Yes you can just type it here on the Asia forum and mark it as a trip report. For rules on advertising see the posting guideline.

Thank you Hunuman. Well,is it available to upload photos?

You cannot upload photos to this site.

we look forward to your posting... just don't include any commercial request, but you can mention how to contact people that helped you and from whom you purchased things or places you stayed and the associated costs...

You can provide a link to your photos.

OK，friends, I decide to do this job. Maybe it will takes several months.

I hv a full-time job on hand. I can only do it at night...
Meanwhile , English is not my mother language,so, just try my best...

Actually it's the first time I post sth in the forign site.And till yesterday I recvd 4 responses. It makes me excited.. Interesting, huh ?

My journey of 1st section started from Chengdu of Sichuan province, to Lahsa via National way G318. （In China roads titled with "G" means National way. titled with "S" means provinced way,I guess it's somewhat equal to state-invested in U.S. ）

Leading Characters:

Tumbler Man, a middle-aged man working in Shenzhen City, Guangdong Province, who has 3 kids. That is definitely rarely in China.

Scholar: A man just married before the journey. He serve in a college located in Deyang city ,Sichuan province.

Ah Phi, A guy resigned his job in Shenzhen city to join us.

Mr.Wei, A student of grade 3 in the Shenzhen Polytecnic.

Then Ah Hong, Ah Jay, Li Kwai(a man of Mount Liang heros, don't know why he use this nickname,as he looks modest,don't like a robber at all), together with Mr.Wei, they're all cantonese.

We called up each other in the internet and then bought the tickets of train from Shenzhen to Chengdu.

Well, I nearly forgot the introduction of myself. People call me Tony. I was serving in a Hongkong-funded factory in Shenzhen City, until I quit in mid-June of 2010. Before that I joined into club of mountain bike in Shenzhen city from year 2009 and read all kinds of travel notes talking abt how to go to Xizang(Tibet). That's spiritual foundation of my impulse to realize it by myself finally...

I never read travel note of similar content in English. I don't know what kind of visual angle you might be interested. I'm Chinese? I was educated? Investigation on culture? on Religion? Things purchased and cost?

Come on readers, you can tell me what kind of topic is more popular here. I feel really fresh I can communicate with you so freely and zero-distancedly.

we like it all tony....just fill us full of details of all kinds...

Yes, all of it!

Tony, your intro has me hooked. I can't wait for more.....

Continued on Oct 19:

Before getting on train,I had sent my 600 USD bike to ChengDu by courier in advance which cost me abt 120 RMB. While my teammates carried their bikes about. I met Ah Hong and Mr.Wei, Tumbler Man at the station for the 1st time.There I helped them to unload the wheel and packed.the mountain bike can be put under the seat only if one of foot pedal was unloaded. It can be good reference for people go out by train taking a bike.

People found so big China is when they came here.The train journey took us a whole day.To save money we did not buy sleeper ticket. We played pokers, talked with each other to expect a wonderful trip.

I recognized a young girl who's from Sichuan and talked happily, we left QQ (QQ is mainly domestically used in China for communication purpose, just like Skype or MSN) No. to each other finally. That was the start of my teammates describing me "His mothers-in-law are all along the journey..."

At night of July 13th, we arrived in Chengdu station.I farewelled to the Sichuan girl. We took away all of our luggage down the train, then meet with Ah Phi who aleady wait outside the station.He's one day ealier from Shenzhen. Ah Phi lead us into a cheap hostel(PLA background) in which he lived last night.

It was my 3rd time being in ChengDu, So I felt nothing.I went to sleep quickly after bathing.

The next day morning my teammates get up early to buy racks matching their bikes.I got my bike back from courier distributing center of Chengdu. Then with Ah Phi we tried to find another youth hostel but not sucessful. ALmost all hostels were occupied by travellers from all over the world.

July is a travel season as it's in summer vacation for students of unerversity and college. Meanwhile,Chengdu is a well-known tourist city for forigners.

We had to spent the last night in ChengDu in a small hostel.Before that an ex-colleague,a pretty girl invited me for a good dinner. Impressive.

In the very early morning of July 15th, 2010,we got everything ready to start our bicycling journey. In the last minute a new member joined us,that is Li Kwai.

Everyone in the team has a legency. Elder Brother Li Kwai just purchase a GIANT bike one day before leaving ChengDu. He is a modest, polite man with all good manners.

We went into DuJiangYan City after a brief breakfast.

There is a worldwide famous China ancient water conservacy project called Doujiang Weir, located in Dujiangyan City.

That's a invaluable heritage becos it was constructed in BC 256 in Qin Dynasty lead by a man called Li Bing.

We aimed at it, however,did not enter becof of high price of entrance ticket after 4 hrs of bicycling.

Anyway, it's lucky that the project is huge enough to protect itself from damaged during the period of Cultural Revolution.

The road connect Dujiangyan & Chengdu is G314.

"The purpose of life is a life of purpose." ~ Robert Byrne

Tony:

It will help us readers, instead of you sending more than 10 messages a day, perhaps group them and send 2 a day. Thanks!

I like it, keep posting.

Tony, I'm enjoying your story! Thank you for posting. I'm looking forward to more.

Hi Shanghainese, Femi, Althom:

OK, recvd yr advice. Thanks for yr support.

For me the problem is that I can not regularily update it.

Sure you can! Write away. We'd love to hear from you.

This is fascinating. Keep writing to us. I'm hooked.

Departed from Dujiangyan city,along G314, we went to Dayi County in which we stopped and lodged. We met with big rain but no worry becos we hv rain coat...

Today's Journey still within ChengDu Plain..It had ever been a rich area. During the time of Three Kingdoms it was ruled by Shu State. The king Liu Bei was well-known for he's know how to judge and use people. His assesor Zhuge liang is a person of great wisdom and resourcefulness, mastermind. In China we usually describe a clever guy as "Junior Zhuge Liang"

But in the end of Ming Dynasty, there was a ruthless killer named Zhang XianZhong, He almost killed out all people in Chengdu plain... So nowadays' Sichuanese are most of later generation of Hunan province,Hubei province & Cantonese after immigration following up the inner war.

In Chinese ancient history there was full of inner wars making population of a last dynasty down to a unimaginable low level. It was repeated and repeated,until the KMT-CPC civil war. Maybe due to the situation that from last centry people in China got to know the idea of democracy and human rights... Nowaday, in every aspect: food, garments, language,education and thoughts, all western style exist.

...

Huh.let's get back to the journey. Morning of July 16th,we reached Qionglai city and had breakfast there-"uncongealed tofu",a kind of food seems like glue,between liquid and solid state. From Qionglai onward we were back to G318.

Ancient Tea Road: Beside G318 there's a recovered ancient ruins called "the bureau of tea-horse market." Before Yuan Dynasty Kham area and Tibet did not inclued in the administration of centeral government,China. We call them foreign land. People from foreign land good at feeding horse.They need tea produced from Inland China,so Tea-Horse Trade Market formed.
The centeral government purchase horse by paying tea. to support the war.

Just took some pictures. I went for Ya'an City.it's also a tourist city in Sichuan, well-kown for "ya'an's Rain, ya'an's fish, ya'an's girl". "Girl" here does not include anything pornographic, just affirm the beauty of Ya'anese girl. Besides, there's a Panda national part named "Bifengxia" locates in Ya'an district.

I waited under the Chinese Tourist Graph Sign"Galloping Horse Treading on a Flying Swallow" to collect all later teammates. We gather up, to have lunch together.

BTW, as I know that many foreigners's consumption cost higher in China. Somewhat due to "information asymmetry",people in China tend to think that foreigner is rich ones.They quote higher when foriegner inquire. Somewhat due to foriegners in my mind does not trust some low-end food and service. However,I do think that something from peasants cheap but good. If you try to find service and food from them it can save you lots of money.

Industrially produced food in China contain some potential risk. Even Chinese is very unsatisfied with milk, ham and egg,even fresh pork purchased from the super market.Those kind of hormone and additive threaten our health in daily life. Recent years it's more and more popular in China to join arig-tourism. So why not join them when you come to China? Fresh vetgetable just picked out of the field, raised chicken or duck from the farmland came to your table and became yr lunch...hah hah...

After lunch, we found a GIANT bicycle shop to fix our bikes.As I remember one technician advised that my chain need to be replaced.He said it's nearly broken. I ignored his adivice. And finally I went through the G318 to Lahsa,to base camp of Mount Qomolangma
,to Xinjiang province, without anything wrong with the chain.

Hi from Australia and thanks for your interesting report, Tony. I'm enjoying reading about your adventure very much.

Tony:

How come you have stopped posting for more than a month now?

Well, I'm really sorry, everybody. I'm a salesman and from end of October last year,i was really busy... Not only job of Sales, I did some other jobs such as administration- related. Well, I couldn't afford the workload and then joined another company in the same city until now. Besides, I hv some part-time job such as teaching the others English.

No guarantee,however, I try my best to tell my whole travel story.

At the early stage of our G318 bike travel,I was always acting the leading role. But I'm not the 1st person reaching Ya'an City. That's becos Ah Jay surpassed me when I was fixing my inner tube of back wheel.He did not see me. He thought I was still the 1st people so he kept chasing and chasing. That's why that day he was No.1, huh huh...

The rainy day make us changed the schedule. We decided not to stay in Ya'an as the other team did.

After lunch along QingYi River we head for Erlangshan tunnel under the big rain. Due to bad weather, there was landslide on the road somewhere. Luckily, we all safely passed the dangerous area. I feel a kind of superiority complex when I saw the miles of auto queue blocked by landslide. Bicycle is more convenient under some special circumstance.

Before darkness we arrived in Tianquan County.In Tianquan Ah Hong and Ah Jay make themselves bareheaded. Uh hah, I'm no longer young as both guys. At the morning of July 17, still heavily raining, we had some noodles and twisted cruller(CHINESE FOOD) as breakfast. That day we reached XinGou, a small village. The landlady of the inn we lived that night wasa a straightforward person. She lough at me just becos I was hesitated to decede which one of both bottles of water in my hand. They all teammates laugh at me too...

Am really enjoying this Tony. Keep it coming.

Fascinating!

I've only just read your story ,Tony, and am enjoying it too. Your culture is so different from ours in Australia, and really interesting to hear your travels and experiences, your thoughts as well. Thank you for sharing.

Re Shandy, Carrom & Carrabella, thanks for yr recognition. Yes I try to deliver something fresh to you. I'm trying and I'm keep paying effort on this...

On July 18. We go on the trip to Erlangshan Tunnel. The old path should go over a poort of mountain Erlang. It wastes time (traffic jam happened frequently) and cause many traffic accidents. Then in 1995 the government decided to build a tunner and later in 1999 the mountain was get through. It saves 25 km totally. Huh , that's a good project, isn't it?

Just after 1 hour of mountain climbing road, I saw the entrance of tunnel far away.

That days' Champion belong to Tumbler Man. I can't imagine it.
An old Man who has 3 kids...Huh huh. I took a photo for him with a gesture of lifting his bike. That's a good memory. Before going through the tunnel we took a joint photo: Ah Hong, Tumbler Man,Ah Phi,Mr.Wei, Tony and Scholar.

We should write down the ID# in the house of armed police force. That's a sensitive area already. We're entering the area of Tibatan very soon.

In the darkness we passed through the tunnel quickly. Luckily I hv a torch. All of my equipment was ready one by one from When I fall in love with bicycling.

Well,They were all stolen after I was back to Zhejiang province. my love bike, the torch, my helmet.spedometer. They kept beside of me thousands of kilometers on the way. All safe in Lahsa in, in Kashkar,in Tashiku'ergan . But was stolen by someone when I was back to "inland"(Developped area in China). That is life and reality.

I love the tourist area I've ever been .I hope someday to go back that kind of area to start a new life. But my mom advised that I should marry with some girl. I'd like to earn more money...Then I hv to stay "inland", put up with poisonous food, struggle to get a high-salary job,struggole to pay the loan for a house...struggle to death.

Yes the question is that, how to earn to live when I go back there? That's a question, Huh.

Okay, let's stop the heavy topic. Anyway I still can breathe, I can eat, I can drink. I'm alive. Huh huh...

Getting back to business. The Erlangshan tunnel is the longest one I've ever passed.about 8900 meters long. Came out of the tunner we found the weather in the other side of the moutain is quite different. The tempreture also 2-3 degrees lower. We just saw the mist wreathed in the valleys.

Geographically we came to the district of higher altitude.

People may ask how we keep water supply and how to keep enough energy.It's not so comlicated, however, Just take some bottles of water of drink like pepsi or coca cola,Red bull. Yes Red bull. Many bicycler reagard it as "holly water". They all think of the drink make them full of energy when climbing. But I don't think so.

Don't worry for food too. Becos of the tour along G318 is so popular these years. You can buy food from any village or town you'll pass along. You can eat Sichuan cuisine every section of the road. If you want to make it a little more simple, Okay, hv some "fried rice with eggs".

As a Chinese, I think we focus on taste of food, instead of nutrition,e.g. protein, fat...I can't understand why Chinese people called Mcdonald and KFC "junk food". I believe they just to parrot what others say . In my eyes Chinese is not strong enough, The energy from daily food and drink is not enough. Meanwhile they do not like sport. That's why they became fatter and fatter if they went to KFC frequently.
There's no wrong with the food itself. Why food containing starch, protein, sugar and vegetables called "junk food"?

Yes let them hv a try, to climb a mountain of 15 kms of uprise road after hving a bowl of porridge ???

The weather shows really different one side of the Erlang Mountain with the other side. My English of except used in my job is really poor. I'm sorry I can not provide a detailed description.

Still rainy. After feeding a little vagrant dog. We went to Luding County. Regarding vagrant dog.It's related with Tibetan religion belief. They think as a human being, death is not end of a life. It's another start of life turnover. Maybe a man died and next turn of life he became a dog...
The dog may be the turnover life of his died grandfather. So tibetan people do not eat dog meat. There are so many vagrant dogs wrangling in the street of tibetan area.

Luding county is just a little county in China,maybe only 50 or 60 thousand resident live there. After accommodation Scholar, Ah Phi and I had a "luxury" dinner. It costs us about RMB 150. Afte supper I went to the most famous scene point "Luding bridge". Becos they do not charge after 17:00 P.M. Huh huh.We must save as much money as we can becos the journey is so long.

"Luding bridge" is made of 9 strips of iron chain. It has a historical fame becos there was a severe battle there between Communist Red army and Kuomintang army. Of course ,the winner was Communists Red army...The seized the bridge and creat the convienience for later troops to go on the "Long March".

Thank you Tony, I'm enjoying your travel story very much. Your English is excellent!

Good luck & safe travels from Sydney, where our famous Australian sunshine has given over to rain & grey skies.

Tony, I just happened to find your report today. When I saw that you started from Chengdu - one of only a few places I've been in China - I had to keep reading and now I'm hooked! It's very impressive that you rode through those mountains on bicycles - and impressive, too, that you can describe it so well in English.

I like your descriptions of the rides, and your commentary about cultural things like the food and the history of the places you passed through.

And now I'm greedy: I want to see your photos, too! Can you find a website where you can upload them for free and then paste the link here? I know when I was in China, we couldn't access Flickr, but there was a workaround. Or maybe you could try a site like Shutterfly here in the US? I'm sorry if I tempt you to have to do more work for us, with your already busy schedule!

Hey Bokhara, thank you.

Hey ggreen, thank you too.

Actually I hv attached many many photos into a Chinese website. It's a pitty that you can't read Chinese words.
That's also why I want to do the job again here.

http://www.tianya.cn/publicforum/content/travel/1/320427.shtml

I was thinking about to find a English site which allow attaching photos. I'll do it later ,maybe.It depends on my leisure time.

Here I show you some web address Chinese saying English. "Chinglish":

http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNDA1MTA1NTc2.html
http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMzc3MDgyNDA0.html

Hope you like it.

Tony, the pictures look great!! I only looked at a few because it's very late here in New York and I must sleep before work tomorrow...

I took the caption for the first - group - photo and pasted it into translate.google.com. This is what it tells me:
"This is a family portrait photographs, goes before the turn because QQ is not enough pixel"

It seems to mostly make sense, although I don't know what it means about not enough pixel - that QQ can't handle the pixel size of the full photo? That's the trouble with automated translators! But IME, Google's is better than others, so maybe it's enough, along with your travelogue here, to understand what's shown. From your writing, I certainly knew who the girl was in the photo a little way down the list!

We planned to look at Gongga Mountain but failed becos of bad weather. At the morning of July 19 we departed from Luding county heading for Kangding county.

Due to the large amount of exercise, Ah phi decided to take a car that day. Scholar insisted to ride with us. After Luding the weather shift to be better. And then another challenge to ride uphill under burning sun...

Only when the road is closing to the rivulet I could feel cool and refreshing. The milestone along G318 always full of doodle by all kinds of donkey friend."Shiguang came here","I will be back here again". such kind.

Beside the road we can see some beautiful flowers. For example, sunflowers. A kind of flower specially in Tibet area "Gesanghua" ,"Hua" means flower in Chinese Romanization.

The Tibetan differentiate themselves into 3 branch: Kang-ba; Zang-ba; Wei-ba.

We were now in the area of Kang-ba people live. Mainly the tibetan area in Sichuan province.

People around Lah Sa city was called Zang-ba.Moreover, people around Shigatse city was called Wei-ba.

By the way, the pronounciation of Lahsa or Shigatse is more Smooth in English. I guess it's related of the colonial rule by British end of 19th centry. I'll find you some more proofs later.

For exmaple, as a famous brewery brand "Tsingtao Beer" will be more readable for foreign people.( The brand was found up when Germany occupied Shandong province. )Actually after 1949 we call it "QingDao Beer" instead. But "QIng dao" will not be read by forigners freely.

More example such as Peking. People now call her "Beijing "instead.