Day 21 - 23

Restday (Thr 21 Sep.)

Back to Skardu

Today we just had to cycle to the bus stop, were we took a bus back to Skardu.

Restday (Fri 22 Sep.)

Bears and wolfs

Today we had an unforgetable day. We rented a jeep (with driver and guide) and drove up to 4000m were the Deosai Plateau is located.
We were lucky and saw a bear and 2 wolfs ...later we went fishing (Martin successfully) and had a nice lunch later on.
At the end of the day we camped at the Satpara Lake (around 2800m)

km
today -
total: 1060


hightmeters
up today: -
up total: 12355
down today: -
down total: 10469

KM		Remarks

Restday (Fri 23 Sep.)

Nanga Parbat

We cycled back down to Skardu and from there to the airport where we took a plane back to Islamabad.
The flight back was just great, with amazing views of K2 and Nanga Parbat.

km
today 22
total: 1082


hightmeters
up today: -
up total: 12355
down today: 400
down total: 10869

KM	Altitude meters	Remarks

Day 20

Cycling day 12 (Wed 20 Sep.)

The 1000 km picture

It seems like we spared our nicest ride for the last day :)
We went today from Skardu to Khaplu ... a in the beginning desserted area ... but nice along a river and great views.
It seems not a lot of bikers have been cycling that area. At least the views of the locals gave us that impression.
After a stop on a police checkpoint ... we were reaching the 1000 km mark.
We stopped and made a nice picture ... unfortunatly on alcohol in Pakistan to celebrate it
We continued our ride to Khaplu ...which seems to be an oasis in the desserted area.
Al the fields are gren and grass and crops are growing ... a lot of women and men bringing home thei harvest in baskets ... how can you end a trip nicer than that :)

KM	Altitude meters	Remarks
today: 105 total:1057	UP today: 1140 total:12355 DOWN today: 866 total:1069	no info yet

Day 18

Cycling day 10 (Mo 18 Sep.)

Pink tubes ...

The whole day was nice cycling in the Skardu valley
After km 60 we got tired coz of the heat but we wanted to camp at the Kachura Lake , even though we didn't know exactly how far it was
We were keeping cycling and cycling and at around km 85 Martin got a flat ... we changed the tube and had to use the pink ones hahaha ... we bought in Gilgit
... but after 10 km this tube showed that it is more for display than cycling with .... a big PENG ... told us whats up ....
coz dusk approached we decided having a nice coffee and some noodles ... thanks Schimanski ... and called it a day.

KM	Altitude meters	Remarks
today: 97 total:906	UP today: 1800 total:10839 DOWN today: 1160 total:9242	no info yet

Day 16

Restday in Gilgit

Today we cycled from Karimabad only 5 km to the next bus station and took a mini bus back to Gilgit where we started.
Here we will take a rest day, before we continue tomorrow to cycle into Skardu valley, another nice valley with amazing views.

Day 15

Back to where we started

The longest stretch

After waking up, we packed our stuff and cycled the last 30 km down the pass to Sost.There we had a nice breakfast in the sun, before we went to immigration (no problem with my tipEX-Visa).
After that we decided to cycle all the way to Karimabad from where we would like to take the bus back to Gilgit.
The 1st 70 km went very smooth and easy, but then the headwind started. We really suffered a lot on the last km ... but the fact that tomorrow will be a rest day, kept us going ... at the end of the day we had two flats within 10 min (and all that after going "off-road"). Now we rememeber the passage in one of the articles again ... "never go off-road and you will not have any probs" :)

Day 5 - 9

Cycling in Pakistan

Tuesday
After arriving in Gilgit, we where so exited that we started immediatly cycling. The scenery is just amazingly nice and the pakistani people are more than just friendly. The only problem in our first biking hours was to take care to keep the bikes on the left lane ... After 60 km we called it a day and realized, that is is not easy to cycle with 35 kg luggage in that heiught :)



Wednesday
Today the whole day Mt. Rakaposhi (7788m) and his snow caped peakes was looking at us. We had a lot of fun with the truck drivers ... coz every one wants to have a picture with us :)
Again after 60 km we called it a day ... but today we had a serious mountain finish to Karimabad



Thursday
Today we climbed up to 2800m ... a total climb of altitude of 1600m ...and all that with an upset stomach ... we arrived quite tired and then we heard the bad news ... the chinese don't allow bicycles to cycle into china.
Because we want to cycle the whole stretch we decided to go by bus to Kashgar and cycle back.

Day 1 - 4

Islamabad

Sunday
We arrived in Islamabad ...sunday morning ... assembled our bikes and had some nice food. After a few local beers on Schimanskis teracce and the 1st pakistan food (it is just great) we went to sleep.



Monday
Today we were roaming around and arranging some things ...buying a lock ...spokes ... and so on...

Today we will cycle our first 20 km (to the bus station) ...where we will take a bus to Gilgit (17 hours) ... there we will start our biking...

Press Release

“Philipinos by heart" Bike Expedition

Development workers ride the roof of the world for a cause, a Filipino cause.

It started with doing development work in the Philippines. Both Martin Langevoord from The Netherlands and Jens Funk from Germany were introduced here to the fun of cycling and meeting the true Filipino in the country sites on all there trips nationwide. The love for biking and the enthusiasm from other bikers made them decide to write down there experiences and produce the first travelbook about cycling for the Philippines. ‘Cycling Philippines?was released last May and is sold nationwide and serves all cyclists who want to disembark on multiple-week rides through the Visayas and Palawan, as well as the toughest downhill adrenalin junkies. With 350 pages it is as much a tribute to the countryside as well as it is to the Filipino. And exploring the islands by bike is just the perfect way of meeting these two.

...the story continues
Both Langevoord and Funk wanted to do more. Having so much fun just from cycling alone, they felt that the poorer people should have more access to bikes. And ?strong>Bike 4 U?was born. This foundation aims at getting bikes and bike parts from all over the country and Germany for the deprived filipino kids. Aim of the foundation is to introduce kids to riding and repairing bikes and joining several seminars about biking. In September Funk and Langevoord will leave from Islamabad, Pakistan to ride the Karakoram Highway in between snowcapped mountains of over 7000 m (21000 feet). into China. The highest pass will be Kunjerab Pass at 4730 m (almost 15000 feet). By riding here they are trying to get attention for their foundation and showing that a bike is more then just a bike, it’s a tool that connects people. The tour is supported by The North Face, Philippines and Rudy Project, Philippines.

Martin Langevoord, Jens Funk

Tour - Profile

Gilgit (Pakistan) - Kashgar (China)

Our idea is cycling from Gilgit(Pakistan) to Kashgar(China) via the Karakoram Highway.The Karakoram Highway (KKH) is the highest international road in the world. It connects China to Pakistan across the Karakoram mountain ranges, through the Khunjerab Pass at a altitude of 4,693 metres (15,397 feet). The highway runs about 1,200 km from Kashgar, China to Havelian in the Abbottabad District of Pakistan.

History

The KKH was built by the governments of Pakistan and China, and was completed in 1978, after about twenty years of work. Several hundred Pakistanis and Chinese workers lost their lives, mostly in landslides and falls, while working on the highway. The route of the KKH traces one of the many paths of the ancient Silk Road. Owing to the extremely sensitive state of the Kashmir conflict between India and Pakistan, the Karakoram highway has strategic and military importance.

Tour Profile

Day 19

Cycling day 11 (Tue 19 Sep.)

Arriving in Skardu

Today we cycled the remaining 46 km to Skardu the biggest town in the Skardu valley. The ride was just nice and after the tiring ride yesterday, we are happy that it was not so long at all.
After putting down our tent we cycled 16 km to the Kachura Lake , which might be a nice Lake if there would not be the big Shangri La Hotel. We had breakfast at the Tibeatan Motel and then cycled all the way to Skardu.
It is funny, coz the area opened up and we had the feeling cycling to the finishing line.... anyway, not yet we still have 70 km to go ...but we have time till Sunday and we are sure we will make it.

KM	Altitude meters	Remarks
today: 46 total:952	UP today: 484 total:11215 DOWN today: 361 total:9603	no info yet