Traditional spices I bought from a Tafraoute marketplace; they include ginger, cumin, paprika, cinnamon and tumeric.

Okay, so finally, I am posting a recipe that is NOT a quick one.  It’s definitely not difficult and the end taste and nutrition it brings is well worth it.  I have to give my “brothers” in Tafraoute, Morocco credit for the inspiration and tutelage on this tajine recipe.  Said (pronounced “sigh-ed”) and Mostafa, chefs and now owners of the Argana Hotel in Tafraoute cooked THE most amazing meals I had tasted during my two month stay there.  In two months, you can imagine all the Moroccan food I ate, but nothing….nothing compared to the freshness and quality of their meals.  I feel lucky to have been able to witness their magic in the kitchen…and they were so generous to invite me to each and every meal.  So now I must pass some of their knowledge on to those who aren’t able to travel so far.

Tajine is a traditional Moroccan dish cooked in an earthen cone-shaped dish that sits directly on the fire (so if you have an electric stove and a tajine dish….um…not a good idea).  You can use a slow cooker if you don’t have a tajine.  There are many variations to this dish; some flavors include chicken and apricot, chicken lemon and olives, meatballs (also known as kefta) and egg, fish and vegetarian (which can be done with this recipe..just replace the chicken)..  The variations are endless.  The one I am posting here uses the ingredients that I witnessed from an authentic Moroccan kitchen from Tafraoute…although one of the cooks is from the Sahara.

Veggie basics...

Ingredients for 8 Servings:  

2-3 Tablespoons of Olive Oil

8 Chicken thighs (you can make it with or without the bones…I bought boneless)

Half garlic – diced

2 Large Onions – thinly sliced

4 Large carrots – I chopped mine like my friends did, in long, blocks

2 Green Peppers – Chopped in long strips

2 Zucchinis – cut similarly to the carrots

1 Tomato – sliced

4 Small Potatoes – cut in fourths

2-3 Chili Pepper – small ones can be left whole.  The guys would throw 2-3 whole ones in the tajine and surprisingly, it wouldn’t be spicy.

5-6 Green olives

1-2 Slices of lemon (depending how much flavor you want…I added too many (see photo)

1 1/2 Teaspoons ground cumin

1 1/2 Teaspoons ginger

1 Teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 Teaspoon ground black pepper

First heat the olive oil on a skillet over medium-high heat (or if you own a tajine, then just use that…).

Add the diced garlic to the heated oil; cooking it for a minute and then add the chicken for an introductory heating.

Brown the chicken lightly on both side (you should probably turn the heat down to medium or less than…you don’t want to completely cook the chicken.  I’d say a couple minutes is good).

Push the chicken aside and add the onions, sautéing them a little and then placing them at the very bottom.  Put the chicken on top of the onions.

Place these three ingredients on the bottom of the slow cooker or tajine, then add the other vegetables (carrots, zuchini, potatoes, olives, and I even saved more onions to add on top) in layers.  When I watched the guys, they did it in a circular design such as this:

Okay, so not really the neatest example of a circular design; my friends are definitely more meticulous but you get it. :)

Next, throw in all the spices.  Just throw them…go wild!  Forget meticulous.  There is one ingredient that I didn’t use that the guys always used which was a food coloring (you can buy it at Middle Eastern stores…I managed to find it in a market in Las Vegas but didn’t buy it).  But if you want to be truly Moroccan, you should add it in.  This is what one kind looks like:

This needs to cook for at least a few hours.

Browning the chicken and cooking it with onions and some garlic; I actually put spice on it beforehand and if you want, you can marinate it overnight.

Adding the lemon; don't add three unless you want it to dominate the flavor. I made this mistake. I would have used about one.

After cooking it on low heat for several hours, it’s done!  Enjoy it and to be truly authentic, eat with your hands.  The locals use bread as a spoon and a tool to soak up the gravy at the same time.  Delicious!

She was kind to share her thoughts on her experiences on riding in China and we translated it here so girls from both English-speaking and Chinese-speaking countries could all understand.  Global riders unite!  We wish you the best Hazel.  Keep us posted!

RRRG: Where are you from in China? 

Hazel:  Yunnan Province in China (southwestern China). 

RRRG: How many years have you been riding? 

Hazel: I started riding at 10 (trail riding) then BMX racing and freestyle…now for a total of nine years. 

RRRG: How did you discover riding?

Hazel: When I was younger, I saw some street riders performing stunts, it was so cool! So then I was determined to save my money to buy a bike and join in! 

RRRG: And how many bikes do you own now?

Hazel : 7 or 8 bikes.

RRRG: Are you competing? If so, what areas and what has been your greatest success?

Hazel:  Right now I have been riding professionally for the last 3 years and won the Asian Championship in Trail Racing.

RRRG: Who helped inspire you the most？

Hazel: First, my mother is my hero; she has been the most supportive in my riding.  Another rider who has made a deep impact is trail bike UCI World Champion Benito Ros and Colombia BMX racer, Marianna Pajon. 

RRRG: At present, is BMX popular in China? If so, are there many girls that ride? 

Hazel: BMX in China right now is popular but not as much as in the US. Girls who ride and compete in BMX are very rare…so if they participate, it’s something to take pride in!

Hazel in the lead

RRRG: Do your parents know of your passions for riding? How do they feel about it?

Hazel: Yes, they know. In the beginning, they were worried. They always think of my safety. And did not support it because they thought it was impossible for a girl to partake in boy’s sports. But in the end, I insisted on riding and I proved my skills to them. Finally, they are impressed! 

RRRG: Do you compete in China? What about internationally? 

Hazel: Definitely.  Right now in BMX racing in China, professional riders are not allowed to compete in amateur freestyle events.  In China, in a year, there aren’t that many races… about six only.  But if you go to the US, there are many, many events…every state has several events in a year.  You’re able to improve your skills and experiences more quickly.  We don’t have these types of national races.  

RRRG:  What is your favorite style of riding? Mountain bike, freestyle, flatland, etc..?

Hazel:  I love all types of riding and events!  You can count me as a fanatic fan of all riding.  And I will try it all!  

RRRG: What are your other hobbies besides riding? 

Hazel:   Drawing/Painting, listening to music..  

RRRG: Can you give some advice on how to ride so professionally?

Hazel: I don’t really have any special advice.  If you really love to ride, then your life will be enriched from it no matter what!

RRRG: In China, is it look down upon for girls to ride in these sports?  BMX, trail racing, flatland, etc?

Hazel: In China, most people can’t accept girls being serious riders; in their eyes, girls will always be inferior to boys…so girl’s BMX, trail racing, etc is not taken seriously or respected.  In racing, it’s the same.  

RRRG:  Do you have any personal stories to share where you were made to feel bad or put down for being a female rider?  What were your reactions?

Hazel: Definitely…when people hear there are girl riders competing they are first almost always surprised.  Many don’t understand.  First, the family will be against it.  Then on the street, if you are riding freestyle, they look down on you like you are a vandal or criminal because you are “breaking the rules” being a woman on a bike doing stunts.  One time at a competition, I was the only girl competing

RRRG: What is your greatest dream? What are your plans in the future? 

Hazel: My dream is to participate in the Olympics!  This is every professional athletes dream.  In the future, I want to assist the development of my passion.  Or start my own club to promote riding to more people! 

————————————————————-

中文:

我對英勇無懼的摩托車手的搜尋, 指引我找到這位十九歲, 住在中國的 王思楊子 – Hazel.  Hazel 已逐步突破重圍, 成為中國頂尖摩托車好手及讓人讚歎的成功例子. 她國際上的表現及認可也是指日可待. 以她的 “速度”, 成功近在眼前.

 Hazel, 非常熱心的, 把她在中國境內的騎車經驗, 在此與我們分享. 希望讓美語及中語系國家的女孩們, 可以瞭解她的歷程, 跟她一起成長. 國際騎車人員大集合! Hazel, 我們祝妳一切順利! 保持連絡!

RRRG: 你是從中國那裡出生?

Hazel - 王思楊子:  中國雲南

RRRG: 你幾歲開始起BMX?

Hazel - 王思楊子:  歲開始騎攀爬自行車（trail bike）16歲接觸bmx racing與freestyle 現在總共騎了9年。

RRRG: 你真麼發現到這活動？

Hazel - 王思楊子:  歲時在街頭看到一些車手在表演攀爬車過障礙，非常酷，便決心存錢買車加入其中！

RRRG: 你有幾部自行車？

Hazel - 王思楊子:  七，八輛自行車.

RRRG: 你在中國會不會比賽？  你最成功的是在哪一方面?

Hazel -王思楊子:  当然，因為現在是bmx racing職業車手的身份在中國是不被允許參加freestyle的各種業餘比賽，一年中國內職業賽只有很少的6場賽，但去到美國训练每週都會有很多賽事，能更好的提高比赛经验！这是国内没有的。 Right now I have been riding professionally for the last 3 years and won the Asian Championship in Trail Racing.

RRRG:  你喜歡那一種的BMX比賽? (racing, freestyle, flatland, 等)

Hazel -王思楊子: 所有车型的赛事我都喜欢，能算一个对自行车狂热发烧迷，所有类型自行车我都会去尝试！

RRRG: 誰是對你最有影響的？

Hazel  -王思楊子:  首先是媽媽一直以來最支持我鼓勵我騎車！還有對我影響深的是Trail bike UCI world champion的西班牙車手 Benito Ros 和Colombia的bmx racer Mariana Pajon！

RRRG:  現在在中國BMX流行嗎？ 如果是的,有很多女子喜歡嗎?

Hazel -王思楊子:  中國現在很流行bmx ，但仍然沒有像美國那樣有很多人知道並加入，尤其是女生就少之又少了，如果中國有女生玩車那一定是件最驕傲的事。

RRRG:  你的父母知道你喜歡BMX嗎？? 他们对你的爱好会想什么?

Hazel  -王思楊子: 是的，開始時他們會很擔心，總為安全考慮很多，也不支持，認為男生的運動女生要做就是不可能，但最後自己堅持騎下去並證明了，父母也終於被我打動！

RRRG:  你有別愛好好嗎？

Hazel -王思楊子:   踩scooter ，画画，听音乐!

RRRG: 請提供意見給車手, 姐妹剛開始了..

Hazel -王思楊子: 没有什么特别建议，喜欢自行车，只要把它融入你生活的方式里你会得到很多！

RRRG: 在中國，你想大部分的人會不會接受女子會騎真麼厲害？ 他們會不會想著活動是一個”男男的”活動?

Hazel -王思楊子: 在中国大部分人不接受女孩骑车，在他们眼里女孩子永远都是柔弱不如男孩，所以女孩玩车不被很多人看好，比赛也是。

RRRG: 你有沒有發現到一個事情，人對你偏見因為你是女人（的關係）。請你告訴我們你的故事。 。你的反應

Hazel -王思楊子: 当有人听到女孩玩车首先就是很惊讶的表情，很多不理解，起初时家人反对，甚至外人看不惯，在街上骑freestyle时路人会很担心我们破坏公物。一次的车友聚会比赛，只有我一个女生参加，在场的男生都看不起我，我比赛是第9个上场，当我自如的过完所有障碍时，全场顿时一片惊讶的声音，让他们看到不一样的女生！

RRRG: 你的最大的夢是什麼？ 將來你打算要做什麼？

Hazel -王思楊子:  我最大夢想是能參加奧運會！這也是每一個職業運動員的理想。將來也許我會偏向愛好發展，或許會有自己的一個俱樂部向更多人推廣自行車！

Rock climbing is spread out in the Anti-Atlas mountains and it’s best to have a vehicle to get to your pursuits. The rock is a granite quartzite characterized by large grains and good friction….a lot of slab. The quality of the rock varies though.

To start with, one of the most comprehensive guides to the northern area of Tafraout can be found here:

At the trailhead in Anirguihttp://www.climb-tafraoute.webs.com/

The day we came in, Toti Vales lead the direction of our ascents. He chose the multi-pitch area of Anirgui, a village high in the mountains. The rock was not the same grain as the rock further below…it was a choss-fest; blocky with tons of symmetrical breakage for cracks (though insecure and scary for placements). Some areas had no protection for a great length of time. The day we climbed, pretty much all three of us leaders (Toti in one party of three; Roberto and I in our own party) were ascending very run-out pitches.

We did some recon the night before since we arrived around 7pm into Tafraout and the three of us chased daylight to find the base of the climbs. The waning light made it difficult and we headed back unsuccessfully.

Roberto and I homestayed at a friendly local family’s house about 300 meters from the mountain. We prepped our gear the night before and slept in the family’s majlis (salon/living room) comfortably and were ready for climbing the next day. When the whole group convened at the trailhead, Roberto and I began first to look for the base of the climbs. I saw a white topped pillar and a diagonal crack flaring up from it and used that for my landmark and soon found it in the book so we finally had the right direction.

I geared up and took on the first pitch, not having any beta. None of these routes are bolted although they are incredibly easy. There were only two areas; the 3rd pitch (which Roberto led) and the 4rth pitch (which I led) that I would call the crux pitches. The 3rd pitch involved pulling through a roof with an easy 5.7 move. The 4rth pitch I led was steep and run-out; around 5.7. I’m sure I was 30-40 feet over my last piece of gear; the amount of choss was a joke and Toti and his party had stopped motionless to watch me get through this pitch. I felt like they were more fearful for me than I was.

This route was incredibly easy but a good introduction to adventure climbing because we didn’t know what to expect and although we found the base of the climb, I had no idea where the route was going. We just went blindly up.

The descent was easy as well; a good walk-off (couldn’t imagine abseiling anyway! The rope would undoubtedly not come down) with plenty of scree areas to be cautious of. Closer to the village, there are probably countless of “trails” which are part of the gardening areas so anything you take, you probably can’t go wrong…it all goes back to the mosque.

This would not be my choice area of climbing around Tafraout but I am glad I experienced it…if I hadn’t, I would never have found the amazing little village of Anirgui and met the wonderful villagers I had. After the climb, I took off on my own to explore; was invited more deeply into the home, chatted more in broken French, Arabic, English and Spanish combined and took many photos which I was able to print out and give as gifts of appreciation for their time and warm welcome.

Even if you don’t climb, visiting this almond and olive tree-filled hamlet is a must.

It was only supposed to be for one day but I wanted it to last longer. So I did.

I asked my climbing cohorts to drop me where I was when we had all stopped to fuel up before the 9-hour journey to Todra Gorge in the 4WD after climbing in Tafraout. I wanted to stay in Tafraout and explore more. Actually, I wanted to LIVE there.

Three years prior during Ramadan, I had visited while on a work trip to Agadir on the coast. I found a local from Tafraout to drive me to his home and back in a matter of hours – it was a reconn adventure to see the mountains. The Ant-Atlas hamlet had charmed me with it’s lack of tourists, it’s ubiquitous, rich, Earth tons, matching kasbah (castle) homes and of course, amazing mountains. I fell in love. The friendly locals created the warmth in the town, not simply the clear, sunny days.

So here I was at the Afriquia fuel stop wondering what to do next. Ultimately, after a bad one-night stay at the Cafe Tafrout hotel, I walked into the beautiful Argana hotel, run by Mustafa… and he and his staff and friends soon walked into my hearts as brothers. After a few days, I canceled my ticket back to the US because I felt like I had been adopted by a Moroccan family. Soon, I was a resident, not a guest and sharing 3 meals a day with my brothers there (who cook the BEST food in all of Morocco. Cross my heart…).

Carla and her Grams - the one who helped nurture her love of geology.

What does rock climbing mean to you?  From the start, my love for climbing was ignited from several areas of the sport; namely, it was done outside.  As a little girl spending my summers on my grandparents’ ranch in Oregon where fields, forests and cow manure were all a part of my playground, there was nothing more appealing than continuing into my adult life to exist and play in a natural environment.  I’ve learned to love communicating with rock; to read its very edges with my toes, appreciate large huecos that give atrophied muscles rest.  I converse with cracks using fingers and hands and love a jug that enables me to ascend.  Rocks rock our world.

But how well do we know our environment?  One of the other exciting aspects about climbing is being able to physically see and learn about the ancient stories of our Earth’s past while on the rock.

After bombarding friend and geologist, Carla Kuhn, with my many questions whenever I travel to an area of beautiful geological formations, I decided to share some of her wit, character and knowledge on some of our climbing havens.  I also wanted her to share some of her views on global warming, a very serious issue that we are facing now; something that may affect mountaineers (more instability in ice/snowy conditions) and ice climbers at this moment but an issue that reflects us all as our home morphs into its next existence.

A big thank you to Carla for sharing her time on these interesting subjects…

RRRG:   What field of geology do you work in and for how many years now?  What inspired you to pursue geology as a career?   

Carla:  I worked in a sideways-hybrid part of geology….

My geologic fascination was in mining and gem materials; I planned to finish a doctorate in some aspect of mining or mineralogy.  Meanwhile, teaching began to beckon.  While an undergrad I worked with my husband, Matt McMackin–a structural geologist, mapping mineral resources in Arizona, assembling teaching  materials for the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and taught teachers how to teach geology.  I was very intent on moving into a professional position.  As Fate would have it, our son Aidan decided to show up.  I decided to switch my visual and finished my masters in education instead and was the first geoscience grad ever certificated by Stanford.  I taught middle school for the following twelve years, using geology as a platform on which a learner might better understand chemistry or mechanical physics or mathematics.   When possible, my alternative ed students met me at the rock gym which had a huge impact on their self-perceptions.  I was a total subversive teacher, which pleased me enormously, and all because Aidan couldn’t wait to get to Earth!

 My grandmother is my inspiration.  With two thermoses of water and two rock hammers, we’d “tootle” around Death Valley, Needles, Anza Borego…fearlessly, with an easy comfort in being outdoors – me in my Stride Rite stiff-as-steel shoes, and her, amazingly, in sensible heels and dress.  She’d pick up all kinds of rocks and tell me their stories and, later on, we’d putter around in her Rock Studio.  She encouraged me to explore whatever caught my eye.  And so I did.  I hounded a long while and many miles as I got older, almost everywhere in U.S. but deep South and northernmost Plains.  After university and various careers, I returned for a geology degree in honor of my grams!

RRRG:  What an amazing story on your grandmother’s influence.   Are there many women that work in geology?   Or are there a disproportionate number of men to women in this field?

CK:  I was in Edinburgh at a geo conference a while back, and met this energetic slip of a Scottish gal who was just home from her fourth traverse of Mt. Everest.  Well, it was more work than play, she said, and the tourists were a huge bother.  Mt. Everest was her PhD area of study and, and being a monolith of limestone, she was keen to correlate its entombed (and very ancient) critters with rates of uplift in other locations around the world with same critters.  Her biggest issue was not acclimation or Khumbu.  It was her advisors, who were NOT pleased that she picked something to study “that should be left to men.”  Not so long ago, I was counseled to give up geology for home and hearth—this in the 1990s!!  

The spikey guys says, "Hi!"

I’m back…
You know, you have to understand that as the sole writer on this site and someone who loves frolicking outdoors, it’s a great challenge to keep me in. I would still like to share the end of my motorcycle ride as well but this is what happens when I have a full plate.

I had a wonderful trip out to Moab – didn’t climb on rope but enjoyed bouldering, hiking and just the beauty of such a magnificent place. Photos for your viewing below.

And just an update, I have a few stories currently waiting on “small touches” here and there for publishing; these include a Romanian climber and mountaineer (she’s fantastic!), a geologist’s POV (fascinating…) and a model snowboarder (beautiful). I plan to have some new content on here for those who have loyally kept their interest. Thank you! I appreciate it greatly. I believe in this site and believe in readers that want the inspiration from words and images. This site is for YOU.

I got to shoot an amazing climber a couple weekends ago.  I haven’t spent much time with her; she is a friend of a friend but an incredibly talented athlete – born in Chile and now living most of the time in Argentina. Her and her husband invited me out while they were at my home crag (Red Rocks) and I was too inspired to capture her powerful climbing strength to climb myself.

It was her second day climbing and she never gave up trying to redpoint this route.  The next time she visits in April – I’m confident she’ll get it right away.  GO CARO!!

The image I shot of her is also one that is being used in a guidebook (for climbing in Taiwan!) :)

Enjoy the images….

When I type “Afghanistan” in google, my spirit winces as “war” is the first word that the automated search comes up with. My mind is far from war; my stomach is growling. This dish is an absolutely amazing treat that was born out of Afghanistan and as my mind wanders even more, I begin to think of Afghanistan’s beautiful, progressive and amazing past so seldom thought of these days. Women wore the latest styles in the 60′s, there were psychedelic rock bands with women as lead singers, Kabul was a haven for hippies, intellects and artists. All this colorful culture and I can imagine the food must have been so tasty as the Middle East is home to some incomparable tastes to the palate.  I think of mint, coriander, tomato sauces, onion, raisins, pistachio and the mediator of all flavors, a mild yogurt that tops a lot of their traditional dishes.  This is MY Afghanistan search.

So here I bring you one of my favorite dishes to recreate for yourself.  Funny enough, on prior tries, I could never get the eggplant right but after some research, I learned why.  ”Baunjan” which means Eggplant in Persian (Farsi) is a funny creature to fry; it is almost purely water and fiber that for particular species of eggplant (globe eggplants are in most of the main grocery stores of the US, I believe), you have to salt it for a while (half hour at least) to make it become diuretic.  But the task doesn’t end there, you really have to squeeze the pieces to allow the water to come out and then make sure you pat it as dry as possible because it’s like a sponge.  It really made a huge difference .  I felt like I finally handled the eggplant like I should have in the first place.  With the pieces of vegetable thinner now, its natural bitter juice can be displaced by the oil (and won’t soak up as much now) and the flavors.

My dish is different than others. I’m basing it off of a restaurant that used to exist near my home.  I add green peppers (capsicum) but I also add green chilies (jalapenos and I used pablanos in particular for this).  That added another dimension as I had to bake them to get the skin peeled (or you can fire-roast – stove-top-roast).  So yeah, it was well worth the wait in the end.

Here are the ingredients I used:

1 Globe Eggplant
3 Cups Canola Oil
1/2 Slice of Yellow Onion
2 Pablano Peppers
1 Green Capsicum
1 Tomato
1 Can of Tomato Puree

Prep:

Salting the eggplant to get the water out: You can choose to slice the eggplant in large pieces to salt or cut it up. I chose to cut it up into smaller pieces to have the sea salt permeate most areas more quickly. Let it sit about half an hour. It gives you time to slice up the onion, capsicum and prepare the chilies as well. Roast/fire-up the chilies to remove the skin. For a directory on chilies, this is awesome:   http://www.foodsubs.com/Chilefre.html

Cooking:

Frying the eggplant

Now that the eggplant has been salted, pat it dry really well (I think I used way too many paper towels – not sure how others deal with this). Now it’s time to brown the eggplant. I filled up my frying pan with a half inch of oil and fried but not until brown because eventually, you add the other ingredients and cook more. I didn’t crowd the eggplant in the frying pan as I heard that this prevents the pieces from cooking evenly. I fried on both sides then took them out and set them on a paper towel except the last pieces. I didn’t want the dish to be too oily so I drained the pan then added the onions and capsicum to fry for about 5 minutes. Then, I added the tomato sauce and sliced tomatoes and let it all just stew up a bit (I wanted more gravy to go along with my rice).

Let it simmer – I was figuring the longer the simmer, the more the flavors soak in. I steamed some brown rice and topped it off with my bouranee baunjan! The only item that I lacked was the yogurt sauce (chakah) because I didn’t have time to go to the Persian market to get it. I was still very happy how it came out. :) Hope you are able to try it too!

Mixing the ingredients - before adding tomatoes

Patting (more like squeezing) the eggplant dry

Roasting the pablano peppers to get the skin peeled

End result that I usually top on top of brown rice...and add chakah (yogurt) to it all.

High-elevation riding

The beginning of my third leg had me exhausted before it all began.  All I could think about was eating chicken with vengeance after a 6am wake-up call from a rooster.  I tried to go back to sleep but couldn’t so got up to do route research and double-check on information.

I had been eager to start the prior day, however was not feeling energized for the morning start. Yesterday evening had seen a loud thunderstorm that stirred me from rest in addition to the early morning beak alarm. My doubts worked in cahoots with the fear factor of not knowing anything about fuel stops along some of the greater stretches and then there was the fear of more crazy interactions with drivers.  All these unknowns were grappling and attempting to choke the  throttle to my trip instead of revving for open road.  I knew what I had to do.  I was emotional and called up a dear friend seeking support. I cried. I did. I had been alone through my journey and although you meet wonderful, new people, I sought familiarity through my new fears.  ”I don’t want to die…..” I told my friend, remembering all the insane near-misses of drivers who just didn’t have a clue or care.  After a bit of comfort, I called my parents.  I live a loner life and they are pretty used to it when they haven’t heard from me.  I got ready to leave and then I was…..well, ready.

Before I left, I picked up my bike from my friend Kevin’s garage.  I met Kevin Slasky two nights before during a slew of celebratory introductions at his stunning, custom-renovated, traditional Tibetan residence.  After the party where riders were aplenty, I felt safely armed with information.  Then, the day after, I picked Kev up and he hopped on the back of the XTR-250 with me to visit his mechanic friend. I got the oil changed (I changed it at every stop for a measly 50yuan) and had the bike checked.

“Man, you need to slow down girl!” Kev said as we were heading back and stopping for a quick meal permeated with all sorts of yak meat – a true Tibetan meal.  He asked to try out my bike as we rode back into the gu chun (old town). I suspected I had frightened him with my piloting although I felt totally comfortable and I had ridden men much larger than his frame on the back of my bike (but not a bike so tall actually – which felt the same as long as it was moving).

“I’m driving too fast?” I asked.

“Well…..yeah… for China! And none of that weaving in and out in the cities…I tell you…you just never know when a car is gonna come out and BAM!” he said in his animated Kevin-talk.

“Okay…ok, thanks….” and I began to think of each “incident” I had up to then. First, was the 6-foot drop off the road, which was not due to speed but due to not familiarizing with the balance of the bike when I dismounted to take some photos. I honestly felt that was one of the best lessons I could have had early on in the flatlands surrounding Dali because by the time I reached the mountains, if I had parked to the right on the shoulder, stepped off the bike and it had gone off-balance, I would have rolled off the 4,000meter cliffs. I couldn’t have been more grateful for this lesson so early on as it created a careful consciousness of how I would dismount and park my bike every single time.

I thought of the ride in the rain when the massive work truck was coming at me and how I swiped and slid quickly, nearly having my helmeted head crushed by the back tire of the truck. I was going too fast – I know it. Even though it was the truck’s fault and he was not in his lane, if I had been going slower, I believe I could have prevented the whole thing; so grateful for that survival and the next incident where, driving without my front brakes on rough road, my boot couldn’t feel the back brake and I again, nearly slid into an oncoming truck; going too fast.

I thought of the near-misses from coming around the tight turns of the mountain passes, these trucks just didn’t see me…wtf was their problem?

I’m making pretty good time but it’s becoming a deathly situation. I am so used to having my 600cc underway and at a pedal’s push, accelerating smoothly. I would go as slow as possible at this point around the blind curves – and I noticed the difference. Oncoming traffic had time to avoid me although I was at a snail’s pace on the turns and now had less time to stop and shoot photos.

Okay, enough contemplating…I really must leave.
Retrieving the motorcycle, I bit Kev a goodbye and also said my goodbyesto a Russian couple travelling the world for several years that I had been sightseeing with.

I drove out toward the center of ZhongDian’s town. My northbound path was marked by a bronze horse statue that I would make a right at and continue on for the longest leg yet (over 200km). The first 30-40km was beautiful. I lit up from the remote mountain passes….this was inspiring.  Energizing. There wasn’t much traffic.  One thing however, the roads were more narrow and the oncoming traffic was still driving ridiculously fast around the thin bends.

I was in awe of all the work that had been done cutting the roads into the mountains. I could see them extend forever…like how you look into the face of a mirror being reflected by another mirror and the reflections are infinite. Those mountains carried that thin, unending line, my path, tattooed into its emerald skin. I saw very few cars/buses/trucks…although I did see them. After one stretch of smooth road, I hit dirt. Pebbles, rocks, pits, bumps, dust were all part of the mosaic path. By then, I had to hit 14-20kph in some parts. Got up to 40 in some parts. It was just continuous bumping and grinding for over 80km. I couldn’t decide which had deceived me: was it the horrible path that enticed me to see the beauty of the mountains? Or was it the mountains that had invited me onto that burly path? Either way, it ended up balancing because once I got up and up and up and was higher than most of the peaks, my vision just exploded with the regal beauty of our natural earth.  My mind was numb. I thought how right religions were to believe a God exists after such a sight….no wonder people have worshipped God for Earth’s beauty…whether it be the Atacamanean groups that gave up their dead to volcanoes, or Tibetan villagers that send their dead off into a lake they’ve made “sacred”. No wonder people have been so inspired to assigning such religious importance to nature and associating it with such environments.   As we move into this new epoch of man and our sights are blinded from our tallest skyscrapers and state-of-the art architecture made from our own hands; blinded by our own self-awe, there is no doubt that we will receive a huge reminder on why we shouldn’t imagine ourselves greater than who has created us.  I see the power of our Earth in all the visions I ride past and recognize where I come from and the might of my creator.

I continued on my journey in a pattern of beautiful weather, uneven path and incredible sights.  I felt lucky the day was working for me and thankfully, due to climbing, my forearms weren’t feeling the pain that I would otherwise have. My ass was the real victim in this case as it took to cushioning each surly stone and problematic pit’s jarring but the view – the view took all of those distractions away eventually as I passed areas laced with prayer flags blessing my journey and I continuously ascended up and up to about 4,000m.  I felt my small existence in this immense world from this platform.

During the descent, I glided down in neutral for kilometers at a time and enjoyed the silence with just the wind whispering its welcomes and “jia you”s of my foreign presence. Thank you for allowing me to be here is what I wanted to communicate in return.

Solo remote riding such as this has its rewards. There are great risks definitely present – what if I should need help? But at the same time, the quiet that cushions you allows you the deafness from your own thoughts and emotions. Your inner thoughts scream at you as there is no one else to chatter with – there are no cars causing backed up traffic from conversations with yourself. There is nothing more freeing it seems.

After about 160km I’m estimating, I had descended to a bridge and a well-worn, beautiful rustic Tibetan village. Dusk was soon to come and I was about 40km from XiangCheng it seemed. But OH! There was an adorable, sweet little boy that crossed my road to peer at me curiously.
“Ni hao?” I greeted.
“Ni hao……” he mimicked in a way that made me thing he just liked the sound of it.
He continued to say it over and over which confirmed it. At about three years old, he was just too cute to leave immediately. I took out a Snickers bar…a little fattening piece of America’s obese infatuation with sugar (terrible, I know) and let the chocolate goodie land in his grasping palm.

Lil cutie; Tibetan boy in a very small village as I neared Xiangcheng

I continued to pelt him gently with easy Mandarin conversation but it seemed he didn’t understand at all. He examined the wrapped bar and instinctively used his teeth to attempt to open it. He didn’t manage to open it but did manage to run back to his home and voice his exotic endowment to his family who came out to greet me. I observed them for a little bit but realized that daylight was slipping away through the cracks of my concern for time and competing interest to stay. I’d best be on my way. At this point, I had just come off of an excruciating high (must be the altitude?) and really didn’t care if I had to ride in the dark or camp out.

The scenery began to change from remote to dotted with white, blocked habitats – Tibetan villages – all slightly different in each of its own ways. I was in absolute awe. This was my first day riding amongst the villages and along with the traditional homes, surrounding them were flat plots of virescent fields and a large river that darted next to it to outline its life-inducing presence. I was in LOVE. Speechless. Awed.

As I continued on, the road turned back to dirt as camps of workers took to the side of my path and then it was black. I had no working headlight. Shit, okay. That would have been nice to know. I tried turning on the highbeam and that at least worked but I had to keep one of my fingers pressed upon the lever while I negotiated harmony with the clutch and steering. I finally hit deep pits and dirt at one part where a work truck was in front of me and cars were in the back. I had stopped traffic as I struggled trying to keep the light on, get through this narrow ditches and over big rocks – it got a bit hairy but at the same time, it wasn’t something that panicked me as a later road would (my worst nightmare…yet to be told).

I eventually made it into Xiangcheng at around 10pm, parked and asked about a guesthouse and was led further into the city near the main square. I stepped off the bike, went into another store and asked about the guesthouse when I saw a white guy pass buy – a backpacker.

“HEY. You there….are you going to a guesthouse right now?” I said.
“I’m looking for one now.” He says in a voice only a Brit can have.
“Cool. Me too. I speak Chinese so let’s look together.”
I adopted the traveler and we soon found a spot, put away our belongings and went for a bowl of late night noodles while sharing stories that..well, only vagabonds could share.

‘Twas a fine finale to the 200+km journey.

At around 4,000 meters

Light rain....

Reaching the end of the 80km of the crazy, bumpy unpaved trail....not quite to Xiangcheng though.

At first, if you’ve never really had leafy greens as a drink, it might sound unusual. But keep your mind open because with the right mixture, it can taste great but better yet, you have a sound mind that you’re treating your body well.

Kale has many benefits as a huge giver of vitamin A and calcium. It’s high in fiber and can give you a “full” feeling so you don’t feel hunger (best used as a smoothie though); in this way it fights gaining weight. Antioxidants, phytonutrients, betacarotene, what can’t this super green do?

My frequent mix as kale juice is 1 carrot, 2 green apples, and a big bunch of kale. If I have grapes, I’ll add those in too.

Here are my suggestions and the way that I make my kale smoothies. First, because kale is a bit fibrous, a higher-speed blender is needed. Me? I use a magic bullet so I actually end up chewing on pieces (which I don’t mind). One thing that helps is:

1. Remove the stem. Peel the leaves off of the hard stem.
2. Freeze the kale before-hand. It’s great for storage too and you can mix it with frozen berries (which will assist in making in tastier) or peaches.

I throw in kale, green apple slices, half a banana and then fill it up 1/4 of the way with some type of juice I have on-hand.

After blending it for a minute – it’s done! This type of smoothie shouldn’t sit too long or it congeals and gets thick. The great thing too is that it fills you up – you don’t need a meal so quickly after.

Enjoy ~ (the photos I took are of the kale juice….I like to use purple kale)

I’ve collected assorted cool links for your convenience to check out some of the latest goings-on in your world.

Enjoy….and happy holidays :)

1. http://skatelikeagirl.com/
Seattle/SF/Portland focused on events however, all skaters could relate and hear some of the latest news.

2. http://girlsskatenetwork.com/
Awesome site filled with photos, interviews, blogs, events….pure inspiration.

3. http://espn.go.com/action/xgames/summer/2010/news/story?page=x-games-16-women-skate-street-preview
Oldie but good link.  Really cool to get to know some of the ladies who are killin’ it out there.  Great photo gallery.

4. http://business.transworld.net/39209/features/the-women-of-brooklyns-homage-and-bustin-boards-skate-shops/
Great article on a group of young women making a living at what they love….

5. This girl rips. Board, waves, rails, half-pipes, ramps…all-around balls. Hunter Long from one of my home states…Hawaii! Get inspired with Aloha spirit….

6. Excellent trailer – ‘Girls Just Wanna Grind’ by Stark Raving Madeleine (who we featured in the past)

My mouth was fortunate enough to taste this recipe while in the ancient city of Dali in Yunnan, the southwest of China. Dali is home to a large concentration of one of China’s ethnic minorities called the “Bai”, whose cuisine contains many flowers for flavor and beautiful presentation. “Bai” means “white” in Mandarin and they take their name after their fondness for the color which to them, symbolizes purity. They are actually one of the groups most assimilated with the majority Han Chinese so many of the words in their language, some foods and traditions have been heavily melded together – although some researchers also suggest that their origination is from Tibet.

I could not find this particular creation on any English website.  I scoured the Chinese sites and found one website (www.meishicc.com – you’ll need to read Chinese to check it out) that had the recipe…however, oddly enough, I can’t find the link anymore!  So, sorry for not relaying the original link on here.   And I greatly thank them for the photos as I am on the road right now and this will be my first recipe that I actually have yet to make – and the first where I didn’t use my own photos.  I was just that excited to share it! :)

Flower Omelet Recipe:

Ingredients:

2-3 Eggs

1 Tbsp of oil (I use olive)

Edible Flowers (this can be found at specialty health stores – including Whole Foods)

OR

If you choose, here is a list of edible flowers that you can pick if they’re in season and you find them..

List from Wikipedia:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edible_flowers

Some include:

Broccoli flowers

Dandelions

Hibiscus

Honeysuckle

Lilac

Violets

Roses  (white heel removed)

As far as other ingredients, when I was in Yunnan, the restaurants there served it with a bit of chopped scallion and a mixture of mushrooms (another vegetable that Yunnan is famous for growing).   Add if you like.

Photo above from the site; eggs and petals/buds

Crack the eggs, stir-fry the flowers a bit first so they are not almost raw when you add them in – as it doesn’t take so long to cook the omelet.  If you add mushrooms, I would add them in with the flowers here to heat them up a bit.

Add some of the green onion and a bit, some of the petals and then fry the omelet until lightly brown on both sides.

Below should be the final result:

Ofelia on 'Fu&*n Fall, 5.11' Photo by Matt Robertson

To climb or not to climb……is that really a question?

It was on a heated, humid day….in an area quite appropriate to be labeled a Dragon’s home… that my friend and I found ourselves both aching to climb and at the same time jump into the cool, shallow lagoons of relief in Long Dong, Taiwan.  Without gear, the former would be pretty difficult.  After an “emergency” climbing call to my friend, Matt, who is the guru of climbing in Taiwan and has written many a guide book on the various crags, he helped initiate our search for a couple of friends he knew that would be generous in letting us join in that day. We found our saviors in the form of Ofelia and Maurice who were taking action on a route in the “Golden Valley” area.  They were abseiling down and as they set foot to the ground, invited us to use their gear.

We would start up another route named “BA Insanity” while the couple went to dip in the lagoon and before they even turned to leave, I felt the kinship.  Climbers do that with each other quite often; they friend strangers in the name of rock, nature and ascending.  However, regardless of what we had in common, it was very obvious that Ofelia and her boyfriend, Maurice, were tremendously giving people and sacrificed their time so we could get our share of climbing in too.  I’ve been in touch with this bold, beautiful lady who works as a creative by weekday while pushing her technique and mental stamina on rock by weekends and whenever she can find the time.  Here, I’ve finally had a chance to speak with her in detail on her climbing experiences in Taiwan.

RRRG:  How did you first discover climbing?

Ofelia:  I learned climbing from my friends and experts; from climbing technique, learning about safety and rope systems, etc. these people have been my greatest influence.

RRRG: What is your favorite type of climbing or what do you climb most often?

Ofelia:  Sport climbing, traditional climbing and bouldering are my main exposures to rock climbing.  When the opportunity comes, I would like to try deep water soloing and big walls.  I enjoy every type of climbing and they require different type of challenge and mind adjustment for me.  However,  I feel the need to focus most on the traditional rock climbing at the moment.  The type of rock, my movement, the climbing difficulty, where and how far to set the anchors all present a great challenge for me.  The pressure and the exposure of my body image aren’t always easy to deal with, either, and all these factors make me love and yet fear climbing.

RRRG:  Do you ever feel afraid when climbing? In what ways do you react or combat the fear?

Ofelia:  I do feel afraid…however, the longer I think of the fear, the more afraid I become and it is not productive to what I want to accomplish.  I conquer this problem by selecting a reasonable climbing route at my level or at its edge.  When the fear comes I try to relax my mind and focus on looking for possible hand and foot placements.  After I’m able to concentrate on my movements, I try many times again and if I am unable to conquer my fears then what I do is ask a more experienced climber to give me advice or help demonstrate and I try my best to complete the route.

RRRG: How are female climbers perceived in Taiwan?

Ofelia:  Most Taiwanese girls think climbing is a strange thing to do, quite frankly, it’s not popular.  The percentage of females that try the sport out and stay involved is very low.  A lot of people just want to try it out but they don’t stick with it, especially with outdoor climbing.  In Taiwan the girls are afraid of getting dirty, they are afraid of the sun and getting dark, and gaining muscle.  This sport isn’t easily accepted in female circles here.  I have been asking my friends to come climbing with me and encouraging more girls to come out.  I sincerely hope that this sport evolves to become more accepted with girls and women.

RRRG:  What is your day job?  Other hobbies?

Ofelia: I am an interior designer; my job can be really stressful at times so climbing helps me relieve this stress like an escape.  I’ve already planned to take trips every year – specifically for climbing and mountain trekking.  These two are my passions.  I also enjoy bicycling and swimming.  There are other activities I would like to try like sky diving, kayaking or something other more extreme sports but it has to be in the right environment and these sports also require money!

RRRG:  Where is the climbing in Taiwan?  Natural or training gyms…

Ofelia:   The most popular outdoor (natural) rock climbing sites in Taiwan include:  Long Dong in the northeast region and Tainan-Guanziling in the south region.  There are also other popular sites like Dapoayen and Rehhai in Taipei, Horen Rock in Hualian and Xiushan in Gaoshung.

Artificial rock climbing sites (no permits required) include:  IDEA , Y17 and Lanzhou street gym in Taipei, iClimb gym in Hsingchu, Hsianyehqing in Taichung, Huolee gym in Gaoshung and YiCaiYi gym in Ilan.

中文(繁体字):

那是一個悶熱的一天….., 在一個被傳神的, 以龍的窩居命名為龍洞的地方, 我和我的朋友, 渴望著攀岩, 又迫不及待的想跳入水潭中消暑. 沒有隨身攜帶攀岩器材, 想攀岩談何容易. 不過, 緊急連絡了台灣當地的一位攀岩專家 Matt 後, 他迅速的幫我們連絡了好幾個慷慨的攀岩同好. 而我們的救星, 也因此以 黃自君和 陳震宇的姿態, 出現在我們的眼前. 他們恰好完成他們的攀岩路線, 準備下山休息. 路程中, 順便邀了我們同行, 並慷慨的轉借器材給我們.
當我們的 “好友” 在水潭中消暑休息時, 我和我的夥伴也開始我們自己不同路線的攀岩活動. 喜歡攀岩的人, 和同好談大自然, 談岩石, 談對攀岩的熱愛. 因攀岩而結識, 而成為好友, 是經常的事. 不過我們的好友和她男友, 真的是特別的慷慨大方. 感謝他們犧牲自己的時間, 把器材借給我們, 並等著我們, 讓我們有機會享受龍洞的攀岩樂趣. 我和這位爽朗及美麗的女設計師兼攀岩專家, 一直保持著聯繫, 最近我還終於找到機會, 親自訪問她關於在台灣當一位女攀岩家的種種.

RRRG: 你怎麼了解攀岩？

黃自君:  都是和朋友或是前輩一起攀岩中,像他們學習累積經驗,不管是動作技巧或是架繩系統,轉換系統等等

RRRG:  什麼樣的攀岩館，你最喜歡？

黃自君:  運動攀登,傳統攀登,抱石 這是目前接觸到的攀岩類型,有機會會想嘗試deep water solo 和big wall每項攀登項目對我來說都很感興趣,會有不一樣層面的挑戰及心態轉換,就傳統攀登來說,是我覺得目前最需花時間接觸的,無論岩質.動作.難度,放置固定點的位置及距離,都是要謹慎考量還有面對暴露感大的難關,心理壓力的調適,讓我又愛又怕

RRRG: 你攀岩的時候你會不會害怕嗎？

黃自君: 會的,當面臨到難關,如果我思考太久,往往會越來越害怕但我知道選擇的路線會是我能克服等級的路線,只是面對先鋒墜落的壓力會想退縮,通常我會先放鬆身體,開始觀察其他手腳點,調整動作後,再嘗試幾次,如果無法克服,再請攀登能力更好的岩友指點或示範,再去試著完成路線

RRRG: 在台灣, 大家對女性攀岩者的觀感是如何呢?

黃自君:  攀岩對台灣女性來說,坦白說,很陌生.有接觸到並喜愛攀岩的比例很低,會想嘗試接觸的不少,但要在更深入去了解的卻不多

尤其戶外攀岩,往往想法就是:會髒,會變黑,長肌肉.因此並不是很被接受的運動,
我至今還是不斷詢問朋友,有機會就會希望拉著他們一起來體驗攀岩,由衷希望攀岩這項活動在台灣能夠漸漸被推廣起來

RRRG:你做什么工作？爱好?

黃自君: 我從事室內設計工作,因為經常性面對責任壓力及工作時間過長,我都是藉由攀岩來紓壓,目前已計畫並執行每年出國一個月,到其他國家攀岩爬山旅遊,爬山及攀岩是目前最大重心的興趣,也喜歡騎腳踏車游泳,會想嘗試其他活動,如跳傘,獨木舟之類的活動,但需要環境及經費,但有機會會嘗試.

RRRG:在台湾那里可以攀岩？

黃自君: 台灣的天然岩場最受歡迎的:北部為-東北角-龍洞,南部為台南-關仔嶺,還有其他天然岩場如:大砲岩-台北,熱海-台北,合仁岩場-花蓮,壽山岩場-高雄.
人工岩場無需申請有(有些私人岩場或學校岩場須申請進入):台北-IDEA岩館,Y17岩館,蘭州街抱石場,新竹-iClimb風城岩館,台中-鄉野情,高雄-活力岩場,宜蘭-歪仔歪攀岩館

All cleaned up!

Interview by Christine Cauble; translation by Mei-Chun Huang, Christine Cauble and Jane Leung

My version of '8 Treasure Congee'

(Note: great for vegans and those that have wheat-intolerance but it may contain peanuts – you can make without)

Whenever I was sick as a young child, my mother would thrust the small Chinese-designed bowl of watered-down rice at me….

“Eat this….it will make you better.” she would say lovingly in Mandarin.  And I grew to love it.

“Xi Fan” (pronounced like “Shee Faun”) is what my family from Taiwan calls rice porridge – a Chinese staple.  ”Zhou” (pronounced like “Zo” but with a bit of a “j” sound with the “z”) and “Congee”  would be the words I would later learn for it when I moved to NYC in my adult years.  I am too accustomed to “Xi Fan” so I still call it that til this day.

It’s a wonderfood.  A comfort food.  A simple food….or it can be a well-dressed food; the latter for this particular recipe.  This is not plain, white, rice porridge and befitting of its name, “8 Treasure Porridge” is a complicated gumbo of amazing grains and assorted tastes – usually a tad sweet, unlike plain congee.  The ingredients in this recipe differ from other “8 Treasure” recipes but it’s okay if yours is not the same.  China is such a vast country that each area has their way of making it – although I noticed that in Sichuan’s west, I could not find it for breakfast – dumplings reigned there.   It’s your choice to follow the recipe or to let your creativity lead you and make your own version – maybe add a bit of coconut milk, or other dried fruits – apricots?  I hadn’t heard about ’8 Tresure Congee’ until recently.  I discovered this Chinese traditional food from a fellow climber/rider, Szu-Ting when we were visiting XiShuangBanna (city in the south of China, heavily influenced by the Thai culture).  It was late, and after walking around all day, we needed nourishment and came across a restaurant that served it, accompanied with a flat, corn-meal pancake.  Super tasty…..

Here is the recipe to let you know of its existence and hopefully you’ll try it!  Not just for taste but for your good health.

In some stores, you can buy the combination already made (especially at an Asian market or health food store).  But you can easily buy all the ingredients (8 types of grains or dried fruits) and combine it all.  From there, it’s ridiculously easy.  Just add twice as much water for each cup – boil and check it to see if it’s at the consistency you like.  You can add more water for a thinner “soup” or leave it as porridge.

Eat it hot in the fall and winter – cold in the summer!

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup of:
  Adzuki bean
  kidney bean
  shelled peanut
  glutinous rice
  brown rice
  millet
  wheat
  barley
• 1/4 cup purple rice
• 1/2 cup dried longan fruit flesh, soaked for 20 minutes
• 20-30 pitted red dates, soaked for 20 minutes
• 10 cups of water
• 1/2 cup rock sugar

“I imagine if we were to read these predictions daily, one would never leave their home.” I responded.  He nodded in agreement.

“I don’t believe in this….” we both said.

As if a harbinger of what was to come, I woke up the next day not feeling too well.  I was very tired and at the same time, found it hard to leave all the amazing people I had met and connected with although I realized that I was putting myself way behind schedule (wait…I have a schedule?) or rather, behind on my loose plan.  Initially, I was only going to stay in LiJiang for two days and I stayed almost six (same happened in Dali).  I had one last lunch with my “family” there at the guesthouse and gave a solemn look to Yen Zi who had been my best friend during my stay; someone I was with daily.  She and I were inseparable and as she pointed me to the cobbled path to exit the town, she touched my arm as a blessing and a goodbye.

Soon after, I was taking each hard turn on the windy road up and up, still feeling like the green tea’s effects had not been potent enough.  I focused on the road, took in my music and felt a little better as my route became more concrete but then it began to rain.  It wasn’t too bad but I realized that when it rains, the roads are almost foamed over in oil and other liquids from cheaply-done home mechanics so whenever I hit my brake a little too hard, I’d swerve.  Much more severe than the roads at home.  I rode out one long (… fun) swerve then decided I needed to be more cautious.  As I got up high on the beginning of the mountain pass, I  almost couldn’t believe what my eyes were witnessing.  A large semi-truck was coming directly at me…as if I was a vision of open-road.  The rule in China is to ride in the middle of the road if there is no oncoming traffic (it’s on the test for the license) but he was well over his space and into mine and still aiming for me.  The buses and trucks have done this many times before but I got used to their insanely close drive-bys.  This was different.  I had only the mountain side to my right and felt no option but to brake because at least I thought that the impact would be less..well..impacting.   The wet asphalt initiated a harsh swerve that I couldn’t ride out.  I lost control of the bike and I slid down while he swerved last minute but not too much because to his right was the forever-drop off the mountain.  I saw his back tire on street level and my head barely missed rolling under and the truck behind him stopped in time not to hit me.

“Why am I doing this…” I whispered almost breathless to the asphalt.  Not a question, a statement.

The truck driver kept moving about twenty more meters past my crumpled form but because the traffic had stopped to watch and wait to see if I would get up, he then stopped.  I got up  stunned and made sure everything felt like it was working.  One thing wasn’t at that point:  my patience.  I was angry.  He got out of his truck from the other side of the bend and proceeded to scream at me.  What the F$%^.  Are you serious?  I was about to be creamed on either the grill of his mammoth vehicle or a mountain road and he’s yelling at me.  He looked and acted a bit drunk.  Whatever….this is China.  This is real life.  You don’t take down license plates numbers and sue people here.  You don’t call the police to say, “Help, help….some guy was an asshole on the road to me.”.   Forget the “Wild West”  of the US this is the “Wild East”.  You don’t come here to be babied in a country where there exists simple lives and fights for survival…you come here to see real life, laceless and pitiless.  If you want to ride a motorcycle across China and you get injured or die, is it everyone else’s fault?  No, it’s your own decision.  Although, of course, that is not the goal I have in mind.  It’s a pretty phenomenal way to travel by motorcycle into foreign territory although it can be a pretty difficult way to travel at the same time.  On the other side of that coin, I feel that US breeds an attitude where things are expected or owed to someone just “because”…and that is not healthy either.  For example, the “sue-happy” habits going on and to award people millions of dollars because they’ve burnt themselves on coffee or food that’s too hot, etc.etc.  We’ve all heard the stories.  It doesn’t give people a sense of taking on responsibility.

“Are you hurt?” is what everyone asks in my, now-frequent, accidents.  Nothing else matters.

“I’m not hurt….” I smiled.   Thankful for their concern.  I then praise and give thanks to the knee-guard God as again, the protective, hard plastic saved my joints.  I recover and continue on the 214 a bit hesitantly but not letting this tarnish my confidence although I’m learning that driving in China is not about having confidence and skill.  You can have ALL the skill in the world – that isn’t going to stop a guy from plowing straight into you while you are adhering to the right and safe manner.

I eventually see  the Chinese characters for “Tiger Leaping Gorge” and stop at the bridge that hovers over the incredibly powerful Yangtze River.  This upper area of the river is named the “Jinsha” and the area surrounding it is still mainly inhabited by the Naxi people (as LiJiang is).  I am still in quite a mood so I stop to take photos.  I love that the focus of my lens can assist in refocusing my mind.  There are three cyclists smoking cigarettes on the bridge and I see them peering at me but I want to be left alone at this time to contemplate what had just happened and think about all my “what if’s”.  Finally, as if seeing a girl alone with her pack-weighted motorcycle was just too much, one man comes over to me to ask me where I had just ridden from.  I respond a bit shortly and take my camera equipment out.  He continues and asks me where I am from.  I respond a little more this time, appreciating his interest but still shaken and feeling upset over what had happened.  I leave and walk over to where I’ve taken interest in about thirty pigs piled on top of each other on a massive delivery truck and by the time I go back to the bridge to shoot the Jinsha, one of the cyclists has his own camera and asks to take a photo with me.  I feel warmed up and distracted from the prior incident and soon ask where they are from (Guanxi province), where they are going (Lhasa, Tibet) and how many kilometers they had ridden (over 1,000+km by bicycle with very small packs).  Just incredible.  I am so, so cheating with this motor.

At the Tiger-Leaping Gorge entrance with some friendly bicyclists.

They tell me my journey is respectable and brave.  I scoff at that statement and say they are ten times as hardcore.  We go back and forth arguing and then in essence, it really doesn’t matter.  We all have different journeys and each one presents unique challenges.  And again, I think about the purposes of mine – knowing the risks and thinking of what they might go through on their bicycles.  After a bit of strawberry sharing on their part, I get suited up to leave.  They head off before me and soon after, I pass them with honks and appreciative waves for that simple road-pal connection.  It threw off the bad energy I had gained at the scene of the accident and I was glad to exchange a bit of our life’s goals with each other.  It was inspiring.

As I push farther north longitudinally, I become aware that I am also getting pushed up in elevation.  I could feel the cold’s betwitching fingers digging into my skin to grab a hold.  Today was a day of many temperatures.  Warm and sunny at start, rainfall next, chill on the last part…… but still, the view was so beautiful and numbed my senses more than the cold.  The verdant mountainous backdrop with even farther granite mountains topped with snow posted behind them was so heavenly that I thought the shell of my soul had actually been left 100km back where I had been laid out while my spirit just kept insisting to pursue this dream.  I pass villagers that looked as if they had never seen water and soap.  I observe them come out of or latched around their shack/tent/humble home passing their day and I think to myself, ‘Although it’s simple, it must be nice to feel that familiarity of “home” right now…regardless of what and where it is. It’s a bond.’. I have my “things” in my pack but honestly, if I had to ditch them, even my cameras, I would. I think of my home, Red Rocks, where I really haven’t spent much time the last few years but still with the detachment, there is still attachment. I think of the people in my life who I feel attached to yet in a detached way. I think of my mom who I’ve blocked from reading all of this and my facebook updates so she won’t be stressed out.  I think of my climbing friends who I miss, a culture in its own right.  I think of a man.  Boy, it’d sure be nice right now after all this time being on the road.  I appreciate that people can understand my lifestyle and choose for me to remain in their circles.  It’s truly a gift.

I pass, I smile and although I wear a helmet and cover my nose/mouth with a scarf, my eyes communicate to the local men, women and children.  I wave and they smile and wave back.  The road got better, the rain stopped, I picked up speed to average about 80-90kph and my mood was lifted.  THIS was the type of riding that was nice; no traffic and clear roads. I lift my visor to enjoy the cool air …Ahhhh…and feel something unGodly painful hit my eye….a fat fly, an anorexic rock or maybe even a midget. I am tearing and cursing that I will never lift my visor again but keep driving on. The air and temperature shifted to cooler as I neared Shangri-La.  The Tibetan style houses appeared more on the scene as the familiar Naxi houses of LiJiang dissipated.  Both styles characteristically seem to be trademarked by intricately carved wood sidings.  Just fantastic pieces of work, art and culture.  People’s features began to change the farther north I rode….darker skin, Han-less features but still, keeping true to the form of almond-shaped eyes.

I finally arrived into Shangri-La.  Overall, the trip was much slower this time due to the windy, rainy start, the small accident and of course, picture-taking.  I also began to realize the extreme importance of the first 6-foot fall I had off of the road.  This time, as I parked to the right side along the roadside to shoot photos along the higher mountainous region, I observed that if what had happened to me that first leg happened to be now, I would have been in a much worse situation – if I existed at all at that point.  The drops were steep and fell into nothingness with very few walls/protection.  If I had dismounted here and the bike went off-balance, both the bike and I would have fallen down the cliffs.  I could not have been more grateful for that difficult but gift of a lesson at the start.  Every time I dismount, I do so with more caution than if I was using some sharp tweezers to get a piece of dust out of my eye.

Ultimately, I thought of my goals.  Living was the top one.  I want to pursue this type of exploration in South America, the Middle East, Africa, Australia….I don’t want my first ultra-long distance ride to be my last.  My goals haven’t been to just “cross China” but I’ve been accomplishing much of what I wanted to experience  from chatting with the rice plantation worker, Mrs. Yang, tasting the various spices and flavors of different regions, eyeing the regal snow-topped mountains live, investigating Yunnan’s renown and important Chinese tea culture,  learning basic words from languages that may soon be extinct, witnessing the Yangtze’s fury for myself and meeting and connecting with people I now call “Big Brother”  (“Da Gu”) and “Little Sister” (“Xiao Mei”).  Additionally, I’ve expanded my Chinese vocabulary and I can’t stress enough how quickly you learn to read certain characters by driving around China.  Another incredibly important learning experience for me has been pushing myself in my photography and even filming….from shooting the Bai, the Naxi, the Hui and now the Tibetans.  It energizes me as I am able to capture them within their time-worn traditions in our modern world.  I was speaking with a Russian couple I’ve befriended here in Shangri-La about how incredible it is that there probably has never been a time in this world’s history that it’s seen cultures/lifestyles at such extreme ends; from tribes that live off the land still and have a spear in the hand rather than an iPhone or a laptop, typing an email back and forth to NASA on logistics to orbit the Earth in a spaceship.  We are not all at the same stages and in observing and learning about so many areas in China, you can certainly view this much more than you can in the US.  So regardless if I am able to “cross” China, my ultimate journey is actually to understand it in all its faces, forms and hats to be able to share these experiences and gain ground on understanding each other.  I believe there hasn’t been a time on this Earth when it’s needed more.

Additional photos from the journey:

Above: Rooster and popsicle break at Tiger Leaping Gorge (the town).  YueLongXueShan (Jade Dragon Snow Mountain) below:

These are the roads that are common driving on here.  With traffic, it’s doubly as hectic and nuts.  

In/Around LiJiang, Yunnan; the guy in the back is threshing wheat by putting it on the road and having it run over.

Off to Shangri-La!

At Tiger-Leaping Gorge

Friendly bikers...

YangZe River

Tibetan chortan

Ancient town outside of LiJiang...yes, I was in cow-traffic for about 15 minutes.

The fun I have….and the extent I go for a good photo.

Note the stacks of wheat that the farmers put out on the road for cars to “thresh”. It can get deep and it’s not pleasant to ride through.

Entering Tibetan territory.....nearing Shangri-La

Tiger-Leaping Gorge river

Nearing Shangri-La

“Whether or not guys agree, there are a lot of gals interested in riding BMX,” says Wade. “I want to make something that not only showcases great riding and inspires more ladies to pick up a bike, but also make a product that girl riders will feel was made specifically for them.”

Wade posted the first trailer for “Chick Flick” on Friday. March 11, and to date, the video has been viewed close to 10,000 times.

Currently a student in Tyler, Texas, Wade says that the majority of the is video already mapped out. “I have literally had that trailer playing in my head the last year and it felt so good to finally get it out! I have the ending credits playing in my head to a certain song and I just can’t wait until I can finish it and get that out as well. I have a mix of music for the rest of the video since the four of us have different personalities. The songs will definitely match the riders,” she says.

Wade initially began riding vert, but has branched out into park riding in recent years. Although riding BMX freestyle is typically male-centric, Wade and a core group of female BMX riders have developed a worldwide network through the Internet, BMX zines and competing in the Women’s class at BMX contests throughout the world.

According to Natalie, the video’s release will push the prominence of female BMXers forward.

To track the video’s progress, Wade launched the official blog for “Chick Flick,” which will include rider bios and updates on filming. Wade is also open to contributions from female BMX riders, and is hoping to compile a friends section of guest female riders for the video. To learn more about the video, or to contribute, please visit the official “Chick Flick” blog.

I learned of this dish when I first visited West Africa – a large country called, Mali. Mali has a severe rainy season (so bad that the plains are completely flooded and rivers and lakes appear out of nowhere in the desert) and they also have an extreme dry season that begins in late March and extends through the summer. It’s so insane that I’ve never witnessed a market that had such few items of food….and I was there in March before it got really hot so I can’t even imaging how little food is available through the summer. Many people survive on stored grains such as millet.

Anyway, one interesting thing to note when you are in the Africa and the food gets scarce is, you see mostly tomatoes, peanuts, potatoes and onions left. A lot of them are in poor condition but people have no choice and use them anyway.

While I was staying in one small village on the way to the Badiagara escarpment (beautiful mountains where ancient civilizations lived and built homes) from a small village called Sevaré, this stew was made for me. I was completely floored. It was one of the best things I’d ever eaten!

I found the recipe online and followed it; adjusting it to my own tastes, as you may do. And wanted to share it with you. The photos are from my own kitchen.

Here is a map of Mali – and great thanks to the wonderful, incredible people from there that I met along the way.  It was 100% the best trip I have ever had in my life.

I took this recipe from the Monterey Herald because others I had found had so many other additions and I wanted to keep it as simple as what I had found in the country. Of course, you are welcome to add other things and I added raisins in my recipe. Have fun and enjoy!

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons peanut oil
1½ yellow onions, minced
8 garlic cloves, sliced
3 lbs. chicken thighs, bone in and skin on (chicken is the most common choice of meat in Mali, followed by mutton or goat; substitute with tofu or gluten if vegetarian)
2 cups chicken stock (or 2 tsp. Better Than Bouillon organic chicken base, available at Costco, dissolved in 2 cups water; bouillon cubes are used in Africa)
4 tablespoons of tomato paste
3 cups potatoes (or yams)
2 tsp. kosher salt
½ cup natural chunky peanut butter
1 cup natural smooth peanut butter
3 cups hot water-plus 3 or 4 cups of water as needed
2 cups diced tomatoes
1½ habanero chiles, minced (or more if you like it hot; see notes)

Steps: Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat; sauté onion and garlic until translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Add the chicken thighs or selected meat and brown approximately 6 minutes.

Stir in the tomato paste and the stock and cook for about 1 minute until blended. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 8 minutes.

Add the potatoes or other vegetables you want (except for the tomatoes) to the pot and stew until tender, about 10 minutes.

Add the salt and mix well.

In a separate bowl, mix the peanut butter with 3 cups of hot water, stir/whisk until well blended.

Add the peanut butter to the pot and mix well, incorporating the peanut butter with the stock; cover the pot and cook over medium low heat, stirring occasionally, for another 40 minutes or until the meat is tender and the oil rises to the surface. Skim excess oil.

Add water as necessary to maintain desired consistency (it should be more or less like a cream sauce, if it’s too thin, you can add a bit of corn starch – but don’t just add to the pot, take a cup and use the stew’s broth and mix cornstarch first before adding it). Stir in the chopped tomatoes and minced chiles and bring to a boil. Adjust the seasoning, if necessary.

Remove pot from the heat, remove the chicken skins (they will be lose and often floating on the sauce), skim visible oil, stir, and serve the chicken and peanut stew over rice, which is traditional in Mali — or, also traditional in Mali, over ground millet or cornmeal mush.

In Mali, the stem of the habanero is removed from the chiles and they are added whole to the stew early on in the cooking process, where they float on the surface as the stew cooks. When serving, the juice from the chiles is squeezed over the individual portions to add heat.

If children will be eating this dish, you can set aside their portions in a smaller pot, before adding the chile. Kids enjoy the peanutty taste.

I peer down at the cheesy tourist map in hand; the one with the cartoon mountains, llamas larger than the cartoon mountains and squiggles symbolizing squiggles…I mean, roads. I’m following this? Well, okay, wonderful because according to this, the lake is not far at all. It should be the same distance as the tiny town of Talabre that I passed about 8km back.

After 45 minutes, it becomes:

‘WHAT is going ON?!’ I’ve been en-route to Laguna Lejia for almost a good hour now, navigating through the harshest of roads (I’m riding atop pure rock and huecos like I’m working a route here) in an economy Chevy rental that I feel guilt for as if it’s a live animal I’m torturing (a rapid fire of massive scraping then ensues). There were no topos in the small, tourist town of San Pedro that is built on guide shops. Why would they want to cut into their business by handing out maps and topos to everyone? Forget it. I will find it.

‘Oh. Isn’t Volcan Lascar supposed to be on my left? I feel like I’ve been driving for about twenty minutes with it at my right side. Okay, I’m turning around. I was supposed to follow the llama arrow. I knew it. This is what happens when you give me a choice, I choose Door B and it’s the gag gift.

Turning around and keeping Lascar to my left. I wonder how much this rental car is worth after I return it? And how much will I be required to pay? It’s my little mule….I’m going to call it “Little Mule” from here on out. Thank you Little Mule – you’re doing a spectacular job for not being a high-clearance 4WD.

I just want to get over the crest of this hill to see what’s over it. That’s all. Then I’ll turn back. Okay, I lie. I want to keep going to see what is over the next crest and whether it’s the lake. I don’t think it is though….I’ve seen the photos and remember the positioning of the mountain. It’s incredibly far from here.’

The valley is amazing. As I drive up, I turn around (while driving, of course) and I swear staring back at the volcanic browns enriched my hazel eyes; just witnessing them made them more chocolate. Is it the energy of an active Earth that emulates and speaks to me from its ground, its rock, its whole environment that causes me to feel this giddy and incredulous? There are stones stacked on top of each other; either the start or the end of something. I’m not sure which way this drive is going. But I am continuing on…

Up over the crest now. I feel secure now that Volcan Lascar is on my left like a husband at the alter. Stay there, dude.

I decide to abuse my little mule a bit more while it has the juice and I have enough gas for a round trip so far. Even if I don’t succeed in reaching the laguna, I’ve learned more about the trail to it. Every bend I see makes me curiouser and curioser. I hate that I’m so much like brunette Alice in my own wonderland; I always need to find the answers out.

I am above the valley and just keep straight on rough roads. After another good 25 minutes, I see a car. I slow down as we are pretty tight on the narrow gravel road and see they are two men. I feel like they are guides or just friends but definitely trekkers from their sunglasses.

“Hola…..Laguna Lejia esta cerca? O lejos de aca?” (is Laguna Lejia close or far from here?)
My Spanish must have been shite because the man says, “Where do you want to go?” in a thick, Spanish accent.

“Oh, I’m trying to get to Laguna Lejia…”.

“Would you like me to write your will? It’s about over 50km from here and it’s already late. What’s your hotel so I can inform them that you won’t be back?” he jokes. Not funny.

“Yeah, I figured it was far but I know the trail now and got to see the road…okay, I’m going back now.” I say and wave them off.

The greatest part is….as I’m turning around, the nose of the mule gets dug in deep gravel and it’s dipping forward. I attempt to back up but it digs in gravel. I immediately jump out to wave at the car that is now about 25 meters away…..I’m jumping up and down yelling. I’m very far from the main road. They keep driving and the dust from their tracks partially block any view of what’s behind them. I attempt to see whether I can push it a little from the nose. It is cemented in the gravel. What the hell am I going to do? This is insane. This isn’t a popular tourist destination like Laguna Chaxa or the other region’s lakes.

I get back in and try to move the car. It just won’t back up and keeps stalling out. I sit for a moment and breathe. I have food in the car just in case I need to overnight. It’s okay. I’m sure someone will be out here in a few days at least. I tell myself I’ll be fine regardless because…well, I know I will.

I again, try to maneuver my stubborn, stuck mule to budging out of its caught position. Finally, it inched a different way. I got excited. I turned the wheel but also didn’t want to turn it so much I end up digging myself into a deeper, gravely hole. I carefully manage to pry my wonderful white mule out of the gravel webbing it was captured in. YES. Thank you, thank you. I make the full turn and even see the two guys driving away as a dot on the road way past the valley.

I made it, although with repeated bumps back to civilization.

I DID make it back out again but this time with two friends and a 4WD. :) A fantastic time ensued and here are the photos:

We’ve received two free loaner bikes from Galaxy in China – one of the top manufacturers for dual-sport touring bikes. Xie-Xie!!! (thank you in Mandarin, Chinese):

So there I am in a Lancaster, Oregon shopping mall; a quintessential American gathering place for pubescent loafers, shopping fiends, mommies with babes dreaming of toyland and the occasional, focused male aiming for exactly what he needs and leaving as quickly as if he had been told that by staying longer, he will receive a prostate exam by the 70-year old guy working the sunglasses store.  The quintessential mall is what I’m sitting in the midst of, the one that has the Foot Locker, Claire’s, the Macy’s, the Regis hair salon and Vicky’s Secrets…I swear, there is only this one set formula that goes into building a mall, but I digress.  I’m juicing some wireless from their free hotspot and looking online through assorted women’s motorcycle gear in preparations for this riding trip.

‘Bummer I’m even looking…’ I thinksigh to myself.  I’ve funded my own airline ticket, will be paying out of pocket to experience the various town hostels and foods…..but now I have to buy gear on top of all that.  I want GOOD, no GREAT, no GREATHOT gear too so of course, I’m looking at Alpinestars’ touring selections.  I had written the company three weeks prior basically begging for some support – in fact, they were the only ones I had even bothered writing.  No kidding.  You’d think in desperation, we’d write as many companies as possible but I’ve been enamored with their jackets and riding gear since I bought my first motorcycle.  My first jacket was Alpinestars and it’s been on my back still protecting me after all these years.  But I hadn’t heard from them and was even checking my messages via Skype in Chile occasionally to see if there had been a call.  Nada.

As I’m pouring over the images and information on the different gloves, my phone rings with an LA number.  Is it my suitcase?  The one that was lost a couple days ago upon returning from Chile?  It was lost somewhere in Rio De Janeiro and I haven’t heard from anyone.

“Hello, this is Christine….” I answer.  But the other end is very faint.

“Pshshsbhshpppp appap” is all I really hear.

“Sorry….I can’t really hear you.  Can you please repeat that?” I ask.

And a lady’s voice comes in clear that it’s a representative with Alpinestars.  Alpinestars.  No WAY.  And I stare at the screen that had coincidentally been looking at me…with the image of the Alpinestars Stella gloves…a pair that I already own that is my favorite due to its thinner design and white color.

She states that the company is happy to fufill our gear requests for jackets, pants, boots and gloves.  Unbelievable.  I am beyond stoked by this immense gift and I almost want to hang up excitedly to call Szu-ting.  I give Holly, the rep, my address and immediately contact Szu-ting who is busy with her preparations to leave tomorrow and begin her journey to Asia.  She beats me in racking her brain thoroughly over the checklist since she is leaving earlier.  However, at this moment, we are both squealing and giggling like teens that are appropriately a part of  the Lancaster mall setting. 

Alpinestars Stella Scout Touring Jacket

Alpinestars Stella Scout Touring Pants

Goretex WR-V Gloves