Leaving Sakya on the way back to the road we were six and the showdown with the hordes of kids began. This time we coordinated our efforts with two riding up behind to close the escape route for the kids as the ones in front turned to chase. Armed with our own rocks we showered them in the crossfire. The adults looking on in amazed amusement as we chased the boys and girls through the fields.

I feel sorry for the next group of cyclists to pass this village!

Deciding this should be on video we stopped a big group and handed them rocks and told them to throw them at us as  we rode by. Baffled they just stood there in silence as we rode by for the camera.

Our reward for the day was a visit to the hot springs a few km’s along the road. Full of Chinese in their underware and a few naked Tibetans Kath took the pressure off by going in topless thus we white scrawny felows could bath without interested eyes. A few beers and the hot water made for a pleasant afternooon. see video (mpg 202kb)

In Lhatse, our days end we bumped into Filipe who showed us the cheapest accommodation in town 10 yuan. This was the last stop before the big 5250 meter pass so we prepared with a few shots of brandy.

With Filipe joining us we set off. The pass itself was a long 30 km sharp uphill along the course of a mountain stream. We made it with a little help from some Tibetan sheep farmers who we stopped to take pictures of because of the funky fur hats they were wearing. Huge tall hats with colorful silk lining. They wanted to ride our bikes so we let them, but not used to the granny gear we were in they decided pushing was easier and pushed quicker than we could walk.

At the top we were confronted with a collection of tourists and their 4WD jeeps that are worse than the kids on the road throwing up dust into your face as they accelerate past you horns blaring leaving mm between you and them. The tourists appologised more thn the drvers would ever do. Once when Kath was hit head on by a speeding jeep the driver got out to tell her she was swerving., then leaving her sprawled in the snow drove of in a cloud of dust.

The view was great but with darkness close we began the freezing decent. Twenty km and no village still high on the side of a mountain we saw a road repair housing unit and approached them for accomadation. They refused but just around the corner we saw the new accomadation unit. Half built but one part had windows so we camped inside. Spotted by the workers they came for payment. 30yuan a night each!!! We’ll sleep outside !! After sharing a few biscuits they allowed us to sleep in the building site for free.

Downhill to Shegar with Everest in the background, but still two mountain passes of over 5200m to go in the 90km that separated us.

Everest basecamp trail is one of the all time best, hardest, coldest, most demanding, beautiful and rewarding mountain bike trails. The road goes up from 4000 to 5200 meters along the bumpest rockiest track where wheels slide and slip. Sometimes  just a path where the larger of the boulders have been cleared to the side even with no bags we had to get of and walk at times. But from the top ….. the top of the world. Everest and all the Himalayas greet you their white peaks dazzle. Down to the deep valley through little villages etching a living from farmland on the brown rocky seemingly infertile hills. Kids sprint from the fields to beg frrom you as you ride through. This land is grand canyon like in it’s bleak harsh beauty. The arrival at Tashi Zom the halfway village is like arrival in paradise …full menus and comfy beds in friendly family run hotels. (Sunshine being the best)

The trek from Tashi to Rong bu the monastry village at base camp is apainfully hard 50km climb. First through the grassy vally then up the gorge. 10km of snowbound hell! Everest looking down on you as you stuggle up through a muddy snowy path. With the sun going in behind the hills the temperature dropped like a stone. Soon the mud was frozen then the wheels on the bike froze dragging the bikes with feet numb we stopped a passing jeep to tell them if we don’t get in by 9 oclock come and get us. We locked the bikes and went on on foot. Then out of the darkness headlights of a truck with a tourist on the back.

"We came to save you"

"But its only 8 o clock and what about my pride" I thought.

We were 800 meters from Rongbuk and he had paid 500 yuan for the truck! we paid the money feeling greviously ripped off.

The morning showed us Everest up close but my mood was such that I just wanted to get down. Downhill on snow is a different thing altogether . Skidding downwards at highspeed falling into the snow made up for the bad luck the night before. What had taken 5 hours uphill took one down and we were soon back on the grasslands of the sunny valley. Stopping for lunch we saw a familiar siloette come out of the sunshine,

"Rich why are you walking?"

Bad luck for us all on this trek Rich’s bike frame had snapped. So he was travelling with a group of Germans who had a sag wagon to carry their kit.

Two days saw us back to Sagar and on the road to Tingri. Dan and Kath went for the snowbound pass that is a shortcut avoiding the back track. Tingri is a great little place fiull of guesthouses and good Tibetan food. A few km out there is a little hot springs at Tsamda where we stopped a night. The Tibetans we discovered treat it like a night club and men and women with their kids bathe together in the hot pool singing in chorus in fabulous harmony their Tibetan songs in the darkness.

From here to the border only one pass, we felt it was almost over but the pass was the hardest yet.
First a modrerate climb for 60km then from the little guesthoues at the foot a climb. 20km up the icy cold mountain with snow on either side and the snot on the end of your nose freezing into iceciles that drop onto the floor. Even the drinking water freezes. At the top its not over still a second pass to go. Down for 8km then up for 8km Now exhausted in the snow impossible to ride in the mud Even the white peaks all around don’t make you feel good. Screaming obsenities did help though but the chinese in the trucks that passed by looked at me funny.

The last pass phew then down to Nepal….NO!
Down for twenty km flat for 10km up for 5 km down up etc all in snow Rongbuk revisted as the darkness came a roadworkers housing unit the only refuge.

"Please let us stay!!"
"Yes , come in"

A family living in one room invited us into their warm place . We sat by the fire ooked our noodles and handed outall the spare food we had left. They let us sleep in their beds and dissappeared to another place at night. The cost for their saving us 10yuan each.

5;45 we stopped to take some pictures then to the border post for entry to the promised land.

"It’s too late the border closes at six" the unsmiling  Chinese border guard told us.

"No it’s not showing his watch filipe showed it was 5:55" the Chinese border guard showed us his watch 5:57

"The border is closed" Then up he got and left us tostew.

We found a cheap guesthouse with a view and relaxed. A young man who had been helping us with the bikes and luggage came to sit with us in our room. Soon he told us his story. He was off tonight to Nepal. He had paid 1300yuan for passage along the river that cascades down to the border. Then the 137 km on foot to Katmandu. :Lifting his baseball hat to reveal his shaved head he told us he was a monk from Qinghai he was attempting to escape to India and would have to negotiate Nepali checkpoints on the way as well as the Chinese border. His main reasons for going.. See the Dalai Lama and to learn English.

Next day our easy passage through the border. No problem and we were decending into Nepal. The border is like like a huge chasm the change so great. Nepali people so different in their mannerisms and way of life and so many people! No longer one small village in 20 km but 10 big ones with farmhouses all the way.