China
 Hekou-Kunming: January 1 to 12, 2007
 Kunming-Old Dali : january 13 to 23, 2007
 Old Dali- Shangri-la : january 24 to 30, 2007
 Shangri-la - Dequin : january 30 to February 05, 2007
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China

Finally in China! What a change from the last country. For the first time since several months, we have the impression to be part of mass and we feel respected by the people who surround us. People are always certainly curious, but they don’t bog us. I had forgotten what was to feel egalitarian with the others that surround us as in your own country. It is indeed serious! Since our entry to the border, people inquire about us and they wish to help us. Certainly in China, there will always have some peoples who won't wish to mingle ever with tourism, but when some make it, he doesn’t do it for the money. I remember the other day, when we went to the grocery store and the market. For the first time in 4 months, one worried about our needs and had offered us food and water for free.

Now, we consider ourselves in excellent physical shape. Here, the flat roads are nearly inexistent. The other day, we have been taken for the night in a pass because we didn't know the altitude of the Pass. We climbed during more than 33 km. It's a good thing than, everything goes up, must come down again!! The temperature is rather chilly. In the mountains, the temperature must descend surely no far from the freezing point to this time of the year. We often had some difficulty to warm us, because we were not very good equipped for this kind of temperature. We didn't have enough spare liner and after some days, we always wear the same clothes. We are now in Kunming. What big city! We try to prepare our self before to go in the White Mountains. Benoît was sick. He should have caught a bacterium in his stomach. Fortunately, we had some antibiotics from Canada, than he immediately took and now, he goes very well. It is suppose to be common thing in China.

To be honest with you, we don't have absolutely any idea toward what we head. It is probably better like that. But, be sure now, we get all the good clothes (sleeping bag -20, hats, boots, winter pants, mitts, tent...). It should be very cold up there, but we tempt the expedition. At worst, we gone a have to take the bus or stay in a village for couple of days. We will ask the hospitality to the Tibetan monk to sleep in the monastery. It should be breathtaking to be in those valleys with all these white summits of the Tibetan mountains and these rustic villages. We will follow the border to the East Tibet (Zongdian, Litang). We are very excited to going back on the road this morning.

Kunming-Old Dali : january 13 to 23, 2007

After one week of rest, we took the road late in the afternoon. We were very happy to get back on our tiny hard bench, but we appreciated our stay at the Kunming youth hostel (Cloudland Youth Hostel). The ambiance was very different from what we know from these, we recognize more those to be a Backpacker place.

It took us, 4 days and half to reach Old-Dali. The road was superb; we cross several pass reaching over 2 000 meters. We found good area to do camping, but sometimes the temperature was going under zero at night. Because of the weather, I (Ge) catch a bad cold. It is not easy to find a good way to keep yourself dry and hot. In the uphill, we became sweaty and when it’s time to descend, we get cold. So, we have been stock in Old Dali for a couple days to let Ge the time to fill better. We also use this free time for shop for a new digital camera! Because our own camera get some major problem on the way. We also discover that Pentax made an announcement about the problem of our camera. On the other hand, we cannot wait to send the camera until they repair it and send it back. It would take to long. We choice to buy a news one in perspective of the beautiful scenery that gone a come in the next couple of week.

Old Dali is a touristy place, but the city was able to keep is own pretty charm. People name it the old city, but this section is all recent. I live a lot of frustration facing the discovery of the outrageous use of the name of Tibet. They use it like a trade mark, every time you see the word Tibet or something coming from this culture, the price raise rapidly. It is also possible to buy a Yak steak, but did you know than since the Chinese invasion, the local Tibetan isn’t in law to eat this meat. We also resign our self to drink a Yak butter tea at 15 Yuan. I reserve this occasion for a nice meeting with a Tibetan locality or whit a monk.

Finally, we benefit of this moment to plan the next part of our journey and to make some provisions of foods. Presently, we wonder to cross to Tibet by the Yunnan Highway. We tempt to harvest a maximum of information. This road is closed to the tourisms, but we can get around this thing by passing the controls station at night. Several works have been written on this section. We also correspond with another cyclist, Rob. He is only a few hundreds Km behind us and he wish to borrow the same road. We wonder to wait for him and doing this stretch with him. It will be safer. We should take our final decision in Zongdian.

Old Dali-Shangri-la : january 24 to 30, 2007

Once again, to the last minute we changed our plans and we decided to take the road to Lijiang. It is after only one day of cycling, that we could see, Yulong Snow Mountain. This huge mountain of 5 600 meters, that dominate and illuminate the Lijiang valley. This mountain indicates us, than we are getting close to Tibet. The excitement is there and the focus of the camera is often pointed toward the mountain. The old city of Lijiang is superb and a lot more natural than Dali's old city. We took only one day of rest there, before taking the road again. A city remains a city!

Back on the road, the first day goes without any problems. The road brings us to an altitude of about 3 000 meters to finally bring us down for about 40 Km. We finish the day at the foot of Tiger Leaping gorge. At first, our idea was to continue at the bottom of this gorge but, we finally decide to cut the road and go directly in direction for Sangri-la, our first Tibetan city.

On the morning, we pack the luggage under rain and we start our longest climb of our life; 40 km without stop with an altitude to the summit of about 3 800 meter. We could easy feel the lack of oxygen in altitude and we were exhausted because we cannot find food on the road. That day, we are enable to get Sangri-la, so we put the tent 30 km before the city. It was cold, but we are really happy to see snow after more than one year. It is very pretty.

The next morning, I realize than we sleep at only few hundred meters of a monastery (lamasery). Really exiting to see our first temple, we turn strait ahead in the gravel road to visit the monk early in the morning. The llamas welcome us, thy give us a warm place beside the oven and they offer us our first Tibetan meal (Tea with butter Yak, Yak cheese and a main rice dish with vegetables. We left quite full and all happy of our meeting. It took 1 hour ½ to reach our destination. The landscape was breathtaking and the glaciers overhang the valley.

A few km before we arrived, I’ve been intercepted by Dorgea, a guide of the region that comes back directly from Laddak, is country of origin. He invites us in his family to drink tea and they serve us the typical Stampa (Barley + water) It is delicious and extremely energizing. He gives us a full bag for the road.

Before he bringing us to our Youth Hostel, he invites us to a prayers ceremony with the monk. On the road, in secret, he gives us something extraordinary. He offers us in gift some seeds blessed by the Dalai-lama in order to protect us on the road against bad things. It is impossible to find this marvel thing in China (illegal) and it is only possible to get some into India. We would have to eat 3 of them each, before every checking point station in order to be protected us against the PSB. He also said than the brown one should be take if we are sick on the way. So great!

We finally arrive late to the ceremony, but everyone was really happy to see us. One invites us to meet the head monk. According to the tradition, we must give him a scarf, than he will give back and place it around your neck. It is at this moment, than he gives me the blessing and than he touches my hands! I nearly pour a tear of joy. FINALLY, THE TIBRTAIN MONKS DON'T DIFFERENTIATE THE MAN AND THE WOMAN. I KNEW IT. FOR THE FIRST TIME, A MONK TOUCHES ME!!!! On the road, we will tempt to visit as much as possible the monasteries in order to discover this incredible religion, it passion me so much and get also get a bit more warm, when it’s get too cold in the day.

Shangri-la - Dequin : january 30 to February 05, 2007

After our departure from Sangri-la, we went to visit the main temple of the region; total deception. We have been very disappointed to note that there had an entry fee to visit the monastery. Because you have to pay, we think that the temple loses a part of his spirituality and becomes only a live museum. A monk asked us to pay, but I (Ge) refused politely. I explained to him that I would only do a donation to the Dalaï-lama after praying. Why they not just to ask for a donation, instead of forcing people to pay for visit the place. It is a contradiction to the Buddhism philosophy.

In evening, we installed our camp not so far away of the city and we were really happy to ear in the night, the snow falling on the tent. The following morning, we pack early and we began our first ascension to get to top at 3 560 m. It was not easy, there had a lot of snow and we had to be careful on the road because it was very slippery. During the day, we been invited in a family to warmed us and they offered us a good Tibetan meal. It was very nice and they all seemed happy of his experience. We took the road late in the afternoon. The temperature wasn’t ideal in the mountains. It was indeed misty and cold. The following morning, to our biggest surprise, the time had cleared out and we could see the surrounding mountains. The landscape was breathtaking. We cycle to a superb gorge really deep; practically unreal!

It is on the 3 days that we started our first reel Pass with an objective of 4 315 meters of altitude. We will take 3 days to reach the summit. On the way, Rob joins us and we start our long expedition together. The temperature was great along the road, but we could easily fell the lack of oxygen during our ascension. We must constantly take some brake to get bake a normal breathing. We have to pedal thru snow, rock and slush!!!! We are exhausted and we must push our bicycles for the last hundred meters. It was worth it, what an extraordinary view. We were at the level of the clouds and we were surrounding with tone of summits that grow more than 5 500 meters in the sky. We fill like mountaineer, but on our bicycles. That was the prettiest landscapes that we ever see on this trip. The effort and the pain was worth, we only have 30 more km to get to Dequin. We arrive late in the evening, around 8 o’clock, we were exhausted!!!

We have some difficulty to believe that for the next few weeks, we would have to go up at more than 5 000 meters of altitudes. It should take about 3 weeks to get to Lhasa with on our way 8 more Pass to climb. We will have to be constantly on our guards because we will pass some PSB control at night in secret. This month will be a real adventure, something that we will never forget. Probably the biggest “challenge”of the whole journey!