{"id":5789,"date":"2014-11-08T10:28:33","date_gmt":"2014-11-08T09:28:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/?p=5789"},"modified":"2020-01-05T10:53:41","modified_gmt":"2020-01-05T15:53:41","slug":"tibet-for-foreigners-part-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/2014\/11\/tibet-for-foreigners-part-4\/","title":{"rendered":"Tibet for Foreigners: Part 4"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
A big blue sky for Eric’s birthday ride up Balang Shan pass.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A spectacular place to celebrate!<\/h2>\n

I don\u2019t suppose many people get the chance to celebrate a birthday at 4,487 meters. \u00a0That\u2019s how Eric began his 47th<\/sup> year, on the top of Balang Shan Pass in China\u2019s Sichuan Province.<\/p>\n

We hadn\u2019t planned to celebrate his big day way up in the clouds.\u00a0 Like so much of our bike tour, things just turned out like that.<\/p>\n

In fact, sunset arrival on the top of a mountain peak had become \u00a0a distressingly common pattern for us.\u00a0 With the days growing shorter, we were hitting the road later and later.\u00a0 We\u2019d make fairly good time before lunch.\u00a0 The morning air was chilly and spinning our wheels kept us warm.\u00a0 But by mid-afternoon we\u2019d begin to dawdle.<\/p>\n

In the tropics the scorching sun was enemy #1. In Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia or Laos, a cloudy day meant perfect cycling weather.\u00a0 \u00a0But here, high up on the Tibetan plateau, as sun as the sun hid behind a cloud we\u2019d be begin to shiver and reach for an extra layer. Here we took pleasure in the sun, we wanted to soak it up–just like Europeans on a Thai beach in December.<\/p>\n

Lingering too long<\/h2>\n

And so we\u2019d linger over a late picnic lunch.\u00a0 We\u2019d snap photos, admiring the majestic snow-capped mountains that surrounded us.\u00a0 We\u2019d forget about the big climb ahead.\u00a0 Despite knowing full well the probable consequences (ending up stuck on the top of a mountain and a cold night in the tent) we\u2019d still laze about enjoying the crisp autumn weather and colorful landscapes.<\/p>\n

By 5PM we were harshly berating ourselves.\u00a0 How could we have been so foolish!\u00a0\u00a0 Still four more kilometers to the top and breathing wasn\u2019t getting any easier.\u00a0 Eric pumped the pedals steadily while I alternated between sprinting ahead in short bursts and bending over gasping as Eric plodded past.<\/p>\n

At exactly 5:58 we finally reached the top of the pass. Prayer flags flapped violently in the wind. as we posed for a commemorative shot.\u00a0 Eric was feeling weak and a little nauseous and complained of a throbbing headache\u2014ill-effects, no doubt, of the altitude.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Top of Balang Shan Pass–4,487 Meters. This was the absolute last flicker of light before the sun hid behind the mountains.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Gotta get down<\/h2>\n

We need to lose some elevation. Fast.\u00a0 Even if we had wanted to camp at the pass, there seemed to be no suitable spot.<\/p>\n

The road tumbled down in a series of broad switchbacks.\u00a0 After donning gloves and extra fleece jackets, we begin zipping down the smooth highway.\u00a0 The light was spectacular with fast moving clouds darting across the darkening indigo sky.<\/p>\n

Eric\u2019s ailments meant it was vital to get a move down the mountain.\u00a0 \u00a0Still, I couldn\u2019t help firing off a few shots (sadly, none really capture the magic of the sunset).<\/p>\n

We\u2019d hoped to make it to a small settlement for the night, but suddenly we were completely caught in the clouds. Our beautiful view out over the valley had vanished and visibility was almost zilch.<\/p>\n

\"\"
The clouds starting blowing in fast as soon as we began the descent–just minutes later we’d be down to zero visibility.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Where are you?<\/h2>\n

I called out to make sure Eric hasn\u2019t taken a dive over the edge.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m here, I\u2019m here,\u201d he shouted back.\u00a0\u00a0 In the distance we could hear the sound of trucks grinding their way up the pass, but the vehicles were almost on top of us before we could \u00a0even make out their headlights.<\/p>\n

Balang Shan suddenly had taken on an eerie, menacing air.<\/p>\n

We set up camp around 500 meters below the pass in a tiny rock-strewn pull-out right next to the road.\u00a0 Hardly ideal.\u00a0 \u00a0I imagine a boulder breaking loose during the night or a driver veering off the road and crushing us.<\/p>\n

A few carloads of Chinese tourists stop to gawk as they make their way down the mountain.\u00a0 One man speaks English and informs us that we\u2019ve chosen a dangerous place to camp.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre there bandits?\u201d we ask.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh,no,\u201d he chuckles, shaking his head, \u201cHere is very cold.\u00a0 You will freeze.\u201d<\/p>\n

He\u2019s right.\u00a0 It is<\/i> very cold.\u00a0\u00a0 But we survived just fine.\u00a0 Later the weather clears and we\u2019re treated to a spectacular star-filled sky.<\/p>\n

Eric\u2019s dinner that night consisted of instant noodles.\u00a0 \u00a0It was not followed by a decadent slice of chocolate fudge cake.\u00a0 Still, he says it was one of his best birthdays ever.<\/p>\n

\"\"
When the clouds cleared we realized there was a beautiful view out over the valley.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"
This is Cat’s Nose Ride, it’s actually on the way up Balang Shan pass near Rilong.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"sichuanese
The Lady on the left does not have her hand outstretched asking for money–she’s offering me some walnuts.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"
This part of the descent was really fun–later it got really, really cold as we cycled through a narrow shady gorge.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"
A typical sturdy stone home in the Sichuan countryside. Many homes have solar water heaters but none have the luxury of central heating.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"
A big change from Balang Shan! This apocalyptic scene is a shot from the region near Wolong that was destroyed by the Sichuan earthquake in 2008. A brand new road is being blasted through the mountains, but for now this is the way traffic travels. It really is a nightmare. There are several muddy, rough surfaced unlit tunnels to traverse–dripping water and speeding trucks only add to the terror.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"
I’ll slip in one more nice photo of the mountains here so you’re not left with that miserable image of Wolong in your mind. We cruised into Chengdu in a a heavy rain and chilled out for a few days. The next update will bring tales of our backroad ride to Kunming including a jaunt along the Yangtze.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A spectacular place to celebrate! I don\u2019t suppose many people get the chance to celebrate a birthday at 4,487 meters. \u00a0That\u2019s how Eric began his 47th year, on the top of Balang Shan Pass in China\u2019s Sichuan Province. We hadn\u2019t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5797,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[95,49],"tags":[25],"yoast_head":"\nTibet for Foreigners: Part 4 - Worldbiking.info<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/2014\/11\/tibet-for-foreigners-part-4\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Tibet for Foreigners: Part 4 - Worldbiking.info\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A spectacular place to celebrate! I don\u2019t suppose many people get the chance to celebrate a birthday at 4,487 meters. \u00a0That\u2019s how Eric began his 47th year, on the top of Balang Shan Pass in China\u2019s Sichuan Province. We hadn\u2019t\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/2014\/11\/tibet-for-foreigners-part-4\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Worldbiking.info\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"worldbiking\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2014-11-08T09:28:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-01-05T15:53:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/camping-balang-shan.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1500\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"World Biking\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@worldbiking\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"World Biking\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/2014\/11\/tibet-for-foreigners-part-4\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/2014\/11\/tibet-for-foreigners-part-4\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"World Biking\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/#\/schema\/person\/f57a15cc54fe11f80a90902e2256d401\"},\"headline\":\"Tibet for Foreigners: Part 4\",\"datePublished\":\"2014-11-08T09:28:33+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-01-05T15:53:41+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/2014\/11\/tibet-for-foreigners-part-4\/\"},\"wordCount\":1059,\"commentCount\":6,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/#organization\"},\"keywords\":[\"featured\"],\"articleSection\":[\"China\",\"Tour Updates\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/2014\/11\/tibet-for-foreigners-part-4\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/2014\/11\/tibet-for-foreigners-part-4\/\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/2014\/11\/tibet-for-foreigners-part-4\/\",\"name\":\"Tibet for Foreigners: Part 4 - Worldbiking.info\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2014-11-08T09:28:33+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-01-05T15:53:41+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/2014\/11\/tibet-for-foreigners-part-4\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/2014\/11\/tibet-for-foreigners-part-4\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/2014\/11\/tibet-for-foreigners-part-4\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Tibet for Foreigners: Part 4\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/#website\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/\",\"name\":\"Worldbiking.info\",\"description\":\"Round the World Bicycle Tour since 2006\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Worldbiking.info\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/11-florida.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/11-florida.png\",\"width\":280,\"height\":90,\"caption\":\"Worldbiking.info\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/#\/schema\/person\/f57a15cc54fe11f80a90902e2256d401\",\"name\":\"World Biking\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/0.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0f32773a3812157bf4b26e3db7396fe6?s=96&d=retro&r=pg\",\"contentUrl\":\"http:\/\/0.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0f32773a3812157bf4b26e3db7396fe6?s=96&d=retro&r=pg\",\"caption\":\"World Biking\"},\"description\":\"Hi, I'm Amaya. Together with my husband, Eric, we make up the World Biking Team. We're on a quest to cycle every country on the planet and inspire others to go bicycle touring. We hope you enjoy the blog!\",\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/about-world-biking\/\",\"worldbiking\",\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/worldbiking\"],\"url\":\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/author\/admin\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Tibet for Foreigners: Part 4 - Worldbiking.info","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/2014\/11\/tibet-for-foreigners-part-4\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Tibet for Foreigners: Part 4 - Worldbiking.info","og_description":"A spectacular place to celebrate! I don\u2019t suppose many people get the chance to celebrate a birthday at 4,487 meters. \u00a0That\u2019s how Eric began his 47th year, on the top of Balang Shan Pass in China\u2019s Sichuan Province. We hadn\u2019t","og_url":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/2014\/11\/tibet-for-foreigners-part-4\/","og_site_name":"Worldbiking.info","article_author":"worldbiking","article_published_time":"2014-11-08T09:28:33+00:00","article_modified_time":"2020-01-05T15:53:41+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1500,"height":1000,"url":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/camping-balang-shan.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"World Biking","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@worldbiking","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"World Biking","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/2014\/11\/tibet-for-foreigners-part-4\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/2014\/11\/tibet-for-foreigners-part-4\/"},"author":{"name":"World Biking","@id":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/#\/schema\/person\/f57a15cc54fe11f80a90902e2256d401"},"headline":"Tibet for Foreigners: Part 4","datePublished":"2014-11-08T09:28:33+00:00","dateModified":"2020-01-05T15:53:41+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/2014\/11\/tibet-for-foreigners-part-4\/"},"wordCount":1059,"commentCount":6,"publisher":{"@id":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/#organization"},"keywords":["featured"],"articleSection":["China","Tour Updates"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/2014\/11\/tibet-for-foreigners-part-4\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/2014\/11\/tibet-for-foreigners-part-4\/","url":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/2014\/11\/tibet-for-foreigners-part-4\/","name":"Tibet for Foreigners: Part 4 - Worldbiking.info","isPartOf":{"@id":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/#website"},"datePublished":"2014-11-08T09:28:33+00:00","dateModified":"2020-01-05T15:53:41+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/2014\/11\/tibet-for-foreigners-part-4\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/2014\/11\/tibet-for-foreigners-part-4\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/2014\/11\/tibet-for-foreigners-part-4\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Tibet for Foreigners: Part 4"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/#website","url":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/","name":"Worldbiking.info","description":"Round the World Bicycle Tour since 2006","publisher":{"@id":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/#organization","name":"Worldbiking.info","url":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/11-florida.png","contentUrl":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/11-florida.png","width":280,"height":90,"caption":"Worldbiking.info"},"image":{"@id":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/#\/schema\/person\/f57a15cc54fe11f80a90902e2256d401","name":"World Biking","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"http:\/\/0.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0f32773a3812157bf4b26e3db7396fe6?s=96&d=retro&r=pg","contentUrl":"http:\/\/0.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0f32773a3812157bf4b26e3db7396fe6?s=96&d=retro&r=pg","caption":"World Biking"},"description":"Hi, I'm Amaya. Together with my husband, Eric, we make up the World Biking Team. We're on a quest to cycle every country on the planet and inspire others to go bicycle touring. We hope you enjoy the blog!","sameAs":["http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/about-world-biking\/","worldbiking","https:\/\/twitter.com\/worldbiking"],"url":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/author\/admin\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5789"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5789"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5789\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10506,"href":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5789\/revisions\/10506"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5797"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5789"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5789"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5789"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}