Jitters...
This week I got my passport back from the Chinese Embassy with the Visa to China.
The Land of the red dragon, has opened its iron gates to us... And granted us a year long, multiple entries Visa.... Hurray!
In the past few weeks, I have been busy trying to outline and coordinate the details of our cycling itinerary along the ancient Silk Road, in North Western China.
We have used this company in the past, and now, we are considering to hire them again, to provide us with a Chinese speaking guide and a support van.
It has been a slow process...
They have not organized a journey this long before.
China is HUGE and the Silk Road used to take years to complete.
We are only planning to do a section of it.
In order to be able to also visit Tibet, we will have to jump on a train, to shorten the length of the journey, across the Gobi desert.
I pull out the itinerary.
The names of the towns and Provinces, are impossible to pronounce...
You don't believe me?
Try saying these towns: "Yijianfangdaoban", "Xikeerkuqun", "Liupanshan"
I try to Google some of them.... They do not even seem to exist.
The names of towns got changed many times along the Silk Road, and the names, are pronounced differently by the various minorities who reside there.
Besides, Chinese names are always written in Chinese Characters, and the translation is always somewhat lacking.......
This is because these pictorial Characters, usually mean something individually, and the combination of certain characters, are what gives meaning to a word or a phrase.
So names of towns may translate to someone like: "The town in which a twitchy rabbit crossed the river on the back of a turtle, only the victorious rabbit was nonchalantly stomped by a camel."
(or something like this)
I read our itinerary and feel light headed with happiness....
There are high mountain lakes to visit,......Oasis towns.......the oldest Buddhist Monastery in China,.......the gateway to the Middle Kingdom,...... A 15,000 years old Stone Age Settlement,......... An isolated Tibetan town, (located in the middle of the Silk Road, a LONG ways away from Tibet), high in the thin air, which is a home to some white yaks....
There are small towns which are the breeding ground for horses on the gateway to the Mongolia....... A fortified old town on the edge of the Great Wall,....... the arid Gobi Desert,......
There are small towns which are known for their Pomegranate,...... Famous for their delicate Silk Carpets,....... and ancient ruined of caves with 1000 Buddhas.
And then there is the Magical Land of Tibet.... With cliff hung Monasteries, vast high lakes, long haired yaks.... People with beautifully chiseled features and tribal clothing.........Can a girl really be SO LUCKY?.....
Then I take a sip of my tea, sigh with pleasure and anticipation... And I suddenly become aware of ANOTHER inner voice.... A doubting voice which is a little less pleased with my lightheaded happiness....
It nudges me and says: "What are you NUTS?.......
Cycling the Gobi Desert.... Can you imagine the strength of the wind?
The wind pushing AGAINST the direction you are going towards?
Imagine the fine dusty sand in your eyes and nostrils?
Besides, when was the LAST time you sat on a bicycle?
Six months?
Right!
And even then, what did you do?
20 miles from Basalt to Aspen, with a rest stop at Woody Creek...... to sip some ice tea and a snack.....
Yeah, you are truly the intrepid kind....
Have you looked at the itinerary and how much you have to cycle DAILY?
82 KM, 65KM, 60KM, 96KM, 98KM, 72KM, and so on.... Let me remind you that you have to do this DAILY....for almost two months....
You are eating and indulging like a well fed Babushka..... Look at you, you are 10 kilos overweight,...... out of shape,...... you have not done Yoga since you've left New Zealand...... You will be cycling through some places which are 15,000 miles HIGH in altitude.... Sleeping in guest houses with no running water.....coarse blankets....
You do not like to admit it, but face it,.... You are a princess....
You like organic soaps and giant strawberries dipped in 25 years old balsamic, aged in oak barrels....
You like long hot showers and rich hair conditioners.... What are you HIGH?
You will NEVER make it!"
I listen to this doubting voice and I know that some of what it says.... Is true.
Actually..... Okay......If I am honest,.... ALL of what it says... Is TRUE....
But I ALSO KNOW, that in the past, I WAS able to do it.
I cycled in China through the Sichuan and Yunnan Provinces.... I cycled in the mountains of Japan, Italy,.... In windy and wet Ireland....... and steamy hot Northern Thailand... And more....
And I always had the most amazing experiences.... I loved our adventures, met wonderful people, saw breathtaking sights....both manmade and Natural....
I was never really ready,..... Never cycled enough before any of these trips,......Yet I always made it, and had GREAT FUN.
Yes, at first my butt hurt like hell, from sitting on the small bicycle seat all day long.... My legs were soar and achy and it took awhile to adjust to the discomfort of my body.... But I KNOW that I WILL be able to make it....
I know that these are just the jitters and nervousness before taking a big journey....
Yes, this is NOT a luxury trip... No luxury hotels are situated along the rural Chinese roads... The path less traveled..... But this is NOT a vacation...nor a holiday.....this is a PILGRIMAGE.
A journey into discovering the limits of my belief in my spirit....
A test of my endurance and my belief in my own spiritual powers.... To overcome my imagined physical boundaries....
Surely energy or our physical strength, are NOT stored in our muscles.
Think of all the little girls who can do amazing things while performing elaborate gymnastics.
They are so small.........It is ALL in the spirit of the individual..... All the strength you ever need resides there....
Yes, it WILL be hard...
But many things in life are hard... Even fun things can be hard....
Hardness makes us strong.
The Land of the red dragon, has opened its iron gates to us... And granted us a year long, multiple entries Visa.... Hurray!
In the past few weeks, I have been busy trying to outline and coordinate the details of our cycling itinerary along the ancient Silk Road, in North Western China.
We have used this company in the past, and now, we are considering to hire them again, to provide us with a Chinese speaking guide and a support van.
It has been a slow process...
They have not organized a journey this long before.
China is HUGE and the Silk Road used to take years to complete.
We are only planning to do a section of it.
In order to be able to also visit Tibet, we will have to jump on a train, to shorten the length of the journey, across the Gobi desert.
I pull out the itinerary.
The names of the towns and Provinces, are impossible to pronounce...
You don't believe me?
Try saying these towns: "Yijianfangdaoban", "Xikeerkuqun", "Liupanshan"
I try to Google some of them.... They do not even seem to exist.
The names of towns got changed many times along the Silk Road, and the names, are pronounced differently by the various minorities who reside there.
Besides, Chinese names are always written in Chinese Characters, and the translation is always somewhat lacking.......
This is because these pictorial Characters, usually mean something individually, and the combination of certain characters, are what gives meaning to a word or a phrase.
So names of towns may translate to someone like: "The town in which a twitchy rabbit crossed the river on the back of a turtle, only the victorious rabbit was nonchalantly stomped by a camel."
(or something like this)
I read our itinerary and feel light headed with happiness....
There are high mountain lakes to visit,......Oasis towns.......the oldest Buddhist Monastery in China,.......the gateway to the Middle Kingdom,...... A 15,000 years old Stone Age Settlement,......... An isolated Tibetan town, (located in the middle of the Silk Road, a LONG ways away from Tibet), high in the thin air, which is a home to some white yaks....
There are small towns which are the breeding ground for horses on the gateway to the Mongolia....... A fortified old town on the edge of the Great Wall,....... the arid Gobi Desert,......
There are small towns which are known for their Pomegranate,...... Famous for their delicate Silk Carpets,....... and ancient ruined of caves with 1000 Buddhas.
And then there is the Magical Land of Tibet.... With cliff hung Monasteries, vast high lakes, long haired yaks.... People with beautifully chiseled features and tribal clothing.........Can a girl really be SO LUCKY?.....
Then I take a sip of my tea, sigh with pleasure and anticipation... And I suddenly become aware of ANOTHER inner voice.... A doubting voice which is a little less pleased with my lightheaded happiness....
It nudges me and says: "What are you NUTS?.......
Cycling the Gobi Desert.... Can you imagine the strength of the wind?
The wind pushing AGAINST the direction you are going towards?
Imagine the fine dusty sand in your eyes and nostrils?
Besides, when was the LAST time you sat on a bicycle?
Six months?
Right!
And even then, what did you do?
20 miles from Basalt to Aspen, with a rest stop at Woody Creek...... to sip some ice tea and a snack.....
Yeah, you are truly the intrepid kind....
Have you looked at the itinerary and how much you have to cycle DAILY?
82 KM, 65KM, 60KM, 96KM, 98KM, 72KM, and so on.... Let me remind you that you have to do this DAILY....for almost two months....
You are eating and indulging like a well fed Babushka..... Look at you, you are 10 kilos overweight,...... out of shape,...... you have not done Yoga since you've left New Zealand...... You will be cycling through some places which are 15,000 miles HIGH in altitude.... Sleeping in guest houses with no running water.....coarse blankets....
You do not like to admit it, but face it,.... You are a princess....
You like organic soaps and giant strawberries dipped in 25 years old balsamic, aged in oak barrels....
You like long hot showers and rich hair conditioners.... What are you HIGH?
You will NEVER make it!"
I listen to this doubting voice and I know that some of what it says.... Is true.
Actually..... Okay......If I am honest,.... ALL of what it says... Is TRUE....
But I ALSO KNOW, that in the past, I WAS able to do it.
I cycled in China through the Sichuan and Yunnan Provinces.... I cycled in the mountains of Japan, Italy,.... In windy and wet Ireland....... and steamy hot Northern Thailand... And more....
And I always had the most amazing experiences.... I loved our adventures, met wonderful people, saw breathtaking sights....both manmade and Natural....
I was never really ready,..... Never cycled enough before any of these trips,......Yet I always made it, and had GREAT FUN.
Yes, at first my butt hurt like hell, from sitting on the small bicycle seat all day long.... My legs were soar and achy and it took awhile to adjust to the discomfort of my body.... But I KNOW that I WILL be able to make it....
I know that these are just the jitters and nervousness before taking a big journey....
Yes, this is NOT a luxury trip... No luxury hotels are situated along the rural Chinese roads... The path less traveled..... But this is NOT a vacation...nor a holiday.....this is a PILGRIMAGE.
A journey into discovering the limits of my belief in my spirit....
A test of my endurance and my belief in my own spiritual powers.... To overcome my imagined physical boundaries....
Surely energy or our physical strength, are NOT stored in our muscles.
Think of all the little girls who can do amazing things while performing elaborate gymnastics.
They are so small.........It is ALL in the spirit of the individual..... All the strength you ever need resides there....
Yes, it WILL be hard...
But many things in life are hard... Even fun things can be hard....
Hardness makes us strong.
