April 14, 2007
To Milemarker 3845 Camp: Ngajuk La
We wake as usual by 0700 and enjoy one last hot shower for a while. We shuttle our stuff downstairs; we have plenty of good supplies for the next stage. We get our bikes out of the garage box and load up and set off. Right out of the gate we run into another Chinese army convoy, we wait by taking a break allowing the convoy to pass and then ride out of town. After a short descent to about 3100 meters we start to climb up a wide dry valley. There is a river, but the fields are brown and not yet planted.
Slowly we gain altitude, sometimes loosing 50 meters or so as the road drops back to the river below. On all sides of the road are high snow covered mountains, the valley turns South and stays wide, up until the end of the day when the river splits and the branch our road follow cuts through a narrow canyon. We don't see many traditional Tibetan houses like we saw further East. Surprisingly we actually see quite a few poor looking villages with Chinese flags on the roofs.
Our campsite is on a hill down the road with good views of the valley. Patrick hauls the bikes up and pitches the tent while Rachel filters water down at the river. It's been a beautiful day with blue sky and awesome vistas. We eat our instant noodles, chocolate bar for dessert and a good swig of the 38% wine-liquor we carry in lieu of whiskey. The tradition of whiskey and chocolate (snicker bars) started with our South American ride down the Carretera Astral.
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Today's ride: 55 km (34 miles)
Total: 7,877 km (4,892 miles)
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