Halfway up the mountain (Day 3)

Some cheesy Chinese pop music playing on a sleek stereo system in this biker hotel. Why the inescapable music instead of basic wifi? I hear chinese tourists tend to be loud. The party is here.

This is a tiny pit stop town on the way to Tibet, or Meili Snow Mt (where we're going). Pigs are running (in) the street! Monks hang out with locals in the storefronts and gawk or play mahjong.

We walked to the top of the hill where there is a Tibetan Buddhist nunnery. Almost everyone we pass (walking or cycling, for that matter) - working crops or passing on a motorcycle -smiles or waves and says "hello". Those who don't greet us just stare.

The women in the nunnery shave their heads and wear the same robes as the monks. They focus their lives on being a benefit to others.

Survived uphill day #1 - 17mi of uphill- but tomorrow is supposed to be harder. 24 miles of even more uphill, starting at altitude ~7000 ft, ending at ~9000 ft. My legs are tired from the last 3 days of cycling, and I am not able to strategize my fuel intake on rice noodles and peanuts. Will see how it goes, but good chance I'll be taking a ride in the van.

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