I also met up with Mike from Cornwall, he is travelling north too having started in Puerto Montt in Chile some 2000k south of Mendoza. He is ultra-light and a much smaller rider than me. I felt obliged to cut my load to the bone in light of the fact that I am some five kilos over my ideal weight and I would be carting 5 kilos more than Mike. He weighs 10 kilos lighter than me and is a pretty gnarly rider having raced 1st-cat before doing mostly long time trials in recent years. I don't doubt my own ability but some of these passes will be quite high and so there is no sense carrying much more than the other person, especially if you are already 15kg net heavier. Mike has managed to accumulate ultra-light gear over the years and is pretty economical with his stuff. This includes weighing his flip-flops and cutting off the excess cable on the power-supply for his laptop. Where there was an option to shave weight he managed to do so. Such is the benefit of experience and some months of planning. The only luxury I allowed myself was to start with six books. I do not expect to be able to trade them en route so I wanted some inventory. The only other real dead-weight is my bike bag and my ruck-sack travel cover which I need for my flights. The temptation is to post these items forward but routes can change so I will start out with the dead-weight and worry about it later. So, all I have added to my load is a 4 litre water bag and a cool Mountain Equipment Prima-loft jacket to keep my bones warm on the Alti-plano (this doubles up nicely as a pillow in the tent too).

The last thing to take care of was one last proper night out in civilisation. Mike and I headed out for some brews with Suzie and Steve from my Spanish school and then onto a cool club on the outskirts of town. I was in bed at 5 and up again at 9 to hit the road for the first day of my Andean adventure.  

I'll talk from the road

Marco

I have completed two weeks of Castellano, one week in Buenos Aires and one week in Mendoza. It is not that difficult once one gets a grip of the pronunciation. It has been a great help so far and I know I need to learn a lot more as I'm still only at the asking for directions and for a big beer stage. Like any skill I will need to put more time into it but hopefully it will come with patience. For some reason I started babbling in French when I arrived. I wouldn't mind but for the fact that when I'm in France I babble in German. It was only when I was dreaming in Spanish (giving directions instead of asking for them) that I thought that perhaps I was getting somewhere. Now that I am on the road progress will be slow regardless of how fast progress is by bike.

Hasta Luego

Marco

ps - I finally found a connect fast enough to upload some photos of Buenos Aires. Please check the gallery to view.

Sorry to disappoint.

Marco

Buenos Aires felt European or rather Spanish to be precise. After a few months of travelling through the Commonwealth I found this refreshing. Travelling through Australia and New Zealand was very easy ... too easy in fact. In contrast, travelling through India, Nepal and Tibet was quite hard. Buenos Aires seemed to be the middle ground. The complexion and nature of the people were different while still familiar. The language was different but at least it was legible unlike the alien script of Hindi and Kanji. There was a language barrier but it was not insurmountable. Inded, the lack of English would provide a challenge. The whole point of travelling is to explore 'foreign' lands and since Australia and New Zealand are not that foreign I was quite excited to be in Latin America.

The hostel I stayed in was the best hostel of my trip so far; the most sociable place I have been. It had a 24 hour bar and an amazing roof terrace dominated by an incredible piece of Italian architecture across the road. It was something out of Gotham city and unbelievably it had bats flying around it. For whatever reason, most of the people staying there were a little bit older and were travelling either solo or in pairs. In Oz and NZ the travellers are very young and are usually with packs of friends, so they have no need to make new friends. This hostel was a God-send as the only hard part about travelling is when you are on your own in a city and you see people out with their friends having a great time over coffee, lunch or a beer. Being alone in the countryside is never a problem as you don't feel like you are missing out on anything.

I must have met twenty good eggs during the week, which made exploring the city good fun. As my body was so screwed up from Jet-lag (always an issue travelling east for me) I decided to give my body a double dose by staying out late Buenos Aires style. My plan was to do Bs As by night the first week and then do it by day the following week. While there is no siesta on the East coast they still stay up pretty late. For example, seeing mothers pushing prams at 1am is not uncommon. Whoever was available for selection would be drinking on the roof terrace in the hostel and then the night would just go from there. At 1am we would head to a bar and then at three we would head to a club. We'd generally bail at 5am but the clubs go on past seven. Being the home of Tango meant that the girls liked to dance even if was only to cheesy Reggaeton. Seeing all these hot and sweaty girls was great but not having the lingo was a real killer. Since English is very broken in this part of the world the frustration of my first night out meant that I would enrol in Spanish classes the next day. Anthony Pappa was in town so I made sure to hear his DJ set on the Friday, which was cool. However, the best place was La Bomba de Tiempo. It is like weekly mass on a Monday night for the locals. We knew it was going to be good once we arrived as we had to walk at least a kilometre from the main door to join the queue. Some flame-throwers and a corner shop selling brews meant that the wait was easily passed. La Bomba is pretty much ten dudes on stage with drums and a conductor jamming away in this out of the way open-air warehouse. Up close to the stage the hippy girls were going bananas. It was just electric and annoyingly their encore was their best set.

Bs As is a really cool city. It wasn't easy to discern that it was in a second world country. The cars and buses were a give-away but that is about it. Like any international city it had a nice mix of modern architecture with old world buildings. It was only when I caught the #86 bus to La Boca that I saw the real deal. Being a tourist one generally lives an easy life amidst the convenience of the city-centre but when you get the right bus but in the wrong direction you get to see more of the city than you bargained for. I stayed on for the ride not expecting that I would be taken beyond city-limits to the countryside two towns overs. Three and a half hours later I was back where I started having paid 1 euro for the round-trip and a little wiser.

Talk soon

Marco

The wheel is synonymous with transport and it was Gandhi who lamented the invention of the locomotive. He viewed it is as a means of transporting cheap local goods to the dearest foreign market. This would have been the practice of the East India Company in buying cotton from India and selling the finished garment back to Indians at a price they could barely afford. The Indian textile market was traditionally a reasonable source of income for local Indian weavers and cotton-pickers, however, the import of cheaper Indian textiles into England excited the local cloth producers to such an extent that the British government imposed heavy penalty on the users of Indian fabrics in England. Thus, the English textile industry resorted to importing the raw-cotton from India, weaving the cotton by machine and then exporting it back to the millions in India, which was then under British Rule. The consequence was that the local Indian textile industry collapsed. From Gandhi's perspective "mechanization is good when the hands are too few for the work that is intended to be accomplished. It is an evil when there are more hands than are required for the work." Gandhi's answer to the mechanization of the weaving process and the exploitation of his people was the Charkha (spinning wheel). He believed that Indians lost their freedom with the loss of the Charkha. Spinning supplemented the agriculture of a village and gave it dignity, it prevented idleness and supported all anterior and posterior industries such as ginning, carding, warping, sizing, dyeing and weaving. It in turn kept the village carpenter and blacksmith busy. The Charkha enabled all the Indian villages to be self-sufficient and without it the villages were drained of their industries, creativity and little wealth. The spinning wheel became the symbol of Gandhi.

In Tibet the wheel is sacred. The universe in Buddhism is depicted in what is known as the Wheel of Life. The rim of the wheel is divided into 12 causes and effects; our passage from birth to death. The wheel is then divided into six sections representing different realms; the Gods, the Demi-gods, humans, animals, ghosts and hell. The rim of the hub of the wheel is divided into two; white being the path to bliss and black being the path to darkness or hell. The hub of the wheel represents the three poisons; delusions, hatred and greed. These are typically personified by the boar, serpent and fowl. The hub is considered the wheel of woe as it is typically represented by each of the poisons eating the other. It shows how 'sentient' beings can be trapped. Indeed, in Tibet the wheel is really only in evidence among the Chinese that now live there. The Chinese invasion has diluted Tibetan practices somewhat but in the main Tibetans maintain a very traditional life-style. There are no modes of transport other than horse-back or foot, they plough their fields with yak-drawn ploughs and they don't interact with foreign markets.

I'm sure it is mankind in general as opposed to simply Western man that instinctively goes about making life easier for himself. For sure, I spend time trying to work out how to make each day on the bike easier without capitulating my desire to experience the perfect ride. However, I'm not sure whether the mental resources used by the few to make the lives of the many easier is worthwhile. Is the consequence of this that we weaken mankind as a whole by no longer using our own natural resources? This is represented by our fondness for machines of all types such as calculators for simple arithmetic etc. What we don't use we lose and all that. Whether this leads towards the path of Bliss or the path of Darkness I do not know. All I know is that in Tibet they having a saying which is as follows: "With the wheel comes the end" ... and they are probably right.

Thanks for reading

Marco

later

Marco

A while ago this intrepid young reporter spent time in the mythical country of Tibet. Somehow I failed to post on the experience despite it being one of the most interesting places I have visited. This is likely because the political situation required me to research it a little more. Indeed, my curiosity about Tibet was the main reason for me being in that part of the world. I had hoped to bike across the Tibetan Plateau from Lhasa to Kathmandu but Asia is not a place where you can organise things on a whim as it takes a lot of time to acquire visas. There is a lot of inaccuracies on the www in terms of transiting through this part of the world and there is also the possibility of border closures. Thus, it would be best to plan such a trip on the ground from the Beijing side if one wanted to ride through unassisted or from the Kathmandu side if one wanted to be part of a fully-supported Tour. This post may have inaccuracies, thus, please post a comment if you feel I have missed something or if you can help complete the picture. Naturally the best way to learn more about a country so rich in nature, tradition and mystique is to visit it. Indeed the desolate scenery is breath-taking and worth the trip alone.

The simplest way to introduce modern-day Tibet is to draw a parallel with the Troubles in my home country of Ireland. Wherever one sees huge numbers of a national flag accompanied by a heavy military presence one knows that there is political rift. The difference with Tibet is that there is only one national flag in evidence; the Chinese flag. This sits atop almost every dwelling. Picture how it would feel for a unionist family in Belfast to have a tricolour floating on their roof-top or vice-versa. Of course, Ireland is an island and a small one at that, so on a geographical level one must question how there came to be a political border within it. Tibet's geography is also at odds with the Chinese power that occupies it. Tibet is the size of France, Germany and Spain combined and sits atop a plateau at roughly 4000ms in altitude. It is effectively a massive island in the sky. In addition, their rouge cheeks contrast with the sallow yellow skin of the Chinese, they speak a different language and they have very a very different Buddhist tradition. This tradition is at total odds with the more orthodox Chinese one. On a very simple level it is very difficult to fathom why the Chinese government considers it part of their already huge country at all.

From a Chinese perspective, they look back through history and see that Tibet was once part of the same empire. However, when does a country's existence begin and end? The Chinese government would not be impressed if Mongolia strived to reclaim all the lands of Genghis Khan. Occupation of Tibet allows China to secure a border closer to India, which suits them from both a political and trade point of view. Occupation also gives them access to Tibet's rich mineral deposits. The Chinese have always desired the reclamation of Tibet, however, the Tibetan government over the centuries never took the threat seriously preferring to dispatch diplomats only when necessary. Indeed their attitude towards the Chinese was somewhat haughty and this proved to be their undoing. By the time the government in Lhasa realised that the Chinese were invading back in the 1950's the Chinese were already moving through the provinces. While the locals did manage to defend themselves they were never in a position to win a war and so the capital Lhasa ultimately fell into the hands of the Chinese. It was during the 'Cultural Revolution' of 1959 that the spiritual head of the people, the Dalai Llama, managed to escape on horse-back. It was a controversial decision to desert his besieged people, however, the decision to escape was taken as reparation of Chinese relations seemed hopeless near-term and so it would be easier to advance the cause of his people safely from outside. Indeed the cavalcade made their way through the Himalaya to Northern India where the local government provided for them. To this day Dharamsala has been home to the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government in exile. The Chinese were absolutely fuming that the Dalai Lama managed to slip out of the country unnoticed. The charming nature of the incumbent Dalai Lama and his spiritual teachings have made him a cult figure in the western world. His intelligence, compassion and diplomacy have won him many friends in political circles such that he has proved to be a constant thorn in the Chinese side. Of course, it would be naive to think that the US or British government actually care about the Tibetan cause, they simply bring up the disappearance of the Panchen Lama and the plight of the Tibetan people during trade negotiations with the Chinese to humiliate them and increase their bargaining power. It works. So much so that the Tibetan situation is now as much a case of national pride for the Chinese as anything else.

The 'Cultural Revolution' as it is known was effectively ethnic cleansing. The Chinese government passes this off as the 'Peaceful Liberation of Tibet', however, it was only peaceful in the sense that the Tibetans did not have the means to tackle the bully. Indeed, despite some initial pockets of violent resistance in the mountains, such guerillas disbanded when the Dalai Lama desired a peaceful resolution to the problem. Tibetans idolise the Dalai Lama and will always to do as he asks. The stories that have emerged over the many years suggest that it was a particularly gruesome occupation and that there was a lot of bloodshed. The Chinese pillaged and destroyed all the Buddhist monasteries in an attempt to cure the Tibetans of their delusional beliefs. They only saved certain monasteries due to the need to store all the vast riches that were housed within them. It was their failure to stamp out Tibetan' beliefs that caused the Chinese government the most astonishment. They did not realise that by taking away the thing that was most dear to the Tibetans that it would in fact unite Tibetans and make their beliefs stronger. Indeed, during times of persecution or suffering we all resort to our spiritual beliefs as a means of consolation. No matter what the Chinese tried they could not eradicate Tibetan Buddhism. Thus, came the big calm where the Chinese relaxed their persecution of the Tibetans. Not all Tibetans trusted the Chinese after what they had been through but some openly began to reaffirm their faith publicly. There was a long period where relations between Tibetans and the Chinese seemed to improve, however, this was simply a tactic by the Chinese. The idea was to bring the 'poison' out into the open in order to lance it with a spear. Thus, the pious revealed themselves during the calm and subsequently met a grim end as they simply vanished.

In recent years China has opened the Tibetan border to small groups of tourists in the hope of showcasing to the western world the ways in which they have developed Tibet. It is ironic that they opened it as the border was never really open in the first place. Part of the mystique of Tibet was that nobody knew what was going on there. Lhasa was always the Forbidden City and outsiders were very rarely allowed in. Foreign policy as far as the Tibetans were concerned was to keep themselves to themselves such that nobody would ever think about them. If people knew little about Tibet then they would not desire it. The Tibetan Plateau would be a particularly difficult place to invade in any case as the winters are so cold, the mountains so high and the plains so vast. Stories about prognosticating oracles and levitating monks increased the mysticism. Regardless, the Chinese opened the border to tourists in the nineties in an effort to improve diplomatic relations and earn some tourist dollars. They have spent a fortune on infrastructure. The roads in Tibet must be among the best sealed roads in the world. Indeed, Lhasa and Shigatse are now modern cities with fast-food outlets and malls. On the surface it looks like the Chinese have tried to modernise Tibet, however, the truth is that all infrastructure development was for the Chinese' own ends. The airports and roads were built to allow easier access for the military and the Chinese population that would be transplanted there. The reason that Tibetans are so 'backward' is that they don't desire these things in the first place. They are no less intelligent that anyone else, they just don't believe in the need for cars, combine harvesters, electricity or materialism. They don't even need watches as they use more natural things such as the first or second crowing of the cock as reference points. Everything they do has a traditional basis and while their beliefs can hinder 'progress' they get by. For example, any of the infrastructure development they do undertake can take an age as if a worm is uncovered during a dig, then great efforts are made to ensure its safety. I can only imagine the amount of worms that have been spared death by a shovel.

Chinese Infrastructure Programme

The prognosis for Tibetans is bleak. While the Chinese have a more relaxed approach to them now that they have a stranglehold, it is difficult to see how Tibetans can reclaim their freedom and their beliefs among so many transplanted Chinese. At last they are allowed to flutter their traditional prayer flags. These flags are everywhere but are typically located on mountain peaks where the strong winds will blow their prayers to the Buddhas. They are even alongside the Chinese flag imposed on their roof tops in lieu of the fact that they can't fly their own flag. They openly practice their beliefs once more, always spinning their prayer wheels as they march laps of the Potala Palace or the Jokhang Temple. The monasteries have regained relatively large populations of Buddhist monks, although they all seem to carry mobile phones and are paid by the government. Monasteries are being restored by the Chinese, however, this is mostly for appearances. When the tourists leave, works tend to stop and the work they did do is repeated the next day for the next wave of tourists such that nothing is ever completed. The Chinese have in the main rehoused them in modern but traditionally styled Tibetan dwellings with some modern conveniences. Today each city has the Tibetan Old Quarter, the Tibetan New Quarter and then large tower-blocks for the Chinese that are subsisted to live in a part of 'their' country that they know little about. The large population of Tibetans that live outside the country be it in Nepal or India can not freely return. The Indian government has graciously allowed many Tibetans to live there but there is only so many they can accommodate. The Tibetans that crossed the border to Nepal must integrate themselves and live without much current knowledge of the Dalai Lama. As Nepal is both politically and economically weak, it must tow the Chinese line. Only the Tibetans in India freely hear his teachings but one wonders whether they have the desire to return now that they have integrated into a new country, have familiarised themselves with more western ideals and can live freely. Indeed, children of Tibetans that fled have little desire to live at altitude in a very inhospitable climate without the comforts that they are now used to.

For the traveller in Tibet one can sense the huge weight of silence. It is palpable in the air not just because the scenery is so desolate but because the people can not speak freely and have to suppress their views. It must be difficult to stand idly by but there is no option. In March 2008 in the lead-up to the Beijing Olympics, some Tibetans demonstrated hoping that the fresh eyes of the West would paralyse China's response. The Chinese military marched into the Jokhang Square where Tibetans' sacred temple lies and sprayed gun-fire shooting and killing many. Thus, Tibetans no longer voice their views, even to foreigners in case the person is in fact a Chinese spy. The longer the occupation continues the more their children are brainwashed in schools and the longer they live without sight nor sound of their spiritual leader the Dalai Lama. Indeed, at the border tourists' bags are scanned for books in case they reveal pictures of Tenzin Gyatso. Indeed, such is their paranoia about the Dalai Lama that I could have walked across the border with 20 kilos of cocaine strapped to me. This security lapse allows tourists to sneak pictures of the Dalai Lama on their person, which they give to teary-eyed Tibetans once they cross the border. Such a release of emotion to strangers indicates much. The generic Jeep tour showcases the majestic scenery of the roof of the world, it takes in some huge 7000m+ peaks and some 5000m+ road-passes. Everest at 8848ms can often be viewed from a distance through the permanently clear blue skies. This blue is permanent because all the rain breaks on the Nepali side of the Himalaya creating a scintillating view that composes of nothing but brown arid dirt, deep blue skies and crisp white snow-peaks. In addition one sees monasteries under 'repair' and the modern Chinese cities of Lhasa and Shigatse. While there are Tibetans, there are also Chinese everywhere, busying themselves with making a new life in the Tibet Autonomous Region. It is difficult to know the Chinese take on it. I certainly wasn't in a position to ask them but one has to realise that the Chinese people are not part of the problem. While the military patrol the streets and the roof-tops in groups with their fingers no more than two centimetres from the trigger, most of them are very young and are only following orders. Of course, it is true that the military display a strong presence in most Chinese cities so perhaps that it is not so unusual. The Chinese that have been transplanted there obviously know little about the historical situation. They are simply there to make a living and accept subsidies from the government for their presence. Their knowledge is limited and controlled and they are likely just happier to have more freedom than before. One has to remember that the Chinese people have never had an easy life. Communist China's growing economic power simply improves the life of the Chinese somewhat. It is better to have some money and little freedom than little money and little freedom.

The more time that is allowed to elapse the less optimistic one can be. Of course, the Dalai Lama manages to maintain his optimism for a resolution and even has great compassion for the Chinese. As for me, in looking into the future of Tibetans I simply need to consider my own situation; my knowledge of the Irish language is minimal, I neither play the tin-whistle nor Irish-dance. I enjoyed playing the English game of rugby in school. I don't know my national anthem. I support an English football club as opposed to a local club. I prefer watching the BBC and Channel Four to the national broadcaster. In addition, I rarely consider the plight of the nationalists in the North who have been abandoned in their own country through the Good Friday Agreement. By all accounts I have been assimilated rather well. So well, that I have not an ounce of bitterness towards England and have many friends there. History was written long before I came into the world.

Indeed, in some ways Ireland is now grateful for being an English-speaking nation; it is one of the key components that makes us desirable as a place for foreign investment. So while we have the so called visionary Irish elite to thank for running the country into the ground perhaps we will have the English to thank for getting us out of it? It will be interesting to see in a few decades time whether the less politically motivated young Tibetans of today will be glad of their assimilation under the modern economic powerhouse that is China? While we may mourn the loss of another nation joining an ever more homogeneous global community, Tibetans of the future may be glad of the opportunity to live a more Western lifestyle. The shame is that young Tibetans may adopt our view in considering Tibet to be an inhospitable and demanding land without much opportunity. The truth is that the land provided abundantly for the traditional Tibetan communities in the past because they never sought the material trappings or so-called 'opportunity' that the West provides. They were once a very content people.

Tibet is a wonderfully unique place. I do not know what the future holds for them as a people. I simply wish that they can express their identity, be free to practice their beliefs and live and speak without fear. I wish that for everyone.

Mind how you go

Tintin

Traditional FarmingPiety in front of the Potala Palace

Regardless, it's very exciting to be here. However, my head is a little more pre-occupied than normal as I have to reconsider my gear and learn some Spanish. Of course, there is also the Buenos Aires nightlife to explore. Thus, as an interlude I may post a couple of random pieces that I have on the shelf until such a time that I can sober up and properly pen something of note.

May the sky not fall on your heads in the meantime.

Hasta luego

Marco

If camping and tramping the mountain-sides for days on end is a bit of a stretch then the next best way to see the place is by air. If I had the means I would sit on the northern beaches of the South Island where the sunshine is more reliable. If the forecast were to be clear I would jump in a chopper and perhaps cover most of the scenery by air in a day. The South Island is particularly diverse in terms of its terrain with its large rainforests, ocean-side beaches, alpine passes, sounds and glaciers. It would make for spectacular viewing from the sky. Of course, the less severe and more modest way would be to hire a camper-van. One should stock it up with plenty of food and water such that one does not have to touch civilisation unless one needed or wanted to. Bring some company and strap the requisite number of kayaks and mountain-bikes to the van. With a good pair of hiking boots one can do what-ever one feels like and have the opportunity to explore the many lakes, mountains and trails while staying in the middle of nowhere for as long as desirable. If that gets a little tiresome then one can always pull up at a decent hotel within a day's drive for a little luxury.

New Zealand is a really cool place for anybody that likes the outdoors. I only saw a slice of the country in riding from Queenstown to Christchurch. I have left myself the whole East coast of the South Island and the whole of the North Island to explore the next time I get there. While it has some really nice big towns and cities it is not really a place for city-slickers as the overwhelming sense is that the country is quite small. I really enjoyed myself there but I could not help but think that my New Zealand and Australian experience was a little too easy. While I was craving such familiarity on my exit from India I do not think that I would ever make the move to a part of the world that will not provide that extra dimension over Ireland. For sure, the beaches and sunshine in Australia can be incredible and the mountains and outdoors in New Zealand are spectacular. However, the more I travel the more I realise that I have a lot of diverse interests and so it is more difference than sameness that appeals to me. Thus, as cool as Australia and New Zealand are and as easy as it would be to spend a fair chunk of time in either country, they don't have the extra 'je ne sais quoi' that I'm searching for. Still, it was great to finally see them ... if I had a penny for every time somebody told me that I should be living in Australia or New Zealand etc.

Thoughts of South America now play on my mind.

Wishing you plenty of fresh air and fresh thinking

Marco

New Zealand proved to be a frustrating place to take photos. One is surrounded by incredible scenery but the most photogenic shot is rarely possible. Iconic places such as Milford Sound, Franz Josef and Fox Glacier are in a particularly wet part of the country, so even if you avoid the rain you are unlikely to get reasonable light due to the cloud cover. Indeed, the days I spent in Queenstown were particularly frustrating because the clouds were so low-slung that the peaks were hidden from view. While it made for some interesting cloudscapes most of the time the drab lighting made shooting pointless. Passing through as I do means that hanging around for the shot is not an option and in any case, the changeable weather in New Zealand would require a great deal of patience. In addition, while I managed to take lots of photos the camera rarely did the scene justice as I do not have a wide-angle lens. I visited during summer, however, my guess is that every season provides for some really spectacular shots. Thus, I only got a slice of the action.

Regardless, I have posted my photos in the gallery. They are mostly scenic shots (not everybody's cup of tea) and there are 68 of them (2 pages). I did not condense the gallery as the slide-show seems to mesh. Indeed you will quickly understand that mountains and lakes make up a large chunk of the South Island.

I hope you are all keeping well

Marco