May 14, 2007
To Lhatse: Alt 3990m
The sky is cloudy, no wind and it's dry. We pack up and push the bikes back up the steep embankment. Over the next 20 km we continue to follow the valley and almost dry river gaining 150 meters of the 450 meters to the summit of Lagpa la (4550m). We reach the foot of the pass around 1030, and the road steepens over the next 7 to 8 km. The last village we pass through is a vicious dog comes barking at us off his leash (there are small pieces of rope around its neck), Patrick comes up wielding the bike pump and it is effective in getting Rachel past the dog. Better than Rachel's strategy of barking loudly back at the dog.
We climb, some parts steeper than others, road workers have dug up the asphalt on our side of the road, small ditches about every 10-20 meters. We can see the prayer flags on the summit. We stop to eat about 3 kms from the top. When we get to the summit, the two German cyclists are there. They had continued on last night to the village and started out today around 10:00. A crowd gathers around us...one group is a collection of British journalists on their way to Mt. Everest to report about a climb to the summit by a British team. The Germans go on as we take yet another food break, we will meet up at the hot springs 12kms from Lhatse.
The 7km descent goes much quicker than the 7 km climb. The road flattens out through the valley. At the hot springs, the Germans are getting ready to go in the pool. Perhaps we are just spoiled by Idaho's hot springs, the water didn't look all that inviting and perhaps with a risk of bacterial infections we chose not to take a dip.
We continue on to Lhatse, maybe to meet up with Tina and Jorg for dinner. The wind picks up for the ride into town, we arrive about 2:30pm. Patrick checks out the 3 hotels listed in the Lonely Planet, with none very good. We finally find another hotel with clean looking sheets, TV and a bathroom, just that the plumbing doesn't work. The staff brings up 4-5 thermos of hot water for a sponge bath. We are not sure the Germans will find us, then Patrick spots them coming down the street and lets them know where we are.
We all go to dinner at the restaurant that's attached to the big fancy hotel and advertises "western food". Just that the things we order from the menu they don't have, so it's back to basics of soup, fried rice and momos. The Germans are worried about the checkpoint outside Lhatse at the junction for Kalish. Their plan is to cycle on in the evening another 20km and camp. Perhaps we will see them on the pass tomorrow. Before they go, we check the internet to see if there is a message from the English cyclists a week ahead of us, they are going to try to get to Everest without permits. There is no message from them, but Nathan has received the Lhasa DVD's and posted 73 pictures.
On the way back to the hotel, we shop for supplies.
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Today's ride: 71 km (44 miles)
Total: 9,151 km (5,683 miles)
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