The Complete Story - Part 1

The 2006 Great China Ride

“Don’t you know that bird flu is sweeping across Asia?”
“That ride is far too hard – it’s got hills in it”
“The high altitude will make you really sick”
“I would never go to China, it’s too far away from Australia”
“The organizing company might go bankrupt”
“I’ve heard that trucks in China run straight over cyclists and don’t even bother to stop”
“I wouldn’t ride such a tough ride unless there was a National Title at stake”

The free “expert” advice seemed to go on forever. If I had listened to them then the adventure that I am about to describe to you would never have happened. And yet, as I sit in my hotel in Bangkok, I can look back on an experience that I will treasure for the rest of my life.

Like all of life’s true adventures this one began unexpectedly. About eight months ago I was sitting in my office plowing through the daily deluge of unsolicited e-mails. As I was working down the list with my finger regularly tapping the DELETE key I happened to notice one unfamiliar message from a sender with the somewhat whimsical name of Grasshopper Adventures. For some reason I withdrew my deadly deletion finger and decided to read the message. I discovered a list of Asian cycling adventures which undoubtedly struck a chord somewhere in my imagination.

I had been harboring a wish to take my Ghost Rider cycling companions on an overseas adventure, but my initial efforts had met with limited interest. As I read the e-mail further I was particularly attracted to a tour to the rather exotic soundly Tiger Leaping Gorge in the Chinese Himalaya. Although I had never even heard of Tiger Leaping Gorge, I quickly knew that this would be a ride that I would like to do – after all it combined the two great loves of my life (cycling and high mountains).

Within a couple of days I had learnt a lot more about Tiger Leaping Gorge, including the fact that it is one of the narrowest and deepest gorges on earth. I started to imagine a group of our cyclists riding through the gorge wearing their famous yellow jerseys. Although I was excited about the prospect, I still had the rather daunting proposition of getting at least 10 others to share the adventure with me.

The first step was to notify the members of the Ghost Riders via our regular e-mail newsletter. Almost immediately I had the first keen acceptance, John Green was just as excited as I was and asked me to put his name on the list. Over the next couple of months the number gradually grew as new participants decided that they would also like to be a part of our Tiger Leaping Gorge Adventure. For some the decision was easy, but for others it was much more difficult. The hardest part of any such challenge is not the physical aspect, but the fear of the unknown, of not knowing exactly what to expect once we arrived in China. Since the initial dream had been mine, I also carried the added fear that I could be leading the other participants into a disaster of some magnitude. With 4 months to go we exceeded our target group size with 13 riders signed up and ready to go. A new chapter in all of our lives was about to begin.

Now, as I sit by the pool in Bangkok and recall, my mind is flooded with the vivid memories of the past two weeks. Memories of landing in Kunming , not knowing if anyone would be there to meet us, memories of the first few magical days on the bikes in China, of riding in splendid isolation through almost lunar landscapes, of triumphant cresting of mountain passes, of spectacular views of Snow Dragon Jade Mountain, of crossing the Yangtze River by prehistoric motor ferry, of bone shaking descents over cobble stoned mountain tracks, of the succession of small villages that we passed through each day. But, above all, my most fond memories are of the people we met along our journey. Naomi, our competent and capable tour leader, Cathy the pocket rocket cycle guide, Glen the mechanic with the flip top glasses, of the ever smiling John, the mysterious “Mrs Wu” and of all the dozens of other characters we met along the way.

It is without doubt the journey is far more important than the destination, and it is always people that make any journey so memorable. I am so glad for all those who helped made this adventure so amazing. With any challenge in life it is impossible to convey in words what has to experienced in the flesh, however for the benefit of those readers who have been interested onlookers on our adventure I will endeavour to describe some of the highlights of this trip.

Since the trip was based around cycling it was important to make sure that all our riders were well prepared physically. We spent several months on a series of training rides, mostly involving climbing and mountain biking – skills which we knew we would need once we were underway. The one thing we could not prepare for was the altitude, after all there is simply nowhere in Australia anywhere near the altitude we would be reaching in China.

An added ingredient of uncertainty was that our riders not only came from 3 different states of Australia, but one would be joining us from New Zealand. I knew that this would make communication very difficult since none of us knew how to speak the New Zealand language. The first time we would all be together as a group would be when we arrived in Kunming for the start of the ride. The final group of 13 consisted of 6 men and 7 women with ages ranging from 39 to 68.

The full list of participants was as follows:

Dennis Dawson – IT consultant (Vic)
Donald Ellesmore – University Lecturer (NSW)
Cheryl Leary – Training Consultant (Vic)
Lothar Rockman – retired (Vic)
Annette de Pledge – retired (WA)
Kathleen Ooi – medical doctor (Vic)
Marysia Murray – Nurse (Vic)
Christine Mackay – Veterinary Surgeon (Vic)
Richard Dodd – Industrial IT consultant (Queensland)
Jenifer Rogers (Queensland)
John Dawson – Engineer (Vic)
Martin Delich - Aeronautical Engineer (New Zealand)

Unfortunately for John Green, our first entrant, the China Ride was not to be. John was diagnosed with Leukemia and sadly passed away a couple of months before we were due to depart. In a very real way, a significant part of the motivation behind the ride was to “do it for John”.

After a long and rather turbulent flight from Australia and with a change of planes in Bangkok we finally made it into Kunming airport at about 2 pm in the afternoon. Kunming is a bustling city of some 3 million people situated on the Eastern end of the elevated Tibetan Plateau. After passing through immigration we were all relieved to find a smiling face holding aloft a prominent sign reading “MR WARBY GHOST RIDERS”. We were thus introduced to Michael, who was our first contact in China.

Like so many others we were to meet during our journey, Michael turned out to be an entrepreneur of considerable business acumen, having just returned from his “latest business trip to LA”. He showed us out of the airport to a modern van which was to transport us to our hotel.

The trip from the modest airport to our hotel took only 20 minutes or so and showed us a quick view of an impressive city caught in the middle of a rapid metamorphosis from frontier town to modern, high tech metropolis. When the van turned into the entrance to the Camellia Hotel, I began to realise that my expectations regarding the standard of accommodation in China had not been accurate. I had prepared everyone to expect very basic lodgings with dormitory style sleeping arrangements. On the other hand the Camellia Hotel looked very much like any large hotel you would find in many large cities around the world. The impressive entrance to the Hotel was covered with a prolific display of ivy and flowers.

It was a pleasant surprise to find that all our rooms had private facilities with showers and western style toilets. (In fact we progressively discovered that all our rooms for the whole trip had western toilets). Although we were to soon learn that the facilities did not go quite as far as always including HOT water, it was still a most pleasant way to begin our adventure. The beds turned out to be clean and warm, although the hard mattresses took a little getting used to.

On our arrival at the hotel we were met by Naomi Skinner, the 31 year old part owner of Bike Asia, who was to be our tour leader for this trip. Naomi is originally from Melbourne but has spent the past 6 years living and working in China and speaks very good Mandarin. We soon realized that we were going to be in very competent hands. Throughout the trip she demonstrated time and time again just how well she handled the detailed planning that underpins any successful travel adventure.

With two nights at the Camellia Hotel we would have a free day to spend seeing a little more of this interesting city. Sited at over 1800 metres above sea level, Kunming is blessed with a temperate climate all year round and there is no problem with the high humidity that is so typical of much of South East Asian travel. Broad flat streets make cycling a natural way to travel and it was great to see so many riders using the special cycling lanes which are an integral part of Kunming’s road system. In spite of the dire warnings about the traffic in China, I was impressed to see the orderly and efficient way that traffic flowed each day. There was none of the gridlock that plagues other large cities like central Bangkok with most vehicles were content to travel slowly and surely through the city, albeit with more vigorous horn tooting than we are used to in Australia.

The central section of Kunming boasts an impressive array of modern buildings which, at night, are transformed into a dazzling display of neon lights. In the multicoloured glow of these signs it does not take long to discern the familiar landmarks of Macdonalds, KFC and a host of other western companies.

On our first evening together we shared a meal at the Noodle Palace restaurant, only a short walk from our hotel. We were soon to be shown just how impressive is the volume and quality of the food served in Yunnan Province. A sumptuous dinner for 9 cost us the total of 140 Yuan (about $24 Australian). Just as impressive as the low price of the meal was the fact that the young waitress absolutely refused to accept any form of tip from us. This was a practice we found everywhere we traveled in China.

On our free day in Kunming the group chose to take advantage of Michael’s offer to arrange a tour of some of the city’s highlights. We were loaded up into a couple of vans and set off to the famous Western Mountain. I had been told about this attraction while on the plane trip from Bangkok and was looking forward to seeing it. Situated high on a series of steep cliff faces with an imposing view of the city are a collection of Buddhist temples interconnected by a maze of staircases and tunnels through the rock. After climbing through these dark tunnels you emerge and find yourself in a precarious “crow’s nest” hanging on to the sheer face of the cliff. We started to discuss what we would do in the event of an earthquake and decided that the safest place to be would be in one of the tunnels.

It was also at Western Mountain that confusion with the local currency saw a couple of the female members of our group being taken advantage of by an enterprising toilet attendant. When Michael heard about this he was quite irate and immediately proceeded to make sure that they were charged the correct price.

After Western Mountain we were taken back to the city centre to explore the wonders of some of the local markets. We witnessed an amazing cornucopia of exotic items on sale – including hundreds of turtles, live eels, birds, cats, dogs and other living things of more obscure origin. Scattered throughout was a vast collection of food venders, however I chose to be circumspect by resisting the temptation to try the local food this early in the trip. With the warm sun streaming down, it felt good to be able to just wander the streets and explore the new world we were now in.

In spite of the warnings about the dangers of high altitude I personally never experienced any form of discomfort during the trip although I did have three blood noses within my first 24 hours in Kunming. I suspect that this was not due to the altitude but due to a pre existing condition. In any case, the blood noses disappeared after the first day and were not to trouble me again for the remainder of the trip.

At the end of our second day in Kunming we were to meet the last members of our group. Annette was a sprightly retired farmer from Albany in Western Australia. She had recently returned from a cycling tour of Ireland and was keen to test her cycling legs against the real mountains of the Himalaya. Martin was a 39 year old Aeronautical engineer from Auckland in New Zealand. Thin and muscular, he looked like his legs had done a lot of cycling miles. After learning about the ride through the Internet he was willing to take his chances riding with the Ghost Riders.
Following our time in Kunming we returned to the airport for the short 55 minute flight to Li Jiang. This fascinating town is situated about 400 km from Kunming at an altitude of 2500 metres. Although the original town was largely destroyed in an earthquake in 1996, it has now been faithfully rebuilt to retain the character and distinctive architecture of the Naxi minority group that inhabit this region of China. Unfortunately the majority of the original Naxi inhabitants of the town have now relocated to other cities, but active efforts are being made to preserve the heritage, music and culture of this group.

We were quickly whisked from the new Li Jiang airport to the Guyan Shan Hotel , which was to become our home for the next two days. It was good to see that our arrival must have been expected since we were greeted by a long red carpet which had been laid all the way from the entrance through to the secret courtyard which housed all our rooms. The double rooms were comfortable and clean, although slightly tired looking by western standards. We soon realized that the Chinese penchant for hard beds is apparently universal. In spite of these small inconveniences the setting was something straight out of a romance novel.

On our arrival we were introduced to the rest of the members of our support crew, all of whom were to become such a key part of our adventure over the next 10 days. Cathy was distinctive because of her diminutive (40 kg) size and startling punk style spiky hairstyle. I was also impressed because she always wore brightly coloured Cannondale cycling gear. Cathy was to be our cycling guide, always at the front of the group to show us the correct route.

Glen was our wiry mechanic, indispensable for ongoing maintenance and repair of all our bikes. Each night he could be seen conscientiously tinkering with the bikes, almost always with a cigarette dangling from his mouth. His unusual flip-up glasses gave him something of an insect like appearance as he intently studied each bike.

John seemed to be a crew member without a specific portfolio, assisting with a wide variety of tasks as required, including driving the van, assisting with puncture repairs, directing us the correct way, etc, etc. His most important contribution, however was to smile 24 hours a day. We later found out that his father is one of Kunming’s top heart surgeons.

The final crew member was the enigmatic “Mrs Wu” who was to be the official driver of the support van. She was also in the enviable position of being the part owner of the best bike shop in Kunming. (Many of us were to find out just how useful this was at the end of our trip !)

On our first morning in Li Jiang we were introduced to the bikes which were to become our transportation for the trip. They were solid 27 speed mountain bikes made by HASA, and were equipped with knobby tyres for maximum traction on a wide variety of surfaces.

Riding out of the hotel on our first cycling experience in China was rather daunting, as not only did we have to get acclimatized to riding on the right hand side of the road, but all the horror stories of Chinese traffic fatalities were fresh in our minds. Fortunately Cathy quickly took charge and safely led us all out of Li Jiang, through the crowded market area and soon we were out on quiet rural roads. Since this is the type of cycling that we were most looking forward to , everyone was soon on a cycling high – so thrilled to be finally on the bikes after so much anticipation.

Our first trip was intended to be a familiarization ride to get us prepared for the more serious challenges that would lie ahead. The destination was Lashi Lake at an elevation of 2500 metres and home to untold thousands of migratory water birds. As we rode away the object that captured most of our attention was the spectacular silhouette of Jade Snow Dragon Mountain (Yulong Xue Shan), with its beautiful snow capped 5596 metre peak. This was to become the focal point of our riding for the next few days. A cable car allows tourists to reach over 4500 metres up this mountain and view the glacier at close range. Snow Dragon Mountain is part of the Eastern extremity of the mighty Himalayan Range.

Lunch was held at a quiet spot next to an old Buddhist temple, with plenty of delicious food and snacks to keep everyone satiated. Then it was back on the bikes to complete a quiet circuit back to our hotel. We still had plenty of free time left in the afternoon to explore the historic town centre. Lothar and I decided to head off on our own journey of discovery and soon found ourselves wandering a vast labyrinth of narrow cobble stoned alleys – hopelessly lost. This did not matter, as each corner we turned revealed a new vista to be enjoyed. We spent over an hour wandering the maze before we eventually stumbled back into the familiar tourist part of the Naxi township.

Many of the local Naxi minority people bear a striking resemblance to the Tibetan people I had met in my previous trips to Nepal. They are experts in silverwork, producing an amazing range of intricate silver jewelry, often while you watch. The shops here sell a dazzling array of quality handicrafts which (with a little spirited bargaining) can be purchased for unbelievably low prices. Of course, no trip can be considered really complete without at least some shopping. Over the next 10 days we discovered that, for some of our fellow travelers, shopping actually became almost as important as the cycling.

Since the next day was to be our first day of challenging cycling we all retired to bed early, and then battled to find a comfortable sleeping position on the punishing mattresses. Some later joked that it would have been softer sleeping on the concrete floor.

When touring by bicycle the weather assumes an extremely important role in the overall enjoyment of the experience. We were therefore thrilled to find that the Yunnan Region provides almost perfect cycling conditions at this time of the year. Every day was fine and sunny with top temperatures between 18 to 22C and very low humidity. Not once did we get wet while on the bikes!

Our first task was to ride to the town of Bai Shui He, nestled in the valley between an imposing array of snow capped peaks. Dominating all else was the now familiar shape of Jade Snow Dragon Mountain. The ride involved some strenuous climbing on a range of surfaces, including cobble stoned twisting mountain roads with numerous switchback turns. Although the riding was tough, the roads were quiet and we all had adequate time to stop and enjoy the scenery. I am sure that pure adrenaline helped us all climb more strongly than we might have expected.

As we progressed through the day it seemed that, with each passing kilometre, my stress and worries were left further and further behind me. After so much time spent planning , what a pure joy it was to be finally just turning the cranks and enjoying each new experience. I could not help but feel sorry for those back in Australia who had been too fearful to be a part of our adventure. Even, after only two days of cycling, I knew that this trip was going to be something that all of us would treasure for the rest of our lives. How privileged I felt to be able to be a part of it.

Just as everything seemed to be going so well, fate stepped in to bring me back to reality with a crash. My lack of mountain bike skills was reinforced on a particularly demanding section of loose gravel when my front wheel suddenly developed a mind all of its own. Soon I was sitting in the dust examining my arm for scratches. Fortunately no permanent harm was done and I was back underway a little wiser for the experience. It did give me a chance to pause and examine my surroundings. At this point we were riding through a rocky flat expanse surrounded on almost all sides by a ring of towering mountains. The quietness was overwhelming and for a while I was almost intoxicated with the sheer pleasure of being able to ride through such a magical place.

After riding this section we were amazed to come across a perfectly straight and smooth bitumen highway, with not a vehicle in sight as far as the eye could see. I daydreamed that one day I would return to this spot and ride that road on my Cannondale road bike. What fun that would be.

The road to Bai Shui He involves climbing a succession of high mountain passes but the final few kilometres rewarded us with an exhilarating fast descent. For those of our riders who love high speed, this gave them a good chance to let off steam as they careered down the winding road to the town. With its famous blue lake and its mountain setting Bai Shui He could be compared to many towns in the European Alps.

On arrival at our hotel Lothar and I were thrilled to find that we had been allocated a room on the third floor with an unbelievable view of the surrounding mountains. Not so welcome was the discovery that the hotel (like most Chinese rural hotels) had no lifts, leaving us to manhandle our luggage up 3 flights of stairs. Hot water was also not on the menu, however the rest of the surroundings more than compensated for these minor inconveniences.

Back at the Bai Shui He hotel, the now all too familiar hard beds were waiting for us after dinner. I was slowly perfecting the new nocturnal skill of switching from side to side every 30 minutes or so, to prevent one side from becoming numb. I guess we all learn to adapt quickly to such disturbances to our familiar lifestyles. At least we still had western style toilets and boy was that a pleasant surprise. We also found that when we returned to our rooms the hot water was flowing, enabling us to enjoy a hot shower.Leer más