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22 Nov 2017
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Join Date: Jan 2011
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Once you descend you ride about 30 km again across the flat valley bottom and then thru several small villages. The last 30 km is again uphill and with some switchback and peek a boo views of Everest. There is a ticket check point and then about 3 km from the end of the road (to where tourist are allowed to drive to) there is another Police passport checkpoint. Then its the last few km with a spectacular view of the mountain. The road ends at a gravel lot surrounded by small tent restaurants.
 Everest-34 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
We had some noodle soup in one of the tents and then walked 200 m to the “monument” that marks the altitude for a group shot. The guides then headed slowly back now at 230 and we will meet them at the check point at Tingri.
 IMG_0206 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Everest-19 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Everest-22 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
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23 Nov 2017
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23 Nov 2017
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Check out our video from the ride to base camp!
https://youtu.be/yr5BVNR1dLA
Still can not get the embed video link to work on HU!
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24 Nov 2017
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We did not need to stop at any of the checks for 100 km until Tingri. On the way back we ran into a Vietnamese guy on a tour with ride Asia. His guides bike was in the back of the truck looking thrashed from a car crash. We had no issues at the check point and we passed our guides about 5 km before so they did not have to wait long for us. The line up coming the other direction was insane!
https://youtu.be/TZW5KeBtjvk
In town we went to the gas station and we are getting better at guessing the exact volume of gas we will need. Back at the hotel we put the bikes up on the stands and Dan did his daily once around check that all seems ok. NOT there is a serious issue with the shock on the 650 GS. The shock has snapped off the bottom aluminum shaft and is now swinging free. It must have just let go with the force to get the bike on the stand. WTF do we do now in this tiny village. Well luckily the guides had already made inquires about a truck for Orvar’s bike as he says he will not ride it back over the pass at 5236m. They found a guy with a truck in “Old Tingri” 60 km away thru a fixer. We negotiated him down from 3200 RNB to 2500 (500$). This includes loading and securing 2 bikes, hotel tonight and tomorrow in Shigatze, fuel, and delivering the bikes 250 km away, and returning 310 km home. We still have the same issue of the road closure and we loaded the bikes tonight as we need to pass the Tingri check point before 630 am.
 Tibet Everest by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
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24 Nov 2017
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We were up and out and at the check point for 630 and the truck with the bikes had gone earlier and was thru already. It is 3 degrees when we left town and minus 6 at the top of the pass. Dan said he had to stop and take his gloves off and put his hand down into his pants just to get them warm enough to keep going.
 IMG_0238 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
Luckily it was soon 8 degrees on the down side as the sun was now up. We had 90 km to go of the construction zone and we met Trevor and Dan at the check point at 8 am. They had been cruising, but only beat us by 10 min and the bikes on the truck arrived shortly after us. It was all downhill 150 km to Shigatze and we met the guys at the edge of town.
We were at the same hotel and there was no good spot to unload the bikes, but luckily there is a construction site next door and a bunch of the men there helped to lift the bikes out. Then to get the shock out! Not as easy as it seems as the top bolt is bent. We could unscrew it and release the fitting, but could not thread the bolt thru. So brute force and repeated whacking with a pipe on the socket extender did the job. Lunch was a quick beef noodle soup across the street. Also for a well deserved  .
 Tibet Shigatse-3 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
Dan and Trevor, the driver ,and the Tibet guide spend 3 hours driving around to find someone to weld for us and also to find a new top bolt. They wrapped the shock in wet towels during the weld, but we are worried about the seal.
Bathroom at the welders
 Tibet Shigatse-2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
The install was smooth a silk and we hope then weld will do the job. The seal seems OK so far. We went back to the same place for dinner and Mr Tang came thru again with a great meal. The owner gave us a huge discount as well (dinner is usually 35-50 RMB each and tonight with this huge meal it was 25).
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24 Nov 2017
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We only gave 93 km to go today to Gyangze (Me la) at 3977 m and so we got to sleep in and leave after breakfast at just after 9.
 Screen Shot 2017-10-06 at 21.32.35 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
We came down to the bike and unfortunately there is a small pool of shock oil. The weld seems good, but the shock was spewing oil one we got going. Not much we can do now. We will try the bicycle inner tube and tie down trick to try to get out of China. We will contact YSS Germany thru the dealer we used there and see what they can do for us. So far this shock has cost us 1400$ including purchase price, shipping, truck transport, and welding. It has been stellar otherwise especially the height.
We set off and kept the speed to 90 km for the ride today. Arriving to the city they would not sell us gas at the first station at the edge of town. We were directed to THE station in the city center that motorcycles can buy gas at and told us we would need to register with the police to be able to get gas there. At the station there was a line of 10 guys at the pump and the side of the lot was full of bikes. The computer system was down and who knows when it will be back up. So to the hotel is and we will try in the morning.
 Tibet_-2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
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24 Nov 2017
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We arrived to the Yeti hotel, which again looks like a disaster on the outside , but it is lovely inside.
 IMG_0244 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
We contacted Wolfgang in Germany who had purchased and shipped the shock to us. He contacted the distributor, who contacted YSS and explained the situation, and Tomas at Twowheel got back to us with the Bangkok head office contact within an hour. This is Friday afternoon of course. We contacted YSS and they got back to us within 3 hours that they would send us an express post new shock ANYWHERE and ASAP. Wow amazing service. The issue for us is we need to sort out whether we can have this shipped to China (not likely or long delay with duty involved) or more likely to northern Laos.
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24 Nov 2017
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24 Nov 2017
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It is a bit unique as it houses three different sects of Buddhism together. It was founded in the 1400’s. It boasts the largest Stupah in Tibet.
 Tibet Gyangze-5 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Tibet Gyangze-6 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Tibet Gyangze-7 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Tibet Gyangze-8 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Tibet Gyangze-9 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Tibet Gyangze-10 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Tibet Gyangze-11 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Tibet Gyangze-12 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Tibet Gyangze-18 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
The fortress was nicely lit up at night.
 Tibet Gyangze-20 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
And at sunrise!
 Tibet Gyangze-21 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
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25 Nov 2017
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Well we are at a new low for theta today! Trevor is unable to even get out of bed this morning with the spasms and pain in his back. He is in agony. We really have no choice but to get him moving or we will have to make up the km tomorrow. We loaded him up with Advil and Flexeril and after 2 hours he could walk to the van. The guides spent that 2 hours trying to find a truck for his bike with no luck. Mr Tang has agreed to ride it the 310 km to Shannan (Lhoka) he even fits into all of Trevor’s gear.
 Screen Shot 2017-10-09 at 18.29.13 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
Mr Tang did buy his own helmet in Lhasa after the Orvar experience. This means we left the hotel at 1030 instead of 830 and we still had an additional 30 min just to get gas.
 Frame-19-10-2017-15-41-56 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Frame-19-10-2017-15-43-01 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Tibet_-19 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
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25 Nov 2017
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Well WE THOUGHT we had hit rock bottom as a team 3 hours ago, but that was until 10 km from town when the weld let go on the 650! Sara pulled over immediately when she felt the clunk. To be honest she is totally demoralized right now and actually burst into heart broken tears. WTF do we do now. Stuck on the side of the road with an un-drivable bike and 10 days from the Chinese border with Laos. We had already tried unsuccessfully to hire a truck for Trevor. The guides think it will be impossible here in Tibet for any amount of money. The truck drivers simply don’t want to do it.
Dan has an idea! Mr Tang to the rescue as he agreed if we measured the bike we could try to put it in the van. No issue with the windscreen off and the bars dropped. We siphoned off the fuel we had just put in and lifted Lulu into the van, settled her on the side stand and packed all the other gear to support her.
 Tibet_-3 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Tibet_-4 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Tibet_-5 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Tibet_-6 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Tibet_-7 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Tibet_-8 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
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Check the RAW segments; Grant, your HU host is on every month!
Episodes below to listen to while you, err, pretend to do something or other...
2020 Edition of Chris Scott's Adventure Motorcycling Handbook.
"Ultimate global guide for red-blooded bikers planning overseas exploration. Covers choice & preparation of best bike, shipping overseas, baggage design, riding techniques, travel health, visas, documentation, safety and useful addresses." Recommended. (Grant)
Ripcord Rescue Travel Insurance™ combines into a single integrated program the best evacuation and rescue with the premier travel insurance coverages designed for adventurers.
Led by special operations veterans, Stanford Medicine affiliated physicians, paramedics and other travel experts, Ripcord is perfect for adventure seekers, climbers, skiers, sports enthusiasts, hunters, international travelers, humanitarian efforts, expeditions and more.
Ripcord travel protection is now available for ALL nationalities, and travel is covered on motorcycles of all sizes!
What others say about HU...
"This site is the BIBLE for international bike travelers." Greg, Australia
"Thank you! The web site, The travels, The insight, The inspiration, Everything, just thanks." Colin, UK
"My friend and I are planning a trip from Singapore to England... We found (the HU) site invaluable as an aid to planning and have based a lot of our purchases (bikes, riding gear, etc.) on what we have learned from this site." Phil, Australia
"I for one always had an adventurous spirit, but you and Susan lit the fire for my trip and I'll be forever grateful for what you two do to inspire others to just do it." Brent, USA
"Your website is a mecca of valuable information and the (video) series is informative, entertaining, and inspiring!" Jennifer, Canada
"Your worldwide organisation and events are the Go To places to for all serious touring and aspiring touring bikers." Trevor, South Africa
"This is the answer to all my questions." Haydn, Australia
"Keep going the excellent work you are doing for Horizons Unlimited - I love it!" Thomas, Germany
Lots more comments here!
Diaries of a compulsive traveller
by Graham Field
Book, eBook, Audiobook
"A compelling, honest, inspiring and entertaining writing style with a built-in feel-good factor" Get them NOW from the authors' website and Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk.
Back Road Map Books and Backroad GPS Maps for all of Canada - a must have!
New to Horizons Unlimited?
New to motorcycle travelling? New to the HU site? Confused? Too many options? It's really very simple - just 4 easy steps!
Horizons Unlimited was founded in 1997 by Grant and Susan Johnson following their journey around the world on a BMW R80G/S.
Read more about Grant & Susan's story
Membership - help keep us going!
Horizons Unlimited is not a big multi-national company, just two people who love motorcycle travel and have grown what started as a hobby in 1997 into a full time job (usually 8-10 hours per day and 7 days a week) and a labour of love. To keep it going and a roof over our heads, we run events all over the world with the help of volunteers; we sell inspirational and informative DVDs; we have a few selected advertisers; and we make a small amount from memberships.
You don't have to be a Member to come to an HU meeting, access the website, or ask questions on the HUBB. What you get for your membership contribution is our sincere gratitude, good karma and knowing that you're helping to keep the motorcycle travel dream alive. Contributing Members and Gold Members do get additional features on the HUBB. Here's a list of all the Member benefits on the HUBB.
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helps answer the question - Why Go? Inspirational stories by veteran travellers Greg Frazier (5 times RTW), Peter and Kay Forwood (193 countries), Tiffany Coates (Mongolia Mayhem) and Rene Cormier (University of Gravel Roads).
Get Ready! covers planning, paperwork, medical and many other topics! "Inspirational and Awesome!" See the trailer here!
What stuff do I need - riding gear, clothing, camping gear, first aid kit, tires, maps and GPS? What don't I need? How do I pack it all in? Lots of opinions from over 150 travellers!
break down language barriers, overcome culture shock, ship the bike and deal with breakdowns and emergencies."Just makes me want to pack up and go!" See the trailer here!
Grant demystifies the black art of Tire Changing and Repair to help you STAY on the road! "Very informative and practical." See the trailer here!
Ladies on the Loose! For the first time ever, a motorcycle travel DVD made for women, by women! These intrepid women share their tips to help you plan your own motorcycle adventure. They also answer the women-only questions, and entertain you with amazing tales from the road! Presented by Lois Pryce, veteran solo traveller through South America and Africa and author of 'Lois on the Loose', and 'Red Tape and White Knuckles.'
Cotton or synth sweat-wicking t-shirts with the cool Horizons Unlimited graphic on the front and a snappy slogan (changing every year) on the back.
Show your route on your panniers. Great conversation starter when you meet people on the road!
Motorcycle and travel books to inspire and inform you!
The definitive guide to planning your motorcycle adventure! This insanely ambitious 2-year project has produced an informative and entertaining 5-part, 18 hour video series. "The ultimate round the world rider's how-to!" MCN UK.
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