Nicole and Rachel spent 3 weeks cycling through Tibet this summer. I have borrowed Nicole's journal and will copy a few things here:
Wednesday, June 21
We have been in Lhasa for 3 days now, and it is just beautiful! The train ride was a bit long, but it all come out great! Yesterday we went to 2 monasteries. It was really cool to see! The sky is unbelievably blue, and everyone has really unique features. The people have kept their heritage close to them. They have painting of history and Buddhas on every wall almost. Today we got to shop. I bout some cool jewelry, 2 shirts, and 1 skirt. Today I went to Pateka Palace. It has 1000 rooms and was built for Dahlie Llama the leader of Buddhism. It is beautiful with white and red walls. I am excited to bike tomorrow. I think it will be a challenge!
June 28th
Over 5000 kilometers from Beijing! Wow! On the third day Rachel had bad altitude sickness. I stayed up with her all night then went in the truck the next day. Then, after that truck day, I biked 100 kilometers to a town called Shigatzay. The biking wasn't hard because Katherina biked with me.
July 6th ( a compilation of different parts of her trip)
Mount Everest: Mount Everest is so beautiful! OK so we get there, right? And all of the sudden my camera runs out of battery and I can't take a picture of Everest! So, I just use Rachel's camera. At base camp there was really nothing, but it was still cool! At the top of every mountain and pass they have prayer flags. They are really cool! It's always nice to see them when you are biking up a pass on a mountain!
The Crew: OK, so we have this crew of Nepalese and Tibetan men that set up our tents. First there is the land cruiser driver. He is nuts, and isn't very nice. One time we had to wake up early, because the road would be closed from 8:00am to 9:00pm and he was too drunk to drive. He drove the support vehicle for those of us who couldn't bike and longer. Then there is "Cookie" That is the nickname for the cook. He is super short and has a gold tooth. He is a really great cook, and is hilarious! I love him! Today we lost him! He was just wandering around and finally we found him. Then there is Mila Cookie's helper. He looks like Uncle Jared, but Asian. He carries stuff and sets up tents. He is nice from what I've noticed. Then there is Shirpa. He is really nice and has good English. OK, so one night the crew was getting a gas lamp ready for the tent so that we could see, while me, Rachel, Devon, Keri, and JJ played cards. It was about 10:15pm when we saw orange everywhere outside the tent. Me and Keri go out and see tons of stuff on fire! It was crazy! We were so stupid because it could explode, so we ran. I saw Shirpa pick up the burning gas tank with flames all over it and throw it in the river. He was really brave, he is OK though. We ended up waiting like 20 minutes for the gas to run out. It was freezing outside!
All Downhill: OK, So yesterday was the best day of the whole trip! So, first we wake up at like 3:30am and start biking. The mountains are beautiful and they all look very mystical like something you would see in Lord of the Rings. It is really blue in the sky and green on the ground but no trees. Then all of the sudden we are going downhill and all you see is trees. It is like the rain forest. It was soo beautiful! They had tons of waterfalls with rainbows shining through, and little rivers every which way. The whole biking part of that day was going downhill on gravel. It had rained the night before so there were lots of puddles and it was very muddy! I was covered with dirt! It was soo fun! It was so relaxing because instead of peddling the bike did it all for you! I was so grateful for everything God has given us! I felt soo blessed! It was like walking in to one of the pages of a National Geographic magazine! It made me think how wonderful heaven must be!
Nicole wrote a really fun journal that she will always be glad she has. I just copied a few entries here. I think that the girls had such a wonderful experience, and I'm so grateful they were able to go on this trip!
