Some update

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I'm back home now, and back to work. Didn't have time to do much update on the blog lately, but I'm working on it. I'll try to put some texts and photos online as soon as I can... If you read French, you can have a look at some of the articles on our adventures in Western Tibet :

Khumbu Trek

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               The article is coming soon ...

           ... until then, you can have a look
                      at the photo album

News from Kathmandu

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Shigatse

After being kicked out of Tibet, we had to find a way to escape uygur mutton again and the Chinese authorities. Celine flew straight to Nepal while Pierre and I flew to Xining and took the train to Lhasa before resuming the cycling journey, with a permit this time. Of course, riding with an escort who tells you it'd be better to leave your gear in the car before each pass can be a bit cumbersome, and doesn't feel much of an adventure, but it's the requirement to get this damn permit and ride freely (i.e. "legally", theoritically free from trouble with the authorities) in Tibet. That said, it was worth it...

Friendship Highway

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                  Coming soon ...

On the way to the forbidden land...

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Some quick news from Xining. Yeah I know, this is indeed not in Tibet (if you haven't bought an atlas yet, it's not too late...). After we spent one month cycling almost freely on the amazing Kashgar – Kathmandu road, the PSB eventually caught up with us shortly after Ali, a stone's throw away from Mount Kailash. Sent back to Kashgar with a police escort. 48 hours by jeep to backtrack what took us a month by bike!

Off to the mountains please!

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We were only supposed to spend 3-4 days in Kashgar, just the time to have some rest, update the blog et do some maintenance on the bikes, But here we are, still stuck at the friendly Old Town youth hostel for what seems to have been an eternity, waiting for 2 parcels that are supposed to be arriving from France. It's not that I don't like Kashgar but I feel it's time to move and I need some fresh air. We set off for the Karakorum Highway for a few days' ride up to Lake Karakul at the bottom of the Muztagh Ata, a beautiful 7534m peak. It's nice to be back in the mountains.

Pamirs, on the roof of the world

Message coming...

Going down Kargush Pass...

Message coming...

Cycling in the Afghan Wakhan – Is there a road somewhere?

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When we told people in Ishkashim that we wanted to cycle to the Wakhan, we would always get the same answer: “bicycle, problem, not possible”, to which we invariably responded: “bicycle never problem, we go anywhere”. Well, that was before we actually saw the state of the so-called “road”…

Nan, kefir and choy – a trekking adventure in the Afghan Pamirs

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Tonight in the tent, I'm reflecting on the awesome moments I've just lived in the past few days. It's hard to find words to describe my emotions.

We've been trekking for two days. The scenery is breathtaking. Walking is a bit tricky in places, especially when crossing rivers, but fortunately, the biys are always here to give us a hand.