I cycled out of Dege on a pretty good road, it was sealed but with pot holes and the odd unsealed bit. The weather was sunny but not to hot and I was making great progress on the flat roads. Dege had been wonderful and the massive lunch I had before I left was sure to power me until last light. About 4pm I passed a group of people that were sitting on a small hill to the side of the road. The kept shouting at me until I stopped and walked up to say hello. They were having a kind of beer pick-nick and wanted me to joining them. I declined the beer, acting out that cycling drunk was not a good thing, but was happy to chat for a bit. After a while the conversation dried up but one of the guys was insistent that I come to his house and stay the night. His village was a few kms of the road that I was on. I asked if he wanted money in return and he said no, but he would love it if I took some pictures of him and his family and send them to him. It was a good deal so I loaded up my bike into the back of the van and went to meet the family.

The short drive up a side valley brought me to a collection of about 10 or so houses that were situated all the way down the short valley we had driven up. My bike was put at the bottom of the house where the animals usually live but instead just some straw and a motorbike and I was taken upstairs. It was a typical Tibetan house and I was made very welcome with plenty of food and drink. The family consisting of Mum, Dad (who I met by the road) and their two kids who were about 13 or 14 I guessed. We had a big dinner with plenty of rice and chatted the evening away as best we could with my limited Chinese and the phrase book. We were waiting for 10pm, this is when the village would get mains power and it would be light enough to take some photos. The small light hooked up to a car battery was not really good enough for a photos taking session.

Eventually at 10.30 the lights flickered and we got snapping. Everyone put their best clothes on and I even got to try on some traditional Tibetan clothes.

When the photos were done I was shown to a room, I had it all to myself a bead and lots of blankets, luxury. I had a great nights sleep and felt lucky to have met this man who was genuine and kind.

The next day I ate as much of the breakfast as I could. It was the first time I had tried Tsampa (barely flower and water) and it did not really agree with me. It was a shame as I like to try local food and it is a stable for most Tibetan families during the winter. It was freezing cold in the morning and it took a while to get the bike packed up with numb finger. Eventually everything was put in its place, I took one last photo and set of down the valley to joining the main road again.

On the way I met a few of the other locals in the village. All of whom invited me in for tea, I polity declined I was making a beeline for the main road where the morning sun would have risen and I could thaw out a bit.

Once at the main road I gathered my thoughts and say in the sun for a bit. Most people are really great I though and the kindness I have experienced in China and this trip has been a real eye opener into how we view each other normally. Just as I was leaving another guy on his way up to the village asked me if I wanted a place to sleep or some tea. I waved and said I was OK and continued on.

The day was relatively normal the road stopped being being good about 60km from Dege I calculated and it gradually got steeper. The weather was still good and in-between running into the bushes every hour or so (the Tsampa did not agree with me) I made quite good progress. However by 5pm I was feeling a bit fed up with my stomach and really wanted to stop. I had reached the foot of the big 5000m pass and there seemed to be a Hotel or guest house at the bottom, so I wondered in to ask if they had any room. I received blank looks and they said that this was not a Hotel. So I saddled the bike to try and find a good place to camp for the night. I was now feeling very low on energy and every pedal stroke was an effort. Slowly though I turned the first of the many bends that were above me and that would eventually take me the the highest altitude I had been on a bike. An hour or so later I stopped to look for a camp site. A van pulled up and the guy said that he could give me a lift to the top. I said I was OK despite being very tempted and he kept saying it was fine, he did not want any money it was a long way and it would be a cold night. Eventually after 5 minutes of trying to persuade me he waved and carried on. The access to the camp site I had seen was no good so I had to climb a few more of the hair pin bends until I could get access to a good camp spot.

I descended a short gravel track to wards a frozen river, I was a little exposed but the site was flat and it would be dark soon. I nominated one spot for the tent and another for cooking. I was thinking of the bears again, at least if I cooked away from the tent it might help out a bit. I had a big dinner and drank lots of tea and started to pitch the tent just before last light. It took me a while as the ground was frozen solid and I could not get the pegs in. Eventually though I succeeded and got my bed and bags sorted.

My stomach was still doing knots and I needed the loo again, I grabbed the trowel and went to dig a whole as far away from the river as I could get. It was a quiet night and very still. As I squatted doing my business a massive crack sounded from the ice. My muscles froze, all of them, and I jumped up pulling my trousers up as well. I was ready this was it there was a bear on the ice and he was coming over to get me. I raced to the tent and armed myself with the camera tripod and the pen knife. I had gone over this situation every night I had slept outside for the last month. My chances were low but I would not go down without a fight. I sat by the river waiting for the inevitable. Nothing. I really needed the toilet, now, I shone my torch over the frozen river to see what was out there but I could see nothing. I walked back to my outdoor toilet and started again. The fear was obviously making me shy as nothing happened. Suddenly there was another loud crack from the ice. I jumped up again and got ready. The last think I wanted was to die with my trousers around my ankles. ‘Cyclist killed by bear whilst having poo’ was not a catchy headline. If it was my time I was going to go with my trousers on. I scanned the area again looking for the faintest sign of movement, Nothing. The process was repeated about 2 more times and each time I pulled my trousers down the ice cracked. Eventually accepted my fate and managed to do my business while the ice cracked around me and the bears moved in on my position. Finally relived I moved closer to the ice, I was going to find out what was out there once and for all. I must have spent 30 mins watching waiting and listening. Lots of noise by nothing that looked like a bear. I retired to my sleeping bag and hoped that it was just the ice melting and cracking and the bears were far away. I went to bed with the tripod next to me and the pen knife open and ready.

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