The picture book

It is still 'under construction, but the online version is ready. Can't wait to see the book 'live'.

Some statistics

We did it:

• 1040 km
• 20 days of cycling
• 50.000 burnt calories each (100 Big Macs)
• 4 peaks of 5000+ 
• 2 peaks of 4000+
• Highest pass: Taglang La 5360m
• Flat tires: none (!)

Some pics..?

Doing my utmost to upload some pics but Kargil internet is moody. I hope to get a few posted.... If it is black below, it did not worked out quite well...

And some more...

Kargil is cool

Earlier then expected, we have arrived in Kargil today. In the Lonely Planets of this world, this town is described as a bit grim, also called 'bed bug town'. The reason for this is, that most tourists arrive late at night from Srinagar or Leh and leave early in the morning. As soon as tourists can complain about filthy bed sheets and grotty rooms, they are on the road again. But hey, as soon as we entered this town, we liked it. We even found fantastic cookies and a hotel for a reasonable price with clean sheets and a hot shower (very welcome after a week only cold bucket showers or 'wetties'). We have decided to stay another day in this melting pot of Kashmiris, Dards, Tibetans, Sikh and many many many soldiers because of the never ending Kashmir conflict, so I hope to post a few more pics tomorrow. Inshallah, because electricity is quite fast, but very shaky...

Some more!

Yessss, we managed to post a few pics more!

Sneak preview

Despite bad internet connection, herewith a few pics to give an impression on what we are doing...

We did it - Part I

Yes we did it. Part 1 of our ride: the Manali-Leh highway. Yes, it was high but less way :)  We conquered 475 km with 4 passes of 5000 meter! Now we are in Leh, but internet is slow, so no pics (yet). Besides some headaches, we have been in good health. It was an amazing experience and the landscape hard to describe. Every day a change of scenery. We will stay a couple of days in Leh. Just enjoyed the first hot shower after 11 days :) 

Go to the start

After a good night sleep in the fantastic Mayflower hotel, we are now exploring Manali. It is a bit like Kathmandu, but very very small. Souvenir shops, tea shops, fruit bars and travel agents dominate the 'mall'. We are very happy to be here, because getting here was quite an adventure. We have seen too many road accidents - watching the towage of a truck that has fallen hundreds of meters down to the river is not a pleasant sight. Signs with texts as: alert today is alive tomorrow are not giving much energy either :( Fortunately, we can have a good laugh about the hotel names such as: Apple Villa, Sulphur Source Hotel (?) and Hotel Stay Home (???)
As per tomorrow, we will head to Leh. Our first destination is Marhi, 37 km away form here at an altitude of 3300 m. The next weeks, we will have no internet access. As soon as we arrive in Leh, we can post a new message.

Dazzling Delhi

Finding a cybercafe in Delhi is not so easy - that means, if you are out the city center. Uploading photo's is a disaster as well, so for now, only a text message. There is not so much news; the only thing we do at this moment is getting used to the heat, enjoying sweet lassies, (too!) spicey somsa's, marsala crisps and Starbucks coffee and making preparations for our 13 hrs road trip to Manali. We have heard that the monsoon is very light and late this year. In the case of good karma, the Rohtang pass ascent will be doable. The games begin!

One week to go

Getting closer and closer! Within a week, we will head to India. Weather in Delhi seems to be horrible: heavy rain, humid (92%) and hot (35 degrees Celsius). The same for Manali: rain, humid and a bit cooler, but still 25 degrees...  We expect that the first days of our adventure will be the highly adventurous - the monsoon will be our first obstacle, I am afraid.

Do not want to think about road blocks because of landslides and mud rivers.... Yesterday we viewed our pics from 2004. Monsoon then forced us to take a detour as well. Well, we should be mentally prepared for the worst: waiting for days to leave Manali and cross Rohtang pass.

This picture was taken after our departure from Manali - because of landslides we had to walk in the pouring rain :(

Please click here for our 2004 blog and pics on the Zanskar expedition (in Dutch).

Shopping

We are in the preparation phase. Although we have quite some stuff, some items have to be replaced. One of my tires has survived more than 6000 kilometers already. Now it is time to get new ones.
Shopping cart part 1:

• 6 inner tires
• 4 outer tires
• 16 patches (tire repair kit)
• 8 brake pads
• Bottle cage for PET bottle

Next week, we will apply for the Indian visa, a challenging task....no quick fix at all...

Why

Last week, somebody asked me why on earth we want to cycle in the Himalayan mountains. Why would it be different than cycling along the Donau? Well, cycling in Europe is also fantastic. We cycled twice to the French Mediterranean coast and were happy as hell.

But as long as we are fit enough - both physically and mentally - to go off the beaten track, we will do it. A few months ago, I saw a poem in a magazine which perfectly describes my state of mind while cycling. Or even my state of being.

We are getting closer....

Still three months to go...  In the last weeks, I have made a 'masterplan' for our trip. But, there is a good chance we will not stick to it. Local circumstances are very insecure: rockfall, landslides, monsoon, checkpoints, political issues, altitude sickness - it can all mess up our plan. But, preparing this trip gives a lot of good energy. Google Earth is my best friend - in my imagination I have been there already three times :)

The 'masterplan' in short:
Stage 1: Manali - Tso Kar - Tso Moriri - Leh
Stage 2: Leh and its surroundings. Nubra Valley? Pagong Tso? Just hanging around a bit? No idea...
Stage 3: Leh - Kargil - Srinagar  - northern route along Pakistani border

Because we want to cycle in disputed areas, we have to get inner line permits in Leh. They are only issued for 7 days, so there is a chance we need to get multiple permits. Will be an administrative adventure...

Under construction

This blog is still under construction - but not for long!