LHASA TO KATMANDU ON MOUNTAIN BIKES!

 
  HOME ::
   
 
Tuesday 1 September
 
  KATMANDU, NEPAL TO LHASA, TIBET

Where do I start with this fabulous day? The adventure continues, and there is never a dull moment!

Up early for a 7am pickup. We were quite the load with our 8 people, 8 bikes, 8 bags, 8 carryons, and extra wheelset. One more wild ride through the crazy streets of Katmandu to the airport. Our challenge was going to be to get everything on the airplane without paying a fortune. Until we are back across the border, let's just say we reached an amiable agreement, and loaded everything up. Whew! A very high tension morning.

We went through what seemed like ten security checks before ending up on the tarmac ready to board. It was then I remembered that 1 September is Mom's birthday, and I realized that it was 9pm in California, the perfect time to call. I was literally standing beneath the plane calling home. I tried three times, and while I could hear them fine, they couldn't hear me. Sorry, Mom! Happy Birthday anyway!

The flight from Katmandu to Lhasa is one everyone should take in their lifetime. Be sure and sit on the left side of the airplane when you do. You fly RIGHT NEXT to Mount Everest, and it is a fantastic site to see. The bad picture to the left doesn't do it justice at all. It was absolutely spectacular. Because of my great relationship with the ticket agent (!), we were all on the left side, in four window and four middle seats. The pilots must be used to this, but at showtime all 200 people on the full flight were on the left side, reaching cameras around, leaning over, sharing the windows. It was a great ambiance as everyone was humbled and awed by the site below. What a wonderful experience!

We landed in Lhasa and it took a long time to get through customs. The Chinese don't mess around, and I had an extra check run on my American passport. But we got through, loaded up our wagon train of baggage carts, and were met by our guide for the next few weeks. The first thing I noticed is that I felt exactly like I did during my nights in the oxygen tent at 13,000 feet: a bit lightheaded, elevated pulse, tightness in the head. I now know that the tent was working and I really was at altitude during my prep, because the sensations were exactly the same. Outside, even though it was a cloudy day, everyone was squinting. With so little atmosphere, the sun's rays are STRONG, and we quickly donned sunglasses.

The Lhasa airport is 65 kilometers out of town. Yikes! Across two bridges, through one tunnel, and 1.5 hours on a bumpy 2 lane road. The scenery was spectacular so no one complained. When the sun broke through a few times you could feel its lazer-like intensity, even through the windows.

We got to the hotel and found our rooms to be on the 3rd floor. It was shocking to discover how difficult it was to climb the stairs. We were all totally out of breath at the slightest exersion. In fact, I felt exactly like I did when I was doing my altitude test with the Doc a few weeks ago: dizzy, light-headed, out of breath, fast pulse. I'm starting to understand the sensations. It's hard to imagine cycling here, but that's why we will spend a few days acclimating first! Let's hope it works.

At dinner I had my first Yak meat and it was really good! I'm still having a hard time getting used to the small portions. I sure hope that cook of ours is going to put out some calories!

OK, off to bed and hopefully to sleep up here at the top of the world. Tomorrow is some easy sightseeing. Below are some scenes of the day: our wagon train at the baggage counter, on the tarmac, our funky bus, our hotel street.