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A Giant List of Tips in No Particular Order for 2012 Silk Route Riders




I learned a lot of things on my scouting trip to China.  Here is a random assortment you may find helpful if you are joining us on our Silk Route Bike Tour.  These tips obviously apply to China. I'll share some tips for the other 6 countries we'll be riding through later on.

-Shanghai has two airports.  One is largely domestic, the other largely international (but not exclusively).  Be sure you know which one you fly into because they are 30 km apart.
 
-Most of our hotels in China do not have laundry service.  Local laundries require 24 hours to wash your clothes. 

-Don’t ever stop in middle of a road/bike path, unless you are fond of being run over by an electric scooter.

-Bring a bell or horn.  A really loud one. Also bring mirror and handlebar bag that has a map case.

-Wean yourself off of coffee before coming.  Get used to drinking tea. 



-Carry the name of each hotel we stay in written in Mandarin with you each day. Believe me, at some point this will save your ass.  Especially if you follow the advice at the end of this list.

-Internet in most of the hotels we stay in is cable only, no wifi, so iPad and Mac Air users are out of luck

-If you enter your hotel and the lights don’t work it is because you didn’t insert your key card into the automatic cut off switch at the door.
 
-Hotels charge for dirty towels and sheets.  A lot.  They will check your room thoroughly before you check out. So don't clean your bike with a towel and don't steal anything.



-SIM cards and phones are cheap in Shanghai, you should plan on getting one.

-Every time you take a cab take a picture of the cab’s ID and phone number, just in case you forget something.

-You will have to carry your bags upstairs at most hotels in China so pack accordingly.

-Always carry toilet paper. (this is a good rule for all our tours actually).

-If you don’t like noodles, I hope you like rice.



-Drink bottled water or boiled water.  A lot of the water is not safe to drink.

-Learn to use chopsticks. Long chopsticks were easier for me to use than short ones. Wooden ones were easier to use than plastic or metal. I've heard the reusable plastic chopsticks restaurants use are rarely cleaned well so its best to use the disposable ones or bring your own.

-Buy a filter mask for dust and smog (if you have allergies or asthma take extra precautions)

-No skinny tires.  All tires should be 28mm or wider.  You've been warned.

And Finally: Get lost! It’s fun and China is very safe and fun to explore.  Just get found again before I have to come looking for you!

Well there you go.  I told you they were assorted!  More coherent info about preparing for the Silk Route Bike Tour coming soon, including a food decoder and some awesome language tips. 

Been to China?  Have some tips of your own?  Love to hear them in the comments.

Paul


Images via Wikipedia


 

Posted December 31, 2011 by Paul McManus
News Briefs | Ramblings | Tour Updates 		Btn_share_twitter Btn_share_facebook


6 Quick Links: Silk Route 2012




I read a lot of things about the Silk Route these days.  Here is a selection of a few posts from my favorite travel bloggers and one bonus link I think is just a neat idea.  If you like what you read, please let these bloggers know in the comments.

Turkish Recipies - From the Expat blog Turkeys for Life.  These guys post some great pics and stories with insights from their lives in Turkey.http://www.turkeysforlife.com/2011/12/turkish-food-recipes-2011-favourites.html

Tehran Markets, in Pictures - From Angela Corrias at Chasing the Unexpectedhttp://www.chasingtheunexpected.com/2011/10/tehran-in-pictures-local-markets-and-sweets-shops/

Beautiful Panoramic Photo of Shah-e-Cheragh Mosque in Shiraz, Iran - from Uncornered Market, check out all their posts, the pictures are fantastic!http://www.uncorneredmarket.com/2011/12/shah-cheragh-mosque-shiraz-panorama/


           Karakol Lake - photo by Christine McDonald

Cycling the Pamir Highway - 10 Questions with Christine McDonald on Travelling Two's blog.  Great stories and advice from people who have been there and done that. http://travellingtwo.com/resources/10questions/pamir-highway

Video of Turpan, China - Not a travel blog but a series of videos from the Silk Road Music Project.  Part 10 of a series. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6sEWIKW15Ss&feature=youtube_gdataBonus Link:

The Worlds Cheapest (and lightest?) Multi Tool for bike repair - DIY -http://www.biketinker.com/2011/projects/worlds-cheapest-multi-tool/

Posted December 29, 2011 by Paul McManus
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China Silk Route Scouting Photos




Silk Route Tour Leader Paul McManus took some nice photos while scouting the new route from Shanghai to Xi'an. Check them out here, here and here.

Posted December 24, 2011 by Paul McManus
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Black Boogers and Shaolin Priests




Right now I am wearing gloves in my hotel room just outside Dengfeng, China. The 70 CNY ($10) hotel we’ve chosen for the tour might be lacking a few of the finer things (like heat) but it does have one advantage, it is located 300 meters from the gate of the famous Shaolin Temple, birthplace of KungFu. 

I’m here scouting the new route of the 2012 Silk Route Bike Tour.  In 2012 the tour will run East to West (a much better direction) and it will start in Shanghai and finish in Istanbul. 

Fortunately for us when we bike through here on tour in 2012 the weather will be warm so the heat will not be a problem.  And the hotel is not without its charms.  It is run by a very nice Chinese family and has hot showers and internet.  The restaurant downstairs serves a wicked stir fired rabbit, complete with paws and face  (it’s surprisingly hard to eat a rabbit when you’re looking at its cooked face). 



Why do Monks a Priests Always put their temples at the top of a Mountain?

The ride into Dengfeng is a long one, about 150 km with a few good hills to finish the day (I know how much riders just love it when camp is at the top of a long climb).  The Temple is surrounded by mountains, a welcome relief from the rest of eastern china, which has been pathetically flat thus far.  The Shaolin Temple is located only 300 meters from our hotel and riders will have plenty of time to visit it in the morning before our short ride of 60 km to our rest day in Luoyang

Figuring I could see the Shaolin Temple when I return on tour, I took some time to climb to another nearby temple, the Songshan Temple.  The hotel owner told me it was difficult to get to but really that only made we want to do it more.  In my experience the more difficult something is to get to, the more rewarding the experience usually is.



Stair Master

A six kilometer long flight of stairs leads to the temple.  It was tough.  My guide dropped off after about a km of climbing.  I told him I would only go a little further then come back, I think we both new I was lying.  I wanted to reach the top. 

After about 2 kms the route begins to hug the mountain side, dip under rock ledges and cross some impressive gorges.   I felt a little like Frodo climbing to Mordor, save for the big fiery eye at the top. I was alone on the steps at seven in the morning and for two hours I climbed without seeing or hearing anyone but the wind and birds (a real treat after two weeks in China, which is never quiet). 

At the top the Temple was under renovation.  The grounds were full of stone cutters and carpenters hard at work in the chill air.  The temple itself was pretty impressive.  But more impressive were these guys. 

In the video it’s hard to see, but what you are witnessing is a group of about 15 men trying to drag what must be a 500 kg brass bell up to the top of the mountain.  And all the while that they are trying to heave this thing up one step at a time other men are passing them with 50 kg sacks of sand on their heads!  Made me feel a little silly for being winded at all. 



500 Yards of Foulness

"Andy crawled to freedom through five hundred yards of shit-smelling foulness I can't even imagine. Or maybe I just don't want to." -  Morgan Freeman in Shawshank Redemption

Before reaching Dengfeng riders will have to cycle through the city of Gao Zhou and I imagine that quote will resonate with them more than ever. 

Gao Zhou is perhaps one of the dirtiest cities I have ever visited in my life.  The streets are muddy and the air is filled with cement and coal dust from half dozen mines and factories that surround the city.  Everything is coated in a thick grey layer of dust. The landscape has been stripped bare in China’s search for resources to build the infrastructure to support 20% of the world’s population.  The dry air, mixed with all that dust gives you some pretty epic boogers. 

But riding through the city will only take an hour of so and soon the mountains that surround the Temples near Dengfeng will come into view and the road will improves. You climb into the mountains past centuries old temples and parks and up to the Shaolin Temple where a giant statue of a Monk greets you and humbles you.

All in all, I think it will be a pretty good day of riding. 

Here are some more photos of the area:
















Posted December 15, 2011 by Paul McManus
China | Ramblings 		Btn_share_twitter Btn_share_facebook


Woof! Woof! A dog's life in Turkmenistan.




The rather eccentric leader of Turkmenistan, Saparmurat Niyazov, (who renamed months of the year after himself and members of his family) may have passed away in 2006 but his successor, Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, is staying in character by keeping a close eye on the country's dog population.



The statue of Saparmurat Niyazov (pictured above) was designed so that his face turned and followed the sun on its journey across the sky.

Visit this intriguing country on a bicycle by joining the 2012 Silk Route.

Thanks to Paul Davison for sending us this story.

Posted December 09, 2011 by Tour d'Afrique Ltd.
News Briefs | Ramblings | Turkmenistan 		Btn_share_twitter Btn_share_facebook