Say hello to Stan.

Kazakhstan, here we are. A lot and not much all at the Same time has Happened in the last three weeks. We made it out of Mongolia, which seems like a lifetime ago, hung out in China for A week, had a very interesting bus ride, and Arrived in the "Stans". In some ways its been a whirlwind, in others it has been an agonizingly SLOW crawl. I have come back to a conclusion I made years ago, I strongly dislike large cities! However I like what they have to offer, at times anyway, but most of the time they just stress me out and make me anxious. Too many people, too many things happening all the time, noise and constant movement, and always the smell. I will get to all that later.

Anyway, getting out of Mongolia. We left Khovd with promises of pavement and good scenery. Actually leaving Khovd was more difficult than we thought it would have been or should have been. We kept running into travelers. First there was Dorbina, a women from the Bay area working as a teacher in China and volunteering with WWF in Mongolia supporting sustainable tourism. She helped us out with some road beta via A biologist friend. Then came A couple from Hungary, well he was, she was from Mongolia, studying shamanism's as a thesis topic. Their road beta was more helpful them having been out there the day before. Then Dragan showed back up in need of bike maintenance help. I heard he made it to UB, I had my doubts, but I am sure he was smiling the whole time! For that matter I heard Volcan Made it too, I really like that guy, he's good people. Last but not least was a couple of French guys who had cycled our route in the opposite direction. We picked their brains, exchanged maps and stories, then finally 4 hours later than we wanted Were we off. As promised the road was  paved and we made great time. I was however suffering from a bout of excruciating back pain that slowed me down considerably and would reoccur from time to time over the coming weeks. Those that know me know I have a history of random pain, joints, back, neck, whatever. Grin and bear it but this was bad and forced me to my back immediately once we hit Camp. Thankfully Kyle took charge on dinner and I luckily had A pharmaceutical answer for the pain (prescription of course). It was a rough night. Onward and back into the mountains the next day!

The View. Not bad!

The Mongolian Steppe.

The road we were travelling was either paved or in a state of being paved. Apparently a joint Chinese / Korean and Mongolian project to link the Chinese border we were aiming for with the Russian border near Olgii. This is presumably for coal, something Mongolia has an abundance of. However you feel about coal, I personally do not really like it as a fuel, the pavement was a welcome change after the 1000k of dirt track. Where it was not paved it was graded and hard pack awaiting the tarmac. It made for quick progress and that second day we logged 120k. We would have stopped sooner, and lord knows my back wanted it, but a group of very inebriated Mongolians and their bemused, and seemingly sober, brother next to the only water source we had seen in hours and would see until the next day persuaded us to tank up and keep moving. The brother, who based on the look on his face, knew exactly what was up and appeared to get a good laugh out of it, wasn't bothered by our desire to leave. So with dusk looming we struck out for the pass (dava). Camp was nice, flat, and dark making dinner a headlamp affair and bed late. A leisurely morning was in order and welcome. 

The next day we were awoken by camels. Lots of them.

Camels! Despite their cantankerous reputation

these guys were just chillin while we took our time

with breakfast.

Aside from the camels it Turns out we were not actually at the pass. We had A bit of a climb ahead of us but nothing too bad and then the promise of descending roughly 80k! To the dava we went! Passing workers and some yaks it was a pleasant climb. Then the real fun began. The decent was great, 25-35k an hour average and great canyon scenery coupled with a river next to us the whole way. Glorious. On the way down we were graced with some history as well! Turns out this valley has supported people for thousands of years. Grave mounds and standing stones abounded. Many of the stones were elaborately carved. Some pictures from the last post but there were many more. It was fascinating! Who had lived here all those years ago? It wasn't hard to figure why they had lived here, the river and the surrounding environs make for amazing summer pasture.

Standing stone near a very large grave mound.

Large collection of carved stones, these had been fenced.

The river. This was the primary feature of the long valley.

Close up of one of the stones. The sun at the top was a 

regular motif.

On down the hill! A glorious ride past settlements, gers, ancient history, and stunning scenery led to camp next to the river. The next several days were occupied with intermittent pavement, another French cyclist, desert heart (we were on the north western edge of the Mongolian Gobi) and some half hearted bargaining for a shitty hotel room. Then it was the border. 

The Bulgan border into China is a small thing that does not see a whole lot of traffic. We peddled up and were the general amusement of the day. There had been three cyclist coming the other way within the previous week so I am not sure why everyone was surprised to see us but they were. Surprisingly though we were also treated very well. We had heard horror stories about the Chinese border. We did have to un-pack everything and even show the guards the pictures on our cameras but it was all for show it seems. Most of the guards were just kids and they were more interested in practicing their English with us then anything else. They even fed us free steamed buns when the border closed for lunch and we were forced to wait. All in all not bad. We were even pushed to the front of the line and given special treatment to get us through faster! Once we cleared the border we cruised into the closest town and got a hotel. 

We had crossed the border with about 400 RMB or about $75. We were hoping for an ATM in the border town but none was to be found so we had to face the prospect of making that last until Urumqi, the capital of the prefecture, about 500k away. We bought what food we could, got some dinner at a local Uighur restaurant (the Uighurs are an ethnic minority in China that are actually a majority in western China. They are mostly Muslim and closer in kin to the Kazakhs and Mongols than the Han Chinese . They are great and amazingly friendly people!) and crashed. After breakfast we were off the next morning. It was a 150k day through the Northwestern Chinese desert, which looks remarkably like Nevada, and it was hot but easy riding. One thing that did separate this area from other places, like Nevada, was the weird occurrence of random apartments and settlements that obviously support the large coal and nuclear power installations that dot this landscape. There is a healthy offering of solar and wind as well but mostly coal. It is a strange place. Any settlement you come up upon is primarily Kazakh and Uighur with a smattering of Han, and it is pretty dry. After that first day, and all of Mongolia, we decided that we were going to hitch to Urumqi the next day. 50 more k and we were at the main road and a small town. The cops, amused, asked us to pose for selfies with them, then we set about hitching. It was a slow process, a few trucks pulled over and declined, a few suvs did the same, one guy pulled over gave us water and a quarter of a water melon smiled and pulled off, and we finally flagged down a bus. It as a nice bus with AC and a movie! After we got on they wanted us to pay, we of course did not have the money so we managed to somehow communicate we needed an ATM at the station in Urumqi and off we went!

Typical Uighur / Kazakh residential.

View of the desert from the bus, 100+ degrees

glad to not be riding this.

The melon!

Inside the bus, amazing they picked us up!

When we got to Urumqi there was the expected cluster fuck to get the money for the bus but I managed to get it while Kyle kept the bus driver occupied and off we went. First stop was an expat bar for a pizza and a real beer! The food change from mutton to spicy noodles was welcome but some cheese sounded amazing! While at the bar we connected with Igor, remember we met him in Hotgal, and he connected us with a friend living in town. BOOM! Cal showed up and we had a place to stay! A free place to stay facilitated a full week of city living. Too much for me but the rest was needed. Cal was gracious enough to give us full access to his apartment while he had to work during the day. It was amazing to have a place to crash and relax after a hard seven weeks on the bike. Cal lives in the Uighur district, which is a great place to be, and offers a unique view of the city. Urumqi has a rough population of about 3 million, more than the entire country of Mongolia, which was kind of a mind fuck. The first night we were fed beers and kabobs by Ali, a local kabob guy (great dude but he can drink!). Hungover from that the second night we drank with Cal's English teaching colleagues, and hung over from that we met a crew of guys from Cameroon who fed us beers, and dinner, until we could take no more! The Cameroonian guys deserve a special shout out. These guys were awesome! We met them in the same expat bar we went to when we first arrived, Fubar, after they flagged Kyle down when he was ordering another round. They proceeded to adopt us into their group, buy us at least 5 beers each, buy us dinner, and just generally be awesome! They also made me really want to go to Cameroon!!!! They were all in school studying international business of some variety and spoke enough Mandarin to get by. They were an amazing group of guys! 

Terrible picture but great people!

Also in there we met a kid heading to the states, Kent State in Ohio to be exact, to study chemistry. We were walking down the street looking for a place to eat when this Uighur kid runs up to us and says "hey guys you want to eat?" So not sure if we were going to get scammed or what we said "yeah!" and followed this guy. Turns out he wanted to buy us dinner and practice his English. He had only been studying for four months and his English was amazing! He has a history in veterinary medicine and will be heading out to study chemistry in the states. His name was Adil and he was awesome! After some great dinner conversation and food we exchanged contacts and parted ways but it was one more example of the amazing people you meet on the road.

Adil and us.

While in western China we decided to do the tourist thing and head to Turpan. Turpan is the site of an ancient silk road trading city and has been occupied for much longer then that. It also happens to be the second lowest depression on earth at something like 500 feet below sea level. Unlike bad water in death valley though it is surrounded be huge mountains so there is an abundance of ground water making it a massive oasis with huge grape vineyards and fruit orchards. It is said the best grapes in central Asia come from there. It is also home to some amazing history. Ancient cities, Buddhist caves, Islamic holy sites, ancient animist pictographs and petroglyphs, it is a pretty awesome place and also a modern bustling city. We got there via the bullet train. At 190k per hour it was an easy hour long journey. Buying the tickets was ridiculous, thank god for the English speaking ticket attendant, but the train was great. If only the US could get off its ass and build high speed rail. While in Turpan we visited a large city ruin built out of mud brick and by excavating the surrounding earth and a larger 17th century Mosque. It was hot but not so bad as to keep us away. At the end of the day we were rewarded with a spectacular desert thunder storm. That storm made me miss the sierra and the summer storms over the Whites. The sting of homesickness was not lost on me but it was a spectacular display none the less. 

A Mosque in Turpan.

Corridors of the ancient city.

A Buddhist temple in the ruins.

17th century Mosque and the tallest minaret in

China.

Replica Buddhist cave paintings in the Turpan 

museum.

Bow and arrow, reminiscent of those in Mongolia in 

the Turpan museum.

Museum.

Dinosaurs!!!!! Also prevalent in the area, the geology

lends itself to fossils.

After our Turpan adventure we took the train back and prepared to leave Urumqi. It was a good stay but I was more than ready to get back on the bike and out of the city. Back to the beginning here and the smell. I wanted the fresh open air, the city air was starting to make me claustrophobic. Too many people. The writhing mass of humanity had left enough of its stench in this place and I wanted no more of it. That being said the city does have its own kind of raw beauty.

A butcher doing his thing.

The bazaar

Night time in the city.

The lights.

It was time to get out. Buying the bus tickets was easy, the journey not so much. After arriving at the bus station we negotiated the loading of the bikes, it ended up costing us some money, oh well. After that we were off to Kazakhstan. We managed to negotiate and early drop off so we could get to some rather scenic areas of Kyrgyzstan and avoid big city Almaty, Kazakhstan, and hoped for the best. It was a rather hellish ride in a sleeper bus. What this meant is that there were bunks, too small for even 5'6" me, and it was crammed as full as it could get. The 12 hours it took us to get from Urumqi to the border was filled with fitful sleep and frequent stops. Luckily everyone on the bus was great and even though there was a significant language barrier they adopted us as one of them and we were all in it together. There was also a guy traveling from Singapore who spoke English on there. This turned out to be a great thing as he translated for money changing, and other touchy things. Anyway it was a long ride to the border but we finally made it. The Chinese side was easy, supposedly due to a bribe the driver gave someone, the Kazakh side was a cluster. We waited with the bikes, were jostled around, and finally got though. Luckily the guards seemed too busy to care about us Americans with bikes and basically said "get out of here now before I change my mind" and we got out of there without a search. From there is was a matter of repacking and getting out of there. We were getting off the bus soon so it was a compromise situation.

The last hour on the bus from the border.

We cruised for about an hour and then we were rather abruptly dumped on the side of the road. We said hasty goodbyes to our new friends and confidants and set off to new adventures!

Unceremoniously dumped on the side of the road.

Now in Kazakhstan we have 5 days to get across the Kyrgyz border before getting fined. Kazakh police are rather known for corruption so hopefully we can get there. It is only 200k so I am not too worried. Then we are in the mountains again! The first few days of the stans have been good. The people are friendly, the scenery is pretty good, and the roads are alright. The final leg of this journey has begun and it seems like I have been gone for years rather than 2.5 months. To top it all off when we got to town tonight a women seemed to take pitty on us and just fed us fresh water melon until we could eat no more. A culture that can appreciate a traveller is a good one, these are good people. 

It's late and I don't have much of a mind for existential thinking right now but the thoughts of whats next have been entering my mind. I will be back broke, in debt, and unemployed in less than 2 months. What am I going to do? I have no idea. Never grow up seems like a good plan right now. So it's adventure for adventure's sake I guess! On ward to new pastures!

Moving forward along the Silk Road.

Well in case you were wondering we did make it out of Mongolia in one piece. Mongolia was one hell of an adventure! I will be sorting out the lessons learned for years to come. Now in Urumqi China certain internet issues make a longer post difficult. We will be heading out to Kazakhstan in the next few days where we will be back in the mountains and will hopefully be able to get a more thorough update soon. Until then enjoy a few photos of our last days on the Mongol steppe.

Keep on keepin on.....

Camels for breakfast!

Mongolian mountains.

The wake up committee.

Impressive standing stones and grave mound.

Close up. These are 8' tall.

More carved stones.

Closer up

What does it mean?

During a very long, and paved, decent.

The canyon. Bad shot but great canyon!

A large group of standing stones.

The northwestern Chinese desert 

Seen from the window of our hitch.

 

Much more to come. It has been a whirlwind of a few weeks. As we prepare to leave the urban wastes and make back for the hills I find my self anxious to get back out there. I hope this finds you all well! Remember to go outside and have an adventure this week! You will be better for it!

Of camels and glaciers

Western Mongolia is a totally different animal. The mountains are big, the people are different, the landscape is varied, and it has a totally different feeling. Since leaving Ulaangom nearly 10 days ago we have seen glaciers, camels, large rushing rivers, desert basins, and everything in between. The populations are also much more varied. Here there is a large Kazakh population along with several other ethnic minorities. The Khovd Provence is said to be the most ethnically diverse in all of Mongolia. What this means is several different languages and dialects are spoken, Buddhist and shamanistic tradition begin to mix with Islamic elements, Mosques begin to appear, and the food is slightly different (though not much). I have to say I like it. Maybe it is the mountains or just the fact that after 5 weeks I am finally in the groove. I will chalk it up to the mountains however. 

After leaving Ulaangom we were greeted with a welcome 36km of paved road. The longest stretch we had seen in a long , long time. It went quickly and was punctuated by the usual inquisitive locals. Then came our first taste of the true challenge of the northern route. The sand and the desert was hard, more annoying and slow, but manageable easily enough. The high, and steep, passes would prove to be a bigger challenge. Ahead of us was Ulaan Dava. At almost 3000m it isn't that big by my normal Eastern Sierra standards but riding a fully loaded bike up the thing in the heat is a different kind of challenge. It involved some significant pushing but luckily it was approached by a graded road awaiting paving.

The Ovoo atop Ulaan Dava. Here we were the subject

of much interest to the locals and luckily a vacationing

group also thought we looked like we needed some beer. This is

also on the edge of some protected areas and national parks. It has a great 

view.

After Ulaan Dava it was a great, and easy, ride to our camp which offered our first good view of some distance glaciers. Promise of spectacular scenery to come.

However we first needed to cross the valley containing Ureg Nuur, a salt lake similar to Uvs Nuur but smaller. This valley was hot, large and relatively waterless with the exception of a stream. We needed the water so it was a welcome reprieve, we also were offered some vodka shots by a passing traveler. Also of interest is we ran into some other travelers from the hostel in Ulaangom. It turns out we would run into them several more times, along with the family they had hitched with, before the next town. While traveling through the valley we were rewarded with some interesting archeology. There were many grave mounds and some standing stones but most interesting were carved "man stones". These may be remains of graves of Turkish origins, or ancient tribal societies but good info is hard to find. Who passed this way and who is buried here? How many hundreds, or thousands, of years have these stone faces seen? All these thoughts crossed my mind while contemplating their silence as they gaze across the steppe.

Fascinating!

Directly after this came the big pass! This by far has been the largest slog we have had. It took somewhere between 2 and 3 hours to push up this thing. Once again this is the "main" route between Ulaangom and Olgii. It was a slog of relatively epic proportions but we made it none the less and it was mostly down hill from there. And by down hill I mean down hill to a coal mining town with a "Hills have eyes" feeling. We got out of there and made for Atchet Nuur, a large fresh water lake with a terribly mosquito infested campsite in between. We were hoping for a swim and some time to relax at the lake but the weather had other plans. After once again running into the couple from the Ulaangom hostel, and the family that had temporarily adopted them, the skies opened up. Hail, thunder, and lightning came with a vengeance and we had no choice but to ride as fast as we could to get out of the danger zone. We made it through, a little soggy but fine, and to the lake. Unfortunately it was also mosquito infested and the storm seemed to be chasing us so we booked it! On and on we rode following a river and finally made it to camp. A large gorge. The river, as it turned out, was a fast flowing glacially fed torrent. It made for great camping but silty water requiring a filter clean.

The big hill. That dot in the distance is me.

Hail and the muddy aftermath of the squall.

A spectacular gorge that served as our camp that night.

You can't see it but there is a large and fast flowing

river in there and a surprisingly well graded road.

Then!!!! we finally made it into Olgii and took a few much deserved rest days. Olgii a is launching point for travelers heading into the mountains so we had the opportunity to meet other travelers and check out a totally different feeling area. Bayan Olgii, the Provence, has a majority Kazakh population. This means mosques and minarets begin to appear. It was a welcome and interesting change. The town of Olgii itself was great too. It had a city feel but was ultimately laid back and pretty modern and diverse. I like it. While there aside from the usual weird rickety hotel/guest house stay we also visited the bazaar (actually called this here rather than the "black market" found elsewhere in Mongolia) and a "Turkish" restaurant (it was mainly a Mongolian take on Turkish food but a welcome change).

A Mosque in Olgii

Olgii

Kyle with a real life actual coffee

Turkish Coffee!!!!

Traditional instruments at the bazaar

After our rest we booked it for Khovd, our last big town before heading into China. Luckily we had almost 70km of pavement to enjoy before more mountain adventures. On our way we were lucky enough to meet Volkan, a Turkish guy who had started in Istanbul and was heading to Ulaanbataar. We spent a few days riding with him as he got used to Mongolian "roads". It was nice to ride with another cyclist for a bit and he is a great guy. I hope to see him either in Turkey or in the states in the future.

Kyle and Volkan.

Camp in the sight of glaciers.

After a brief town stop it was back into the mountains. But first we had to stop and take pictures with an eagle. Turns out a Kazakh eagle hunter was on his way back from an exhibition in Ulaanbataar and was napping next to his motorcycle with his eagle. He quickly awoke and let us take some pictures. He tried, rather half heatedly, to get some money but I think he was more surprised to see us on this road than anything. It was a large bird and looking it in the eyes from 16 inches away was quite the experience.

Volkan

Kyle

Me

We also met Dave. An American working for a Norwegian aid organization. Once we reached Khoved he lets us do laundry, use the Internet (I am writing this from his couch) and cook a meal at his place. Once again we would be no where without the generosity of strangers on this adventure. Thanks Dave!

The mountains were beautiful! Flanked by protected area and national park and the road remains decent and traverses some amazing high country dotted with Kazakh gers and glacial scenery. Windy and cool but wonderful riding made for a great day that proved to be easier then expected.

Kyle riding into the distance.

Gers and Glaciers

Volkan and a visitor we met on a pass.

Camels! There are glaciers in the distance to the left.

We are in the high mountains here so camels were a

surprise. 

Two large, 8 feet plus tall, carved standing stones encountered on the way

down from the pass. These are old, possible 5,000

years. Bronze and iron age remains of past cultures. Again, who was here

and why?

Then we met another cyclist!! Dragan, a Serbian who was on a 20,000km journey. He was carrying the most stuff I have ever seen on a bike or otherwise for a human powered endeavour. He was also using some pretty skinny tires. Despite his difficulties he was as happy as can be and having a great time. On his was to Ulaanbataar and onward to Russia and Japan he was just happily smiling his way across the country. Hopefully he can find some wider tires and lighten his load otherwise Mongolia holds some serious adventure for him!

We all camped at a wonderful spot along a creek and enjoyed a group breakfast before departing the next day.

Volkan, Dragan, and Kyle.

Moving on it was a relatively easy 80km to Khovd through some amazing valleys. Kyle, Volkan and myself made our way there happily listening to some tunes and enjoying the well graded, although sometimes wash boarded, road.

Khovd is an old city that has been a center of trade with China for centuries and once housed a military garrison when China brutally ruled Mongolia. Presumably revenge for the Mongol conquest. It is still pleasant all those years later. Very laid back, lined with trees, and very diverse. Aside from hanging out with Dave and finally getting some real laundry done it was pleasant to chill out and recharge before the final, supposedly paved, 350km-ish push to the border and other horizons.

Pleasant tree lined street in Khovd.

Monument to a past hero.

More Khovd.

We were also able, once again thanks to Dave, to find real jerky here! Surprisingly a rare thing in Mongolia. A very nice town stay so far.

Also while riding I have had more time to reflect on the death of my friend James and life in general. Like most kids I still don't know what I want to do when I grow up. The obvious answer is to never grow up and always find a reason to go outside and play. Unfortunately real life does catch up from time to time. James' death has really made me think about my path. I want to work hard and make a positive difference and living in comfort is nice but comfort lulls one into false security. Once you become risk adverse you miss opportunity. I was lulled into that security and safety before this trip and it took some serious and messy wrangling to get me out of that comfort zone. I, like so many others, held on to that comfort kicking and screaming and the break was much messier than it needed to be or should have been. Losing a friend, although older, who was so fit and full of life has kicked me in the proverbial balls and really made me think about what it is I want out of life. I am not sure if I will ever figure it out, have I found what I am looking for in Mongolia? As I prepare to leave and head into China I can confidently say "I have no idea what it is I am looking for anyway!". Mongolia has certainly been a land of extremes, highs and lows, hots and colds, and everything else. I have learned a lot and I imagine I will be sorting this out for years to come. At least I hope. Hopefully I can take these lessons with me.

Another thing that has made me think was an article that I recently read that has made the rounds on Facebook. Yes it is lame as fuck that I still check Facebook while here or have data at all so shut up I know it already (to be fair it is only in bigger towns). But this article, I think it was in Forbes or Business insider or something, was about a guy who works seasonally and bike tours the rest of the year. It was titled something along the lines of "This guy is bucking tradition for his own way" or something pedantic like that and the guy calls himself Super Romance or some such. I mean I did the trail name thing on the PCT but that name lives in the trail world. These kind of articles drive me crazy. On the one hand it exposes a whole group of people to a way of life they have only dreamed about. On the other it simply illustrates a lifestyle that thousands live. Maybe it is the rock climbing dirt bag culture but I know a lot of people that live like that, climbing or skiing or any number of adventure based things. Anyway back on track. These article make it sound like that is a lifestyle that is impossible to live. It's not. In reality the only reason "Super Romance" or most of us who choose to do it can is because we come from comfortable middle class backgrounds that allow us the freedom to do so. This is obviously not a hard and fast rule there are people of all demographics who choose the seasonal adventure lifestyle but mostly, in my experience, and certainly with Super Romance this is the case (admittedly so in the article). You can't keep your shit in your parents basement and then claim to live an independent fancy free life answering to no one but yourself and nature or whatever. But ultimately that is not the point. I am not special, Super Romance is not special, he simply made a choice to live that way just as I have made the choice to change my life and have this adventure. Just like all my friends living the seasonal adventure life have chosen to do so. Anyone can do it. Find a way to manage your debts and obligations, find an activity that you love, and go do it! Figure out a way to make it work and do it! I got caught up in the day to day. Even though I was making a real difference for the land and the people of the Eastern Sierra, and I am proud of that, I still got caught up. I forgot to live and started living to work. This is an American sickness. We need more, we need comfort, we think we need all kinds of shit. What we need is fun and adventure and positive actions. Live well and make a a difference. Work hard and play hard. Make a difference in someones' life, for the land, and your community, but never think the life you want is out of reach. I am terrible at taking my own advice and fail regularly, but this trip and James' death has brought this home. I could rant for days on this subject but here is the gist. Get out there and get after it! Work hard and passionately but don't forget to live! You only get one shot.

Until next time..... off to China!