple and if you manage to solder two wires together, you can build it. You can harvest the USB connector and the capacitors from old motherboards. </div>
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<a href="http://fahrradzukunft.de/12/minimal-lader/" target="_blank">Link to the instructions [German]</a> </div>
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The charger uses the same principles, as the commercial devices. Hence you might be able to charge all kinds of devices, depending on your riding speed. I would recommend charging a powerbank when you are slow, because many devices need a minimum current to start charging. </div>
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The difference between this device and other solutions is, that it converts the excessive energy into heat. It might theoretically cause trouble at high speeds, but nobody reported any incidents yet. I would recommend to just unplug it, or plug in an energy hungry device. Most of the cyclist won't ever exceed this speed though.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTBaDuyZoTvoF_U-SOCbNgSNYMSEZVVzT08Z6quXSGZNUJxbGmccxiGveuj3KPmlsy0FShaSRJlKcAF5lmsO9SO3S2ry_axciXIMb9jBrkMWr-JSG6dKk8gyP8oJjVAHjsQ99-AvU9_ZI/s1600/IMG_2506_(1600_x_1200).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTBaDuyZoTvoF_U-SOCbNgSNYMSEZVVzT08Z6quXSGZNUJxbGmccxiGveuj3KPmlsy0FShaSRJlKcAF5lmsO9SO3S2ry_axciXIMb9jBrkMWr-JSG6dKk8gyP8oJjVAHjsQ99-AvU9_ZI/s320/IMG_2506_(1600_x_1200).jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Since I want to save some energy during the day, I have some Powerbanks. A powerbank is just a battery with an USB Port. I built the white one by myself, using two Lithium Batteries and a simple LM317 Voltage regulator. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqfV_6hY8EVzoyHyfa2T6HlCxFduQQwE8dUMnOpTWuMC-NDqo0K611ftVWOaUuDZ9n4ZYReZCKPYiSpTrvOuzLqkqyyl4K-FBLGSSg_Txh5V_W3kBmw8c6k4s4LWp67hjVzqx8734y7YM/s1600/IMG_2508_(1600_x_1200).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqfV_6hY8EVzoyHyfa2T6HlCxFduQQwE8dUMnOpTWuMC-NDqo0K611ftVWOaUuDZ9n4ZYReZCKPYiSpTrvOuzLqkqyyl4K-FBLGSSg_Txh5V_W3kBmw8c6k4s4LWp67hjVzqx8734y7YM/s320/IMG_2508_(1600_x_1200).jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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After wasting a lot of effort into modifying chargers to charge my camera battery, I got myself a Pixo Universal charger. You can charge pretty much every Lion Battery available.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrYA0AxYSuwA8ozepeykc_GbXlVtUqS2a6jFtLGpsJb1My3E1ifDFwb_h_dujG0g3gPHkLb9f98GYnY-WznGL-WHFXA1Sg77Ku7xIkGZQydyzEzsIQwDLEkgaP2Sz80PvoUmLjCjGwgdE/s1600/IMG_2510_(1600_x_1200).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrYA0AxYSuwA8ozepeykc_GbXlVtUqS2a6jFtLGpsJb1My3E1ifDFwb_h_dujG0g3gPHkLb9f98GYnY-WznGL-WHFXA1Sg77Ku7xIkGZQydyzEzsIQwDLEkgaP2Sz80PvoUmLjCjGwgdE/s320/IMG_2510_(1600_x_1200).jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I modified the charger to charge my Powerbank:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizFTEwm5fMzMDOPoZNeKNVj5rlwseruwNhhTpX50rPoNBYdShzj0WmP0YlAQtJh3x5n_s0c8rPS4M1vp2t1DzIu8bbxWOQERHfqCJ-g2pcTAq5gLyL_cAAuniaH7UyThBtdHtt-6nZHx4/s1600/IMG_2511_(1600_x_1200).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizFTEwm5fMzMDOPoZNeKNVj5rlwseruwNhhTpX50rPoNBYdShzj0WmP0YlAQtJh3x5n_s0c8rPS4M1vp2t1DzIu8bbxWOQERHfqCJ-g2pcTAq5gLyL_cAAuniaH7UyThBtdHtt-6nZHx4/s320/IMG_2511_(1600_x_1200).jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I also built a small USB flashlight. It gives a bright light for about 10 hours.</div>
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<a href="http://weldandbraze.blogspot.co.at/2013/04/light-and-minimalistic-usb-flashlight.html" target="_blank">Previous Blog Post about it.</a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRQsKvsRYQocl09pe9CL_CP9liR4qYGpxQh6g5rFoFww-ASLcLHF2G4LgX_12QnoLzhcbBS7rwviI0YAqjmQv9gqWvHPkFsFXbNqYlFUE8aeXSh6Cdp6jSGuOXbr1lR7woRbt9exW3R_x0/s1600/IMG_0072_(1024_x_768).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRQsKvsRYQocl09pe9CL_CP9liR4qYGpxQh6g5rFoFww-ASLcLHF2G4LgX_12QnoLzhcbBS7rwviI0YAqjmQv9gqWvHPkFsFXbNqYlFUE8aeXSh6Cdp6jSGuOXbr1lR7woRbt9exW3R_x0/s320/IMG_0072_(1024_x_768).jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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GoAnohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10930591980851047258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4395994847331247179.post-17528004175797523762013-06-22T02:17:00.002-07:002013-06-22T02:17:55.280-07:00No bicycle travel this year!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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It's final: I won't travel by bicycle this year. I planed an very intense 2-month bikepacking trip with minimal gear to Kyrgyzstan this summer.</div>
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A bone bruise in my knee made me give up on that travel. </div>
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Here is how I got it: </div>
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I made a very intense interval workout in winter to get in shape. In the form of my life, I did some long distance cycling. When I did a very long 14 hour ride trough Slovenia my knee started hurting, but I still had to cycle 100 kilometer to get back to Austria. That was 2 months ago, and my knee won't work anytime soon.</div>
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Conclusion: Don't do intense sports with the wrong training! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOjahDH9Xetyg3cOD_S9KKWbCZhiZb9wYftt43kfk1v7CZzD3Xd0M-RfVrdWcg0ry9I360YRjXRvyjKEHPXiFWr8oCDWFvtidZb1YGFhyphenhyphenJBHYv2ol8rrlKUs5oW05H5KLjhsnfYzsN9jw/s1600/IMG_1982_(800_x_600).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOjahDH9Xetyg3cOD_S9KKWbCZhiZb9wYftt43kfk1v7CZzD3Xd0M-RfVrdWcg0ry9I360YRjXRvyjKEHPXiFWr8oCDWFvtidZb1YGFhyphenhyphenJBHYv2ol8rrlKUs5oW05H5KLjhsnfYzsN9jw/s320/IMG_1982_(800_x_600).jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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So what will I do: </div>
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I will use my time and tickets, go to China and travel with public transport and hitchhiking.</div>
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GoAnohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10930591980851047258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4395994847331247179.post-17863771747977914202013-04-06T11:53:00.000-07:002013-04-06T11:53:17.575-07:00Gata Loops (Manali-Leh Highway)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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On this day I am passing the Gata Loops. The Gata Loops are famous group of switchbacks on the Manali Leh highway in the Indian Himalayas.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeTjAq4WulPjFeUTaAatbimCi4giNps0iKdQHGwNRRjIgfYwynT57LR1Kv9wQPqduPilc2o4Qb5ERJMu1BLW_MefY4_NT_P2O46OFqELo63ZRPwwD-yZp0sjqlykPGBeYsZb8kG1xcBTQ/s1600/IMG_5080_(1600_x_1200).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeTjAq4WulPjFeUTaAatbimCi4giNps0iKdQHGwNRRjIgfYwynT57LR1Kv9wQPqduPilc2o4Qb5ERJMu1BLW_MefY4_NT_P2O46OFqELo63ZRPwwD-yZp0sjqlykPGBeYsZb8kG1xcBTQ/s640/IMG_5080_(1600_x_1200).jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The road leaves the valley here.There is a very long trail connecting dozens of remote villages though.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggpWIV28kRzQ68R4ZjWx3hn591d81vcfD5AbIwx9RmYy_MOzZzzkt-0XYMAAIWX6fWMfZaPnQEQCpoI6lWnBXGrPZFBvreA_h-24LWPh9J3mAT13FQ15akzLAwKRdTlNAytoWmTmdmjBc/s1600/IMG_5081_(1600_x_1200).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="446" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggpWIV28kRzQ68R4ZjWx3hn591d81vcfD5AbIwx9RmYy_MOzZzzkt-0XYMAAIWX6fWMfZaPnQEQCpoI6lWnBXGrPZFBvreA_h-24LWPh9J3mAT13FQ15akzLAwKRdTlNAytoWmTmdmjBc/s640/IMG_5081_(1600_x_1200).jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoNDpcnTEXEKBBjGuva3czNFMx1PKl9JLmh6aP45y2Sdi1H-9FRX4i8QfFBmVioWiZM9b5WaWCf9PKqX-w7Xm81JmFZBxoIdep4gWK7oeNSUFJEAPMyb6QUUWYiYNaJdjZpzvlwdbhR_M/s1600/IMG_5082_(1600_x_1200).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoNDpcnTEXEKBBjGuva3czNFMx1PKl9JLmh6aP45y2Sdi1H-9FRX4i8QfFBmVioWiZM9b5WaWCf9PKqX-w7Xm81JmFZBxoIdep4gWK7oeNSUFJEAPMyb6QUUWYiYNaJdjZpzvlwdbhR_M/s640/IMG_5082_(1600_x_1200).jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvzwwbNqsW9GkSUkjvgiXI6YzLk0LdiYw1u_Mp1wxQFmgXEBfN1TeoxFq-LcfSjsxXbYnag68bLNWcU47A9UsDl65U4aiyPsfUbPYA8powOI5Ogs-s7UeHTq09amsqrr-nOjMb96ARnQg/s1600/IMG_5085_(1600_x_1200).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="402" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvzwwbNqsW9GkSUkjvgiXI6YzLk0LdiYw1u_Mp1wxQFmgXEBfN1TeoxFq-LcfSjsxXbYnag68bLNWcU47A9UsDl65U4aiyPsfUbPYA8powOI5Ogs-s7UeHTq09amsqrr-nOjMb96ARnQg/s640/IMG_5085_(1600_x_1200).jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There are so many switchbacks, because the steepness of the road is limited by the power of the trucks.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsBMOGVFOWeMCFwFIOMg8A4zR2l_yIHp19_m6ueQzX9ZxvSVTI2YE2RTo-yk6EYV8NlNvO5MgExY1DznMGmjtPmPdbRaWwFbNZQdh9xVWpXjojxazmtirS8KpRGsmyCoMpMPsnu1_eI78/s1600/IMG_5088_(1600_x_1200).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsBMOGVFOWeMCFwFIOMg8A4zR2l_yIHp19_m6ueQzX9ZxvSVTI2YE2RTo-yk6EYV8NlNvO5MgExY1DznMGmjtPmPdbRaWwFbNZQdh9xVWpXjojxazmtirS8KpRGsmyCoMpMPsnu1_eI78/s640/IMG_5088_(1600_x_1200).jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These signs are always hilarious.</td></tr>
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After a lot switchback, I passed this structure. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6774A9Ht0iS2XdOHnb4enOyE2PUg_Ayf4K8xLSyq_TUijz2FvuORnJjiVWdzXwUmspPUTgS5L2KemKEhYMZurAyS3RZfedZLaAvzo3O88XPvibm5lN8rBAgnvWFbTxazLyDqAxduwZ58/s1600/IMG_5092_(1600_x_1200).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="417" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6774A9Ht0iS2XdOHnb4enOyE2PUg_Ayf4K8xLSyq_TUijz2FvuORnJjiVWdzXwUmspPUTgS5L2KemKEhYMZurAyS3RZfedZLaAvzo3O88XPvibm5lN8rBAgnvWFbTxazLyDqAxduwZ58/s640/IMG_5092_(1600_x_1200).jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Driven by my curiousity, I decided give it a closer look:<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYgLJKDl7o9-wP54kVcHOXh0USOiwkHqndtiBPWfi3KAMlPr-j-Dgzep8Mrxz8cJUbIvtjUxSy1SzDB0UHGGZm4obCwOQFfhN9wizL0baM6u_u2rOeee7VTwE90g_NUG9zVDJ1Il8MPhI/s1600/IMG_5096_(1600_x_1200).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYgLJKDl7o9-wP54kVcHOXh0USOiwkHqndtiBPWfi3KAMlPr-j-Dgzep8Mrxz8cJUbIvtjUxSy1SzDB0UHGGZm4obCwOQFfhN9wizL0baM6u_u2rOeee7VTwE90g_NUG9zVDJ1Il8MPhI/s640/IMG_5096_(1600_x_1200).jpg" width="640" /> </a></div>
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I tried to find an explanation for this, but was'nt able to. Some months later back at home, I did some research, and found this <a href="http://roadragas.wordpress.com/2011/07/21/the-ghost-of-the-gata-loops/" target="_blank">blog entry.</a> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3XIfNSl_PKkQy6B0RC0Pasr8neJuerOh9yHYdBOk_GwYOvmbpHwZ27PBqC771oBBJfo2cxZYNiUMF5RwHbOnedCz1wf8WpGCvr8WwnvtAa0uA1GHB71EPrDHtykHj0UmhJbIPGo6gB5o/s1600/img_5109_b_(1600_x_1200).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3XIfNSl_PKkQy6B0RC0Pasr8neJuerOh9yHYdBOk_GwYOvmbpHwZ27PBqC771oBBJfo2cxZYNiUMF5RwHbOnedCz1wf8WpGCvr8WwnvtAa0uA1GHB71EPrDHtykHj0UmhJbIPGo6gB5o/s640/img_5109_b_(1600_x_1200).jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
After a lot of climbing, the Gata Loop section is over, but the climbing goes on for the entire day.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM5Qjvj-ubQtpW9i1UI5X13zMVPGrHfiohhPfAmt128y0Ga0kNb5526JJIYs70g7GqE8NC6MIGhu6es7XD7JnqUXh4TlahSxTrWx3AP04TEmYCUx8XAfvimQjpy_ZJUMMHtwxHayvHMZ8/s1600/IMG_5109_(1600_x_1200).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM5Qjvj-ubQtpW9i1UI5X13zMVPGrHfiohhPfAmt128y0Ga0kNb5526JJIYs70g7GqE8NC6MIGhu6es7XD7JnqUXh4TlahSxTrWx3AP04TEmYCUx8XAfvimQjpy_ZJUMMHtwxHayvHMZ8/s320/IMG_5109_(1600_x_1200).jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-z3wHo4YURcZsQWL_T-Gj5r4ATpeUj85QSLGQlFQp7xtQrHI3HO4a9ZI3XEv114tQ_vyJI7IysBXPoFodLMz76pcKE4k4UoJbTfyMN58d7A2lvCHVQzbPoGOJLS5QoANOZWp3LjBg1Uo/s1600/IMG_5125_(1600_x_1200).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-z3wHo4YURcZsQWL_T-Gj5r4ATpeUj85QSLGQlFQp7xtQrHI3HO4a9ZI3XEv114tQ_vyJI7IysBXPoFodLMz76pcKE4k4UoJbTfyMN58d7A2lvCHVQzbPoGOJLS5QoANOZWp3LjBg1Uo/s320/IMG_5125_(1600_x_1200).jpg" width="320" /> </a></div>
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After you reach the pass, there is a short downhill and another pass imediatly afterwards. Luckyly there is a small rest tent in the valley between the passes. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn6iJQHLscbE_rDVDWRHbYmdWScKgWGOp6cmzpvnue4dvxwY1QivARY1sHEz5NqKAOPvRootmbF-1YnDFRllGnKw5fH6ZgzAlKlVEckpqY6IWk3ONjJzhFRDcZ1l1buSxCg946jHUmlm0/s1600/img_5131_b_(1600_x_1200).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn6iJQHLscbE_rDVDWRHbYmdWScKgWGOp6cmzpvnue4dvxwY1QivARY1sHEz5NqKAOPvRootmbF-1YnDFRllGnKw5fH6ZgzAlKlVEckpqY6IWk3ONjJzhFRDcZ1l1buSxCg946jHUmlm0/s640/img_5131_b_(1600_x_1200).jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij-sTjuPfEURBH2QEwJozWrk9QJ33AwjFhC7Ze4jAmmwoHD9R5QvXWfdkxkVkwtQKshuWaLJH2yATZmzuAgGUpLeK5Mz1hyphenhyphenGZMH0dfRAhHO2csLeKtU1W90VzFQe7OSop4qtdVkxcekEo/s1600/IMG_5132+-+Kopie_(1600_x_1200).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij-sTjuPfEURBH2QEwJozWrk9QJ33AwjFhC7Ze4jAmmwoHD9R5QvXWfdkxkVkwtQKshuWaLJH2yATZmzuAgGUpLeK5Mz1hyphenhyphenGZMH0dfRAhHO2csLeKtU1W90VzFQe7OSop4qtdVkxcekEo/s640/IMG_5132+-+Kopie_(1600_x_1200).jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tali</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivBLrxrl0fjfiUmgz0Lo4x7QuSNTOyjjkdlkROrrVXlwHbuHriOVM4ub0aNHhUFeOaiYX_0Wf3PR-VzhyJj7txMzYvuhuDlOllPvxZUTenw1RNOcvGEj1fp4A5JePJ_RftdKEhiBuD6eI/s1600/IMG_5135_(1600_x_1200).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="444" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivBLrxrl0fjfiUmgz0Lo4x7QuSNTOyjjkdlkROrrVXlwHbuHriOVM4ub0aNHhUFeOaiYX_0Wf3PR-VzhyJj7txMzYvuhuDlOllPvxZUTenw1RNOcvGEj1fp4A5JePJ_RftdKEhiBuD6eI/s640/IMG_5135_(1600_x_1200).jpg" width="640" /> </a></td><td style="text-align: center;"> </td><td style="text-align: center;"> </td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The valley between the two passes.</td></tr>
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In the late afternoon, I reached the second pass. Nearly every pass on this route is higher than the last one.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAywaPSSYZ5rd_W87nBezWHd9RSda7NYYigJ9Pmfq4KPfwXSfKZjXfUlNagAPSl3WvjkpDzH2vlfTZ1SwjESwsNXeJNOile5-_X9NVYs1d3XKA6Af9-XKNuCYaSMc_eBl9MHzIe2RLxx4/s640/IMG_5141_(1600_x_1200).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lachlung La</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpk94YpujJFISOGqlAhE3EOgYb_ppU1voxf2DhTXa2OxhzdP6tlfGGNAQXJSA9i4FUh2PThwArG3BlEbkmRzcOg9h6Sc0SIfx_6OsbAW36CAAuode6iVWiw6e1lz0sA0JbtqGx0rmlu0o/s1600/IMG_5144_(1600_x_1200).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpk94YpujJFISOGqlAhE3EOgYb_ppU1voxf2DhTXa2OxhzdP6tlfGGNAQXJSA9i4FUh2PThwArG3BlEbkmRzcOg9h6Sc0SIfx_6OsbAW36CAAuode6iVWiw6e1lz0sA0JbtqGx0rmlu0o/s640/IMG_5144_(1600_x_1200).jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lachlung La seen from the other side</td></tr>
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The last section for today was a relaxing ride through this valley.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGJ0FENJQH1g_pT4n1V8WOulsnNsuSW1mWeAit5y_klyYL1B_WY9Cy3pu1bYaThdcPuseNCCTWi8c5CZiyAuo18_mgOmL5SkeMdnUxqXYuQQXC7KCnIxHPz5A2v2_CvByVB_3LRsrAeII/s1600/IMG_5145_(1600_x_1200).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="448" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGJ0FENJQH1g_pT4n1V8WOulsnNsuSW1mWeAit5y_klyYL1B_WY9Cy3pu1bYaThdcPuseNCCTWi8c5CZiyAuo18_mgOmL5SkeMdnUxqXYuQQXC7KCnIxHPz5A2v2_CvByVB_3LRsrAeII/s640/IMG_5145_(1600_x_1200).jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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An I finally found a nice place to spend the night.<br />
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GoAnohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10930591980851047258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4395994847331247179.post-40549510625806204792013-03-24T08:37:00.003-07:002013-03-24T08:37:36.600-07:00First day on the Manali Leh Highway.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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After carrying and pushing the bikes for over the <a href="http://alotofcycling.blogspot.co.at/2013/02/crossing-shingo-la.html" target="_blank">Shingo La,</a> its finally time for some real cycling. The day before, we obtained cash, food and gasoline in Keylong, we are ready to start now. </div>
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(If you are planing you trip: There is no gas station in Keylong, I got lucky to get gas at a workshop)</div>
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At first you follow more or less the river, but after Dacia is the first real ascent.</div>
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Darcia ist the last permanent settlement. Everything beyond is not accessible in Winter. <br />
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On the next day, we towards the first of the 4 upcoming high altitude passes.<br />
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It's pretty easy to climb these flat roads. They were built this way because the trucks can go steeper in this altitude. <br />
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In the early afternoon, we reached the first pass, the Darachlang La.<br />
The view is quite scenic, and could be a trekking route. I initially planed on stopping here when getting back to Leh, and follow this valley which would finally lead me to the Spiti valley. I wasn't able to find out whether, there is a trail or not, so I disposed this plan.<br />
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You can clearly see, that the climate after the pass is very different. It is so dry, that there is hardly any vegetation. <br />
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There are campsites on the roads, where the buses going from Manali to Leh stay overnight. There are also some crazy taxis though, which will do the trip in one stressful day.<br />
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In the evening, I ran out of water, and had to ride for several additional kilometres to finally be able to reach the river.<br />
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<span style="color: #999999;">Labels:</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">manali, leh, highway, keylong, bicycle, touring, india, himalayas.</span></div>
GoAnohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10930591980851047258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4395994847331247179.post-50321371713609191522013-03-06T12:59:00.001-08:002013-03-06T12:59:21.950-08:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I just uploaded a gallery of me hiking in the Tien Shan Mountains with my warmshowers host in Almaty, Kazakhstan.<br />
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<a href="http://imgur.com/a/f3JwD" target="_blank">Gallery</a></div>
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GoAnohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10930591980851047258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4395994847331247179.post-88401369703106919382013-02-28T12:10:00.001-08:002013-02-28T12:10:16.724-08:00Many means of transporting my bike<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I will continue my Ladakh journal soon. In the meantime, I decided to show some of the many means of transport I used with my bicycle.<br />
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The first picture shows some guys who picked me up in the Kazakh steppe when there was some strong headwind. In their village, the driver invited me for lunch.<br />
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Also in Kazakhstan, this Kamaz truck driver gave me and 80 kilometer lift to Oskemen.<br />
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These guys had the idea to carry my bike up to the plateau in the background. (also Kazakhstan)<br />
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This is me in India on the first day and about to enter the sleeping bus for the next 12 hours.<br />
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From the bus, we hired a this SUV to take us to Srinagar. With such a strong vehicle, it was a nerve wracking 8 hour ride into Kashmir. When another vehicle nearly hit us, the driver went out of the car and punched the other driver into the face.<br />
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Another bus ride to Zoji La, Kashmir. The first time, I crawled up on a bus top.<a href="http://alotofcycling.blogspot.co.at/2012/09/from-srinagar-to-pensi-la-day-1.html" target="_blank"> Link to the blog post</a><br />
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When I got sick in Ladakh on 4000m altitude I decided to hitchhike, and had an amazing experience. <a href="http://alotofcycling.blogspot.co.at/2012/09/riding-in-most-important-car-on-my-route.html" target="_blank">Link to the blog post.</a><br />
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That was the most luxury bus, I've taken in India. This picture was taken on the 5300m Pass Taglang La, which I already passed by bicycle a week ago.<br />
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It is always good to have a rope with you, while riding busses in India.<br />
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I was just to lazy to determine my position in Delhi, so I took this cap to find an accommodation.<br />
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This was on my first longer bicycle trip in Russia. I took the train from Moscow to Vladivostok.<br />
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This is the sleeping room on the ferry from Russia to Japan. My bike is detached in the bag on the table.</div>
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In Japan, a gardener offered me a ride to escape the strong rain in the mountains.<br />
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GoAnohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10930591980851047258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4395994847331247179.post-65305209805609612902013-02-18T04:28:00.002-08:002013-02-18T04:28:56.560-08:00Crossing the Shingo La <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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This day is the 6th day on the Shingo La trail and we are finally going to cross the pass. For me, the 5000m (16400ft) pass will be the highest point I've ever been to. after one or two days, we plan to reach the Manali Leh Highway.<br />
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After the first climb, we can ride a bit further into the valley. The cloud are already revealing the weather on the other side of the pass.<br />
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The first time, we used an ice bridge to cross a river.<br />
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New, the track goes up a huge rocky slope which is quite a challenge with the bikes. Though we already got used to the high altitude, it is only possible to lift and carry the bike for a minute, before needing a breathing break. At this point I was glad, we hired horses for most of the luggage. Otherwise we would had to unload and carry the luggage separately.<br />
On such high altitude everything is gray, but there are still small flowers between the rocks. <br />
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After the climb, there is an ascending plateau. You get to see the pass, but it takes some time to get there. On the way to the pass, we meet a lot of other trekking tourists. There are even organized tours, with their own guides, horsemen and even cooks. We also saw some supply caravans, transporting goods over the pass. Though this route is faster, our horseman usually uses the longer route to Padum to get supplies. The pass is hostile for the horses, he won't find any grass for them here.<br />
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Finally the pass is visible.<br />
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Though the impressive scene, the cold wind make us leave the area soon. We agree with the horseman to carry our luggage down to the campsite on the other side. The way down was not so steep, but blocked with many rocks and mostly impossible to ride. Going down there was nearly as much effort as the ascent.</div>
<img border="0" height="442" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyLU53BNZS5LY38apgdX74xmaCAChc1l7NuT1fWdW7TDbGSXv2zTjRMSEj42G5bb3qNwj5E-UuvXXVBXkBW3DWfOoglH7SLGnD2HZzyVpFE_IqecoJZrHs-dqvQOxGFLKE3R4fb1M6NJQ/s640/IMG_4955_(1600_x_1200).jpg" width="640" /><br />
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We finally reached the camp in the late afternoon. After unloading the luggage, Tashi, our horseman took his horses back over the pass again, because he could not find any grass there.<br />
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The following day is rainy, and we only a go for a few kilometers before giving up and setting up the tents again. The next day is clearer, but it is excruciating hard to push the bikes over the blocked trail. At this point I am wishing I did make the Shingo La crossing at all. The valley gets steeper at the end, and I manag, to break the small trail with my foot again. Again, the other foot and the bike as counterweight saves me from falling.<br />
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At the end, there is a construction site for a road which is planned to lead to Padum some day. I think there are at least ten years, to make the Shingo La trek as we did. The longest singletrail, I've ever ridden has now come to an end. Another hour on a small road, we finally reach the village Darcia which is on the Manali Leh Highway and has some small restaurants.<br />
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In retrospect, this was the most amazing bicycle touring/bikepaking/bike&hike experience I ever had. Though I was cursing and regretting it on some points on the way, I am currently preparing a off road trip in Kyrgyzstan for two months. What I learned, it that a low weight of your gear and bike is the most important key to have fun on the trail. As a mountain biker, I can tell, that a bike with a lot of travel would not have worked to make this trail significantly more rideable.<br />
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<span style="color: #999999;">Lables:</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">shingo la, shingo, la, bike and hike, bikebacking, bicycle, touring, india, himalayas, darcia, trekking, trail, longest singletrail</span></div>
GoAnohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10930591980851047258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4395994847331247179.post-66043853897093405242013-02-10T09:47:00.001-08:002013-02-10T09:47:42.742-08:00Passing Mount Gumburanjon and reaching the base of Shingo La<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Today we leave the remote village <a href="http://alotofcycling.blogspot.co.at/2013/02/two-days-at-village-thangsou.html" target="_blank">Thangsou</a> and will make our way to the base of the Shingo La mountain pass. At first we used the remarkable bridge to cross the river to get on the main trail.<br />
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<img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA1U8H-o3OpDvAu_gMFDyrjzdunHhyo74f91WnX1SKDS20LtG7JcE3lqna9KTBd-_9CynRxQXASKrDikJpDvvBVbDDTsG4qOBn2FbEAbMCZb2WwHqJbEbFN3gq25EZXXSNB0NlemUjesE/s640/IMG_4801_(1600_x_1200).jpg" width="640" /></div>
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Some Kilometers after the last village, the mountain Gumburanjon starts dominating the field of view in front of us.</div>
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This the height difference of this mountain from base to top is over 2600ft (800m). It is also considered as a holy mountain amongst locals.<br />
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Before we reach the base, there is another obstacle. It is afternoon now, and we have to cross a stream with the maximum water level. I give it a try without luggage to see if a crossing is possible. I struggle a lot while crossing the river twice so that a crossing with our bicycles would be pretty dangerous. If you slip in that stream, you would be dragged with the water immediately.<br />
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But we got lucky. On the other side are some shepherds who help us out with a wooden plank.<br />
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Crossing the stream on the wet plank was still terrifying, but we made it.<br />
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The trail gets pretty bad now, but the camp is close.<br />
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A lot of pushing pulling and lifting of the bike is required now. Next time I do something like that, I will do some muscle training before.</div>
<img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwpqKWPIQqvP9oFo98eFF0z5TmQoP3qt9yk3TyuqWYz7Ivqf3KsfWCZTfdCwS1tgVa3TWpflnf2EtnRMmvtsQ6UBzY2kAlZJorLz2ielV2Z6GTYy6cpUDj_DAs3ou1xFvKHnpuCc9vlUY/s640/IMG_4854_(1600_x_1200).jpg" width="640" /><br />
This is the so called "base camp". In the background, you can see the trail leading towards Shingo La.<br />
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<span style="color: #cccccc;">Tags: Gumburanjon, Shingo La, Darcia Padum trek, trekking , bicycle, india, himalayas, longest singletrail</span></div>
GoAnohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10930591980851047258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4395994847331247179.post-39920430626887886212013-02-02T00:36:00.004-08:002013-02-02T00:37:54.044-08:00Two days at the village Thangsou<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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We were riding with our bicycles on the Shingo La trekking path before. Tashi, who helped us caring our luggage with his horses, invited us to stay at his village for a day. He wanted to see his family again, and also had to deliver the goods, he has on his horses. We had no hurry, so we stayed there for two days.<br />
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In the first evening, the village gathered to drink tea, eat some sweets and to do some dancing. <br />
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The older Ladies dressed up for this occasion.<br />
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The children don't always stay and sleep at the house of their parents, but hang around at houses of relatives and do a lot of sleepovers.<br />
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On the next morning, we accepted the offer of visiting the school.<br />
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The school is a government school, which cooperates with a NGO. Hence the building is decent, and there are some additional teachers. The school supplies are also donated by this NGO.<br />
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The pupils were all doing some English exercises at this time, and shamelessly copied the work of the guy with the blue cap.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoEkIxUZE2ztmADR8XKHUwHkWMQpXYeULJ01a1B2kPcczI0mLU_q2Ct-iWwAPQuAHx472U6j5-puuCZNRfJs4BIC1UU3Ao1v9XAYQGTTsW6W-ui3r4jk7BSj-CJYruoFxcUXLn7WSXkJ0/s1600/IMG_4730_(1600_x_1200).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoEkIxUZE2ztmADR8XKHUwHkWMQpXYeULJ01a1B2kPcczI0mLU_q2Ct-iWwAPQuAHx472U6j5-puuCZNRfJs4BIC1UU3Ao1v9XAYQGTTsW6W-ui3r4jk7BSj-CJYruoFxcUXLn7WSXkJ0/s640/IMG_4730_(1600_x_1200).jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFjT63pvR0kVx_LTWz6rcf3Kd1a4o7Pduo-Rjpvsn65zaopyK7hGE8yHoys02LmkpNgLD2tWS4HDH4cPET2Pqe6objnhIhDE3stUjIZRu68-rkWIBSxx09NZPlM3U4CHFzjYVeM4tIyEU/s1600/IMG_4740_(1600_x_1200).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="470" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFjT63pvR0kVx_LTWz6rcf3Kd1a4o7Pduo-Rjpvsn65zaopyK7hGE8yHoys02LmkpNgLD2tWS4HDH4cPET2Pqe6objnhIhDE3stUjIZRu68-rkWIBSxx09NZPlM3U4CHFzjYVeM4tIyEU/s640/IMG_4740_(1600_x_1200).jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
This was our room at the house of Tashi. He and his family slept in the other room during our stay.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkjiditQTkeP1dPIjecf-XwM_P4DupjStBTLrtxyVEhfGzremxGsNbs6TjPtBLlmqYiC_tV1pg0VooI8qeLRBTHNewsFnLckwpZjEDmf5SoVCewoXSNYCWoehy_p-srJhp3oBuylOzr4Q/s1600/IMG_4745_(1600_x_1200).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkjiditQTkeP1dPIjecf-XwM_P4DupjStBTLrtxyVEhfGzremxGsNbs6TjPtBLlmqYiC_tV1pg0VooI8qeLRBTHNewsFnLckwpZjEDmf5SoVCewoXSNYCWoehy_p-srJhp3oBuylOzr4Q/s640/IMG_4745_(1600_x_1200).jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
In the evening, I did a short bike trip around the village. This is what the village looks like at this time of the day:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFhjPIks3Xaj_ii-7K3UpfbsMFJKCoLpPxxghOi9KKvPaJwvLYJGXnElA8zYVkbdRMedrmAOgb13yuIpL6Ypx0mVD7cSuNCeoZbcQcO4gMHQQ07qXvArA6gSmMOAdF45mAS25q-0Z-6dc/s1600/img_4692_b_(1600_x_1200).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFhjPIks3Xaj_ii-7K3UpfbsMFJKCoLpPxxghOi9KKvPaJwvLYJGXnElA8zYVkbdRMedrmAOgb13yuIpL6Ypx0mVD7cSuNCeoZbcQcO4gMHQQ07qXvArA6gSmMOAdF45mAS25q-0Z-6dc/s640/img_4692_b_(1600_x_1200).jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Here is the location:</div>
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<iframe frameborder="0" height="350" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="https://maps.google.at/maps?hl=de&ie=UTF8&ll=33.084638,77.170715&spn=0.120385,0.262127&t=p&z=13&output=embed" width="425"></iframe><br />
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<span style="color: #cccccc;">Labels: </span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;">Thangsou, village, indian, india, himalayas, shingo la, trekking, trekking path, zanskar</span><br />
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GoAnohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10930591980851047258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4395994847331247179.post-5679636000835754492013-01-15T15:50:00.002-08:002013-01-15T15:50:40.375-08:00Riding another two days on the longest Singletrail<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>These are my 3rd and 4th days of the Shingo La trekking path.</b></div>
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<a href="http://alotofcycling.blogspot.co.at/2012/11/first-day-of-shingo-la-trekking-path.html" target="_blank">Link to the first part of the longest singletrail</a><br />
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This day began with a nice downhill from the village we stayed overnight. With adjusted tire pressure, I had my fun to shred down to the river.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikZPmNPo1j5OlseM6uu75Hy2iUzKdoKDUqXY9vAbzYwt627egzlCN-w9_9D429NPSgGXxbWJeGtku50B7qkTf1CP0pewh-MGw9E7IvN4KOdOMTa_kKA_cskKgDh5zojjzLTlwKWDgumlg/s1600/IMG_4631_b_(1600_x_1200).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><img alt="longest singletrail" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikZPmNPo1j5OlseM6uu75Hy2iUzKdoKDUqXY9vAbzYwt627egzlCN-w9_9D429NPSgGXxbWJeGtku50B7qkTf1CP0pewh-MGw9E7IvN4KOdOMTa_kKA_cskKgDh5zojjzLTlwKWDgumlg/s640/IMG_4631_b_(1600_x_1200).jpg" title="longest singletrail" width="640" /></a></div>
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It was nice to see, that I could compensate for the lack of suspension. Of course I was not able not hit the trail with the same speed as with my full suspension bike, but speed and risk during biketravels are a no go for me anyway.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7hfonPwa-vvM46fZL1HNPUOcEMLgqwlHena6JpKIablRlz_uG3tH7EIJFS7z5UM1hMoW1uF-tegVOYTcK36lnT3T-iV9MEBOaZp2T_nOSFL9IxxxvlBoNzbMKWRhAZQidEwZnSjymimg/s1600/IMG_4633_b_(1600_x_1200).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><img alt="longest singletrail" border="0" height="452" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7hfonPwa-vvM46fZL1HNPUOcEMLgqwlHena6JpKIablRlz_uG3tH7EIJFS7z5UM1hMoW1uF-tegVOYTcK36lnT3T-iV9MEBOaZp2T_nOSFL9IxxxvlBoNzbMKWRhAZQidEwZnSjymimg/s640/IMG_4633_b_(1600_x_1200).jpg" title="longest singletrail" width="640" /></a></div>
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After some big climbs and downhills, we reached a village with the horseman waiting for us. The house of a relative of him was nearby, and we got invited for lunch. Tashi, the horseman asked us, if we wanted to stay in his village later, because he would like to see his family. We agreed to stay in his village for a day and wouldn't regret it.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRu7eYQpC0ODo7FawuWtFiGMB9gjicKEysPNOywbOmrp1Nd4Cexm07xjTGBZeh8nBAa408NE5bQtX19BuwiH34_jyoevAyaRNm3678ZXG8QbqM1Du3Z_orTAbUfVAiMhcCJsKSSYvUH1w/s1600/IMG_4638_b_(1600_x_1200).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><img alt="longest singletrail" border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRu7eYQpC0ODo7FawuWtFiGMB9gjicKEysPNOywbOmrp1Nd4Cexm07xjTGBZeh8nBAa408NE5bQtX19BuwiH34_jyoevAyaRNm3678ZXG8QbqM1Du3Z_orTAbUfVAiMhcCJsKSSYvUH1w/s640/IMG_4638_b_(1600_x_1200).jpg" title="longest singletrail" width="640" /></a></div>
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The trail led us back down to the river, causing us to push and carry the bikes over large rocks in the river bed. We bypassed some elderly women, who were still on their way back home from the Dali Lama public blessings in Padum. One women asked me to sit on the rear rack for a while, but I could barely move the bike with her. At least we could give a backpack of them a short ride. Everyone here seems to have the same Northface knockoff backpacks. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid4JN4W7n16j2W18R1V2fvRqgFjH1hbuFs4tou9fAEfO5eineunKNiv_UeweSCx3sXvHILE-YpY6FMwn8yqorv4EQ9YGQKBZjI8ZnkCV1A720hdegNgZmOKaaE0jYwtLAzWxDI1SPqfm0/s1600/IMG_4636_(1600_x_1200).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><img border="0" height="409" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid4JN4W7n16j2W18R1V2fvRqgFjH1hbuFs4tou9fAEfO5eineunKNiv_UeweSCx3sXvHILE-YpY6FMwn8yqorv4EQ9YGQKBZjI8ZnkCV1A720hdegNgZmOKaaE0jYwtLAzWxDI1SPqfm0/s640/IMG_4636_(1600_x_1200).jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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After a climb back up to the higher parts of the valley, the trail went rideable again.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy8oAm13Mm6hbNbkUA5s94erZLSCep4vn6T4KWGCHI48-qnW-KvKumqXkiUA2Au6FLjYsCX3oJoF6lt7ww0iyZpp0cKFY6SLlpsJIO9RMOho25Dvc4d8j3woa-fcxC9dEBjpyhJjMYwUI/s1600/IMG_4650_b_(1600_x_1200)+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><img alt="longest singletrail" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy8oAm13Mm6hbNbkUA5s94erZLSCep4vn6T4KWGCHI48-qnW-KvKumqXkiUA2Au6FLjYsCX3oJoF6lt7ww0iyZpp0cKFY6SLlpsJIO9RMOho25Dvc4d8j3woa-fcxC9dEBjpyhJjMYwUI/s640/IMG_4650_b_(1600_x_1200)+(2).jpg" title="longest singletrail" width="640" /></a></div>
Villages were always exciting to bypass. Notice the roofs of the buildings: Rain is so rare, that the roofs consist only of wooden sticks and mud.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="longest singletrail" border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHhkDogldSTxzkQmhIwEB5hGURGXA21nIrlQXxPJrhLP8LigJptb9jg3vVvNMcAOWHinAQcLCE8f0qRDekRGucW7ZfYP3Rnggh-phYq41zjLjFUpvan28jLSfJrgA_4hCQ-czkuoVBM00/s640/dorf_b_(1600_x_1200).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="longest singletrail" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHhkDogldSTxzkQmhIwEB5hGURGXA21nIrlQXxPJrhLP8LigJptb9jg3vVvNMcAOWHinAQcLCE8f0qRDekRGucW7ZfYP3Rnggh-phYq41zjLjFUpvan28jLSfJrgA_4hCQ-czkuoVBM00/s1600/dorf_b_(1600_x_1200).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></td></tr>
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After a night of camping next to the house of the teacher, we heard the voice of rotor blades in the morning. I felt like in the intro of the Mash television series. Two ancient helicopters circled above the village, until they landed near the house next to us. It turned out, that a Czech hiker, we met on the day before, broke his leg not far away from here. He stayed in the house next to us, and was rescued by the Indian military on the next day.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEM73QmzUIK2vWVcDm8EApeC5FyqK9HgTqNwKGrhE8zYV3gYUkUmtOZZ_rtQET-ZGxDZwf2jWJxOdt28adGbnslAQpp2jN9TohCk8nG6Of_43O84sW28o6XEb1hRZBhgHIVTA37deCesQ/s1600/IMG_4656_(1600_x_1200).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><img alt="longest singletrail" border="0" height="434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEM73QmzUIK2vWVcDm8EApeC5FyqK9HgTqNwKGrhE8zYV3gYUkUmtOZZ_rtQET-ZGxDZwf2jWJxOdt28adGbnslAQpp2jN9TohCk8nG6Of_43O84sW28o6XEb1hRZBhgHIVTA37deCesQ/s640/IMG_4656_(1600_x_1200).jpg" title="longest singletrail" width="640" /></a></div>
I was a bit relieved, that things like helicopter rescue exist in this part of the world. For Indian citizens in serious emergencies it is even free. For westerners it's also reasonable, as far as I can recall, it was about 500-800 dollar. You can't relay on that kind of evacuation though, since the helicopters are restricted to good weather have a maximum operating altitude. I heard of a women with a risky pregnancy riding all the way to Padum to give birth.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5bsz4kEP_MkzRM9uH0YjyBLat4Z8OkZddXJvI3nvvHMBBy84OMwM5QYAjTXlg4SBhAcn1xCrrXgfYUNduKzHfcsCg9YnqyvhTlTLTfHeiOC5VrK_j2GY2zitChMGOwvvz2ChPJ2uZ37o/s1600/IMG_4667_(1600_x_1200).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="longest singletrail" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5bsz4kEP_MkzRM9uH0YjyBLat4Z8OkZddXJvI3nvvHMBBy84OMwM5QYAjTXlg4SBhAcn1xCrrXgfYUNduKzHfcsCg9YnqyvhTlTLTfHeiOC5VrK_j2GY2zitChMGOwvvz2ChPJ2uZ37o/s640/IMG_4667_(1600_x_1200).jpg" title="longest singletrail" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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That day was short, and similar to the last day. A lot of up and downhills, some riverbed pushing until we left the valley to Shingo La to visit the village of our horseman.<br />
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Some days later, we would bypass this cliff and make our way over Shingo La.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdeaTXMiVsyExxa0ZRPvx5zHge6_vuKhku6xH7sl1O84b9ungHyPRWj3s4143KcAZSP4bgv4m7NijuHS70OITYxyEAS63EVk52-NOIf8NrnXC4RRfPy4ttOpqKqieh2mASHKlT1DIJP5g/s1600/img_4664_b_b_(1600_x_1200).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><img alt="longest singletrail" border="0" height="344" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdeaTXMiVsyExxa0ZRPvx5zHge6_vuKhku6xH7sl1O84b9ungHyPRWj3s4143KcAZSP4bgv4m7NijuHS70OITYxyEAS63EVk52-NOIf8NrnXC4RRfPy4ttOpqKqieh2mASHKlT1DIJP5g/s640/img_4664_b_b_(1600_x_1200).jpg" title="longest singletrail" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEdZ2gcthpkxvhl-u4RIHEOGeb516eSlDXolQufTUYqZqstmWFKrKR2qpxZ5HuX1vsJ5a2jQQxz3qdjDr7Cz4ZVLKv7WUaHViVDgWYQr-SLrJDz-J_eL_uSHYAMvMz2-zRFJuno8R2iOo/s1600/img_4664_b_(1600_x_1200).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
This it is the small hometown of our horseman Tashi:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE2jLp8feWaHx2nhIg7y9DW0JfyDFtcwVZC1yB9weCtFEuJtlmljhZohd1TxvOiFj3lZV6ROG6ziDEglKLBXOFirO49lbR3reDDmCVHcpBkEHIt6fty7lvZL4EN8P0PPxb2T4JA-LBJgA/s1600/IMG_4692_(1600_x_1200).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="longest singletrail" border="0" height="444" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE2jLp8feWaHx2nhIg7y9DW0JfyDFtcwVZC1yB9weCtFEuJtlmljhZohd1TxvOiFj3lZV6ROG6ziDEglKLBXOFirO49lbR3reDDmCVHcpBkEHIt6fty7lvZL4EN8P0PPxb2T4JA-LBJgA/s640/IMG_4692_(1600_x_1200).jpg" title="longest singletrail" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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It is a really nice place, and we stayed there for two days.<br />
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This is the view from the other side in the evening:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrBhRbMcnHaxSZiNgwbJgZmKcEFyRILkNDglip7lJPzO8fxYzFWmi637_Glre_E2L5C_x5-ksqWZ43lmYNJdjIwgmkEcCick4bI4ZaepgC20YYJg0Fm7kd-w2Y9ds9FP0g8V9YUry0ikI/s1600/img_4692_b_(1600_x_1200).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><img alt="longest singletrail" border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrBhRbMcnHaxSZiNgwbJgZmKcEFyRILkNDglip7lJPzO8fxYzFWmi637_Glre_E2L5C_x5-ksqWZ43lmYNJdjIwgmkEcCick4bI4ZaepgC20YYJg0Fm7kd-w2Y9ds9FP0g8V9YUry0ikI/s640/img_4692_b_(1600_x_1200).jpg" title="longest singletrail" width="640" /></a></div>
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And here is the location:<br />
<iframe frameborder="0" height="350" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="https://maps.google.at/maps?hl=de&ie=UTF8&ll=33.084638,77.170715&spn=0.120385,0.262127&t=p&z=13&output=embed" width="425"></iframe><br />
<small><a href="https://maps.google.at/maps?hl=de&ie=UTF8&ll=33.084638,77.170715&spn=0.120385,0.262127&t=p&z=13&source=embed" style="color: blue; text-align: left;">Größere Kartenansicht</a></small>
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I will continue to write about the longest singletrail I have ever ridden soon.<br />
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<span style="background-color: #cccccc;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;">Tags:</span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #cccccc;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;">longest singletrail, singletrail, zanskar, ladakh, bicycling, bikepacking, mtb, mountain, bike, himalayas, shingo la, padum, trail</span></span></span><br />
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GoAnohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10930591980851047258noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4395994847331247179.post-24215994090845855202012-12-30T12:52:00.002-08:002013-01-05T03:40:07.581-08:00No more luggage, more fun on the trails to Shingo La<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>The second day of the Shingo La trekking path.</b></div>
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<a href="http://alotofcycling.blogspot.co.at/2012/11/first-day-of-shingo-la-trekking-path.html" target="_blank">Link to the first part of the longest singletrail</a><br />
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The night before we decided, that we would look for a horseman to carry some of our stuff over the pass. The trail is so steep and rocky, that we had to separate our gear from the bikes to be able to make it. There no chance to push a bicycle with 15-20kg of stuff up the hill, when your shoes don't have enough grip on the gravel trail.</div>
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After two exhausting hours we reached the first house. It turned out to be a teahouse and a guy there agreed to help us to finding a horse. He would charge us now, and wait with our luggage until a free horseman comes by. The price was reasonable for us I don't remember exactly, but I think it was 10 Euro a day.</div>
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A horseman with a free horse appeared before we even left. We were invited to stay at the village of the man at the teahouse, which was 20 kilometers away. After the torture last day and this morning, we appreciated a shorter stage.</div>
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What followed was a relaxed day of riding our magnificent lighter bikes on nice trails. There was also a lot of pushing necessary though, but it was not that bad anymore.</div>
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Though the trail followed the river, it had a lot of climbs. There is also a lot of traffic, since there are quite some villages on its way.</div>
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It was quite difficult to get down there. I was very cautious not to have any crashes, because you don't want to walk or ride back for some days with an injury. </div>
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Finally,we arrived at the designated village. </div>
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Except for the kids, everybody was still out at work.</div>
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Our luggage was already there, but Tashi, our horseman was gone. We knew, that he had to lead the horses far away from the village. The horsemen would get trouble from the villagers, if their horses eat the local grass. </div>
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While we waited for the man from the teahouse, his children played with us. Our bikes got the most attention. </div>
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Finally our host arrived and lead us to his apartment. You have to go to the stalls, climb into the second floor and over a wooden plank crawl into the next building. Inside, it was very comfortable, and we were served delicious food.</div>
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GoAnohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10930591980851047258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4395994847331247179.post-36062985991575666882012-12-28T04:42:00.001-08:002012-12-28T04:42:16.138-08:00Blog entry about my 1997 Gary Fisher bike<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
In my other <a href="http://weldandbraze.blogspot.co.at/" target="_blank">blog</a>, I just posted about the full-suspension bike I used on my Russia-Japan trip.<br />
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<a href="http://weldandbraze.blogspot.co.at/2012/12/this-is-history-of-my-1997-gary-fisher.html" target="_blank">Link to the blog entry</a></div>
GoAnohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10930591980851047258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4395994847331247179.post-55841180889807020422012-12-26T04:27:00.003-08:002013-01-05T03:31:32.519-08:00Zor Kul, Pamirs, Tajikistan<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Before I continue writing about my Ladakh trip, I want to show a <a href="http://imgur.com/a/i9GBC" target="_blank">gallery</a> I recenty uploaded:<br />
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<a href="http://imgur.com/a/i9GBC" target="_blank"><br /><img border="0" height="90" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhXZpnuXSUgEEp3jjhvq_01uwoIO0dxM9hvyrWaukh29as9KpZg6ZkGND2dfXXo0nOyxq6kjLz870hql3ab8xND0EQl-97HEczf2TuiIiDZPdK31jslFQeyicyIJ6mhZMtCW4IkrfRDa4/s400/STA_0908-STF_0913_(1280_x_1024).jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
It is from my 2010 Central Asia Trip, and shows my days in the Zor Kul national park in Tajikistan</div>
GoAnohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10930591980851047258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4395994847331247179.post-79980728916568503002012-12-01T10:50:00.004-08:002012-12-01T10:54:47.345-08:00Shingo La Video<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I just finished editing the video of the final Shingo La crossing.</div>
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I used licence-free music, so don't be mad at me for the soundtrack.</div>
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<a href="https://vimeo.com/54666051"><br /><img border="0" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDpBpDa5WfDIKD-pv8_RzNrGNjZkorLW8rwo8vCstCF7PgzMcRKQamV1nm-XYVUEVHV1HijAmG00lysxxALc3DBZfRYVGtzFeQZyXvT1zLSMYl_fZ22CQc1obV_-Q-U9HJSEygcbGaTi4/s400/img_4664_b_(800_x_600).jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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It is like a preview of what will come soon here in the blog.</div>
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The water crossing at the beginning was so difficult, because it was in the afternoon. Though I managed to cross the stream, it would have been bad with the bikes. Luckily we got help form some shepherds nearby.</div>
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The video doesn't contain any downhill, since you can't ride down on the other side. </div>
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GoAnohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10930591980851047258noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4395994847331247179.post-14306357998542045972012-11-28T13:36:00.001-08:002013-11-18T04:06:31.187-08:00First day of the Shingo La trekking path <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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First day of the Shingo La trekking path -</h2>
<br />Shingo La is a mountain pass (5000m / 16 404ft) in the Himalayas. It
connects Padum with the Manali Leh Highway. Without this pass, you would
have to go for about 800 kilometer to get on the other side. Though the
pass is so important, there is no road, only a small horsepath. The
singletrail is about 80 kilometers long and it takes about a week of trekking
to get on the other side. It is one of the longest singletrail in the world.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH2WWJf8f939HMUtNmtwBjdA93FnojMiRu7Gy_tmYK49KJPc7f7xT-pOkgYVoX3dPbCoOirbDn6cLovig5XkxaPSu-5IBv0G9lSVObUKkeNqDTLfRLLUZLPzHmFXmvPfnxhqujdRZDYNE/s1600/IMG_4530_(1600_x_1200).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><img alt="longest singletrail" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH2WWJf8f939HMUtNmtwBjdA93FnojMiRu7Gy_tmYK49KJPc7f7xT-pOkgYVoX3dPbCoOirbDn6cLovig5XkxaPSu-5IBv0G9lSVObUKkeNqDTLfRLLUZLPzHmFXmvPfnxhqujdRZDYNE/s640/IMG_4530_(1600_x_1200).jpg" title="" width="640" /></a></div>
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There is an attempt of building a road over the pass, so the first 20 kilometers (2012) are nice and easy to ride. </div>
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<img alt="longest singletrail" border="0" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZvmS9K56wFKS6zPyJemprVB5oIKAdIBxn4ZXAKRkXpWyvsZialQEStJBCQARFm2hTZvPiVz7x__MktKMbV7W7Ck7WB2tvYKiDciT59Z1QKf4hlKyf73hgx-3d3RkQc-Dm8PvZxmyGM5A/s640/IMG_4537_(1600_x_1200).jpg" title="" width="640" /><br />
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We pass several monasteries and lovely villages. There some pavement on the road and a lot of Nepalese construction workers are improving the track. I wonder if the erosion or the workers are faster.<br />
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<img alt="longest singletrail" border="0" height="386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin5noKEwXR4Vxy6QkwK1JeU3F8U2vFhq-ChXFB8COMgpAxeZxdMnysC05WMnyiOK2vZVEXE6MS2_UIcmoRlAtRuxLccsag25nEr9M1MTh6NTDpV9SqmrK7fNyFmRo_NPdqv3D4pEuhrJM/s640/IMG_4545_(1600_x_1200).jpg" title="" width="640" /><br />
A while later we meet a German couple with their bicycles. They tell us, that pulling the loaded touring bikes over the pass was impossible for them. Though they took horses, we decide to give it a try and continue without help.<br />
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The road gets more and more difficult to ride. In the middle of the afternoon we meet some Austrian and Hungarian trekkers. They are waiting for a car to pick them up. They have been to Shingo La, except the Hungarian couple they had to give up because of sickness. They also give us the hint, to cross the bridge just down on the river since the road ends on the next turn.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja36Az4D9w7WdJ8rKQWn9hj9Ucaw5_H1fOHxlG7_5YZgrxypAkm8Hrnzf86x-e2T2TYxA9XtYKRzwaD33mzVflHkCj3T6Ygr4A_Ak5tDYBK7a2bqOvIjw09o8j1iJPxAaS-Zh9sNhhPmE/s1600/IMG_4556_(1600_x_1200).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><img alt="longest singletrail" border="0" height="382" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja36Az4D9w7WdJ8rKQWn9hj9Ucaw5_H1fOHxlG7_5YZgrxypAkm8Hrnzf86x-e2T2TYxA9XtYKRzwaD33mzVflHkCj3T6Ygr4A_Ak5tDYBK7a2bqOvIjw09o8j1iJPxAaS-Zh9sNhhPmE/s640/IMG_4556_(1600_x_1200).jpg" title="" width="640" /></a></div>
We both knew, that crossing Shingo La would be very hard with this much luggage and food, but did not expect to start the trail that steep. The pass is still a lot of days away. Even going down to the bridge is not so easy for us, as the road was built over the start of the trail.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhowyfLIqnBcdHkANfhOXkGXuFOyk_3RM5AiIOQJ1xQ-MNjwUZOXfNP3J-wsaF5aPR2xY0qVyljHn80UoQMRUweG17jxfwm_gws-mvGVIx0OfB-XOWC8KYgwQLyVmfmrB630syL6MSK-f4/s1600/IMG_4558_(1600_x_1200).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><img alt="longest singletrail" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhowyfLIqnBcdHkANfhOXkGXuFOyk_3RM5AiIOQJ1xQ-MNjwUZOXfNP3J-wsaF5aPR2xY0qVyljHn80UoQMRUweG17jxfwm_gws-mvGVIx0OfB-XOWC8KYgwQLyVmfmrB630syL6MSK-f4/s640/IMG_4558_(1600_x_1200).jpg" title="" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikAgAJEGoxyjpfOEACT6bBIx-TpVnOlJB9Nxyvd8dy8a2JzJcuIQhOJuxIV48mkwrr9e1dAH89rTp8BJiPmcovjjW3l43Jwerl7qX-pIij00wdcowGVmyHuPT_9gqDFYZZOT9oTAAF3qg/s1600/img_4556_b+-+Kopie_(1600_x_1200).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><img alt="longest singletrail" border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikAgAJEGoxyjpfOEACT6bBIx-TpVnOlJB9Nxyvd8dy8a2JzJcuIQhOJuxIV48mkwrr9e1dAH89rTp8BJiPmcovjjW3l43Jwerl7qX-pIij00wdcowGVmyHuPT_9gqDFYZZOT9oTAAF3qg/s640/img_4556_b+-+Kopie_(1600_x_1200).jpg" title="" width="640" /></a></div>
What a great bridge for such a tiny horsetrail! Even getting on the bridge is not that easy and causes us to unload our luggage in order to be able to lift the bikes up.<br />
It takes us nearly an hour to climb maybe 50 to 100 meter up on the other side of the bridge. The trail is that steep, that the bikes nearly get unable to be pushed. There is hardly enough grip on the feet to get enough force on the bike up. I am regretting every single useless item in my luggage, although it was not that much. Many cyclists carry more than 12 kg of stuff with them. With water and foot for 7 days, I think I had about 20kg with me though. When we finally make our way up, the trail looked like this:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQSegiW65g5iRpJ1ppNIiBLHk6bFjhWUKsGEvyOpwkLMNTdWM5z0znVg9FFPTZdFoFcmOrTTtk2mZuv1pZFpLwFHPusR9KAuMBxK0qk3c4Aq5cNOWskiMxzQjjbCPToswRVSyfTdtemdc/s1600/IMG_4563_(1600_x_1200).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><img alt="longest singletrail" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQSegiW65g5iRpJ1ppNIiBLHk6bFjhWUKsGEvyOpwkLMNTdWM5z0znVg9FFPTZdFoFcmOrTTtk2mZuv1pZFpLwFHPusR9KAuMBxK0qk3c4Aq5cNOWskiMxzQjjbCPToswRVSyfTdtemdc/s640/IMG_4563_(1600_x_1200).jpg" title="" width="640" /></a></div>
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As you can see, there is loose material on the right side. In this picture it looks not so steep, but when we passed, it was like a walking on the edge of a cliff. Only with a 20cm (8inch) wide path, we had to carry our heavy bikes over it. When you fall, you may not die from the impact, but fall in the river below. The passage was horrible, at one of the last steps, the trail started moving under my feet and I was lucky my other foot still had grip.<br />
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After this part, the trail relaxes a bit, but still was not save for us. Credit goes to of these bastards:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB20ujrXpOS8ncUbf_tXrmTsHKu9xJI-MqssrzOeeJqOf4AXPOQojP9tllVV2Ug8yDbuvGF8C9T8VBz96Q3lSpgZ27KnSty9eOOftlPjy-TT9RMi14iFxil4N1plVxe6gsHIc8IHbtVP8/s1600/IMG_4564_(1600_x_1200).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="longest singletrail" border="0" height="434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB20ujrXpOS8ncUbf_tXrmTsHKu9xJI-MqssrzOeeJqOf4AXPOQojP9tllVV2Ug8yDbuvGF8C9T8VBz96Q3lSpgZ27KnSty9eOOftlPjy-TT9RMi14iFxil4N1plVxe6gsHIc8IHbtVP8/s640/IMG_4564_(1600_x_1200).jpg" title="" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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They are nice to see at first, but then you realize, that they cause serious rockfall. They are rather curious than scared of you and it is hard to get rid of them. <br />
After the nightmare part of the trail, the valley gets wider and there are some flat parts where you can camp. There is even a sandbank on the side of the river, and you can take a short swim in the shallow water.<br />
The drinking water comes from the river today, although my water disinfection liquid does not work good with murky water, I drink it anyways.<br />
We decide not risk to put up our tents at this place, because the cliffs are so high and you can see a lot of rocks fallen from above everywhere. Instead we simply put our sleeping bag as close to the cliff as possible to be protected. After the sun is gone, and the stars start to appear, the sky is getting brighter again, and the moon rises. It is so bright in the valley, that everything has shadows and you can see everything very clear in the dark. It was a nice but excruciating day, and we decide to find horses as soon as possible. This was only the first day of the longest singletrail, I have ridden.<br />
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GoAnohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10930591980851047258noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4395994847331247179.post-85664232984925332622012-11-26T01:18:00.001-08:002012-11-26T01:19:21.462-08:00Subreddit Remote Places<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Before I continue writing about my himalayan bicycle trip, I want to promote a <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/remoteplaces" target="_blank">subreddit</a>, I recently created.<br />
It is a part of the Reddit community and dedicated to pictures and stories about fascinating remote places of the earth.<br />
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Click here:<br />
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<a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/remoteplaces"><br /><img alt="" border="0" height="102" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuBSbfJ5BeK0gwdmhgB9kg8JL57EN44GmSuSKdcB4vrTZxqTsb4hyoMruNIwVA6nvk7-qhHvyY-DtNXZ_Nq1XDRQQGotrfumxFrOowe4WrxVMhqGEQeGsLPhOMvvawZ9daFOHDrCrWeQg/s640/logo2.jpg" title="Remote Places" width="640" /></a></div>
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I would be very happy, if other people than me start contributing.<br />
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GoAnohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10930591980851047258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4395994847331247179.post-56799696146654019022012-09-29T15:32:00.001-07:002012-09-29T15:32:56.059-07:00Riding in the most important car on my route.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This day was one of the best I ever had on a trip, and it all started so bad:<br />
- I was camping on about 3900m in the Indian Himalayas and caught a cold. The night before, I decided to hitchhike to Padum, the next town. I simply was too sick and weak for cycling.<br />
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I got on the road and started stopping cars. The first cars friendly waived back but didn't stop. Finally a cab stopped. The passengers were three ladies with their driver. As they heard of my sickness, they welcomed me on board.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ_PbFA-ota2ppIdBfFRsoF0fAXuBRVsPZ2rK7asqYA53YVlmeNQqePADlApVbwTY4FhNgdNK1n5CFib8tmHoLwgQRlJ0kWsQGlvqUBXg9VBsHbq0qQMBegawFcQz9xNizZqJEc9fj6uM/s1600/IMG_4451_(1600_x_1200).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ_PbFA-ota2ppIdBfFRsoF0fAXuBRVsPZ2rK7asqYA53YVlmeNQqePADlApVbwTY4FhNgdNK1n5CFib8tmHoLwgQRlJ0kWsQGlvqUBXg9VBsHbq0qQMBegawFcQz9xNizZqJEc9fj6uM/s640/IMG_4451_(1600_x_1200).jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I was glad I brought some rope, otherwise it would have been hard to mount the bike to the car rack. </div>
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The women in the car explained me, that they were heading to Padum, where the Dalai Lama will give a public blessing. </div>
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What happened next, was kind of strange to me. In the next village, the people had been waiting for our car. We were welcomed and given tee and cookies. They had prepared carpets on the lawn to sit, and small tables to eat. I didn't understand it at this time, but found out later at home, that one of the women is very famous. She is <a href="http://mountmadonnaschool.org/values/interview-with-rinchen-khando-choegyal/" target="_blank">Rinchen Khando Choegyal</a>, the founder of the Tibetan Nuns Project. She is also the wife of Tendzin Choegyal, the Dalai Lamas younger brother.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3tXIcxZeSgjMF96CU_hd0u8MGNWckHnElkPME86rN8X01pi0ijWWin13ZMMRwVAQQd9_O27XONuO-s81cxoWTC0DT1xE4SshZwbHAcQDy3pbtkPHMl0TQSHT4Mo_NCmIrAzpMXMftiaU/s1600/IMG_4452_(1600_x_1200).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3tXIcxZeSgjMF96CU_hd0u8MGNWckHnElkPME86rN8X01pi0ijWWin13ZMMRwVAQQd9_O27XONuO-s81cxoWTC0DT1xE4SshZwbHAcQDy3pbtkPHMl0TQSHT4Mo_NCmIrAzpMXMftiaU/s640/IMG_4452_(1600_x_1200).jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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This was the last village before we headed to the 4400m Pensi La. "La" means "mountain pass". After the pass, we had this magnificent view on the Drang Drung glacier.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTHWaWUtpvVtxTYFU19694P5NadJ88zeJra2UyZwnFk4X0PSA24ZQ0Za8S-jsTuUNvEQUP2TWA2N1chMH3yaKBEzsw_c0V2tDtg5efNm2HLzozBu3kX9QkmMTDtsYAqccSk7AswaA24X4/s1600/IMG_4465_(1600_x_1200).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTHWaWUtpvVtxTYFU19694P5NadJ88zeJra2UyZwnFk4X0PSA24ZQ0Za8S-jsTuUNvEQUP2TWA2N1chMH3yaKBEzsw_c0V2tDtg5efNm2HLzozBu3kX9QkmMTDtsYAqccSk7AswaA24X4/s640/IMG_4465_(1600_x_1200).jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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This is the whole view:</div>
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On the way to Padum, we stopped several times, for visiting people and villages, all of them happy to see us, and confused about the bike on the car. On this day, I drank the most tea in my entire life. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyEizZWvGtgeBSOF3e23YNloCYMsDbUfP6_hvOL8WE99EtwS870DniHO5gyjWUl1gf6L7cgyo1EnT8vz_hKpR7j1x499O6Z969Rl1iRT00yGlfLELvIFWxPq7b3CjB5B7gIe9q3iAcjYY/s1600/IMG_4466_(1600_x_1200).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="435" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyEizZWvGtgeBSOF3e23YNloCYMsDbUfP6_hvOL8WE99EtwS870DniHO5gyjWUl1gf6L7cgyo1EnT8vz_hKpR7j1x499O6Z969Rl1iRT00yGlfLELvIFWxPq7b3CjB5B7gIe9q3iAcjYY/s640/IMG_4466_(1600_x_1200).jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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These guys belong to the Buddist Association of Padum, and went 50 kilometers ahead to welcome us with softdrinks and cookies.</div>
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The three ladies were staying at a nun monastery located on the hills near Padum.</div>
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On the way we drove through some villages and got a lot of tea. Mrs. Choegyal told the villagers about things like how important it is to educate their children and about the equivalent rights of men and women.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX0z-JpTp5KAvz2pk_ed4e00CLvCz9KyVbbvV1yi1aPcom13TEA47f0PMuWxIo9jgZt5LDHVQZ7NWYrvTutvaSA9rv6Fm8yvUWF-jfEs71nMDQ4q821nb5ZKQHndQNiKG8jsaYgBvhVtM/s1600/IMG_4476_(1600_x_1200).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="416" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX0z-JpTp5KAvz2pk_ed4e00CLvCz9KyVbbvV1yi1aPcom13TEA47f0PMuWxIo9jgZt5LDHVQZ7NWYrvTutvaSA9rv6Fm8yvUWF-jfEs71nMDQ4q821nb5ZKQHndQNiKG8jsaYgBvhVtM/s640/IMG_4476_(1600_x_1200).jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">
I got to see Padum from the other side of the river
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqbNnmpX7kUFT6k99YMQmGjr2fQ6Y0CE1Cp8d3EQm_QZcXC6nwdPTj3TPim7LwoJbX7TcuyRC374bAEzihaiMa0c-oZFnI0kZ7bPbei625gtb4OSUy6V6zCu8VH-FHMbn8dOrBIdW49VU/s1600/IMG_4473_(1600_x_1200).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqbNnmpX7kUFT6k99YMQmGjr2fQ6Y0CE1Cp8d3EQm_QZcXC6nwdPTj3TPim7LwoJbX7TcuyRC374bAEzihaiMa0c-oZFnI0kZ7bPbei625gtb4OSUy6V6zCu8VH-FHMbn8dOrBIdW49VU/s640/IMG_4473_(1600_x_1200).jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The children of the villages</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgro2L-_jCv3UYZqR_N57iOJ1Sa5_peO0GN6OIly4D2luHStSizooGVz4SmPDr1FtqV1dzKEwLaCWNU6cn0jAEYR304-UZMiJGkWST94xHx-AwVJAgSQbcUQF2PCDA4YOwI0095bcMYen8/s1600/IMG_4498.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgro2L-_jCv3UYZqR_N57iOJ1Sa5_peO0GN6OIly4D2luHStSizooGVz4SmPDr1FtqV1dzKEwLaCWNU6cn0jAEYR304-UZMiJGkWST94xHx-AwVJAgSQbcUQF2PCDA4YOwI0095bcMYen8/s640/IMG_4498.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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At the end, the nuns of the monastery welcomed us to their monastery, and Mrs. Choegyal
organized me a ride to Padum. </div>
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The car with the guys from the Buddist Association took me to Padum. We first drove to the location were the blessings from the Dalai Lama will take place, and drove by a monastery to get some food. I got a delicious plate of Chomin, fried noodles with vegetables. After that, we drove into Padum, the inofficial capital of the Zanskar Region. They didn't found an accommodation for me, so one of the guys invited me to camp in his backyard. Later in the evening and after I had put up my tent, he invited me over for dinner, which was a great ending of a great day. </div>
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GoAnohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10930591980851047258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4395994847331247179.post-71541307791117249622012-09-22T16:24:00.004-07:002012-09-22T16:24:33.739-07:00Approaching Pensi La and getting sick<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<h2 style="text-align: left;">
From Srinagar to Pensi La - Day 4 & 5</h2>
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I started feeling sick and weak in the morning, but decided to go on. </div>
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After passing a village, we got warned by a local of a construction side above the road. For 10 kilometers, we could see several groups of workers drilling a water supply line into the rocks above us. They were causing occasional rockfall onto the street. </div>
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On the street, there were women signaling the workers with a red flag to stop for us. One time the workers didn't see the signal, and nevertheless we were waved through.</div>
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In the afternoon the valley got wider and the landscape scenic. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgie2uWFUwbbnFChTm6dLv1ySMc60u5wJwifqeEWOCFIUlOINxEjE-ykx8MHtAeaZrLXLpC7q0L-KAMoePk9DFEIU7mxTwxF7q6bN-NMTYJxpXA2guxj2Nh2D9B_25T9PG8MvjKmWm3BPg/s1600/IMG_4431_(1600_x_1200).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Pensi la bicycle" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgie2uWFUwbbnFChTm6dLv1ySMc60u5wJwifqeEWOCFIUlOINxEjE-ykx8MHtAeaZrLXLpC7q0L-KAMoePk9DFEIU7mxTwxF7q6bN-NMTYJxpXA2guxj2Nh2D9B_25T9PG8MvjKmWm3BPg/s640/IMG_4431_(1600_x_1200).jpg" title="" width="640" /></a></div>
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It looks like fun riding here, but the road is so bad, that the ride needs to focus. We also were not used to the high altitude of nearly 4000 meters, which ruined the fun a bit.<br />
You really need to stop and take rests to enjoy the landscape here.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu_L8j4Rwwhyh46yicegzX7K_sEVEuWz0LMAzCqGitl1jX7AyBV2qAAssb8GogcK18PHlgca9XtAZ8GYmRlydnMrNyHVU-CupaEYCyXNQggcBEvyNBHwcvRlekPRXVjEVY_4clxiwpO_w/s1600/IMG_4419_(1600_x_1200).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Pensi la bicycle" border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu_L8j4Rwwhyh46yicegzX7K_sEVEuWz0LMAzCqGitl1jX7AyBV2qAAssb8GogcK18PHlgca9XtAZ8GYmRlydnMrNyHVU-CupaEYCyXNQggcBEvyNBHwcvRlekPRXVjEVY_4clxiwpO_w/s640/IMG_4419_(1600_x_1200).jpg" title="" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDniA6yCTXnqLWK5MnJNfaebF3Xno-qse7Nd2NFxo9-cyCqxQoUlUG1usQoDbqKLYJyx7iuitN7FJ4jsUwkKDj-qXIxtyQzoU-kPCUpSYgQPmIEAVGm5x36gN3B2iHRXNqWt7RxDoFJX4/s1600/IMG_4409_(1600_x_1200).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Pensi la bicycle" border="0" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDniA6yCTXnqLWK5MnJNfaebF3Xno-qse7Nd2NFxo9-cyCqxQoUlUG1usQoDbqKLYJyx7iuitN7FJ4jsUwkKDj-qXIxtyQzoU-kPCUpSYgQPmIEAVGm5x36gN3B2iHRXNqWt7RxDoFJX4/s640/IMG_4409_(1600_x_1200).jpg" title="" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I never got so close to a glacier before</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0AkWLbQCti4dOUOSe3OzPV-zypQQvX4OVm-ETf1gGQ2tfOuykhj5cSygEZfffdGLJjJlXBH583XSEIbmZoEPqJJ0WvwUcugbTzJF5jx-bqb_jqIEcSxDif126co5odjeavUNu4ep-1AU/s1600/IMG_4399_(1600_x_1200).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Pensi la bicycle" border="0" height="472" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0AkWLbQCti4dOUOSe3OzPV-zypQQvX4OVm-ETf1gGQ2tfOuykhj5cSygEZfffdGLJjJlXBH583XSEIbmZoEPqJJ0WvwUcugbTzJF5jx-bqb_jqIEcSxDif126co5odjeavUNu4ep-1AU/s640/IMG_4399_(1600_x_1200).jpg" title="" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Edelweiss is growing everywhere. The flower originates from Asia</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQKSc2kRQ1S09yCzUxv8d0E5Any3lGrLN-8iZqLHDtxdhBPCBrqBh0elgVVFOP6X_RZCy58c33g1As1Ak97BfrtuBFIBBqYZSlkVyloeknQ9rXLr6wFthgg7sUbXp25raTOezUkiXPd44/s1600/IMG_4440_(1600_x_1200).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Pensi la bicycle" border="0" height="443" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQKSc2kRQ1S09yCzUxv8d0E5Any3lGrLN-8iZqLHDtxdhBPCBrqBh0elgVVFOP6X_RZCy58c33g1As1Ak97BfrtuBFIBBqYZSlkVyloeknQ9rXLr6wFthgg7sUbXp25raTOezUkiXPd44/s640/IMG_4440_(1600_x_1200).jpg" title="" width="640" /></a><br />
Some Indian motorcyclists stopped, and chatted with us a while. They were from southern India and shipped their bikes to Delhi from where they started their trip. Some of them were riding the popular model <a href="http://www.royalenfield.com/motorcycles/motor-cycles-models.aspx?model=14" target="_blank">Royal Enfield</a> Bullet 500. Despite the vintage look, these cycles are still in production.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_8T6iDBnC8QGAEnnG-JYOboDSwjvhg6q-ZmfXvxtGn3-XGExIurRncD6aguSEKE6Tgvf2BzVkd7LuR6ggCNTcI4XEFBf7CG7P7LtlZgdvcADW7TnEoDyJDAsIscCZovE4ABPVYNOzYxM/s1600/IMG_4446_(1600_x_1200).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Pensi la bicycle" border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_8T6iDBnC8QGAEnnG-JYOboDSwjvhg6q-ZmfXvxtGn3-XGExIurRncD6aguSEKE6Tgvf2BzVkd7LuR6ggCNTcI4XEFBf7CG7P7LtlZgdvcADW7TnEoDyJDAsIscCZovE4ABPVYNOzYxM/s640/IMG_4446_(1600_x_1200).jpg" title="" width="640" /></a></div>
In the evening we just left the road and cycled a bit into the meadows for camping.<br />
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The next day was rainy, so we stayed in the tents. During the day I got fever and slept a lot. Fever in combination with high altitude is not fun. I was so weak, that even getting water from the nearby river was a challenge.<br />
I decided to hitchhike to Padum, the next town, to recover.<br />
Pensi La, a 4400 meter mountain pass was on the route of the next day, and I really felt unable to ride it.<br />
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GoAnohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10930591980851047258noreply@blogger.com1