Adventurer sets course of returning to the Himalayas with a second mountain bike expedition starting north of the Taklamakan Desert. The expansive territory of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region include desert crossings to reach high altitude desert plateaus (5000+ meter altitude) descending to the lush wildlife inhabited jungles of Nepal to the Himalayas of northern India is route for the HimalayasX2012. In 2011, Brian Perich completed a round-China expedition with twists in the journey. A 30-hour passenger ferry from Incheon, South Korea to Tianjin, China was only the beginning. Once landed in mainland China, he cycled in Beijing and boarded an overcrowded passenger train traveling 3240km to Urumqi, the capital city of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. After standing for 36 hours without access to a toilet, and drinking only boiled water while wedged between passenger cars and people, he endured the real experience of economy train travel across China. Liberated by local Han Chinese university lecturer-turned oil company executive, he sponsored a free apartment to recover from blood clotting in his legs and feet, a free visit to a local hospital. Adding the generous assistance of Uyghur bicycle owners and mechanics repairing the brakes and reinforcing the make-shifted front racks...he launched into a 3200km (1800km) whirl through the Tian Shan Mountains, across the Taklamakan Desert en route through the southern Silk Road to the northern Himalayas and back to Kashgar, Urumqi and continuing stage two, across Chengdu, Sichuan to the Himalayas and south through Yunnan Province ending the expedition at Deqin, Yunnan. It was the most extreme adventure to date, beyond the borders, into the cultures, languages, people, he encountered genuine kindness, generosity, serendipity and magic that can only be found while traveling long distances using only a bicycle, foot and thumb on the road.
This solo expedition is supporting several non-profit organizations:
in partnership with ETE, Education Through Expeditions, U.K.
Local sponsorship: AN DAE GI at Gangneung Bike Mart, Gangwon-do, South Korea
My sponsor knows mountain bikes and has built my recycled mountain touring bike.
I will be using the same equipment from the HimalayasX2011
Bicycle touring expeditions like a pro. Simple is reliable.
Fully loaded Blackcat mountain bike, frame is aluminum alloy.
Day and nights on expedition routes to complete in 60 days.
Updates to come....
Passing camel tracks in the Borohoro section of the Tian Shan Mountains, Xinjiang Uyghur
