Last trip with Baba

A 20,000 km bicycle tour returning my fathers ashes to China

Enter: Nepal and the Himalayas

Posted on September 21, 2016 by bodhitree

Local breakfast, fried curry potatoes

I have finally departed from the low, swampy jungle lands on northern India. Camping along busy roads each night in a hot, breeze-less marsh surrounded by mosquitoes, I patiently waited to cross into Nepal. Nepal is culturally very similar but lacks the extremely dense populated areas of India. Traffic is less, locals are less inquisitive and the Annapurna mountains range in the distance. I am now a few days ride from the Annapurna circuit trail and plan to cycle to the base of the holy mountain.

From Malaysia to India

Posted on September 1, 2016 by bodhitree

Kuala Lumpur’s famous twin towers

The last 48 hours have been a blur. A long lay over in Kuala Lumpur gave me ample time to explore the city on a hot summer night, and then a long flight to New Delhi, followed by a midnight bus to the region of Punjab.

Malaysia is fascinating as it is so diverse! Malays, Pakistani’s, Indian’s, Chinese and Arab’s all mixed together speaking the national language Bahasa Malaysia. Wandering through the city I passed through cultural districts that took me back to the cities of China, the Middle East and India. Walking behind the cities famous Mosque I passed stores selling authentic Jordanian clothes and head scarves, and listened to people bargain on cobble stone streets speaking Arabic.

A long bus ride took me to the holy Sikh city of Amritsar. Getting off of the bus and riding through the city I was overwhelmed by chaos!! By far the most chaotic environment since the Middle East. Traffic consists of all types of transport going with and against traffic, horns blaring in all directions and cows!! Holy Hindu cows blocking traffic as they eat grass in the median. If I can keep healthy I can do this, but if it falters this is going to be impossible.

Amritsar Punjab, India. In the distance the Sikh Golden Temple

A city and state full of Sikh’s, Punjab India

Days of Laos

Posted on August 17, 2016 by bodhitree

I remember taking the over night boat from Hong Kong to Guangzhou, my family of 6 all sharing a small cabin with two 2 beds.

I remember being squeezed into the back of an Indian station wagon on pilgrimage in northern India, the 6 of us crammed in the back seat .

One of the many Old Buddhist monasteries in Luang Prabang.

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Local Lao lady prepares me Iced coffee in a bag with ice. 1/4 cup dark black grounds, 1/4 tsp tamarind, 1 cup sweetened condensed milk, and 1 large bag of ice. 5,000 kip ($0.75). A n hour earlier I ordered the same coffee at the same place for 10,000.

Many bordering countries are so similar that if it weren’t for the border you would never know that you were in a different country. Most of Europe is like this, however I remember Albania being a third world country in the middle of modern Europe. Once out of China, I found Laos to be quite different. Development ceased, roads became narrow; full of mud and pot holes and residences became jungle huts; devoid of electricity, built of bamboo and straw. Chinese villages are full of electronic shops selling cellphones and boutiques selling knockoff Levis, now I find the villages full of naked children playing in roadside runoff, and elders carrying dirt and sticks on water buffalo carts.

Crossing an old bridge built for bikes and motorbikes. Skinny tires would easily get stuck in the seams of the boards.

The once cornucopia-like selection of vegetables and fruits, so prevalent in China, has also tapered down to a few wilted cucumbers, some yellowing egg plant and maybe a few bananas. The villagers here spend little time growing anything but rice, and supply the rest of their diet by hunting and scavenging in the jungle.

Meals usually consist of the plentiful and tasty glutinous sticky rice, (the rice is squeezed into a ball with your hand then dipped into the other dishes) and “jungle stuff”. The other day I was invited to an afternoon meal and the “jungle stuff” was the following: roasted rat, boiled river snails, BBQ toad, and wild mushrooms. (Roadside vendors often sell roasted bat, squirrel and bags of live insects for frying).

Rice “steps”

The road brings me up and down steep mountains, occasionally passing steps of rice paddies. The jungle comes right up to the road and is so full of life. Each night I camp and I find my stuff completely engulfed by insects, ants, and rats. Midnight usually brings a storm and by morning there is nothing left untouched. My clothes, panniers and pretty much everything I own, never seems to dry and is spotted with black mold. Even the inside of my hat and handle bars are spotted. The heat too takes its toll making my skin red and itchy, and turning the few vegetables and fruit that I do find into mush.

My guess is that this is the topography of the entire country.

The roads are empty during the hottest hours of the day, locals lounging in the shade or bathing in the rivers. I pedal on trying to cover ground and my sweaty clothes begin to feel like a wet suit. The cash in my pockets can be “wrung-out” with sweat and my skin dries with a layer of salt. As tough as it is I feel privileged to be able to cycle every day with enough food and water and even a tent for camping in the jungle. I have found that a bottle of mineral water ($0.75) costs more than most villagers make in a day, and each day I drink 4-5 bottles. I see children with bellies swollen from starvation, and kids going through garbage looking for food to eat. Suffering is completely out in the open here.

Local shrine for the dead.

The Mekong River begins at the boarder of China,Myanmar and Laos. The river sweeps south, designating the border with Myanmar, then Thailand before finally cutting through the country. In the shape of a snake, it makes its way north east for a while before heading south again. It is in this snake-like loop where the river meets a tributary creating a small peninsula which became a historic city called Luang Prabang. Luang Prabang has an almost island feel with palm trees and a cool river breeze. Historic colonial buildings, crispy French baguettes , and brick paved alleyways can be found between ancient Buddhist monasteries. Each day at dawn the Buddhist monks living walk the main street barefoot seeking alms. The city is quiet, peaceful and has been a good resting place the last few days. Yesterday I bonded with a couple from Chile, meditating in the monastery and practicing yoga in the park.

UNESCO Buddhist Monastery Luang Prabang

Quiet alley ways between monasteries.

A good example of Laotian/Thai style architecture

It is a good day! I am on the move headed south. I move quick as I might have to spend several days in the Lao capital waiting for a multiple entry Indian visa. I head to Cambodia then Punjab in September.

Tobacco, Tea and an Asian Monsoon

Posted on August 4, 2016 by bodhitree

Yunnan’s most popular past time smoking tobacco. Local with water pipe.

The landscape has become one large dense jungle. With strength, plots are cleared away for tobacco, rice and corn. I watch as locals spend hours working in the field, under a hot humid sun, standing bare foot in mud. I am invited for lunch and given a bowl of rice, some salted vegetables.Cigarettes pass from hand to hand to mine, a smile and then a puff. A cup of Pu’er fermented tea. The sky grows dark, thunder, then a strong down pour. Lightning flashes. The road becomes one large mud puddle, and the mountains begin to wash away, dirt moves, rocks tumble and cars stop. I am on the remotest of roads heading toward the Laos border. If it is not food or tobacco growing then it is tea as I am about 200 km from the famous city of Pu’Er (one of China’s most popular teas sold in small to large “cakes”).

Locals and dog sorting tobacco for smoke house.

Human bush

This lady was carrying a large stack of invasive ferns 3 km home to be used as fuel.

Rubber tree. First time seeing one of these. The sap is collected below in a small bucket. The dry sap is rubber, which makes me wonder why we don’t have more white tires.

Local roadside pineapples. So sweet and ripe that you can eat the heart.

Long muddy puddles full of leeches. I gather speed, lift my feet in the air and hope that there are no deep spots. You are actually supposed to “push” a leech off with your finger nails rather than use a lighter, which may result in blood poisoning.

Mud.

Making Sense

Posted on July 28, 2016 by bodhitree

Wei Shan, old city.

48 hours, 4 buses, 3 trains, 1 plane and 6 hours of sleep. I am now back where I left the trail; Southern Yunnan. Two weeks in Guangzhou and 1 week in Hong Kong is long enough to forget the offensive social norms prevalent in China. I returned to find a world of spitting, boisterous cellphone conversations and excessive pushing and shoving while waiting in lines.

Smiling Dog, old man prepares festive paper kites

Local man tells me it takes three hours to make this festive wooden post.

Local cuisine, rice wrapped spicy tofu.

Hua Jiao, the essential “Ma” spice. Local food in the western provinces is often described as being “Ma La” a peppery, spicy flavor that sometimes leaves a numb sensation in your mouth.

China is, and always is an adventure. Full of friendly faces and strange smells, I am glad to be back. It will take me more than a week to reach the Laos border as I plan to visit the famous tea city of Pu’er and explore the Buddhist monasteries in Xishuangbanna.

Travel Update: Southeast Asia

Posted on July 6, 2016 by bodhitree

Lijiang nightscape, minutes before thunderstorm

By tomorrow evening I will be in my family’s home city of Guangzhou. I will spend at least a week visiting aunts, uncles and cousins before returning to Yunnan by train. The final destination of my fathers ashes is a bit uncertain, as I am currently thinking about taking them back to America. In the last two months in China, I have realized my father is more of an American than Chinese, and his home is with us in California, not is a small village that will eventually become a shopping mall. I will see how things go when I arrive in Guangzhou, and make the trip to the village.

One of the only peaceful places in the city of Dali, small local pier.

Returning to Yunnan I will make my way through southeast Asia, and plan to cross into north east India via Myanmar. From India I have a formal invitation to visit the Kingdom of Bhutan where I plan to help the Transportation Bureau promote cycling as a means of local transport. It may be the end of the road from there, I don’t usually like planning so far ahead but there is a lot of red tape with visas and permits.

Shangri-La

Posted on June 25, 2016 by bodhitree

The spring wheat ready for harvest, northern Yunnan

Fields of bright yellow and green, Sichuan/Yunnan border

The western provinces of China are a cyclists paradise. Little traffic, remote desolate roads winding through mountains, waterfalls and lush forests. My path, which once crossed endless deserts now never seems to deviate from mountains. Pass after pass, some days it is not uncommon to spend hours climbing only to descend quickly and start all over again. Drinking water becomes a bit difficult in the high altitudes as the boiling temperature drops to close to 80 C, increasing the risk stomach and intestinal problems. Towns and villages are sometimes several days cycling apart which leaves stream water as the only option.I usually seek out locals and ask them for their source of drinking water. In my years on the road I have learned that it is way better to limit your water intake (within reason) than to be stuck in a tent with a fever and diarrhea.

Rural village outside Shangri-La

There is a subtle to nature here. Something that almost creeps up, or soaks into your socks like a summer dew. The fresh buds on fur trees, soon to bring summer pine cones, rivers full of fish heading upstream, and a green moss that only grows in the shade. There are thousands of untouched acres, remote temples and secluded yurts. Everything seems to return to nature, wooden fence poles turn into trees, the road splinters with grass and bridges fall back into rivers.

Long mountainous route to Shangri-La, at times this was as good as the road got.

It all becomes distant. When you enter a Chinese city, even your memory of home falls back into the crevice of your mind as noise, traffic and chaos quickly engulf your senses. A man with a plastic yellow work helmet with red paint, paints the road barriers , two women clear and sort vegetables on the dirt side walk, children run to and fro buying sugar coated fried dough before the start of school, trucks honk and cars wiz past, and somewhere in the distance you can hear the electronic tune of “its a small world” getting closer as a large water truck passes spraying water throughout the littered streets. Just a few kilometers away there was a quiet stream with grass, cows and yurts, but here there is nothing that can even remind you, it is in someways so far away.

The tops of passes are always marked with prayer flags. Sometimes you can see the summit hours before reaching her.

Northern Yunnan is warm and humid. The Tibetan minority has given way to a more South East Asian type of people; men smoking bamboo water pipes and women carry baskets filled with wild mushrooms and green vegetables. Hats are red tunics, and clothes are decorated with bright colors. Food too, has become more diverse, the Tibetan staple of T’sampa is replaced with tropical fruits, compressed rice cakes, and spiced meats. There is a high demand for wild herbs, roots and other Chinese medicinal products, and in some parts of the city entire streets are sectioned off for the sale of these goods.

Looking down toward the valley of Shangri-La

The city of Deqen (Zongdian), renamed Shangri-La in 2001 to promote tourism, is from a distance quite like the mythical city. Tucked between two large mountain ranges, nestled beside a large river, the city is in a beautiful location and is home to a very large population of Buddhism monks. However once inside, the city becomes a typical Chinese city with new, poorly constructed buildings, extreme noise pollution and lots of liter. On an up note, the city has recently given up plastic bags, replacing them with bright colored mesh totes lacking handles. It is a sight to see the locals walking on the streets precariously holding shopping bags between their arms.

Breakfast scenery

I have finally been able to withdraw money from the ATM!! My usual long delay before being denied money was replaced with the sound of counting bills!! I was so excited that I withdrew money several times just to hear it. I will be in Yunnan province for a few weeks before taking a train to visit my family in Guangzhou. I plan to spend several weeks there then return to Yunnan and head to Laos.

Pilgrims

Posted on June 19, 2016 by bodhitree

Summer rains sweep through mountains. The wet earth, once vacant now sprout wild flowers. A bird sings, a group of yaks pass and the sound of footsteps fill the road. Pilgrims. The walk in numbers with large sacks of food and supplies on back, sometimes with a stick in hand. Some pull large carts filled with clothes, cooking utensils and grain, no matter what they carry they all head for the holy city of Lhasa, more than 1000 km away. Cars too are filled with pilgrims of a different sort, men and women who bring the comforts of their homes and sleep in warm beds. In this way it is easy to forget the world outside and embracing the dreams we all forget at dawn.

This pilgrim was prostrating his way, 3 steps one bow, to Lhasa.

Traveling has been very difficult lately. My Chinese Yuan supply has slowly dwindled and it is impossible for me to exchange money. I have therefore been subsiding on the bare minimum (fresh vegetables and cold noodles) and quickly making my way to Yunnan where I hope to find a large enough bank to withdraw funds. Hostels, hotels, and even apples are too expensive right now. The rain makes maters worse as I often spend hours pedaling up steep mountains only to find myself descending into a hail storm.

However it is too beautiful to be inside. Even when I am in the tent at night I want to open the fly and look out into a sky with patches of stars. I am too often invited by locals to stay inside warm wooden houses and each time I look down into forested distance and decline. It will take me several days to get to Yunnan, in the meantime I am riding when I can and when I can’t hiding in my tent beside soft streams.

Backroads of Sichuan

Posted on June 13, 2016 by bodhitree

After graduating college I spent close to a whole year traveling China with my father. It was a time when anything was better than returning to the US and contemplating the next step in life, and traveling seems to occupy those moments in my life. My father too, had plenty to escape, his health was failing and his energy to conduct his antique business had long since left him. We traveled to so many Buddhist temples and holy places that I can hardly remember which ones were interesting and which ones were more like Buddhist amusement parks . Most if not all the monasteries had long since been destroyed during the Cultural Revolution and had been replaced with flashy stucco replicas with large plastic golden Buddhas.

Native grass at 14,000 feet.

During our many temple visits we met a very interesting Tibetan teacher who became a close friend. We spent several days with him at the monastery, then invited him to our home in Guang Zhou. He had a very familiar laugh and a smile never seemed to leave his face. After my father’s death, we continued to keep in touch. He would call at 2 am California time and laugh about the time difference, and repeatedly ask when I would return to China.

Rin Chen Jer Po Rinpoche and Padma (my Tibetan name)

An offering. Rin Chen’s monastery in northern Sichuan

Rin Chen’s village, Zong Mai Xiang

After more than a year of silence, I hesitated, then called him while pedaling south through the deserts of Qinghai. He quickly remembered me and extended an invitation to visit him in Sichuan. It turned out that his home was not too far off my route so I braved a 100 km single track mountainous road to his home village.

Rin Chen making a call at the only place with service, the nearest tallest mountain pass 4,700 meters.

My friend’s name is Rin Chin Jer Po, who at the age of 19 was told by a senior Buddhist teacher that he had a strong potential in the practice of selflessness and Enlightenment. Immediately after hearing the news he decided to make a pilgrimage to India, and walked to the Holy city of Lumbini in northern India. When he arrived he met his future teacher and decided to devote his life to the study of Buddhism. After a year in India he returned to his home in Sichuan province and began to teach in China.

En-Route to Zong Mai Xiang village.

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Rin Chin’s village was almost impossible to find as it is extremely remote and not located on any maps. He gave me the name of his temple and told me that he was about 100 kilometers from a certain landmark. En-route it took me close to a whole day of cycling to and fro on a large highway looking for a small dirt road that would take me his way. Once found I quickly noticed that I would be riding on a road full of muddy pot holes, loose rocks and steep climbs. At times I doubted my resolution to visit him but continued on as he was very good to my family after my father’s death.

When I arrived at his village I spent close to an hour asking villagers about where he lived, no one seemed to have heard the name Rin Chin Jer Po. Did I pedal to the wrong place, I thought? The name of the temple was familiar to most but no one seemed to have heard the name Rin Chin Jer Po. Finally I asked a few monks at the monastery for the residence of the abbot, thinking this was his home I quickly entered expecting to see him. Instead I met a relatively large bald man with a very happy face. I apologized for barging into his home, however he seemed too surprised at seeing a foreigner that he didn’t seem to noticed that I had just walked into his home. I quickly described Rin Chin to him and made a long hair gesture as well as large earrings. He quickly knew who I was talking about and led me to his residence.

A large Tibetan meal of Blood sausage, boiled beef and beef buns. The yogurt (in bowls) was really good!

Seeing Rin Chin through his second story window brought tears to my eyes and his large smile met mine. My doubts about coming quickly vanished and I was invited into his home and treated like a royal guest. A Tibetan feast of fresh beef, yogurt, milk tea, and lots of Sampa was soon prepared and a bed in the monastery waited me. It took me a day to get used to Tibetan customs as women do everything for the men; wash their clothes, cook, serve, and prepare all the meals, wash their feet, make and serve tea the daily tea.

Preparing to eat a large bowl of butter and boiled roots, a Tibetan delicacy!!

The boiled roots are added to a large bowl of butter, the liquid butter is sipped while the roots are chewed. I must have eaten close to 3 sticks of butter. The white cheese looking like stuff is milk curds.

Spring has finally sprung at 14,000 feet.

I am headed south again, towards the province of Yunnan. It is warm, humid and rainy. Food rarely deviates from Tsampa, boiled beef and buns. My bags are full of gifts from Rin Chen and I must have at least a months worth of Tsampa and butter in a large bag.

Tibetan Plateau

Posted on June 3, 2016 by bodhitree