Derek Jennings
Tibet – Where There’s a Will There’s a Way

Experience an account of the attempt to see Tibet and the Himalayas whilst riding a bicycle from Lhasa to Kathmandu

Having failed to reach my ambition in 1987 and 1990 I spent 3 years researching other ways to make a journey by bicycle along the Arniko Highway. One way was to join a Cycle Touring Club group making a tour of China in 1992. Individuals had the option of extending the itinerary by returning home via Hong Kong or Lhasa!, and the latter sounded promising. Who knows? once in Lhasa with a bicycle I could route myself along the Arniko Highway to Kathmandu and return home from there! That is what I planned to do, but the tour was cancelled. Apparently the Organiser found that travel in China creates a number of problems. “I could have told him that!”

Whilst recouperating from a serious road accident I learnt that there is a commercial travel company in England that offers a 7 day extension to Lhasa on their China tour itinerary that resembles the one I intended to use on the C T C tour. I will not be allowed to take a bicycle on a commercial tour but who knows? I might find one for sale in Lhasa! if I ever get there!, and then I can leave the tour group who will return home from Beijing while I ride the Arniko Highway alone, through TIBET back to Kathmandu, and return home from there.

Whilst researching the intended 1990 journey I had corresponded with an agency known as the China International Sports Travel Co, they were situated in Beijing where the 1993 commercial tour is to start. I will speak to them when I get there and maybe they will be able to help!!

So Here We Go Again!!

Will this finally be a MISSION POSSIBLE He that travels the World about – See’th Gods wonders and Gods works.

MISSION ? Who knows what

In 1990 the Inscrutable Chinese said that although I had a “SPECIALIZED” all terrain mountain bike I also needed a specialized Visa to enter Tibet. So with that visa I pushed and pedalled my Specialised “HARD ROCK” from Kathmandu over some incredible hard rocks, gravel and sand 7,500ft up into the Himalayas to Zhangmu, the Tibetan check point. There I was told the visa was invalid and independent travel not permitted. I explored Nepal before returning home hampered by the political climate! and a revolution in Kathmandu. It then took 3 years to find another way to tackle an “Impossible Mission”.

HERE WE GO! – “Mission Part 3”

Thursday September 9th 1993 3.30pm
Hornchurch

With a Farewell to my family at Hornchurch Station I’m off alone to Heathrow. Delayed due to a passenger under the train at Mile End and arrived at airport check-in later than intended. The thought of missing the flight was uppermost, would it be another “Mission Impossible”? Take off was 9.20pm for a 10 hour flight, 8,650km to Beijing. Six am now, having flown over Lithuania and Moscow to Beijing. I’m getting this guilt feeling of what I’m about to attempt, unbeknown to Helen at the moment. I don’t feel I should leave her to manage on her own these days, but I’ve done it!

From Beijing I shall be travelling through China with a tour group and including in the itinerary a 7 day extension to Lhasa. Once there I intend to detach myself from the group, obtain a bicycle and travel overland through Tibet and Nepal to Kathmandu finally concluding the “Himalayan” saga. Landed Beijing 7.20am London time (Friday). Airport not too sophisticated and although the two Group leaders who held the group visas were on the plane I did not see them until we were at Passport control. Then after delay at baggage hall it was a coach to the Friendship hotel, taking an hour. I am sharing a room with David from Guildford. He is one of 28 in our group, only 8 are going on the Tibet extension the other 20 are on Mongolian or Yangste extensions – some not at all. It’s a nice en-suite room, furnished pretty much like you would expect in good quality modern European hotels.

I have spoken to the tour leader about my intentions when in Tibet and she is making sure I understand that things don’t always turn out as they say it will. It’s best to have stand-by arrangements as Tourism in China is not that reliable and I must make sure that the Sports Travel Co. I’m dealing with will not let me down. Correct documents, flight home and food and shelter en route are important. Dinner tonight was braised meat with onion, green vegetable and rice followed by melon and beer or Coke, tackled with chopsticks! Bed at 10.30 after writing this.

Saturday September 11th
Beijing

The coming week will be spent in Beijing with the group visiting places of interest. Tiananmen Square – The Ming Tombs – The Cloisonne Enamel plant and The Great Wall then onto Xian and the Terracotta Warriors. I have made it known to the tour manager of my intention to bike Lhasa – Kathmandu, and spent the rest of the day with her, calling at China International Travel service HQ, getting my name removed from the group visa which also meant visits to the Public Security Bureau (police) which was closed and the China Sports Travel Co. This will lead to another visa being issued to allow my Mission to commence. Cao Ting of the China Sports Travel Co. wants me to come back on Monday with more details of my planned lone journey from Lhasa to Nepal which will enable him to make a positive quote! which will be in the region of 1,000 Yuan and will lead to the final details being dealt with by the Lhasa branch when I get there! Dealing with the Bureaucracy! was not easy, and the day ended by rejoining the group this evening for a trip to the Beijing Opera, and so to bed! WHAT A DAY!!

Saturday September 18th
Chengdu

One week gone and WHOOPEE!! the extended itinerary starts here and we’re off to Lhasa today! Two auto phone calls and a radio alarm got me up at 5am and at 5.30am it was off to the airport by coach. At 6 o’clock it was a bustling hive of activity, hundreds of passengers, all nationals. It’s going to be a case of survival today! no breakfast! the hotel gave us a packed lunch, we’ll get nothing on the plane and then it’s a 2-3 hour ride on the bus from Gongar airport to Lhasa and no toilets all day!

Took off about 7am for a 1,300km flight (2 hours) on a Boeing 757 to Gongar airport Lhasa. Quite a few military people on the plane as well as some English, they had come from somewhere else and were already on the plane. The boarding pass had a seat number but it was already taken and I had to grab any vacant seat. I’ve sat myself with 3 uniformed soldiers in front of a bulkhead!, perhaps I might force them to tolerate a mad English Bike rider!! Got a boxed meal which wasn’t expected, and a trip to the toilet, that might save an embarrassing situation for the rest of the day!!, by the way, they call them “lavatorys” here.

Landed at 9am, it was a bit bumpy and the arrival proceedure was different! There was an airport building but we were directed down from the plane onto the tarmac and just walked across to the perimeter fence and through a gate where a small crowd were waiting and holding identity notices in Chinese to greet some of the passengers. Just like a scene at Gatwick! but in a different environment. The bus was waiting outside to take us to Lhasa. A bit run down! but so was the road! The landscape was rocky and mountainous, clay coloured with pastureland and animals grazing (cows sheep and yaks). Small walled commune compounds dotted here and there with prayer flags flying, they look like native living communes. Some small lakes and pools to be seen and it rained a little on the way. Tibetan families with children were along the roadside when we stopped for photo’s and we were targets for begging. Not too much agriculture here, only haymaking have I seen.

As we approached Lhasa there was evidence of new buildings (look like 3-4 storey apartment blocks) in walled commune compounds. Arrived here at about 12, then it took some time to register at the hotel and would you believe!!, it was the Holiday Inn (doesn’t sound or look a scrap like Tibet to me) I have to make my own arrangements as I’m not on the group visa. The local guide has offered help if I need it and he got the hotel to ring China International Sports Travel and tell them I’m here, and I got to speak to them as well. Each time all this goes on the group leader loses no opportunity to let me know – in no uncertain terms, what a nuisance I am to her and how close I’ve come to spoiling the groups holiday, as well as many other inconveniences, I’m causing. “I am getting the MESSAGE!!”

Now would you believe it!! I’ve been visited in my room by two China International Travel Service reps who understand my group leader has trouble because I am not on her visa and can I explain it? It all boils down to finances again, they want to know why I’m using the hotel room and meal facilities if I’m not with the group, and when do I intend to leave Lhasa? Hotel room notices offer advice on altitude sickness, mentioning headaches, dizziness, nausea, and sleeplessness, probably wearing off in 18-24 hours. For the first few days a daily intake of one litre of fluid for every 1,000 metres does help.

The group is being told to rest and acclimatize for the rest of the day, I’ll do the same. After dinner (which I really didn’t fancy) it was diary writing, and so! to bed. Got a room on my own again, en suite, no TV, so I’ve missed the BBC world service.

Sunday September 19th
Lhasa

Had a bad night, was aware of a headache all night and worried about it getting worse when I start the bike riding, but it did help if I breathed deeply. Spent the day with the group at the Jokhang Temple, Barkhour bazaar and lastly the Sera Monastery. Got to sorting out a few documents and writing cards in the evening and then to bed by 9pm, hope it will be a better one tonight.

Monday September 20th
Lhasa

I’m on my own today, the group are on an excursion to Sacred Lake, I’m not going. It’s time I talked to the Sports Travel Co. and get this bike ride sorted out!! Slept OK but was troubled with the headache from time to time. After dragging myself out of bed at 8, I made another attempt to make a long distance call to Helen knowing that it was 1am for her! Yesterday it didn’t work, the lines were down! This morning was terrific! they made it! I can’t describe how delighted I was to hear Helens voice and know I could actually speak to her and tell here I was alright and find out that she was OK. After breakfast I decided to rent a bike, available at the hotel, and see if I could find East Linkhor Road where the Sports Travel company had their office.

From 10 o’clock till 2pm I toured every outlying district of Lhasa and failed to find it. I had it written in English, and a rival tour group had written it in Chinese for me but nobody could tell me where it was! So! it was back to the hotel for lunch, but that was a problem, I’d got myself lost! and would you believe it, I met a Tibetan girl student who was studying English at Norbulinka. She escorted me back to the Holiday Inn and offered to see me tomorrow if I needed advice on where to buy a bike (she was riding one so she might know how to go about it!) Have now contacted China Sports by phone, Jigme Wungchuk can’t be found so I’m waiting for them to ring me back.

Had to leave my passport as a deposit for the bike hire today (thought that was a bit risky!) Jigme Wungchuk has rung back and I’ve arranged to speak to him if he’ll find me at the Holiday Inn instead of me finding him at East Linkhor Road!! I’ve ended the bike rental today and paid 25 Yuan and got my passport back!! Jigme showed up at 6, but I missed him because I was not in my room, he showed up again at 8.30. Whilst hanging around it’s made me realise how many English speaking tourists are here, the hotel’s full of them! I thought they were either English or American but now find some are Jewish (Israel) and maybe there are other nationalities, all able to speak some English. Jigme wanted a detailed itinerary and dates, it all boiled down to money again and for what I wanted the price has been upped another 2-300 yuan which includes hotels, guest houses, and meals. I agreed to that and he will sort that out tomorrow, along with the visa extension for a couple of days until the 28th. Looks like another visit to the Bank of China tomorrow for more money for the bike and a little extra spending money. Just managed to get dinner before the restaurant closed at 9.30 and now it’s time for bed 11 o’clock, don’t know how much sleep I’ll get there’s a raging storm outside!