How to spot a cycle tourist

Our ongoing ‘How To’ series which to date has helped readers travel from Gyeongju to Busan by train and to stealth camp in Mongolia, now turns to cycle tourist identification.

Why would you want to spot a cycle tourist?

If you yourself are a cycle tourist, especially one in a more remote setting, the prospect of meeting another of your ilk is ever-so appealing. If not a bike traveler, you may yearn for these skills in order to welcome in passing riders, fend off would-be stealth campers from your plot or avoid a prolonged tedious conversation in your broken native tongue. If you are a South Korean ticket inspector working on the Gyeongju to Busan train it goes without saying why this talent would be beneficial.

Change of Route

(photo care of The Guardian)


Owing to a combination of factors including the initial delay due to Mongolian dzud; recent events/unrest/looting/burning in Kyrgyzstan (yes we've been staying up to date, but thank you to everyone who has been letting us know about the changing situation) and the wedding of Steve and Ingrid in Switzerland, we are changing our route a little. This will mean missing out on the Pamirs...for this trip at least.

Once upon a time in Russia

From Kosh Agach to Biysk

A long, long time ago in a land not too far from here, two cycle tourists emerged from a rugged wilderness and headed off in search of the land of Alpen Gold. At first Ali and Andrew followed the crumbs of tarmac, scattered by former communist regimes that had trodden this path before. By and by, they came upon a very large fence, designed to keep out the fearsome hordes who threatened to overrun this land with felt handicrafts and Chinggis Khan vodka.

‘Alison Margaret Jarman?’, the stout lady enunciated clearly in a thick accent from behind the glass window. ‘Yes…umm…da!’ she replied, and with those words the two cyclists tumbled through the entrance of this Russian burrow down a long tunnel of bureaucratic formalities and into a land that became curiouser and curiouser.

Re: Cycling blog post

To: Dmitri.Medvedev@kremlin.ru

Cc: Putin_is_number_one@hotmail.com

Dear Sirs,

You refer to our recent correspondence with your southern neighbor, Mongolia. We would indeed be delighted to answer your questions regarding cycle touring in the Altai Republic, Western Siberia.

1. Yes. Russian roads are indeed far superior to Mongolian roads. We are, however, in no way qualified to comment on the correlation between this and the ability to conquer the world. The approximately 300km of smooth asphalt, winding downhill through lush green river valleys and towering snow-capped mountain peaks that greeted us, is akin to cycle touring heaven.
   
   

Siberian Summer Days (16/6/10 - 26/6/10)

From Kosh Agach to Biysk

Before we launch into our usual blog pieces that combine faux wit with flowery prose, here lies an overview of what we’ve been doing over the last 10 days….in Siberia.

We entered Russia in the back of a grey soviet styled van that took us from Olgii to Kosh-Agach. Our awesome driver also acted as a chaperone, guiding us through the multiple steps of Russian Border Control. With the exception of some stern, smile-free glances and a token glance through our panniers we got through without much fuss.

A week with the Kazakhs

From Olgii

$1000 per family. What Kazakhstan is embarking upon is more akin to culture trade than people trade, but regardless, people have a price.

As we descended into the much-anticipated town of Olgii, we entered the capital of the Bayan-Olgii province in far western Mongolia. We were to discover here that the Mongolian we had diligently learnt over the last 6 weeks would cease to be useful.This enclave is 90% Kazakh (also the primary language), predominantly Muslim and allegedly neglected in public funding. We heard that those in Ulaanbaatar will jokingly ask their friends visiting this region when they are going to return to Mongolia.

Photos

It's come to our attention that some people checking out our blog have been unaware of the several hundred or so photos we have uploaded.

At the bottom of many of our blog pieces is usually a small thumbnail photo in a boxed outline. This is a link to an online album of our selected photos. The albums have been loaded onto a website called Picasa (a side-project of google).

To view the photos, click on the thumbnail, this will take you to our Picasa page where you can view the albums. You will need a google/picasa account which is easy to obtain and it will become obvious how to do it when you get to the Picasa page.

You can also go to the 'Photos' link at the top the the main page which is now up to date.

Happy viewing!

Mongolian Wrap-Up

Total distance: 1765km

Distance on unsealed roads (of varying quality): 1276km

Nights spent camping: 20

Maximum number of consecutive days camping: 8

Days spent cycling: 31

Maxmum number of consecutive cycle days: 11

Rest days on the road: 8

Average distance per day: 57km

Longest day: 99.7km

Shortest day: 23km (deliberate half rest day)

Maximum speed: 54.2kph (downhill following dogchase)

Most difficult section: Several contenders, see below for details

Longest downhill: 45km after Solongotiyn davaa pass

Largest altitutide displacement in one day: 2060m (1500m to 2560m to 1500m)

Push It! Ulaangom to Olgii

No, not an 80s pop classic, but rather the theme of our last Mongolian leg through the high country of Uvs aimag and into the Kazakh-dominated Bayan-Olgii. Leaving the luxuries of Ulaangom – internet cafes, restaurants, electricity – was harder than we expected. But with a reconstructed rack-fork combination and 37km of tarmac at our disposal, we had every reason to be positive.

On a Dark Desert Highway

From On a dark desert highway

Though we had arrived in Mongolia at a time when the nights were still frozen, the path in front of us now shimmered with heat and there was definitely no cool wind in my hair. We were pushing hard over corrugations and sandy stretches to reach our imagined oasis of a hotel on the shores of a large salt lake – Hyargas Nuur - some 5 days after our last solid bed.

GAStronomy - A campstove cooking tour: Mongolia

What follows is our impression of Mongolian cuisine and recipes for two Traditional Mongolian dishes we cooked by campstove: Banshtai shul (Boiled meat dumplings) and Binh (unleavened bread/pancakes).

Mongolian cuisine

Claiming that Mongolia is a land of gastronomical delights would warrant the odd rebuttal. However, it is possible to find considerable pleasure in a well-cooked traditional Mongolian meal. Whether long stretches of unsealed road cycling confounds this pleasure is debatable.

Forkin Hell!

In retrospect, 1000km on rough corrugated roads was asking for a mechanical issue, especially given the additional 20kg of water and 10kg of food we were taking at some points.Several days ago Ali’s front fork decided enough was enough. One of the eyelets holding the rack to the fork sheared off. Unfortunately, we were in a desert, out of mobile reception and 150km from any decent township. The temporary solution was off-loading the front panniers as much as possible (difficult given said water and food requirements) and using some very heavy duty cable ties to hold things together (thanks Dave).

How to Stealth Camp in Mongolia

What is stealth camping?

Given Mongolia’s vast emptiness and dearth of B&Bs the cycle tourist will need a comfortable tent. When the light starts dimming and legs begin to tire you’ll know it is time to hike out to a secluded site and set up for the night. Going unnoticed from the road to an isolated, safe location, pitching the temporary home and spending the night is Stealth Camping.

Conversation with a Herder

(in which our frequent interactions with nomadic herders, or malchin, by our tent or roadside are coalesced into an one-act play)

Scene 1 (takes place outside vestibule of tent pitched by sand dune on edge of desert)

Herder approaches on motorbike.

Andrew: Sain bainuu! (Are you well?)

Herder: Sain ta sain bainuu? (Fine thanks, and you?)

Andrew: Sain bainaa. (I'm fine) Mal sureg targan tavtaiyuu? (I hope your animals are fattening up nicely?)

Herder smiles and nods heartily.

Herder: So what brings you to this fine but expansive country? (Herder’s responses will henceforth be written in English, for the sake of expediency)

Ali: Bid Avstrali ulsaas irsen! (We're from Australia!)

Herder: (taking the non-sequitur in his stride) Avstri? (Austria?)

Andrew & Ali nod and make agreeing sounds.

The Old Man and the Steppe

What follows is an insight into the little things that we notice atop our bikes. This is for those whom crave some descriptive words inspired by the view from a Surly Long Haul Trucker bicycle traversing Mongolia. And an excuse to post a bunch of great scenery photos.

City life:

We have just reached the first real ‘city’ for 1000km – Ulaangom, the capital of Uvs aimag (province). The luxuries of running water (luke warm between 8-9pm), electricity and our own hotel room are almost too much for us after 9 consecutive nights of camping. This place has pubs, internet cafes and cows walking down the main street – generally enough happening that we aren’t the only show in town. We are relishing the lack of attention. The few dusty towns we pass through have little more than a main street, a few shops and eating places and a few rows of hashas (fenced yards with one or two gers, maybe a jeep or motorbike and a dog).