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goneforawhile2007 - Andy

Andy heading east by bicycle
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Joined on: July 7th 2006
Last Login: July 1st 2009

Blog Entries: 9
Photos: 170
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Blogs & Travel Journals

by goneforawhile2007, order by Date newest first.


Bordering the plane to Hong Kong and being back on the road soon felt really good after being home for almost 3 months. I'll spare you the details, but I am really glad that I can do what I do and that I am doing what I am doing. Honestly! There are so many unhappy people in the world, who are in position to change there fate and don't do it. Not talking about those who don't have that much choice... But most of the time they are happier than their richer pendants in the western world. Arriving back in Kunming [View Full Entry]

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1210 Words | 0 Comment(s) | 24 Photo(s) | 0 Video(s)
Published: July 6th 2008 | 145 Views | [diary=295614]

Leaving Kunming
Yuanyang city in the mountains
The rice terraces

Left Guiyang following the Motorway. Which is legal in China if there are no minor roads in place, e.g. for routes leaving a major town. But sooner or later all slow traffic is meant to leave, or made to leave. Not this time, which enabled me to enjoy 140km this day on excellent, smooth road, with very few traffic and just occasional climbs. The first part of my itinerary took me along a nice river to Guilin, passing the "Dragon's Backbone"-rice terraces at Longshen. Guilin is just another big city, but touristy for the famous karst rockformations and the Li-river. My [View Full Entry]

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1226 Words | 0 Comment(s) | 20 Photo(s) | 0 Video(s)
Published: April 9th 2008 | 134 Views | [diary=264610]

women of local minorities
traditional house being built
new hotel has openend:

By goneforawhile2007
November 21st 2007
Yunnan to Guangxi Asia » China » Guangxi
Snowcapped peaks...
Snowcapped peaks...
soon they will be gone!
Northern Yunnan proved to be almost the best part of Eastern Tibet - Tibetan culture, spectacular sceneries and friendly people! Reaching Shangri-La was another milestone: being back to "civilisation" and the first and best place to get a desperately needed visaextension. Got another 2 months without any problems, stayed there for 3 days - pretty relieved - enjoying western food and the company of fellow-cyclists. Left Shangri-La on a backroad leading to the northern end of the Tiger Leaping Gorge. Went through the TLG, and headed for Dali. Decided to skip Lijiang for several reasons (back [View Full Entry]

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621 Words | 1 Comment(s) | 16 Photo(s) | 0 Video(s)
Published: November 21st 2007 | 174 Views | [diary=221428]

Tiger Leaping Gorge
Too lazy to walk?
What!?

By goneforawhile2007
October 24th 2007
Lhasa to Yunnan Asia » China » Tibet
Lhasa...
Lhasa...
View from the Jokhang Temple, the Potala Palace in the background...
Left Lhasa after 13 days. Planned to stay five or so, but caught a cold with a strong cough which I had to cure first. The cough was persistent, but I decided that there was no point in hanging out for a nother week or so hoping it would go away. Don't get me wrong, Lhasa is a great place to hangout (except for bedbugs and some nutcases in dorms...) and I could have easily stayed for another month or two, but the winter was approaching and my visa about to expire and I can't gewt extension in Tibet! So I [View Full Entry]

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918 Words | 1 Comment(s) | 14 Photo(s) | 0 Video(s)
Published: October 24th 2007 | 192 Views | [diary=213898]

Pilgrims in front of the Jokhang...
Lhasa streetscene
If I ever need a carpet...

Meeting with the "Yakman"
Meeting with the "Yakman"
Imma, Pep me and Joe, just before I noticed that my backrim was broken!
reached Lhasa on Sept 19. Left Kashgar together with Imma & Pep, the crazy Catalans :-), and Joe from Switzerland. On the 2nd day out of Kashgar, a few kms after Yarkant we met the "Yakman" Claude Marthaler and Nathalie. We were just talking about broken rims, as I discovered that my backrim was broken as well! I didn't like this decision but I was so close to Kashgar, so I decided to go back to get this issue sorted out. At the Giant Bikeshop they didn't have as strong rims as I would have liked, but they had a 32 [View Full Entry]

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634 Words | 0 Comment(s) | 12 Photo(s) | 0 Video(s)
Published: September 22nd 2007 | 431 Views | [diary=204482]

First High Pass in Xinkiang Province...
And so was the 2nd one...
This was rather standard than exception...

By goneforawhile2007
August 7th 2007
Blog f....d up! Asia » China » Xinjiang » Kashgar
Due to the server outage it might be that all my blogging is lost! For obvious reasons I will not continue for the moment. Sorry 'bout that! Heading for Tibet on Thursday. Cheers, Andy [View Full Entry]

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34 Words | 0 Comment(s) | 15 Photo(s) | 0 Video(s)
Published: October 24th 2006 | 385 Views | [diary=97571]

Following the Pyanj-river for a few hundred km's
Attention, mines!
First Checkpoint after Khorog

One oft he greatest headaches so far - I finally made it! I managed to take the ferry from Baku/Azerbaidjan to Aktau/Kazakhstan, where I am now. Taking a ferry doesn't sound all too difficult, does it? Well, this is a special one. This ferry is mainly a cargoship, roll-on, roll-off, which also accepts some passengers. The first problem with catching this ferry is that there are no schedules. The ferry comes when it comes and so does it leave. Nobody has information or is keen about giving it out until right before it is there. So what you do is [View Full Entry]

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718 Words | 1 Comment(s) | 8 Photo(s) | 0 Video(s)
Published: May 22nd 2007 | 1063 Views | [diary=161023]

Baku docks
Views of Baku from the port
Offshore oildrilling platforms

LEAVING TURKEY... was a bit odd. Since Diyarbakir it seemed I was struck by bad luck. First I tried to continue to Lake Van being stubborn and cycled all day in the pouring rain, ending up being soaking wet catching a cold. Decided to skip Lake Van and go straight to Erzurum by bus. Unfortunately the guy sitting next to me was even more sick than me and probably transmitted some of his germs to me. So upon arrival in Erzurum I felt really sick and had to stay in bed for a week! Went to the Iranian consulate several [View Full Entry]

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979 Words | 0 Comment(s) | 17 Photo(s) | 0 Video(s)
Published: May 13th 2007 | 593 Views | [diary=158003]

Don't know why I'm not blurred...
Tunnel
Tbilisi

Yes, I know: there is no officially recognized country by the name of "Kurdistan" - but hey: travel to South-Eastern Anatolia and talk to some locals! So, here's my personal Kurdistan Experience: From the West, the part of Turkey with high kurdish population roughly start east of the Malatya - Adana Highway going all the way up to Erzurum until the Turkish/Georgian border. Having travelled from Elbistan to Batman via the towns of Golbasi, Adiyaman, Katha, Siverek and Diyarbakir I experienced people as being friendly and supportive until west of the Firat river. The town of Siverek proved [View Full Entry]

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1194 Words | 5 Comment(s) | 18 Photo(s) | 0 Video(s)
Published: April 2nd 2007 | 429 Views | [diary=144330]

Turkish Village...
Postmodern Art...
25km road construction ahead...