The hardest part of living your dreams is taking the first step. Richard and I knew we wanted to do something epic but couldn’t decide where to start as there are so many places we want to experience. The seed was planted but the journey undefined. What we did know is that we wanted to do something extraordinary in a way that we could encounter a place head on and on by our own means. Finally we took the first few steps gave our trip roots by deciding on a region of the globe and that we'd like to cycle. And so slowly the expedition started to take shape and grow in our hearts.

Destiny Some May Say…

Our original plan was to cycle from Bombay to Beijing through Nepal and Tibet. But after some research we realized that visa-wise it would be impossible and so we thought – why not start from the Great Wall of China which is just north of Beijing and then head into India via Tibet and Nepal? Funny thing is that two years previously I bought the domain www.beyondthewall.co.za which was going to be a local adventure website. And so Beijing to Bombay became Beyond The Wall. Destiny some may say…

Why China, India, Nepal and Tibet?

Both India and China have always been on my bucket list. My passion for China started with my grandparents who were some of the first South African missionaries to China. They fell in love in China and were married just before the Cultural Revolution when they were forced to leave. They ended up serving in the East for many years and when I was growing up they would bring me exotic stamps from Singapore and Indonesia and I’d dream of pandas and dragons. And so ever since I was a little girl I’ve had a fond fascination with everything Chinese and a great love for the people.

India is just as fascinating with its colourful culture and complex history. I’ve devoured many books on the country and its people but still I yearn to experience it for myself. But I think it’s David Gregory Roberts who really fired me up about India with his book Shantaram. As Prabhakar says in the book: “There’s no place with people like my people, there’s no heart like the Indian heart.”

We've grown up hearing about the great climbers in history trekking through Himalayas and we feel that this part of the trip (Nepal and India) will be our greatest adventure. The people are largely unknown to us and we can't wait to discover their way of life. Do yourself a favour and watch the movie The Way Back (Watch the trailer here) and you'll see some epic views of this famous mountain range.

And so this trip isn’t just about experiencing new places, hitting the open road on our bicycles, or challenging ourselves physically –  it’s about people, culture and learning…

Our Route to Date...

After quite a bit of backward and forward regarding travel regulations, lots of reading up about places we would like to see (including some very important ones in 1000 Places To See Before You Die) and trying to work out distances and approximate times it would take to cycle  – this is how our trip looks...

We start our cycle just north of Beijing at a part of the Great Wall near Jinshaling in February 2012 and cycle southwest until we hit Chengdu. From here we have to catch a train which goes via Golmund at the Tibetan border and ends in Lhasa. In Lhasa we will meet our guides through Tibet – Eagle Treks (you may not cycle or hike through Tibet without a permit from a tour guide). We will be cycling The Friendship Highway with them as it’s almost impossible to go the 1000km or so alone as altitude in parts is above 5000m which means there’s a good chance of altitude sickness. The Friendship Highway goes past Everest Base Camp and then ends in Kathmandu. From Kathmandu Nepal we keep travelling southwest through the golden triangle, ending in Bombay or as it’s known today – Mumbai! That should be in mid-July 2012 God willing...

By Thamar Clark