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Click to see more photos from Jeff's
Chengdu Experience
October
22, 1999
This is
Todd Borgie calling in with the daily journal of October 22, 1999 on our
Around The World tour.
Today we
began the day after a grueling day of driving yesterday. Our destination
is Golmud. This is really the last largest town
before Lhasa. It is a strange mix of people and a strange
location. In terms of arriving it has the feel of Las Vegas. We were
driving, driving, and driving without seeing anything remotely like a
town or a place where one could be. Pretty soon you skirt a mountain and
there it is, in the middle of what seems to be nowhere.
The drive
was great and certainly a lot more relaxing than the previous day.
Although we had a slight gas leak from the previous day's bumping and
rattling we were confident we could make it to Golmud and fix the problems
there. It was really cold and we couldn't bring ourselves to lay on the
cold concrete that morning to fix the gas leak.
The first
part of our trip was a good omen, the sight of two pilgrims making their
way to Lhasa. In this process they stand, kneel, placing their hands near
their feet, and slide their hands forward so they are lying flat on their
stomachs. They do wear hand protection. They get up and repeat this
process all the way to Lhasa. This pair at this moment was about 800km
from La Lhasa . In my understanding, and please correct me if I'm wrong,
in the course of their journey they rely on the goodwill of their
countrymen to feed, house, and protect them on their long journey. This
devotional state is truly inspiring and makes our own journey seem like a
walk in the park.
We left
early so our guide fixed us up with an on-the-road breakfast. This
consisted of two pieces of bread slightly marmaladed, a package of dried
apple bits, water, and a chocolate bar. This was light and refreshing to
help us start out the day. We started out the day a little higher than
10,500 ft. We were beginning to feel the effects of altitude. However, as
the day progressed, the scenery was beautiful. We climbed a mountain
pass. All of sudden the soil turned to sand. There were mountains all
around us as we were driving through a desert valley.
The road on
which we drove was on the average flat. We ended up descending about
1,000 ft. over about 370km. Mountains surrounded us nearly the whole way.
We couldn't get over the fact that we were about 10,000 ft. and still had
mountains towering over us. The mountains were rough and jagged rock
formation. The environment seemed dry as a bone. I guess all the sand was
a result of pure wind erosion. Again, correct me if I'm wrong. There were
channels of snow melt-off which seemed to be rockier, but for the most
part everything was entirely sand.
Another
event that surprised us was the fact that we saw a shepherd cross our
path. What made him stand out was the fact that he was riding a Bactrian Camel,
the kind with two humps. I guess it is my ignorance, but I never thought
of camels in China.
Then along
on the journey we saw a prison. In terms of preventing a jailbreak, this
is a perfect place. Wide-open land, dry and flat. That is until you make
it to the rocky mountainside. Although the drive was fun and the road
quality was good, we were happy to stop riding in the vehicles.
It was a
short day for us, driving for us only 370 km in about six hours.
Unfortunately, we had our last meal with our guide Mr. Lee who throughout
our journey grew very dear to us. He always fixed us up with great hotels
and great eats. He is also a talented mechanic and seemed to know exactly
what to do with every situation. He was like our trip dad. I hope we
didn't embarrass him too much. Our thoughts will be forever with him and
we hope he finds success in all his endeavors. In token of his friendship
he ordered us a special chicken dish. He said that six drumsticks
symbolized good luck on a journey, as they are the legs of chickens. He
emphasized the fact that six is a good number. As a token of our esteem
we gave him a Leatherman knife. The best tool to have on the trip. We
will miss it as much as we will miss Mr. Lee. Thanks, Mr. Lee.
When we
finished lunch, we did what every other Land Rover owner does. We worked
on the Land Rovers. We fixed the gas leak. It was the result of a bad
fuel line and our driving with the s-bar heaters. I understand that our
upcoming drive could be the toughest one of our whole trip. Hopefully
everything will work so that we won't freeze. We are also preparing the
Rovers for high altitude driving which includes beefing up the fuel
systems. Higher altitude and the lower atmospheric pressure take its toll
on driving. As a result of it, our vehicles will be starved for air, as
well as ourselves. We hope to prevent problems by carburetor alteration
and possibly timing adjustments.
We will get
back to you on the results. As for now, this is Todd signing off. Until
next time, Zai-Xie!
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