Mongolia X Journal 19 // Northern Green on the Steppe // Wild. Altitude. Culture. Camping. Water. Search for survival.

Descriptive words to describe the journey so far: Wild. Altitude (1000 meters a day). Cultural connections. Navigation. Camping. Water. Search for survival.

RTW Correspondence with Gaston Bonaudi in Buenos Aires, Argentina :: Expeditions

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  February 15, 2010

  Gaston Bonaudi

  • Hey Brian! nice to meet you! thanks for adding me as a friend. I checked your website, it's great. Are you planning to come to Argentina?
    I think we have a lot of things in common, bikes and travels, lol. If you need help for planning or just for friendship here in Buenos Aires, please write me!
    
    My Best.
    
    Gaston
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  February 15, 2010

  Brian Perich

  • Hey Gaston,
    
    Very cool to meet you here. Much more to share (of course an introduction helps ^^..) I have many obstacles to overcome to reach that point, but that's the challenge of an expedition -adventure!!! Would be great to speak, I have 0-knowledge of the roads and experiences beyond Northern Mexico. Thanks for checking out the blog, I try to keep it interesting for an outlet to life in general too.
    
    Peace from Korea,
    
    Brian P 
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  31 minutes ago

  Gaston Bonaudi

  • Hi Brian!
    
    How are you?  How is everything going with your plans to travel across America?
    
    I want to tell you still can count on me if you need help with your trip plans and stay in Argentina. I would really like to host you and talk a lot with you to learn a little more about your experiences traveling by bike.
    Since I last write you I've had the chance to travel all around South and Central America and have lots of tips to share if you need help. BTW I'm enyoing so much following your trip around China!
    
    I hope some day to have the enough power and conviction to start my own ¨around the world trip by bike¨... by now I'm doing it just with a backpack...
    Take care and I look forward hearing from you!.
    
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  about a minute ago

  Brian Perich

  • Hi Gaston,
    
    
    

    

    
    

    

    
    

    

    
    This is really nice of you to write again. Yes, I am definitely coming to Central and South America with the http://arctic2argentina.com/ but how I will do it, is still a mystery to me (time off work, family are main concerns, everything about cycling is sorted...China was definitely a great experience to build on, anything is possible after that one!).
    
    Backpacking is a free lifestyle, the equipment is light and you can travel well. I have hitch-hiked in the past/present, starting around Vancouver Island, Canada in the 1990's, then in Korea and China. The nice thing about cycling, and bicycle touring - you always have the option to hitch-hike after pedaling 100km in a day. You can travel wider distances and remain self-sufficient for lengths of time.
    
    I think you have amazing experiences to share, and I would learn a lot from you too. Let's try to make some mileage as a team on bikes. You'll learn in my blog, it isn't about expensive equipment (although quality components definitely help), it's about preparing yourself mentally and physically to travel. That much, you have already accomplished!!
    
    I prefer mountain bikes MTBs over touring bikes. They are cheap, easy to repair/replace parts, and they can ride on different terrain. Best tires on the market, I mention in my blog - Schwalbe Marathon (or Marathon Plus Tour if available...there are lighter versions now available in 2011-2012, I haven't tested them yet).
    
    It will be a long way down, if you can join me, it would be a better journey. (:
    
    Peace, I'm here when you need to speak (:
    
    Brian Perich
    Skype: prof.brian.perich
    http://korean-world.blogspot.com/
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    ONE - Arctic to Argentina 2012-2013

    arctic2argentina.com
    

    Global Bike from the Arctic Circle

HimalayasX2011 Expedition - Update from Lu Gu Hu, Sichuan/Yunnan

Currently 2685km into the HimalayasX2011, highlights - Tien Shan Mountains, Taklamakan Desert, Uighur Autonomous Region (Xinjiang) China, Himalayas Cudi Mountains, Kashgar and continuing 1200km across Sichuan Province into Yunnan, currently at 2800m at Lugu Hu Lake, Yunnan/Sichuan borders. Amazing sights, sounds, rough roads between places, open spaces, friendly faces - as I move on the bike. Supporting IDEAS Foundation INTESTINAL DISEASE EDUCATION AND AWARENESS SOCIETY, CANADA and ETE EDUCATION THROUGH EXPEDITIONS, UK. http://nogutsknowglory.com/ http://weneedideas.ca http://www.etelive.org/

 Expedition day 40+ in Southern Sichuan, China

 Nature flows in Sichuan Province, Yan Yuan to Lugu Hu, Sichuan/Yunnan borders

 Aboriginal cultures in Sichuan Province, return to culture (since the Cultural Revolution/Destroyed)

 As life was, and is in Sichuan Province on the borders of Yunnan, China

 Simple living in Sichuan, China

 Avid Juicy Five pads replaced after 2630km, deterioration evidenced

 Hammering on through Sichuan, 2665km into the HimalayasX2011

 Speed & Motion, Bicycle Freedom

 In partnership with Education Through Expeditions, UK

 Homegrown expedition cycle, Blackcat/Giant OEM aluminum frame 2008, Components from all-mountain Gary Fisher Hi-Fi Deluxe 2008, Bonatrager Race Tubeless wheelsets converted with Schwalbe Marathon Tour Plus tires, Avid Juicy Five Hydraulic brakes (epic), Fox RL Air Front Suspension (120mm, epic)

HimalayasX2011 Expedition has been in partnership with IDEAS Foundation, Intestinal Disease Education and Awareness Society of Canada, see more at their site.

Currently in Lugu Hu, Sichuan/Yunnan, China. Elevation: 2800m. Total distance: 2685km

Peace from the road, Brian Perich (Contributor/founder of Korean-World Adventure Cycling Website)

Himalayas X Expedition 2011 - Pre-launch Information, June 2011

It's time. After 5 years of constant cycling and training (cross training in the gym these past 10 weeks, while giving the bike a rest losing 10kg in the process), I am prepared for the Himalayas X Expedition 2011. The route isn't etched in stone, but what I can tell you is the route will include transit from South Korea to Tianjin, China and cycling to Qingdao, China to meet my local host Li Wei, an amazing international student now studying at my university. I hope to share a visit with Li Wei and prepare for an overland train experience to the starting point of the expedition. Special interests, the Taklamakan Desert, Central and Western China, Tibet and the Himalayas.

Actually, it all begins when we leave our house in the morning and go out and explore our world...well, this expedition has a little more formalities including immunizations, visa preparations, familial responsibilities, and preparing to face the physical elements -both the natural world, and in utilizing the self-preparation that came in training, and finally sorting out the equipment lists along with the logistics and coordination/communication with partnering foundations). It all took several months to finalize, but we are finally here - 7 days from the moment I walk out my front door onto an expedition of epic proportions -at least in my book.

It's been 10 years since I had once, bright-eyed and bushy headed, set off as a thrill-seeker (1993-2001), my purposes and calculations are much different now - but I do hope to catch that endless 'spirit of adventure' while out riding, speaking in foreign languages (Mandarin, Tibetan, Uighur) as I roam the urban, rural, inhabited and uninhabited-open landscapes that envelope the people in tiny pockets of cultural perimeters. I hope to cross through geographical (following the topographical curvatures), cultural, linguistic, and national boundaries into open domains with a bicycle. Inside of me there is fear, apprehension, calculation, mental mind-mapping of the route, the experiences expected or unexpected - of course all of this is human nature to find out the -why? -where? -who? what's next? and deal with the uncertainties when they must be dealt with -all these questions will be answered in a rhythm that can follow a route and keep within the limits we set for ourselves, or those imposed upon us and make alternate arrangements to carry on. I look forward all of it. It's a moment of choice, a moment of chance, a moment of freedom, and movement across a great land.

It's an exciting time in my life, I will share the journey with you, and make it more than just my personal lived experience -reporting back and sharing the "now" with all of you -hopefully, to inspire others to live their personal dreams or support an organization you believe in. I've scheduled 60 days to cover the ground, to experience a region of the world I knew existed primarily in books, blogs, or pages on the internet, shared ideas and daydreams. This time around, the experience is real, the risks are calculated and distances are challenging, especially on a bicycle. What could be better than a bicycle expedition into the unknown (giggles)

I am supporting several amazing non-profit foundations led by explorers Robert Hill, Ostomate and Mountaineering expedition veteran of the Seven Summits Series supporting IBD research for a cure  (for more information: IDEAS - Intestinal Disease Education & Awareness Society, Canada); and Antony Jinman, veteran Arctic & Polar Explorer and founder of the innovative non-profit school outreach, ETE - Education Through Expeditions, UK) and I will share more information about the causes, the mission, and the experiences of bicycle touring along the roof of the world on this journey.

Thank you for taking interest in the Himalayas X Expedition 2011 and I hope you enjoy your visits to the Korean-World, an adventure blog running since 2007 (visit the links to friends and adventurers on this site).


An old quote, I will continue to follow in the coming weeks...


"Face your fears to live your dreams."


Brian Perich, Adventurer, Father, Teacher and supporter of non-profit organizations.

@ the office, teaching English as a Foreign language in South Korea