Date: Monday 9th August 2010

Bill is 60 today, and we plan lamb roast for dinner, to celebrate this milestone.

Guess what this guy is having for dinner - Yak head!

Just after leaving Nagqu, we have a police stop. Here we have to register our time and 36kms later check into another police check as a speed check.

We have to do the 36km in more than ½ hour. Finally a road that you can travel on and cover some distance and it is not allowed!

Then another 96 kms to Amdo to do in 2 hours under time control.

After Amdo it is still reasonable black top that as always bounces up and down from the permafrost.

Along the road are conductors to help keep the ice unfrozen below ground.

Another truck accident.

At our first pass at 5,180meters the mountains in front are covered with snow. The clouds are dark and rain looks imminent.

Not rain but sleet and hail fell ferociously from the sky covering everything in a blanket of white.

The highest pass we will cover is Tangualla Pass at 5,280meters this is where we leave Tibet and enter the Chinese province of Qinghai.

Snow capped mountains surround us.

Only 30 minutes later we are stopped by a line of trucks 1/2km long – more road construction.

We move towards the front of the trucks where the private vehicles are waiting.

There is an easy pass through but nobody is allowed to pass. The police come through from the other side however the construction is done by the army and the police and army guys have a very verbal argument. The army must be higher than the police and the police retreat.

We also notice that the army drivers of the machinery have been told to get their batons from the vehicles and they walk around ready for action.

Just as we are allowed to move something happens between a private vehicle and the army guys. A lady also with baton in hand is screaming to the army people. Their car is in front of ours and there is quite a commotion. Finally we are directed to drive around the car whilst the verbal battle continues.

On the far side are 38 trucks and 25 cars waiting all un-necessary because with a bit of organisation the bypassing was possible. The army was just making a point, and I think, thus the argument.

2 hours we waited.

This lady spins 2 prayer wheels in Yanshipping– that must be twice as good.

Camp is by the China-Tibet rail line and these ‘security’ workers join us for a hello complete with police bike and loud music.

Unfortunately no lamb roast  for Bill’s Birthday it is raining.

Camp 64: China-Tibet Railway Camp -4,700 meters

Highest Altitude Today: 5,280 meters

Distance Today: 334 Kms    

Total Distance: 11494 Kms

N33* 38.030  E92* 04.155

Date: Tuesday 10th August 2010

The China –Tibet railway is an engineering masterpiece at a cost of US$ 4.5 billion.

Travelling on the Tibet plateau, rolling hills with sheep and yak herders.

More road construction and muddy bypasses.

We are some of the only vehicles to use this.

Others follow, both trucks and 2 wheel drive cars soon become bogged.

Herds of gazelle grazing by the road.

Highway 109 has been good travelling with speeds of 80kph.

At Budongquan we turn off for what we believe will be 400km of tracks through ‘national park’ Thus we top up our fuel tanks from plastic drums. Just in case.

A strange roadside stop town.

Wide open spaces with Yaks grazing.

Camp 65: Green Valley Camp -4,400 meters

Distance Today: 455 Kms     

Total Distance: 11,994 Kms

N34* 56.320  E94* 42.625

Date: Wednesday 11th August 2010

Still cold and raining and we start the day with porridge, even Andy is enjoying it, as a change from his normal Rice porridge.

Many high mountain passes and the road is covered with wet dark silt.

The road side toilet facilities just are not to be used.

Just a hole in the floor to the creek below!

The town of Qumalai is very different, particularly the woman, who wore vibrant outfits and decorative hats.

As usual the locals found us as ‘interesting’ as we found them.

The prayer wheels are still in active use.

Another road construction blockage and we find a very steep way around- no one follows us for this one.

They try but turn back!

Travelling only a few kilometres and again road closure until 8pm thus a decision is made to camp here just off the road near a derelict farm house. Naturally we have our usual visitors; this is part of the road crew.

Rain is still happening intermittently but lamb roast is on the menu and all hands on deck. There had been no trees or timber for days now however we purchased some a couple of days ago and have been also collecting broken bits of wood we found on the road.

Finally lamb roast is enjoyed in the old farm house with a bottle of red.

Camp 66: Roast Lamb Camp -4,100 meters

Distance Today: 252 Kms     

Total Distance: 12,201 Kms

N33* 57.835  E96* 22.530

Date: Thursday 12th August 2010

Sun finally has come out as we climb more mountain passes.

And back above the clouds.

4,690 meters

Sometimes it is just too much for the trucks and they just have to lie down for a rest.

Eagle nest on a sign post using yak hair and old prayer flag parts.

Wild donkeys.

Finally we turn north on highway 214 and head towards Madoi. The road is good travelling with speeds in between following the trucks at 90kph.

In Madoi I purchased our souvenir prayer wheel from a religious trader as a memento of our travels in Tibet.

Camped just outside a small village where Andy found some accommodation we are visited by these two security guards.

They were very happy to join us for coffee.

Camp 67: Granite Outcrop Camp -4,200 meters

Distance Today: 396 Kms    

Total Distance: 12,598 Kms

N35* 07.112 E98* 52.706

Date: Friday 13th August 2010

A big road travel day but the road is finally good and eventually a divided toll road into Xining the capital of this province. Our height is now almost back to normal at 2,300 meters.

A small effort to stop some of the carnage on the road. The Chinese drivers lack any road sense, constantly take chances and are completely and totally inconsiderate.

Another truck lying down on the job.

As we reach Xining the toll roads offer some good travelling.

However in the city the traffic is crazy.

Chinese traffic lights we learn are just an indication of what to do!

This round-a-bout was fun; at least in the bigger truck – might has right!

Camp is in the car park at the Great Silver Pagoda or Kumbun Monastery. Built in 1379 this Tibetan monastery means ‘A Hundred Thousand Budda Images roaring like a Lion’

This is the birth place of the Yellow Sect of Buddism.

The late afternoon was walking the hundreds of tourist shops selling mostly tourist junk to the Chinese tourists. Nice to watch someone else be hassled to “buy this.”

Camp 68: Kumbun Car Park Camp -2,600 meters

N36* 29.316 E101* 34.234

Distance Today: 426 Kms     Total Distance: 13,024 Kms