Enter Tibet

D6: was a rest day, organizing my bags and gear, cleaning the bike, and meeting the guide/driver. I enjoy my 4+2, but it’s been me doing the driving and having the flexibility to do my own planning. This is quite different, a regimented itinerary, permits, and a guide with you. It’s also not the cheapest or most sustainable way of traveling, but it’s the only way I get to see Tibet, and I’ve wanted to visit for some time. Deqen has nothing to report, a town of people coming in and out to see Meili Mountain, which this time I did not really bother to check out.

D7: S:4 R: 0 to 5 H:3.
Packed the car and set off. I took the back little route and the driver the main G214. A lovely little climb on back road and then nice long descent along the Mekong. Blown uphill with the Upper Mekong tailwind :). A 15km construction section, and then entered Tibet. That was straightforward enough and took 2 minutes. Mr. Niu (the guide/driver) took us down to an interesting salt mining town on the river. Worth the visit and then a few km later I arrived at the massive new hot spring vineyard, which was a bit of luxury for the remainder of the day. Shame I cannot really drink the wine due to the cycling, a bad mix, especially at altitude.

Supporters: A great thanks to the companies and individuals who support me; wildhomestay for my logistics, Specialized for my bikes, SRAM for my components, Coros for my gps navigation, rekkiworks for my custom luggage, chinabasetravel for my Tibet travel support and Outopia, thenorthface, and lululemon for my apparel & gear!