the descent

this bit was very cool- the descent from nyalam to the border. meant to be the biggest descent in the world. the rocks on the road are from a landslide the day before. (we were happy we didn't ride)

view from base camp

















the little village of tents at basecamp
























riding out of base camp...this road was basically 75 km of corrugations, loose rocks and sand with a 5100m pass. marcus had issues with flat tyres

Even more Everest.

Karsten, our Danish brother, showing off.

We had an instant connection when we mentioned we were from Tassie... you know, Princess Mary and all that (we both didn't really realise at the start but Karsten was on to it straight away).






Marcus and Karsten establish even greater Tasmanian-Danish ties.

Apparently the Chinese measured Mt Everest and came up with 8844.43m, which is different to the 8848m measured in the 1950s, and also the 8850m measured by National Geographic at the top using a GPS... the debate continues. The Chinese are obviously right because they're the only ones who have erected a monument to their measurement.











Everest.













Hey Karsten, fancy a skinny-dip?



















"Ok."

More Everest Photos... by Jen.

Marcus riding on the way to EBC. The road looks good in this photo, but actually it is full of ass-pounding corrugations. Good for stopping mild diarrhoea.

Everest.

Everest.

Sung Man

SungMan...from Korea...carrying about 4 tonne of gear....we lost him one day in tibet and hoped he was ok...but he turned up behind my shoulder as we were riding into kathmandu.

He has a great website with awesome photos; check it out: www.thejourney.co.kr







Marcus at the local shower provided entertainment for the village children.

















The Pang La pass...the pass you have to go over to get into everest base camp. It was a bitch of a climb (5200m I think) and we left before sunrise at 6:30am, arriving with an ok view at 10:30am.










Some sort of deer thing...there was a herd of these on the road on the way up to base camp

Are We Idiots?

Apparently so...



Red bull is good... fuel for going UP. Dunno who the hell the model is. Looks like a freak.

















And who's this idiot with the beard? Weirdo.





















Hmmmmm... Foamy.
















After a bit of a face-massage...


















Much better, don't you think?

Descent into Nepal

Here's a photo of the descent from Nyalam to Dram near the Nepal-Tibet border. It was after 2 days of solid rain and the river in the gorge was swollen and there were waterfalls everywhere.

We were very glad we took that rest day because it fined up a treat for the descent and we had blue skys and mountain views. We literally had to look everywhere at once... the mountains, the gorge, the waterfalls, and also the rough road in front of us so we wouldn't go ass-over-tit.

After Everest...

This was a horrendously windy day going up the first of the doube passes. We camped between them. Holy f$%# it was windy. It was meant to be a pretty easy climb of around 400m in height, but unfortunately, it wasn't.

Jen decided to keep up with a group of jeep-supported riders with no pannier bags: you go girl! They were thoroughly impressed.







This is at our campsite. Here's our friend Chandra cleaning Jen's bike. He was a guide for another guy we met called Karsten, who was also doing a jeep-assisted ride and apparently having much more fun, but we begged to differ. Chandra was very generous with his time and bike maintenance skills. We bought him several beers in Kathmandu!






The next day we started our assault on the second of the double passes, the Yarle Shung La. As you can see, it was cloudy. Jen decided to take on the No-Panniers crew and won. Awesome.

The descent was fun until it started raining, and raining, and raining. The next day it kept on raining, and raining, and raining, and we took that enforced rest day that we mentioned earlier in the blog. There were supposed to be great views of Everest and Cho Oyu from the top of this pass. Not on this day.

Here's another one...

Yep.

Obligatory Mt Everest Pics

Here's we in front of Mt E. The first one was when we first got there. It cleared up a treat and it was cold. Brrrrrrr.

This is Mt E.



















I think this was the next day. It was warm. See that glacial lake? We swam in it. Brrrrrrr.

How heavy did you ask?

This heavy.

The Eagles have Landed

So we've made it! We got into Kathmandu yesterday at around lunchtime, and boy, is life sweeeet.

Will upload some photos in the next few days... there are some good ones I hope. We've had an absolutely corker of a time and it's unbelievable that we're at the end of the road.

Geez the food is good here!

More later,
m

Rain, rain, $%#& off!

Well here we are in Nyalam still, and it's pissing down with rain. Still.

We've decided to hole up here for a day or so until it stops, because what we've got ahead of us is meant to be the longest downhill in the world, and we don't want it to be a cold, wet, and miserable affair which it would be if we started now.

So we're thinking ETA in KTM may be the 27th of September.

Ok, going to nick off for some lunch, cos that's all there is to do here really.

Love,
m+j

Almost there...

Well we're back, and still alive.

Got to Everest Base Camp alright; wasn't that bad except the road reminded me of ten gazillion speed bumps all put in a row. Great weather and great views... photos will follow once we get to Kathmandu.

At the moment we're in Nyalam, about 30km from the Tibet-Nepal border. We're going into Nepal tomorrow and should be in Kathmandu by the 26th - 2 days' time. Then we'll be able to get really drunk and eat lots and breathe air containing some oxygen.

The last 2 days have been hellish weather-wise... first was heinous wind going up one of the last passes, and today was just a miserable drizzle that got the road and us very wet and muddy.

Will write more about what's been happening over the last few days when we hit KTM in 2 days. There'll be photos galore.

m+j out.

Everest here we come...

Hi team,

won't be able to be contactable for a weeks or so, perhaps until we get to Kathmandu as we are about to head up to Everest Base Camp and then down into KTM. This may take 7-12 days depending on what's going on. Internet is unreliable from here on, so for now, it's goodbye.

Love
m+j

Map

Here's a pretty sketchy map.
Day 1: Lhasa to just Left of the "G" of Gonkar... that's halfway up the Khumba La.

Day 2: From just left of the "G" of Gonkar to almost Nangartse, kinda halfway along the arm of the Scorpion Lake, Yamdrok Tso.

Day 3: To Nangartse

Day 4: Attempted to ride all the way to Gyantse, but didn't get there. Got 2/3rds of the way there and camped near the ruins/dam/explosive roadworks.

Day 5: From there to Gyantse.

Day 6: Gyantse to Shigatse... 100km time trial!

And that's where we are today (Day 7, rest day). The rest of the plan is:

Days 8-9: Shigatse to Lhatse, with a pass (Lagpa La 4500m) in between about 2/3rds of the way.

Days 10-11: Over the Gyatso La pass (hellish - 5200m) to turn-off to Everest Base Camp near Shekar Dz.

Days 12-13: Up to Rongphu (monastery) which is about 8km from Everest Base Camp. ?Stay the night at EBC.

Days 14-15: Make our way to Dingri, with 2 options.

Days 16-20: From Dingri to Kathmandu, down a massive hill.

That's the rough plan.

We're getting out of here... this internet cafe has too many smokers. Yewk.

Tim's talking about Google Earthing it... I haven't tried myself but I will when I get home!

m

and another random assortment of jen's photos!

Marcus pissing over Yamdruk Tso (the scorpion lake, just down from the first pass we went over, Khamba La)

Yamdruk tso (day 2,) near our campsite

all the dots are goats!

(day 4, over the Karo La, on the down bit)

End of day 4 after going over the Karo la. There was more mud than bike.

This is Marcus washing the bikes at our campsite.

View from the campsite, complete with cloud from road work explosion.

Jen's Pics - Day 4

Day 4 - The Karo La


Beautiful Karo La



















Marcus at the start of the roadworks; the base of the Karo La. I suppose that's a sign saying no-one is allowed up?












Another view of the Karo La... awesome snow-capped peaks. I think these were the low-lying ones (~6000m?); the high ones are obscured by clouds and only popped out every now and again.









Bogged tractor. Marcus offered to help but the dude politely told us to keep riding up the hill and that he had friends just down the road to give him a hand.

Pics Days 3-4

Awesome views going up the empty road, closed due to roadworks, up the Karo La (5050m). Here's Jen carving up the gravel. (Day 3)











This is on the descent of the Simi La, the smaller pass we crossed the day after the Karo La. They have created a new dam and the picture is of the new lake created; the island in the middle is a now a ruined building/fort thing. (Day 4)











Some of the roadworks we had to cross. The digger operator kindly smoothed some of the rubble with his big machine so we could cross!
(Day 4)