Monday, June 13, 2011

Himalayas X Expedition 2011 - Pre-launch Information, June 2011


It's time. After 5 years of constant cycling and training (cross training in the gym these past 10 weeks, while giving the bike a rest losing 10kg in the process), I am prepared for the Himalayas X Expedition 2011. The route isn't etched in stone, but what I can tell you is the route will include transit from South Korea to Tianjin, China and cycling to Qingdao, China to meet my local host Li Wei, an amazing international student now studying at my university. I hope to share a visit with Li Wei and prepare for an overland train experience to the starting point of the expedition. Special interests, the Taklamakan Desert, Central and Western China, Tibet and the Himalayas.

Actually, it all begins when we leave our house in the morning and go out and explore our world...well, this expedition has a little more formalities including immunizations, visa preparations, familial responsibilities, and preparing to face the physical elements -both the natural world, and in utilizing the self-preparation that came in training, and finally sorting out the equipment lists along with the logistics and coordination/communication with partnering foundations). It all took several months to finalize, but we are finally here - 7 days from the moment I walk out my front door onto an expedition of epic proportions -at least in my book.

It's been 10 years since I had once, bright-eyed and bushy headed, set off as a thrill-seeker (1993-2001), my purposes and calculations are much different now - but I do hope to catch that endless 'spirit of adventure' while out riding, speaking in foreign languages (Mandarin, Tibetan, Uighur) as I roam the urban, rural, inhabited and uninhabited-open landscapes that envelope the people in tiny pockets of cultural perimeters. I hope to cross through geographical (following the topographical curvatures), cultural, linguistic, and national boundaries into open domains with a bicycle. Inside of me there is fear, apprehension, calculation, mental mind-mapping of the route, the experiences expected or unexpected - of course all of this is human nature to find out the -why? -where? -who? what's next? and deal with the uncertainties when they must be dealt with -all these questions will be answered in a rhythm that can follow a route and keep within the limits we set for ourselves, or those imposed upon us and make alternate arrangements to carry on. I look forward all of it. It's a moment of choice, a moment of chance, a moment of freedom, and movement across a great land.

It's an exciting time in my life, I will share the journey with you, and make it more than just my personal lived experience -reporting back and sharing the "now" with all of you -hopefully, to inspire others to live their personal dreams or support an organization you believe in. I've scheduled 60 days to cover the ground, to experience a region of the world I knew existed primarily in books, blogs, or pages on the internet, shared ideas and daydreams. This time around, the experience is real, the risks are calculated and distances are challenging, especially on a bicycle. What could be better than a bicycle expedition into the unknown (giggles)

I am supporting several amazing non-profit foundations led by explorers Robert Hill, Ostomate and Mountaineering expedition veteran of the Seven Summits Series supporting IBD research for a cure  (for more information: IDEAS - Intestinal Disease Education & Awareness Society, Canada); and Antony Jinman, veteran Arctic & Polar Explorer and founder of the innovative non-profit school outreach, ETE - Education Through Expeditions, UK) and I will share more information about the causes, the mission, and the experiences of bicycle touring along the roof of the world on this journey.

Thank you for taking interest in the Himalayas X Expedition 2011 and I hope you enjoy your visits to the Korean-World, an adventure blog running since 2007 (visit the links to friends and adventurers on this site).


An old quote, I will continue to follow in the coming weeks...


"Face your fears to live your dreams."


Brian Perich, Adventurer, Father, Teacher and supporter of non-profit organizations.


@ the office, teaching English as a Foreign language in South Korea



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About the Korean-World Author

Brian Perich was an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) lecturer for a decade, father, and adventure cyclist based in South Korea.

Previously, Brian has led Canoe adventures in Quetico Provincial Park, Atikokan, Ontario, Canada (1993/1999); led Grand American camping adventures (2000); lived at Paramahansa Yogananda's SRF Ashram for 5 months (see the film "AWAKE"), formerly worked in titanium welding at Agilent Technologies, formerly worked in Winery industry in Marin County with Kendall Jackson in California; Surfing and Meditation continued for several years in California, British Columbia, South Korea, Yoga training in California 1999-2000.

Between 1994-1998 - Brian completed his own adventures with motorcycles. His motorcycling marathons took him across the United States and central/western Canada, while traveling solo over an astounding 24,000km in 60 days! Brian endured 900 mile/1300km average days in the motorcycle saddle and apparently loved every minute of those adventures.

Today, he has given up motorcycle adventures altogether, but finds an outlet for his enthusiasm in outdoor recreation while bicycle touring and micro-blogging about those experiences on his mountain bikes.

While employed as an English teacher in South Korea, Brian has became an advocate for bicycle touring on his mountain bikes. The Korean-World blog originated from those small adventures in Korea, now expanded to cover his recent trek down the TransMongolian highway to the Gobi Desert, cycling 900km east through the Khentii grasslands and in 2012 crossing Mongolia in 45 days, 2500 kilometers 1553 miles. HimalayasX expedition Brian previously cycled across western China, the Taklamakan Desert, the northern Himalayas of East Turkestan Xinjiang/Uyghur Autonomous Region, the corrugated back roads and mountains of Kham Tibet. Brian successfully completed his 2011 mountain bike expedition with 3200 kilometers / 1988 miles unsupported, on/off road MTB adventure cycling.
Brian has completed his second mountain bike journey, MongoliaX expedition - Crossing Mongolia 2012, an unsupported mountain bike MTB expedition across 2500km of Outer Mongolia from Ulanbaatar to Altai Taven-Bogd National Park bordering China, Russia and Mongolia.


In 2013, as a sequel to a trilogy of cycle tours, Brian enjoyed a more leisure bicycle tour onboard his Koga-Miyata World Traveller seeing the northern tier of the United States and western Canada covering 3400 kilometers / 2000 miles in 30 days. This North American cycle tour was called Totherocktour. Enjoying the adventure of bicycle travel and every great conversation started while traveling on the road - has refueled his inspirations to cycle around the Earth. In 2013, while he cycled solo from the Great Lake State of Michigan, United States to Banff National Park in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. He weaved through local communities and reconnected with friends, family and community after spending almost a decade in Asia.


Brian is now supporting several non-profit foundations through expeditions: IDEAS Foundation of Canada IDEAS is the acronym for Intestinal Disease Education and Awareness Society which supports the IBD community, those suffering from IBD-inflammatory bowel disease, also known as Crohn's and Ulcerative Colitis.


The second non-profit foundation is ETE.ORG - Education Through Expeditions, UK which supports educational outreach programs inside schools around the world. ETE connects explorers with students in the classroom, through an interactive online program in development (Beta).


Brian is researching support for a 18000 kilometer bicycle expedition across the Americas: North, Central and South America - ONE -Arctic to Argentina
Please contact him if you are interested in helping out.

Twitter: Cycleagain
Location: Gangneung, Gangwon-do, South Korea or southern Ontario, Canada.

Thanks for visiting my Journal from Asia

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Brian's friends have also been...Cycling in Korea!

Brian's friends have also been...Cycling in Korea!

Cycling in Korea, Warning: always wear a helmet! (I gave mine to my friend)

Cycling in Korea, Warning: always wear a helmet! (I gave mine to my friend)

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