Horizons Unlimited - The HUBB

Horizons Unlimited - The HUBB (https://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/)

- Ride Tales (https://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/ride-tales/)

- - China ADV Riding (https://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/ride-tales/china-adv-riding-71234)

Fuel and service stations ~ many people aware of our Tibet rides ask about fuel availability around the remote Tibet highlands. There are service stations located on the bigger national roads and around towns. Well ~ in the Tibetan “Outback”, as many Tibetan Nomads have replaced horses with 100-250cc motorbikes, we just try to ask or follow them around remote areas as many villages and communities (small roadside shops) sell fuel out of large soft drink bottles. Must herewith state, we only had good solid fuel and not diluted with water as very common down South on Hainan Island, no worries ~ no fuel dramas during the entire 2017 YAKATTACK ride.

Anyways, both our bikes have the larger Acerbis 3.2 gal. tanks installed with the fuel tank filter socks to eliminate any possible clogged fuel injectors to to contaminated fuel. Just as a precaution getting seriously off the beaten track sometimes, had a GiantLoop Fuel Bladder (2gal.) strapped to the rear rack of my bike but only used twice during the very extensive remote off the grid riding.....

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-.../i-kFKQtfG.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-.../i-5p3kfSj.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-.../i-XMG2sbC.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-.../i-VdBKmxh.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-.../i-JtNHHmp.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-.../i-XRqvRwc.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-.../i-XKNHnmk.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-.../i-3h4VdhT.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-.../i-Vjt4hC7.jpg

White Rocks Cliff ~ as always, Tibet the mythical place full of surprises, we got dragged along by monks and pilgrims into a holy cave, heavily iron gated entrance hidden behind a wall of prayer flags (unable to spot to the unknown visitor). Pretty intense experience as totally ill equipped with just iPhone flashlights, wrong camera (drone) and no GoPro unfortunately. Totally off the charts on experience in "Indiana Jones" adventure style slipping and sliding around in the cave labyrinth for approx. 5 hours. The older generation Tibetan pilgrims and the three monks mumbling prayers while we basically crossed wobbly iron walkways faced with Yak butter candles / incense sticks, repelling ~ climbing ~ sliding through claustrophobic small slippery walkways hunched over or crawling on arms & legs... Hard to explain to someone not been there at the time and apologies for bad picture quality....

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-.../i-xtjSWjx.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-.../i-DpMMDW7.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-.../i-S5vqJ7k.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-.../i-JjH69Kr.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-.../i-33b2dbT.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-.../i-M9TPb8N.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-.../i-KCzSnVJ.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-.../i-gvvLtK3.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-.../i-WgpZ6wK.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-.../i-4Lw55vk.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-.../i-hZ7tX4b.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-.../i-KKzMQNR.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-.../i-f6KDJLM.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-.../i-cRFxvcL.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-.../i-gSKHW8J.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-.../i-Qbk9p74.jpg

Well ~ all good times come to an end and every single day out riding during the extensive Summer 2017 road trip has really been an all out fantastic exhausting and yet relaxing experience, friggin' awesome, there are so many lasting memories to take away from this trip....
Huge thanks to DN#199 for some inspiration leading some of the fast exhilarating grassland rides and all the awesome video footage and pictures we still have to sort through and archive in the near future. Epic life changing memories that will stay with us forever....

Before finally closing another TB-Racing adventure chapter, let's mention about two typical sights around the Tibet regions, one comes across the Prayer Flags and Mani Stones, let me try to explain....

PRAYER FLAGS
There are two kinds of prayer flags: horizontal ones, called Lung ta (Wylie: rlung-rta, meaning "Wind Horse") in Tibetan, and vertical ones, called Darchog (Wylie: dar-lcog, meaning "flagstaff").
Lung ta (horizontal) prayer flags are of square or rectangular shape, and are connected along their top edges to a long string or thread. They are commonly hung on a diagonal line from high to low between two objects (e.g., a rock and the top of a pole) in high places such as the tops of temples, monasteries, stupas, and mountain passes.
Darchog (vertical) prayer flags are usually large single rectangles attached to poles along their vertical edge. Darchog are commonly planted in the ground, mountains, cairns, and on rooftops, and are iconographically and symbolically related to the Dhvaja.
Traditionally, prayer flags come in sets of five: one in each of five colors. The five colors are arranged from left to right in a specific order: blue, white, red, green, and yellow. The five colors represent the five elements and the Five Pure Lights. Different elements are associated with different colors for specific traditions, purposes and sadhana. Blue symbolizes the sky and space, white symbolizes the air and wind, red symbolizes fire, green symbolizes water, and yellow symbolizes earth. According to Traditional Tibetan medicine, health and harmony are produced through the balance of the five elements. The best time to put up new prayer flags is in the morning on sunny, windy days and thats what we did in several Amdo Tibet locations and doing the traditional flag hanging with my best riding mate - absolute priceless in my personal opinion....

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-.../i-kpkcDg9.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-.../i-S9QTNgd.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-.../i-9MgjRtp.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-.../i-XmKcFBW.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-.../i-w38RhN8.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-.../i-mnmXCcW.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-.../i-KdLWLg9.jpg

MANI STONES
"Om Mani Padme Hum" ~ the most popular traditional prayer inscribed is Om Mani Padme Hum. If you inspect a few mani stones, you are more than likely to come across this. So what does it mean? It has long been believed that repeating this mantra is the key to being blessed by Chenrezig. Receiving blessings from this deity is so crucial for Tibetan Buddhists because he is looked on as the most important godly figure of all. His significance lies in his responsibility, as the Bodhisattva of Compassion, for relieving the pain and suffering of all of us on earth. As a side note— this heavy task is said to have broken him down at one point in history, which is why he is often depicted in art works as having many limbs and many heads; they are meant to represent the shattered fragments of his body.

Mani stones are stone plates, rocks and / or pebbles, inscribed with the six syllabled mantra of Avalokiteshvara (Om mani padme hum, hence the name "Mani stone"), as a form of prayer in Tibetan Buddhism. The term Mani stone may also be used in a loose sense to refer to stones on which any mantra or devotional designs (such as ashtamangala) are inscribed. Mani stones are intentionally placed along the roadsides and rivers or placed together to form mounds or cairns or sometimes long walls, as an offering to spirits of place or genius loci. Creating and carving mani stones as devotional or intentional process art is a traditional sadhana of piety to yidam. Mani stones are a form of devotional cintamani.....

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-.../i-dQ6MP7Q.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-.../i-qXD5hZQ.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-.../i-C3vKxPR.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-.../i-WTqSgJS.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-.../i-wbg4Jw3.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-.../i-g7rgKM2.jpg

The "aftermath" of the YAKATTACK 2017 road trip back at our Shanghai home base, cleaning & servicing the two bikes (TBR#88 / DN#199), must clearly state, not a single problem during the multi week riding around the Amdo-Tibet region....

The KTM450EXC bikes are seriously awesome and the right bikes for our upcoming riding plans around the fascinating country called China. Building up the two bikes from scratch (bone stock KTM450EXC 2016), just how we want them to be is just magical and to have identical bikes at our disposal simplifies a few issues in terms of spares and service requirements. Absolutely and totally lost interest in any lengthy road riding around the China mainland region. Might be repeating myself, we are privileged to undertake riding in China as quite restrictive in various ways compared to the rest of world...

Sidenote: personally highly recommend the PC Racing airfilter skins and Profill Fueltank Socks as they have shown great results in keeping all sorts of dirt and contaminations out of the engine.

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-.../i-SBgh2wr.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-.../i-RzVsVdH.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-.../i-8mKrzKb.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-.../i-VrQJ69p.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-.../i-CpKhMXV.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-.../i-npTnh6D.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-.../i-zMz7Wrs.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-.../i-PPMcsfS.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-.../i-NhGvnwq.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-.../i-GDTDQ7T.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-.../i-K7wX4ZR.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-.../i-JG2dWrV.jpg

Lets have the final YAKATTACK words ~ why should I go to any Tibet region one should not even ask. Tibet is more than religion and myth. Geographically it is part of the top of the world. And your body will make you feel this in some cases as most travellers coming from the lower altitude are just not used the the "thin air". Your high altitude destinations will most likely give you a headache, make you dizzy or short breathed during the first day arriving by plane and getting over active just after arrival, riding (driving) up to the plateu is easier on the body. Tibet ~ your eyes will be rewarded by the sight of an incredible clear, blue sky, and views over green valleys or high passes and barren land, guarded by the eternal beauty of the various mountain ranges. A land, where Yaks, pulling the plough through the fields of a mountain valley; where the endless sky is touching the horizon and colourful prayer flags protect the passes and mountains. Intense blue skies are challenging snow-capped mountains and stars have never been as close to you as here! Tibet touches everyone: physically and mentally! Highly recommend seeing the so called Top of the World! It's probably a once in a lifetime experience for most and it will leave you astounded, exhausted and aware of the preciousness of human being. But don't expect to understand the secrets behind the Tibetan myth. Tibet has to be felt! It does not allow more than a glimpse!

Future YAKATTACK road trips currently in the planning stages by the TB-Racing team ~ stay tuned....

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-.../i-QMfV6tD.jpg

Labrang Monastery

Interested to find out that Labrang Monastery has been moved to Tibet.
Last time I was there it was located in the Xiahe country.
You learn new stuff everyday.

Thanks much for the very friendly encouraging notes via PM, spot on ~ trying to showcase a different side of China. Apologies, herewith replying to the questions raised via PM open to the public if you don’t mind as might answer a few questions coming my way in the future and no need to repeat myself over and over again....

NO ~ I do not arrange tours around China and not able to assist with any paperwork concerning crossing (entering) and riding around the lovely motherland. Straight forward, got no recommendations and have no affiliations or connections to any China travel / tour agency within PRC or outside. Got absolute no intentions to get involved in any form as doing my things simply my way (can’t stand group rides anyways for decades) and certain things work for us but might not work for the next person trying....

NO ~ I do not borrow or rent any of my motorcycles for a fee to visitors (strangers) coming to China....

YES ~ a new border crossing between China (Tibet) and Nepal has opened and foreigners got through recently....

YES ~ a Chinese driving license is still required to operated a motorised legally vehicle around Mainland China and doubt will change any time soon....

YES ~ the PRC rules and regulations still require a license plate on motorbikes. Crying game starts once accidents and incidents happen and documents (driving license / license plate) are not in order, seen it and quite a few stories around....

YES ~ all the motorbikes pictured in my thread are fully legal but trimming the China motorbike collection as happy with the two KTM for future rides planned around PRC and got different riding planned outside PRC. Quite a nice incentive selling bikes and Shanghai plates (A/C) as license plates are restricted within Shanghai municipality and went from being issued basically free (nobody was after bikes back in the days) a few decades ago up to 400000+ RMB (approx. 60000$US) for Shanghai “A” license plates. There is quite a demand for Shanghai license plates as no new ones being issued for quite some years.... Shanghai “A” license plates allowed downtown (CBD) and Shanghai “C” outside the inner ring road only (Shanghai “C” license plates go for approx. 85000RMB / 13000 $US currently).

NO ~ you can’t ride freely around all the Tibet regions, Amdo & Kham regions of Tibet are mostly free to ride around but TAR (Tibet Autonomous Region) requires special permits applied for in advance and a government approved guide during the entire TAR stay....

Our recent 2017 YAKATTACK riding concentrated around the greater Amdo Tibet region and we rode mostly around the Gansu / Qinghai provinces with a short side trip to Sichuan and the map below should explain in more details....

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-.../i-FjbvcQs.jpg

YES ~ some China bike shop are listed in a HUBB thread but might be outdated as some dealerships close or move on to different locations = http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...ops-gear-72688