The Artist and the Empiricist on the High Road to China

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THE ARTIST AND THE EMPIRICIST ON THE HIGH ROAD TO CHINA Allan MacLachlan IS outh America mumble, mumble Chile, The Andes mumble, mumble Europe, U.K. II "United States, Grand Canyon, New Orleans mumble, mumble Europe, Germany mumble, mumble." All these mutterings by Mike Pratt, Suzie McQuoid, Andrew McLellan, and Jo McKenzie finally convinced Keith Strode-Penny and Allan MacLachlan that it was about timetogo somewhereoverseas. Some months later the crazy notion of taking mountain bikes to cycle the Karakoram Highway in Northern Pakistan was decided upon. Some months later again wer met upat Helena's Restaurant in Kathmandu and performed a substantive test on their supplies of amber liquid. After making various arrangements the two Cycling the Karakoram Highway, Hunza Valley Allan MacLachlan of us caught the plane to Islamabad, Pakistan. Pakistan is a muslim coun- way who he had to have a cup of chai about 41 pm then carried on for another try, the people mostly friendly and (tea)with. Wei finally arrived at Gilgit couple of hours. inquisitive, especially of two crazy dehydrated, hungry, and tired. Kiwis intending to cycle through to We were very much the centre of China. After discovering that neither of us attentionwithourbikesand, gear. The knew very much about how bicycles localsareusedtoseeingtourists speed- We spent a few days in Rawalpindi work, we attempted to put them back ing by on public transport or in jeeps and Islamabad sorting out visas for together. A self taught lesson on ad- sO they were keen to see these strange China amongst other things. The heat justing derailleurs and the bikes were white visitors andtry their English out here at the height of summer was humming along. onus. "Wherea are you going?" "What oppressive, completely ruling out the isyourname?" "Whereareyou from?" possibility of cycling from Gilgit is a small town, the administra- These phrases would be blurted out Rawalpindi. Upon hearing that we tive centre for much of the Northern with intensity and regularity over the were from New Zealand, the Pakista- Areas of Pakistan. The streets are next few weeks and would occasionnis reminded us continually of the devoidofwomen, thelocal population ally drive us up the wall. Nevertheresult of the New Zealand VS. Paki- being mostly shi'ite Muslims who do less the people of Northern Pakistan stan match in the cricket World Cup not allow women to venture out in were friendly yand genuinely interested semi finals (New Zealand lost) and public. The town lies at the conver- in us and our way of life in New asked us ifwel knew Martin Crowe or gence of the Gilgit and Hunza Rivers Zealand. Richard Hadlee. We instantly be- and is a major trading post in the area. came cricket fans. We spent our first night in Chalt, a Upon leaving Gilgit, a minor geo- small village just off the Karakoram Our twelve hour bus journey from graphic embarrassment had us head- Highway(KKH)andacrosst theHunza Rawalpindi to Gilgit turned to twenty ing up the wrong valley. This quickly River. It was here that Keith earned seven hours after encountering a mud corrected, we headed up the Hunza the first of many punctures in his slide across the road, a washed out Rivera and cycled until about 11 am. It "super tough" tubes. Some local chilbridge, and a van driver who knew was still too hot to cycle in the hottest dren helped him change the tube and someone in every village along the part oft the day so we had siestas until we were on our way, surrounded by donkeys and crowds of children eager employment for a few, and the road for photographs and apricots. The to see the foreigners on their fancy providing communication and com- following day we decided to head up bicycles. paratively reliable transport. Thearea the Passu Glacier and camp out overseems set to become a major tourist night. Itwasherer welearnedthevalue The following day saw Allan resting route to China in the coming years. oflocalguides wedid not hireag guide up from al bout of diarrhoea and dehyand got confused about the track didration whilel Keith exploredthecoun- After Rakaposhi View Hotel we cy- rection, thes subsequent geographicemtryside surrounding Chalt and filled cled on to Karimabad, gaining some barrassments proving to be a little up on apricots. more altitude to reach 3000m. We nerve-wracking as we practised our ventureduptothel Ultar Glacierwhere rock climbing skills. Thei next day we cycled off the Indian we got an appreciation of the scale of plateontotheAsianplateas Rakaposhi the mountains around here - they are We also learned not to trust guide (7788m) came into view. We took it huge! books the next morning when we went easy this day cycling only in search of "Passu Gar." 30km,stopping at Rakaposhi Passu Gar, according to the View Hotel - actually a camp guide book, is a spot which site. Later on that afternoon offers fantastic viewsoftwo weattemptedtowalk to Base of the glaciers in the area, Campati Rakaposhi. A slight and the surrounding mounexcursion saw Allan attempt tains. The guide book said to rip his arm out, the result Passu Gar was only about being a painful night out as two hours from where we henursed a dislocated shoulhad camped the night beder. A few days rest at fore. After three and a half Rakaposhi View Hotel then hours and practising our we were on our way again, rock climbing skills again we decided we had again The Hunza Valley has an lost the track. One hour interestinghistory Separated later we decided the guide for centuries from the rest of book was slightly inaccuthe world, the people here rate. One hour later again, developed: much oftheir own we decided Passu Gar did culture and even a different not existandweheadedback language. The language down thel hill. We returned sometimes differs from one to the small town of Passu, side ofthe niver to the other. and after telling the locals Alexander the Great and his where we had intended to armies came throughthisval- News from home, Khunjerab Pass Allan MacLachlan go, they laughed at us and ley about 300-400 BC and said that Passu Gar was alleft their genetic mark. Also among Cycling on further up the valley we most impossible to reach. recent settlers in the area are some stopped for our usual midday siesta at former Soviets from thei nearby states. Gulmit. Later in the afternoon we After an easy morning's ride to Sust, headed off for Passu, 30km further the Pakistan-China border town, we The climate here IS hot and dry, the along the road. Five hundred metres loaded up with supplies and sent Hunza and other mountain rivers pro- from our siesta spot, Keith's front letters off home. The following day viding irrigation for apricots, figs, derailleur shifter decided to disinte- after clearing Pakistan Immigration, apples, mulberries, andg grapes. Along grate. Keith, being the mechanically we headed up towards the border on the KKH are signs depicting projects mindedpersont thathei is, said Aargh, the Khunjerab Pass (4790m). The ofthe Agar Khan helping the people it doesn't work!" Another self taught weather had cooled allowing us to with variousagriculturalprojects. The lesson in how to assemble and adjust cycle most of the day. The road up mountains here are abrupt and stun- click-clack shifters (luckily Keith had towards the pass climbs gradually, ning, like nothing else on earth. kept his "click-clack" shifters after although you're already high -: We Rakaposhi pokes its snow and ice changing to thumb shifters) and we pitched our tent a few kilometres covered peak above the others, domi- headed back to Gulmit for the night. past the "Save the Snow Leopard" nating the views in the area. Tourism sign, considering that the snow and the KKH has obviously had an We spent thei next day slowly cycling leopards might be interested in our impact on these people, providing through to Passu, regularly stopping skins!

We awoke the next morning to slight to that headwinds and we felt more necessary border formalities. After mist for our ride up the pass which than a little cheated checking in to the luxurious (NOT) was long and hard, with numerous PamirHotelweexplored Tashkurgan, switchbacks Other travellers going As we cycled along we spotted a lone found a restaurant, and promptly by bus waved and cheered us on as we figure in the distance, also on a bike. pigged out on noodles. Tashkurgan is grunted up the last few kilometres to After a few kilometres we caught up not the most exciting place on earth; the pass. The weather had deterio- with this figure and looked somewhat in fact its streets are filled with ugly rated by the time we reached the pass bemused at this Japanese tourist on a Chinese architecture and open sewwith light snow flurries. Chinese "one speeder". As the three ers; its only redeeming features are the ofuscycled along, we discovered that poplartrees which linether main street. We said our farewells to Pakistan Shugte the Japanese Cycling Ma- Tashkurgan is one ofthose places that officialdom at the top of thej pass and chine, had cycled through the heat on you only stay at if absolutely necescoasted the next few kilometres down his one speeder all the way from sary. to the Chinese checkpost Bythis We carried on the time wehad on our followingaftemnoon full cycling storm for about 40km afgear as the wind "WHAT Do You MEAN I ter adding to our was cutting HAVE To DO 3 TRIPS provisions. Our through us. The FIRST ?" eagerness to leave borders guards were Tashkurgan was friendly enough to tempered somegive us some cups what by our tiredof tea, practising ness from cycling. their limited English on us while we We encountered all sat aroundtheir stronga andi intermitpot belly stove. tent headwinds and Their generosity made camp a few and friendliness kilometres past a was welcome and checkpost. As we wev wondered what settled in that night deedstheyl hadperwe were visited by formed to earn a curious local - a them the posting at the Khunjerab Peshawar, nearthe Pakistan-Afghani- wild camel. The camel slowly came Pass checkpost. stan border. Somewhat awed by this up to our unusual and small "yurt" feat, weaskedl him wherehewas going and investigated our campsite. We About ten kilometres further on we after Kashgar. He replied that he was watched the camel from the safety of came across the "Khunjerab Restau- cycling on throught to Tibet, across the our tent; we were as intrigued by the rant", actually a family of enterpris- Taklaman Basin, and along the south- camel as he/she was by us. ing Tadjiks with a yurt, obviously ern route. Feeling a little amateurish providingthecyclingtouriststhate come in our efforts, we also discovered that Having felt cheated by the gradual through here with food and shelter. thiswashis: secondt tripby ones speeder. downhill from the Khunjerab Pass, They fed us, grabbed our guide book He has also completed a trip from we again felt cheated as we climbed andy watches, lookedthrough our cam- Peshawarthrough Iran to1 Turkey, then yet another pass, this time at 4200m. eras, taught us their language while across to Tunisia by boat, continuing The climb was more gradual than the we tried to teach them ours (along on across the top of Africa to Mo- Khunjerab making the going easier with the odd Maori word). We spent rocco, across the Straits ofGibraltato for Allan, but Keith was finding it the night warm and comfortable in- Spain and Portugal - ALL ON A harder work than the Khunjerab. We side the yurt, sharing it with the family CHINESEONESPEEDBIKE! Keith got our well-earned downhill as we and one or two other guests. and I decided we were definitely in a coasted down the other side with a tail different league from Shugte. wind to Karakul Lake. You wouldthink that aftertwodaysof cycling up a 4790m pass there would We set up camp 25km from the Chi- Karakul Lake is essentially a large be a great downhill on the other side. nesel border town ofTashkurgan. The tarn with magnificent views of But no, the road on the Chinese side of following morning we cycled on to Mutzgah Ata and Kongur (beautiful the pass slopes away gradually. Add Tashkurgan and completed all the 7000m peaks looking not unlike

Ruapehu and standing out to catch all the weather, again not unlike Ruapehu), and hoards of Uhyger money changers (pronounced "weegur"). Keithhassledthemoncy changers while we again pigged out int the Chineser restaurant (with that beautiful Chinese architecture). Our accommodation at Karakul Lake was a yurt which we, had all to ourselves this time. At about 3am Allan's Giardia bugs decided to make their presence: felt, however, he heard a truck pull up outside. Allan's mind ticked over while the bugs grumbled away, "Hmm, trucks pulling up at this Ta time of the night probably means it's not an altogether legal delivery." With relief the truck roared Allan and Keith, Kashgar Markets Allan MacLachlan off into the distance and the voices and whispers outside dissipated, allowing Allan to sneak outside for a downhill. We reached our objective this century where they played out moonlight view of Mutzgah Ata. ofOpal (80km) easily by midday. We their power games. Earlier on various bought ourselves a huge water-melon Muslim factions laid claim to the city, Still feeling tired we decided to take a and drank cups oft tea as we rested in thei most dominantl being leadl by Abakh rest day: atl Karakult tocleanup, squab- a small roadside cafe. As we still had Hosher, whose tomb and the tombs of ble with money changers, and spend plenty ofdaylight we decided to make most ofhis family, are ont the outskirts the day looking ati the views across the the push to Kashgar, 40km away. of the city. Kashgar today is still lake. predominately Uhyger, but the Han It was about 5:30pm when we pulled Chinese population has become more As we cycled on from Karakul we into Kashgar, a surprisingly modern significant as the Chinese, government droppedofftheplateaur downtheGhez city amidst an oasis in the Taklaman tries to quell the locals. River canyon. Here, despite the Desert. Feeling elated, we each drank headwinds we' got our much earned a couple of bottles of sweet yoghurt Kashgar's main tourist attraction is and enjoyed downhill. We spent the and savoured the first significant the Sunday Market. People come night at the Chinese equivalent of a amount ofdairy food these Kiwis had from the outlying areas to sell their truck stop near the town ofGhez and seen since leaving Kathmandu. warestoPakistanis, Tadjiks, Kazakhs, enjoyed the oxygen rich atmosphere and the many Westerners that pass of the lower altitude. Sorting out accommodation provedto throughontheirwaytor: from China. be a hassle but two hours later we On offer arel hats, horses, cattle, don- The family at the "truck stop" were checked into The Seman Hotel. We keys and carts, fruit and vegetables, really friendly andsomewhat bemused then headed for John's Restaurant and bicycles, almost anything. We spent at these two crazy Westerners intent enjoyed the western food like chips, the day wandering around taking in on cycling through to Kashgar. We hamburgers, and pizza. Up on the the madness and hectic activity ofthe spent the rest ofthe afternoon practis- wall at John's Restaurant was a poster markets. ing our Uhyger language skills and which looked unusually familiar. showing them pictures ofa city nextto Closer inspection showed Romney Our cycling journey over, Keith sold the ocean - Wellington. At this stage sheep in the foreground and the photo his bike to a Frenchman, the bike wewereabout as farfrom the oceana as proved to be of Lake Hayes near seeming destined to spend the rest of anywhere in the world, and these peo- Queenstown. its days ferrying tourists over the ple would probably never see such an Khunjerab. Keith returned to Pakiexpanse of water in their lifetime. Kashgar's history is certainly cheq- stan by bus, then headed through to uered. Being at the centre of Asia, the India, while. Allan took his bike with Weleft earlythen nextmorning making city: attracted the attention oft thel Brit- himthrought toTibet,MtI Everest Base good time with a tail wind and slight ish and Russians in the early part of Camp, and back to Nepal.