Evan passes a lowland Tibetan village at a bit over 3,000m (~10,000ft) as we climb onto the Tibetan Plateau. Every single road is torn up in this area for hundreds of kilometers, so we are constantly either sucking dust or battling the mud.
Jul
24
2010
24
2010
The Daily Tweet 2010-07-25
- And we're up on the Tibetan Plateau! 3,500+ meters and moving onto the grasslands! #
- Crossed a pass at 4,245m (14,255ft). Now it's all yaks, mastiffs and Tibetans! Definitely in the middle of nowhere now though. #
- Just had an amazing night with a bunch of Tibetan yak herders in a big ol' tent. Dinner of yak meat and peppers cooked on yak paddy stove. #
Jul
24
2010
24
2010
Photo: Reconstruction Done Right
A group of men gather outside a newly reconstructed home in the earthquake-stricken area north of Chengdu. In contrast to entire towns that are being reconstructed, cookie-cutter-style, by state-owned construction companies from faraway places like Hunan and Guangdong, many of the individually reconstructed homes feature traditional styles as well as intricate woodwork and colorful designs.
Jul
23
2010
23
2010
Quakers to Tibetans (汶川震源到藏區高原)
By Evan
The Sino-Tibetan fusion family of Emasiji, Duosiji, and Mr. Sun, by Andy
It’s been only six days since we left Chengdu, but it feels like a year ago already. Fat reserves replenished and bikes passably maintained (poor Andy’s bar-end shifter crapped out in a part of the world where only mountain bike parts are available), we made our way to Dujiangyan (都江堰). That city, located in the northeast corner of the basin, is named after one of the engineering marvels of the ancient world. It is a complicated flood relief system that redirected the tempestuous Min River (岷江) into the irrigation system that allowed the Chengdu plain to become “the Garden of China.” The plain is now so covered by sprawl and industry it could be called the “New Jersey of Western China,” but the irrigation system works today just the way it was designed to way back in 256 B.C. Sweet!
From there we headed north on G213 following the Min River valley up through the scads of giant green mountains that delineate the low basin and the high plateau. The road, the only one for hundreds of miles around, happens to be the preferred biking route from Chengdu to Lhasa, and so we were repeatedly asked if we were on the classic Chinese “prove your biking mettle” path. Andy pointed out that a long time ago, a pilgrimage to Lhasa, was a deeply significant affair reserved for devoted Tibetan Buddhists and the occasional Brad Pitt. Nowadays it’s the destination for all self-proclaimed badass bikers. That is to say that basically any pedaler worth his spit has either been there, is en route and already ran into us over the last few months, or is planning to go just as soon as he gets his chance. We met several groups making the month-long trip, including four cool dudes from the Beida (北大) cycling club and a bunch of old folks from the Chengdu Retired Persons Association — power to them! (more…)
Jul
23
2010
23
2010
Photo: Earthquake Survivor
An ethnic Qiang (羌族) survivor of the May 12, 2008 Wenchuan earthquake, which killed some 68,000 people, sits alone outside her husband's convenience store. The couple's home, originally on the slope of a nearby mountain, slid into the canyon during the earthquake. Fortunately, neither husband nor wife was home, although the wife was injured and now walks with a cane. The couple is awaiting the completion of their new home in the reconstructed village in the background. For now, they are just "maintaining the situation (維持狀態)" by running the convenience store/wholesale rice warehouse, now the focal point of what remains of the original town. The woman was still shaken and wouldn't talk to us, but her husband described "thinking the world was ending" as he collapsed on the convulsing earth, vision obscured by thick clouds of dust and deafened by the clamor of the mountains collapsing around him.
Jul
21
2010
21
2010
The Daily Tweet 2010-07-22
- （中午一点钟）村民：你们今天骑了多少公里？我：三十。村民：到哪里？我：青海。村民：不行！我：怎么不行？村民：太远了，你们骑得太慢了！ #
- 蛋糕店主：你们大热天骑车太累了，怎么不坐飞机呢？我：坐飞机看不到风景！店主：这里有什么风景？都是山！ #
- 蛋糕店主：你们大热天骑车太累了，怎么不坐飞机呢？我：坐飞机看不到风景！店主：这里有什么风景？都是山！ #
- A pile of rebar in a pitch black tunnel took Andy out yesterday. Broke part of rear rack but no injuries. #
- Getting higher than ever. Had dinner and stayed with a Tibetan family at 3000+ meters (10,000ft) among beautiful surroundings. #
Jul
19
2010
19
2010
The Daily Tweet 2010-07-19
- About to start our climb onto the Tibetan Plateau. Currently in Dujiangyan at 535m with the first blue sky since entering Sichuan! #
- Apparently first 100km are not as bad as we thought. Real climbing starts after Wenchuan, site of 2008 quake #
- 店主：您们骑车去哪里？我：青海。店主：很多人去西藏，你们干吗不去？我：因为外国人去要办证，特难办。店主：对，西藏保护动物很多，不能随便看的。 #
- Today was Day 300 and we crossed 13,000 km, passing through some remnants of destruction and many rebuilt places from the 5/12/2008 quake. #