Loretta Henderson – Page 22 – Solo Female Cycling Around The World

Ego On The Rocks…Top 5 Bicycle Touring Buzz Kills

•There is an ego on my tail. Recently, I had the fine pleasure of pedaling for the first time in a group. One unique man decided to use me as a rabbit because I have less stuff and therefore faster. Therefore, he could stay in my wheels shadow on hills for as long as he could. Mixing egos and rabbits apparently doesn’t make for a very good cocktail. It was interesting for the first few long days and did make for a few laughs. However, it proved to be remarkably distracting to the silent meditative rhythm and peace I usually find while pedaling up mountains. Huffing and puffing all day to someone else’s speed and rhythm is nothing more than ego madness. It is pertinent for a pleasant ride to find and maintain your own pace while pedaling.

•Why do so many people become so narcissist while on a bicycle tour? Ego, ego, ego, issues, issues, issues…Granted bicycle touring does garnish a lot of attention but it is important to check in on your big fat head because you do want it to fit through the door when you get home. The occasional sing along in the mirror to “You’re So Vain” might do you some good. Also loosen the spandex it might be affecting the blood flow to other vital parts.

•Poor nutrition For instance, packaged instant noodle soup is cheap and readily available in most countries, especially Asian countries. However, noodle soup lacks nutritional and caloric value. The salt content in the accompanying spice package will make you more susceptible to dehydration rendering packaged noodles soup a weak choice for cycling. Make healthy choices from the foods that are available. Rice or bread is also cheap and available most everywhere and will sustain blood sugar and energy levels for far longer, making for a happier tummy and a more pleasant ride.

•Loosen The Spandex It Might Be Affecting Blood Flow To Other Vital Parts Packing too much into the day is a definite buzz kill. 100plus km a day, 7 days a week, is not a very sustainable, enjoyable pace for a happy multi-month bike tour. Life and travelling is far more enjoyable when not stressed to maximum levels all day, every day. Stop and smell the flowers once in a while, take photos, relax and enjoy. Life is meant to be, you know, FUN!

•Good Morning, Let’s Go Cycle The World. 24 hour a day map discussions, navigational dialogue and bicycle babble is energy suction and exhausting. Put the bicycle talk on lock down for at least a couple of hours a day. A positive attitude is important; however, an overly keen approach to bicycle touring will suck the life right out of the trip. Life is about balance, even on a bicycle tour. Other interests, hobbies and conversations can keep the fun up and essentially make the pedaling easier on the spirit and legs.

Back In The Game

As my fingers solidify tightly around the handle bars, the muddy dirt road turns to slippery ice. Pandemics tires spin in the frigid wind like a hamster on a wheel at an Alaskan kite flying contest. The ferocious breeze, ice and ridiculous mountain conditions prevail.

I slip down from Pandemic The Magic Bicycle mid fall. I stand and lean over the handle bars, bend down into the growling wind, cover my head in my jacket and push my way to the top of the 4300 meters mountain pass. Hail and ice pelt my reddening face rendering it battered with bruises, scratches and wind burn. The Himalaya weather abruptly shifts. The hail lifts, the wind begins to sleep, the road thaws and returns to asphalt. I effortlessly topple over the top of the pass and she is back in the game!

Later that day…holy good god, what is that??? A jagged tooth frothing psychotic dog the size of a cow is running right at me. This heartless Hitler hound is out for blood and clearly has enormous psychological issues. No amount of water bottle swinging or please don’t bite me prayers are going to stop this Lucifer reincarnate four legged psychopath. I launch off Pandemic, (pro-tip always bring a magic bicycle to a dog fight), I hike up my be the adventure panties and stand in the middle of the road and I let out a GRRRRR that only the Marlboro man could be proud of. My dry altitude chain smokers sounding GRRRRR hardly has any effect as Lucifer takes a chomp of the pannier. A nomadic motorcycle angel and a van full of concerned Chinese tourists stop. With a convoy of vehicular protection, I pedal out of town unharmed and she is back in the game!

About 2 Hours Later… I am chilling out on the side of the road, I am eating and drinking. A man on a motorcycle stops. I smile and say Tashi Deali (hello), he just stares at me and turns off the engine. He seems odd. The Tibetan folks on this road are wonderful, kind and full of smiles. This potential bad apple is none of the above. My instincts get worried, that he is up to no good. I quickly gather up my snacks and pedal away. About 5 minutes down the road, I realize that I left so quickly that I forgot my mittens. I pedal back to get them. The bad apple has taken my mittens which at over 4000metres is a huge disaster. I sit back, rub my face which is bruised from this morning’s hail assault and sort it out. Ahh Haa! I dig out my big red fuzzy socks that have always made me happy, pull them onto my hands, keep pedaling and she is back in the game!!!

Still Later On That Very Same Day…The sky growls with a familiar sound of icy congestion. I am pedaling over another 4700 meters pass. As the setting sun pulls the temperature to below freezing, hail, snow and wind rear their head once again. The open Tibetan grass lands at this altitude are void of shelter. However, a beautiful stupa of prayer flags at the top of the pass makes for a wonderful camp spot in which to wait out the storm. As the wind howls, the hail stings my eyes and my frosty fingers stiffen. My little tent holds strong as the wind wipes hail from all directions. After a cold night, the warm sun lifts from the hills, the tranquil day begins a new in this Tibetan region. A long sunny cascading descent into Yushu, Qinghai Province, China wakes me faster than a morning coffee and she is back in the game!!!

Perk My Pedal, The World’s Greatest Men

On my, oh la la, look at him. At times, while pedaling the world there is a shortage of snow peaked mountains and cascading rivers on which to drool. Therefore, I find my attention drifts with a girlish like grin towards the men that surround me as I cycle the world. After all, I never could stay away from the boys.

New Zealand is as sexy a destination as any to venture by bicycle. Due to it’s proximity to Antarctica, one can enjoy pedaling next to tepid snowy mountains one day and delicious warm sandy beaches the next. But it is the men that drew my heart to this country of islands. They are outdoorsy by nature, honest by design and everyone seems to head out for a weekend bicycle ride. The men are nice on the eyes and always up for a chat. These guys are about as appealing and cute as it gets.

The Tibetan Region, Western China My current location, in fact, I am writing this from my tent waiting out the freezing rain as the snow accumulates around me on the surrounding Himalaya Mountains. Hot it is not right now but the people here in the Tibet region of Western China are as warm and beautiful as people get. Smiley, welcoming, caring and kind, these folks will warm your heart faster than a hug. At least a dozen men today have stopped to check on me, give me water, food, or offer me tea, a ride if I wanted and a Tashi Delai, which means good luck and good wishes.

On shear heart size and energy alone, the people here will certainly perk your pedal. Long haired men, colorfully adorned and the occasional nomadic herdsmen to bout, no joke, I have always had a thing for nomadic men that smell like horses, oh la la the smell of a nomad. Now that’s my kind of company.

Mongolia. I do believe that I have more testosterone than a lot of the men in Asia. I have never been the tallest kid in the class. However, I tower over many Asian men in size and clearly have minimal issues with getting my hands dirty. Now with that said, venture across any land border into Mongolia, my favorite country and it is a whole different world of Asian oh la la. The men flirt, are tall and strong in stature and joke around without end. Life in Mongolia gets sexier by the mile, nomadic by nature, with an instant connection to a fellow traveler. The men are self sufficient, jack of all trades, playful, kind and a whole lot of fun. I do believe I love Mongolia and it’s joyous men.

What, where, who perks your pedal? Let’s hear it with a comment below.

Tibetan Leg Lunch…Top 5 Ways To Deal With Dogs While Cycling

A chorus of alarm has been set off in the sleepy Tibet police town of Yanjing, the first police check point into Tibet. Foreigners are not technically allowed to come down this road hence my nighttime duck and cover, drive by technique. Therefore, the canine chorus is awake and on duty as I proceed under the barricade amongst a forest thick echo of barking, chasing and howling dogs. I cross deeper into Tibet, squeeze my horn, make noises with my water bottle and the dog pack moves on to other activities. These dogs are as motivated as dogs gets hence the perfect trial for all dog safety cycling techniques I can come up with.

Top 5 Ways to Deal With Dogs While Cycling?

The rock technique. Throw rocks. A lot of dogs have not been treated all that well therefore throwing rocks at the ground near them will scare them off. I do my best to not actually hit them.

The swing a water bottle technique. Water bottles make excellent weapons of defense to swing around, num chuck Bruce Lee style and call off the chase. The noise the plastic makes at times is enough to do the trick.

The chemical canine warfare technique. Attach pepper spray to the handle bars and if the dog gets too aggressive just spray them and temporarily blind the little buggers. However, prior to turning the dog neighborhood into a Helen Kellar camp you might want to make sure the dog is actually trying to bit you not just chase you for fun. Also, I have heard this technique can easily backfire in the wind and get in your own eyes instead rendering a possible blind ground battle to deal with.

A baseball bat? A fellow cyclists, I met on the road into Tibet after having read about aggressive dogs and bicycle touring decided to bring a baseball bat. A great idea for anyone who has ever been chased and bit and well worth the empowering benefits to overcome the fear.

My personal favorite is the gratitude technique. Cycle past psycho dog and say hello, thank you for letting me pass and not biting me. I actually lift my legs while saying this over and over. Perhaps it is half prayer and half personal mantra but so far the canine community has been remarkably supportive.

Possible

With my head light flickering with the last of its battery, I continue to pedal into the night in the mountains. The glistening snow and clear cold starry night illuminate my way as I head up through the mountains just east of Tibet.

As my light freezes over and losses its battery, I spot an abandoned cabin. Warm, dry and comfortable, I close my eyes and rest. As the morning sun lifts its head over the mountains, I awake and head out to continue up through the hills, three 4000plus meters passes lay ahead.

As I wind my way up over the second of the third 4000plus meter pass, I begin to cry. These are not the first tears to fall onto Pandemic The Magic Bicycle, however these tears are different. At each turn, the glaciated view and snow peaked mountain blurs my vision with tears, sweat and wonder. I am just east of Tibet and the Himalayan Mountains and I am crying.

Two years ago when I traded my well read adventure touring book for a new bicycle and my first bicycle tour, I truly didn’t believe that any of this was possible. But I did know I was going to try to pedal from the bike shop in England through Wales to Ireland. Almost 2 years later, I am pedaling through the mountains on a 60 kilometer climb at altitude just east of Tibet.

The few tears I am shedding are from a place of surprise and amazement as to what apparently is possible. I stop at the crest of the second mountain pass of 4200metres to take some photos. A group of Tibetan Buddhist monks are eating lunch and wave me over to join them. My water bottle sprung a hole a few hours ago and most of my water was lost, my breakfast, the last of my dried noodles a distant memory. The mountains are far too alluring for me to be all that concerned about being thirsty and hungry for after all, the road will take care of you.

I sit among my Tibetan Buddhist monk friend in amazement and gratitude of what is possible and enjoy a hearty lunch of yak cheese, boiled eggs, red bull, orange drink, flat Tibetan bread, pepper and herb hot paste, pieces of raw pork and salty milk tea. My new monk friends insist that yak cheese will help me throughout my journey, perhaps they are right. While full of gratitude and lacking sufficient room for my lungs due to how full my happy tummy is I say the biggest thank-you ever and part ways and continue through the pass.

The magic continues as I crest the third 4300 meter pass and come across a place of prayer. The beautiful chilly tranquil breeze is replaced by the flapping of thousands of prayer flags. I sit quietly on the top of the mountain, smile, and while peering down at a 30 kilometer decent down into a valley and the predominantly Tibetan town of Deqen, I finally realize that this is all indeed possible.

Is Peeing In The Snow Really Considered Artwork?

As most of you know, thanks to my mom I was born a girl. Anyone who changed my diapers back then truly realized that I was indeed a girl. As the years past by I shed my dependency on the cloth diaper and became friends with the toilet and learned to sit or squat to pee, a far more convenient peeing position than standing due to my proximity to the toilet target.

However, while bicycle touring or any outdoor adventure peeing in the far more hygienic option of the great outdoors has become my peeing location of choice. I will chose a tree, bush, field or behind a deserted building long before I venture into a fish bowl of urine. As Pandemic The Magic Bicycle stands watch, I look both ways for cars, hustle to the closest tree and power pee like a world champion girly girl. Lightning fast, preferably on a downhill and out of site, I pee like the girl I am, hike up my be the adventure panties and pedal on.

This remarkable natural technique has been practiced by millions of women since the beginning of time. Boys pee standing up and girls pee squatting, a beautiful difference between men and women and one that should be embraced by both sexes.

Last week an article I wrote about Solo Female Bicycle Touring was quoted in a bicycle touring manual e-book in the Advice For Woman Planning To Bike Tour chapter between the periods and peeing section, a baffling placement of an article quote celebrating solo female bicycle touring and safety. Perhaps due to sponsorship dollars the writers advocate for women to use a peeing device that allows women to pee standing up like men. Also, the writers speak of women having to hold their pee for hours while bicycle touring in SE Asia prior to finding a good spot, an issue I have never encountered in SE Asia or anywhere due to my stealth lightning fast girly girl power peeing technique, and no folks a manual or special plastic device is not necessary to learn such a remarkably simple, natural technique. In fact, most 5 year olds have this one mastered.

Therefore, I scratch my head and wonder why some people insist on seeing a man’s world as more convenient especially when it comes to peeing. I am proud to pee like a girl and my thighs are stronger for it. I have spend countless hours while cycling peeing on the side of the road without major issue and thousands of cold winter nights back in Alaska peeing outside without complaint or envy of the boys, for after all spelling things with pee in the snow isn’t exactly considered artwork.

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Is This Skalatitude Or Shangri-La?

As the sun dips behind the mountains in the Yunnan province of western China, the alluring clouds of the afternoon majestic light propel me frontward. A splendid day of pedaling over the charmed mountains down to the alluring Yangtze River and my first wide eyed glance at spacious snow capped mountains burst my vision with energetic exhilaration.

An enchanted spirited region at every turn, Pandemic the Magic Bicycle, an unforgettable companion and another beloved cycling experience embedded into memory. The rushing river echoes from the banks, ricochets from the surrounding hills and creates a harmonic percussion, a warm auditory delight that sparkles within my colossal beaming smile. The 5400m snow topped mountains stand watch as the afternoon begins to cool. The chilly air, darkening clouds and a 20 minute near bruising hail storm is quickly forgotten as Tibetan prayer flags flap in the breeze.

Please come to my Tibetan home for some butter tea? I like bicycle. A beautiful woman with a heart the size of the hills has adopted me and would like to warm me up. As we sit crossed legged by the rustic oven fire, Ms. Zhe Zhu Zhuo Ma and her son prepare butter tea. My new friend has taught herself English because while in the city she ate some western pizza and discovered that she loves pizza. She would like to turn her Tibetan home into a pizza restaurant some day. Her husband bought her a pizza maker/flat waffle iron and she now makes her Tibetan bread on her “pizza machine”. As I warm my tummy with butter tea which is closer in consistency to soup then tea, I enjoy a fire cooked meal of cabbage and Tibetan bread made on a pizza machine. My new friend tells me that the mountain, I have been grinning at all day is a very special mountain for the Tibetan people; it is a place of pilgrimage for many and mentioned in the seventh section of the Tibetan spiritual book.

4 pot traditional cook stove, one each for water, milk, yak butter and tea

As the fire cools, the afternoon slips by and with my belly full of butter tea; I am saddened to say good-bye. I tuck my departing gift, a piece of wolf fur into my pocket and continue to pedal the final 30km (about 19miles) through the chilly air into the city of Shangri-La. The pelting hail returns as I smile with gratitude and reminisce of a wonderful afternoon of Tibetan hospitality. I ponder whether this is Skalatitude or Shangri-La as I arrive into the town amidst smiles and warm welcomes to warm up with more butter tea and a stroll through the cobblestone streets of Shangri-La.

Top 3 Things To Do On A Rest Day…Eat, Sleep, Pole Dance!

3. Eat, Eat, Eat After 2 breakfasts, 3 lunches, one ice cream cone, 3 bananas , 1 apple, I peer down at my wooden leg , begin to ponder how similar my diet is to that of a pregnant obese lady and wonder what I might find to eat for dinner.

We all know that daily exercise does require calories and muscle recovery does require protein but at times on a rest day I wonder exactly how someone who weighs 49kilos (108 pounds) can possibly consume her weight in food in one day.

Pig Heads…could I ever be that hungry?

2. Sleep. I met Nico a French cyclist who has been bicycle touring for two years. Today is actually his two year anniversary and we had ice cream together to celebrate. Nico was laughing because he told me that while on a rest day he often goes to sleep at 2pm and wakes up the next morning, full of smiles and energy to continue his bicycle tour. I personally am a huge fan of the nap. Wake up, eat breakfast and while fully fed go back to bed for another power snooze.

Two Cyclists Catch A Quick Nap On a Slow Boat Near China

1. Take A Pole Dancing Lesson. Why does beer taste so good in foreign lands after days of camping and pedaling? As my nickname Betty Ford resurfaces in a dozen countries due to my Canadian’s livers love of international barley drinks my vocabulary to say the word beer in at least as many languages has been growing by the continent. Relaxing in the local expat bar can also have recreational benefits as well. Last week in Dali, China my fellow bicycle tourist Tim from Sweden got a pole dance lesson from a professional pole dancer.

She was kind enough to show us her newly acquired skills that she learned at the pole dancing academy. I also gave pole climbing a shot and will report that flipping upside down and then sliding down a 55mm metal pole with any amount of grace is far more challenging than it looks.

Splash!

Splash! What the???? What is going on here? Throughout my 20 months of bicycle touring I have been handed bottles of water from cars and thumbs up of support but here in the Yunnan Province of South West China things have drastically changed. Buckets of water are getting thrown at me as I pedal along.

The temperature is sticky and sweaty, and a quick bath is not a bad idea after weeks of camping. However, being blinded by copious amounts of beige water from various sources has left me with a new found respect for Ray Charles.

Ironic Camel Rides At The Water Festival

The water festival is a national holiday loved by the locals and feared by cyclists. As the sadistic saturation continues I drip dry and make my way north into the Yunnan Mountains.

Pedaling down a 21km (14mile) descent in the mtns.

As I climb high and tackle 30 km climbs, crest the top and receive from the cycling gods, a 21 km descent, a car with tinted windows pulls over, rolls the window down and points a yellow high power water rifle out the window. Armed with a water gun, the jovial man takes a shot at me, a drive by bucket bath, gangster style in the remote mountains. I am hoping he doesn’t return reloaded with more blinding pond water.

As I arrive into the hillside stoned walled village of Dali, locally known as Chinese Disneyland due to it’s popularity, the water festival is a passing memory. The temperatures have plummeted and with several 4000metres plus passes ahead on the road it is time to stock up on winter pedaling gear for the cold winter nights and predicted rain ahead.

I’ve Got The Karakorum Highway On My Mind

If you notice a sole female cyclist peddling down the Karakorum Highway (KKH) in May, don’t be surprised. It will probably be Canadian Loretta Henderson who is peddling around the world for charity. She says “I am really excited about peddling the Karakorum Highway through Northern Pakistan. This has been a dream of mine ever since I started this “.

She says “it all started in the bicycle shop in Britain where I purchased the green German touring bicycle. I named it Pandemic the Magic Bicycle because I expected it to be swift and fearless on all kinds of roads just like the bird flu pandemic a few years ago. I haven’t been disappointed”

Ms Henderson has been cycling around the world for almost 2 years covering Oceania, Asia and is pedaling her way through Europe into Africa. Her journey is described in a series of funny blogs on her popular website www.skalatitude.com. As her website explains, she is working with a nonprofit group to raise awareness of bicycle ambulances in Africa. The unique ambulances are drastically reducing child and mother mortality rates by providing transportation to nearby medical facilities. You can contribute through her website by spreading the news, donating money or purchasing a unique t shirt. To commemorate the journey “Be The Adventure” t-shirts were designed by a Canadian friend and are now proudly warn around the world.

1696141-Travel_Picture-Rout_Map_Karakoram_Highway

“I first got interested in peddling the KKH when I met a friend, a Pakistani woman from Karachi backpacking her way through South East Asia on a holiday from university in Australia. We talked a lot about the highest paved road in the world, the construction of which is considered to be The Ninth Wonder Of The World. Although, I had heard about the famous cycling route in Pakistan from books she brought it to life”.

The KKH is the highest paved mountain road in the world and is considered a classic cycling route. The KKH twists for 805 miles through the junction of the worlds 3 mighty mountain ranges, The Karakorum, Himalayas and The Pamirs. The journey begins at the Kunjerab Pass (elevation 4703metres) at Sost and follows the Hunza valley into Gilgit, continues along the Indus river on the historic ancient silk road through Chils, Sazim, Pattan, Besham, Thakot, Manshera, Abbotabbad and into Islamabad. “ I have been Invited to come to Pakistan as a guest of my friend’s father and when not pedaling will be staying with friends and their relatives on route”.

Ms Henderson says “ I am thinking about this as the ultimate adventure and am looking forward to experiencing the legendary Pakistani hospitality”. Geo News is sponsoring the expedition with media coverage throughout the journey.

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