27. feb. 2010

Nove slike v galeriji - Provinca Gansu - vasica Xiahe in samostan Labrang - New gallery images from China, village Xiahe and Labrang Monastery

Po dolgem casu spet nekaj novih slik v galeriji in sicer iz Kitajske province Gansu, mesta Xiahe s pomembnim tibetanskim samostanom z imenom Labrang z nekaj besed opisa na desni strani zbirke slik.


After a long time some new images in the gallery namely from China province Gansu, town Xiahe with overriding Tibetan monastery named Labrang with few words of description on right side of the photo collection.


23. feb. 2010

360º

Prevedi
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It was 28th October... we woke up beside the 'Tato Pani' Indian 'Hot Springs'. Guys enjoyed hot water I could just imagine. Me... woman stuff.


Guys in 'Tato Pani - later they were served hot capaties with nutella and peanaut butter - niceeeeee!'

When described where this place is I was already worried about the turbulence in the valley and the take off otherwise nice facing towards the noon sun, nonsense... After breakfast and tea at 'Caj shop' we walked for about one hour just up and up. It was so steep and with at least 20 kgs on my back...

Take off place on the left above

The thermals were hot already and I felt the feeling oooo yeah... hmmm... aaaaa... ddddd... “I can make it! Anyway I have to climb that rocky mountain right behind the launching place otherwise I have to land in the valley below on a road, on a tree... if lucky... If I do not like the conditions I will jump to the front ridge or well... I maybe fly the last ridge... and I must fly to the 360 place – I really wish!”

Valley below the take off without landing spots

Full head of thoughts... concentrating non stop. The wind for the take off is just the right one... Robinson just flew straight out of the valley, Reno and Momo started to climb the thermal above the take off.

On the way to goal - ooo yeah!

Now it is my turn and I can make it too! We climbed up one after another to over 3000m and then I wait for Tadej that we start the flight towards our daily destination. Reno and Momo were soaring under a big stormy dark cloud almost touching the base. When flying above the last ridge I found out it is not really scary the feeling is relaxing and you feel safer. I noticed the valley behind the ridge and was relieved just in case of unpredictable landing somewhere as yeah, huge minus – we were flying without any communication among us like radio, cell phones...

Landing among terraces

I took care no to scrude up the flight catching every thermal to maintain the altitude above the ridge as I really wished to land at the place of a 'big shit on the top' as Vitaly named that place. And I wished my first bivouac! I flew after Tadej and I trusted his way of flying. When we were passing railway station on the top of the ridge you have to pay some attention on wires spreading all around but we just overfly them high above.


The place of 360 - the top of the ridge from where you can see alllllll around

Just few of other pilots in the air on that day took off from other places as Billing (+32° 3' 35.28", +76° 44' 40.20") take off is still like 'accepting rules and permissions' and not allowed to launch there. When I saw the place we supposed to land I become soooooo happppyyyyyyyy, smiling.... yes yeeeeeees I've made it!!!!! We made it all together!

Ground handling at the sunset

All what I was dreaming in the morning became true and I cannot describe the feelings when I landed among big terrace fields at the 'Three-sixty'. Tea and tasty diner followed in the moonlight time under nylon covering a simple kitchen with excellent cook with Tadej and French paragliding team Reno, Robinson and Momo.

Our 'bedroom'

We found places to sleep – we chose the top of the 360. It is 360 – it is like a big dot on I to the whole day we enjoyed. Warmly wrapped in our sleeping bags staring at almost full moon and bright stars waiting for a streak of a light to wish the days like the one just passed.

Breakfast - cappati, dal and chai

28th October in Bir-Billig (+32° 3' 35.28", +76° 44' 40.20") – flying the last ridge above the valley from 'Tato Pani' to my first bivouac place at 360 – for sure I'll never forget that day!
And I saw a streak of a light and wished myself something too:-)


6. feb. 2010

A stolen motorbike in Syria

The bike is still missing!!! I apologise for misuderstanding.
Please help!


Mika

Prevedi

Hi everybody!


I was thinking to give you a interesting link where you can follow a friend of mine Mika Kuhn from Germany who spend 6 or 7 year traveling on his motorbike around the world. He made a new plan and he is back on the road but... unexpected things happens every day.


Mika on the road again...

He got stolen of his bike in Syria on 21.1.2010 in Damascus. The security camera capture the thefts but they can't find them. In a short movie press here his friend made for him you can see the model and how the bike looks like...

If you have any information or a friend who might have a friend in that part of the world please email him on mikakuhn@web.de
You can check also his web: http://www.weltreise-motorrad.de/


Here is his letter from Damascus:

Damascus / Syria

22.01.2010

Hello all,

Mustahil means impossible in Arabic.

This is the word I hear from every local that knows about my story of yesterday. My bike, the 750 Tenere, got stolen outside the hotel Alrabie here in the city center of Damascus. In the hours of the early morning a group of five thieves broke the locks and one of them rode away with the bike.

I would have said myself, it is impossible that something like this happens in Syria. But you learn every day. A camera from a shop nearby filmed the incident, but I have not seen the video yet.Aleppo - Syria

The police is working on the case, I have the help of the German embassy and from some local friends. But I have problems getting the media involved, as no
bad news can be broadcasted. Also a big problem is, that I do not speak Arabic and most people do not speak anything else.

Hopefully this is not a sudden end to my journey, I am not even two months on the road again.

Greetings

Mika