Some of the emails I have recieved - addressed directly to me or forwarded.
Hi, ....I m in ALi, a lots of trouble now. If you don't need a visa don't go to the PSB
because the situation has change since the war. They will ask you to come back and maybe
take your paseport until you find a truck to come back. They did this with a isralian and
a japonese. If they ask where you come from, it's better to say from lhasa. There's many
people with bicycle all gets probleme. Everybody had to book a jeep with guide to go to
nepal becasue now lhasa is close. The price for a jeep is 10 000 yuan no more expensive
but no choice. I live tomorrow with 9 others foreigners (4 bicycles) we are going to
kailash, manasarovar and zangmu (border) 10 days in total. There a bus on 20th on october
in the big cross, they are agree to take foreigners for 500y if your ashort with your vsa
maybe it's good option, Tibetan travel agency can't take tourist now. I was in Ali
guesthouse room 120 y for 2 ask for 60 y everybody paid this price. Take care, sorry for
my english. XXX. (if you want news about south raod tell me) after i want to try to reach
> Lhasa hitchiking.
hello!
> i get caught yesterday at about 3 km after roadmarker > 915, could continue 10 km
till new rutok, there i met > the kiwis on bicycle. no chance to send you an alert >
from new rutok, most time we spent at psb, most trucks > seems to go in direction to
ali. we had to go by truck > to ali, arrived at midnight and are actually staying >
in a bad hotel on a corner of the main crossing (with > traffic light). do not go to
psb if you can avoid! no > way to get single permit, just jeep option, one jeep > to
nepali border 10.000 yuen! > i am a little bit anoid. > hope to see you again. >
ciao! > XXX
Hey Guy's We are in Ali now..yes they have internet here noiw. I send you this short mail,
because you are in contact with some people who are traveling ore planning to travel in
Tibet. Everything is closed here know. PSB is roaming the roads from Mazar all the way to
Lhatze. We were caught at a new chequepoint before Rutog. Tese guy's gave us a hard time.
Here in Ali, you still pay the 350 Yuan fine and are forsed on a tour to Kathmandu. Also
Lhas ia closed because the 11th september. PSB in Ali set out many checkposts and all the
villages are on allert to send all tourists to Ali back. We tried but failed....at least
for the moment. We will see what happens next. The route from kashi to here was awesome
and we are glad we have don at least this part. See what happens next Just would let to
know this to you. greatings Luc and Rudi
Ali, Tibet > Mile no 8678 > > Hi guys > > we are now in ali stuck while we
sort out a forward > route hahahahahaha > > Not sure whether you got nabbed by
them in Rutok. > Hopefully not but if you check this first dont go to > the PSB as
they will tell you further cycling is not > possible plus charge you 350 for nothing.
> > we are either in the hotel on the corner of the main > crossroads as you come
into town, diagonally across, > behind the pale lemon doors. and up the 2 flights of
> spiral stairs, room 306. We are with Joachim, if not > there then we will be in
ali hotel/guesthouse which is > a little better but more expensive. It is on the left
> about 500 metres down towards the telecom hotel (very > expensive) > > Look
forward to meeting/catching up with you. > > Ciao for now > XXX and XXX
hallo Radlerfreunde, > bis Darchen, am Fusse des Kailash konnten wir berhzt durch das
Land radeln. > Teilweise nahmen wir einen Truck zur Unterstuetzung, wenn uns die
Ruettelei > und schuettelei zuviel wurde. Leider wurden wir in Darchen von einem >
PSB-beamten aufgegriffen, natuerlich hatten wir kein offizielles Permit und > wurden
zurueck nach Ali geschickt. Seit den Angriffen auf Afghanistan hat > sich hier einiges
geaendert, man darf nur noch als organisierte Gruppe via > Jeep=Guide reisen. Es gibt
keine Chance dies zu umgehen. Zwischen Darchen > und Zhamnu (nep. Grenze) sind 5
Checkposts, die alle die Order haben, einen > nach Ali zurueckzuschicken. > Jetzt
sitzen wir hier in diesem "Einkaufscentre" Ali in the middle of > nothing und
hoffen auf 3 weitere Individuells, die mit uns eine Gruppe > bilden und horrende 10.000
Yuan fuer einen Jeep aufbringen wollen. Bisher > kamem uns nur Horrorgeschichten zu
Ohren, Fakt ist - man wird nur abgezockt > ohne Gegenleistung oder gar Serviceleistung.
> Hoffentlich seit ihr bisher unbeschadet durchgekommen, vor allem sturzfrei > und
habt super Eindruecke eingesammelt. > Dies war die 1. Meldung vom Vorradlerteam aus Ali
- > liebe Gruesse XXX&XXX
Hi Janne.
Everything seems pritty closed here. I don't think there is a chance to escape from
here.
The two tibetan guy's who work at the PSB (and are normaly very frendly and helpful) say
that they roam all the roads from mazar on to Lhatze.
They have new orders that everything is closed. Saying this, all the militairy and police
know this aswell, and can earn lot's of money to stop cyclists and put them on a truck.
That's what happened to us aswel. Had to pay 300 yuan each for the 100 km from Rutog to
Ali. The bastards. Now, we could manage to arrange a tour from here to kathmandu for 2000
Yuan each. much cheaper than the others. So I think we do this.
Might hang around in
Kathmandu and nothern India and try again in March, I mail you back from kathmandu,
because i have to say that I don't realy have the guts unther this conditions to escape
here and risk more fines and eventuly have to arrange transport on my own to kathmandu.
I don't think more tourists will arrive here, because they stop (catch) eveyone in mazar
at the moment. greating from us.
Luc,
XXX, XXX, XXX, XXX and me.
And
last...I got mail from a guy from Shigatze, who is on his way to Katmandu. He got a 10-day
permit (100Y) and got the go ahead to cycle on. Two weeks ago, I got another mail from
Shigatze, from a couple who had been arrested and fined heavily. They were caught on the
way to Lhatze and had not applied for a permit. Maybe that's the difference...
If
you want first hadn info about what happened in West Tibet, check out Rudi's and Luc's site
or mail them for
questions.
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