May 13, 2007
To Foot of Lagpa La: Free camp at old water mill Alt 4030m
One more hot shower before heading out, well, really really hot, because there's no cold water, barely bearable. Who knows when we'll have the next one. The toilet is flushed by water from a bucket. One more breakfast of yogurt and fruit, and coffee.
We ride past the PSB and the Monastery headed west out of town. There is a long gradual climb on good asphalt, then a downhill into a wide, dry valley. There will be one pass today, Tra La at 3975 meters with about 100 meter climb, barely worthy of a pass. We rest at the top and a food break, Patrick's front panniers are full of goodies: boiled eggs, fresh bread buns, real donuts, bananas, dried fruit and more.
Just as we finish, two cyclists appear from the same direction we came...this is why it's so easy to not know there are other cyclists so near...only when one stops. They are two Germans on a self supported tour from Lhasa to Kathmandu, Christina and Jorg have been camping for the last couple of days, after a run in with the PSB they are being very careful. We ride together for awhile chatting away, the next 30km pass quickly.
In Chemo we stop to pick up Chinese take-out for tonight's dinner and also fill our water bottles by filtering water from the street pump. They continue to past the town for a picnic lunch. We catch up and ride another 20kms together. We invite them to camp with us, but they want to go further today. When they stop to filter some water at the very low flowing river, we ride on another kilometer or two and find a camping spot on some grass down by the new dry river. We have to roll our bikes down a rather steep embankment (meaning a steep push back up to the road in the morning.) It's a nice spot sheltered from the wind by an abandoned watermill. There is a friendly donkey and a couple of sheepherders drop by to watch us for awhile. The wind really picks up this afternoon, so it is nice not to be fighting it up the pass that awaits us tomorrow.
We have cookies and coffee that the donkey wanted, and a small bottle of wine with the take out dinner. Two more days to Gyatso La where we hopefully will see Mt. Everest.
Then we'll try to get past the checkpoint to Mt. Everest Base Camp.
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Today's ride: 80 km (50 miles)
Total: 9,080 km (5,639 miles)
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