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Els primers 5.000 Km | Our first 5,000 Km

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Ja tenim fets els primers 5.000 km. Aquesta distància ens ha permès caminar la nostra ruta a través de Tailàndia, Birmània, Pamir, Tadjikistan, Uzbekistan, Bangladesh i ara ja portem uns poc més de 700 quilòmetres per dins Índia pels estats de West Bengal, Jharkand, Bihar i Uttar Pradesh.

We have done our first 5,000 kilometers (about 3,100 miles). So far, we have walked Thailand, Burma, Pamir, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Bangladesh and a bit more than 700 kilometers in the Inidan provinces of West Bengal, Jharkand, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

(English version below)

Doncs ja tenim fets els primers 5.000 km aproximadament (ja fa dies). Insistim en l’aproximadament doncs és difícil comptar tot el que fem.

Aquests 5.000 km inclouen els que fem amb les motxilles entre punt A i B, més els que també caminem amb totes les motxilles quan cerquem allotjament o quan alliberats de tant de pes i lleugers visitem indrets, perseguim visats o fem qualsevol altre tipus de gestió necessària per poder seguir caminant pel món.

Aquesta distància ens ha permès caminar la nostra ruta a través de Tailàndia, Birmània, Pamir, Tadjikistan, Uzbekistan, Bangladesh i ara ja portem uns poc més de 700 quilòmetres per dins Índia pels estats de West Bengal, Jharkand, Bihar i Uttar Pradesh.

Al llarg de tots aquests mesos hem estat en diferents estats de salut. Hem estat molt bé, bé, normal, fotuts i força fotuts, però afortunadament fins ara, mai molt malament.

Com ja vàrem fer en l’entrada referida als nostres primers 1.000 kmaquí deixem un petit repàs de l’estat de la nostra salut i equipament:

Jenn

Salut:
Peus, turmells, genolls, cama esquerra, estómac / sistema digestiu, esquena i espatlla dreta, sorprenentment bé.
Espatlla esquerra, malament. De retruc, cama dreta, amb molèsties i com a conseqüència del nou carro, les caderes estan força adolorides.

Equipament:

Jenn ha canviat molt el seu equipament i segueix en una constant ‘evolució’. Ja després de Tailàndia i el primer mes a Birmània, Jenn va reemplaçar la motxilla gran i va incorporar alguns altres canvis. Després la principal ‘revolució’ arribà quan abans de començar Bangladesh va canviar la motxilla penjant a l’esquena per portar-ne una de nova amb un munt de coses noves dins, sobre un nou carroI així segueix fins ara.

Botes, afortunadament aguanten bé, tot i que ja mostren les primeres escletxes. Son noves des de Bangladesh i segueixen en prou bon estat malgrat el desgast normal de les soles.

Carro: Ha fet unes quantes modificacions i aguanta bé. El punt més delicat i que ha donat més problemes fins ara és allà on s’agafa a l’ arnès que va a la cintura. Aquí la cosa està més delicada. Aquesta unió ha saltat unes quantes vegades i ens te preocupats. Les 2 motxilles que contenen les seves coses estan bé.

Lluís

Salut:
Peus, turmells, genolls, cames, estómac / sistema digestiu i espatlles, sorprenentment bé.
Esquena, normalment fa mal al final del día. Sembla ser el meu punt més dèbil, però entenc que és el cansament normal acumulat al cap de tantes hores amb una proporció de pes massa alta pel meu pes personal. Ara porto 20 quilos a sobre i sense saber exactament el meu pes, segur que tot aquest equipament penjant em representa més d’ un 40% del meu pes. Això segueix sent masssssssa.

Equipament:

Lluís segueix amb el 80% del mateix equipament amb el que va sortir de casa ara fa 1 any. El més important que ha canviat han estat les botes (segones en 5.000 quilòmetres), mitjons, una nova tenda de campanya i per encarar el previsible fred al hivern del nord d’Índia, nova jaqueta, samarreta, mitjons tèrmics i gorro. La resta és el mateix.

Botes, com Jenn, son noves des de Bangladesh i semblen aguantar bé. El desgast es nota en una part de les soles i en la part interior propera als dits on les botes fan més flexió, però a dia d’avui estan encara força decents.

Motxilla: Amb unes quantes reparacions i moltes més cosides per reforçar o tapar forats, segueix aguantant prou bé.

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Wow! We have walked our first 5,000 kilometers (about 3,100 miles)! A few days ago, in rural India, somewhere along Asian Highway 1 with dried rice paddies in view, we hit this milestone.

As with our first 1,000 kilometers, this is an approximation. We don’t walk with our GPS on all day (it would exhaust our cell phone batteries in a couple hours), but we do add up our kilometers every day, measuring and cross-checking distances with Google and Maps.me maps, and, using the tried-and-true low-tech method of  counting mile markers along the roads we walk. Our mileage includes walking with our backpacks from Point A to Point B plus the distances we clock when searching for a place to sleep; walking all over cities collecting visas and supplies for our trip, and strolling to places we find interetsing along the way.

Where have our feet taken us? So far, we have walked parts of Thailand, Burma, Pamir, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Bangladesh and, as of Dec. 21, 700 kilometers in the Inidan provinces of West Bengal, Jharkand, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. From here, we continue walking India; we will be here for several more months.

During these last 11 months, we have had different states of mental, physical and emotional well-being. We have felt very good, good, normal, screwed, and completely F*#!ed. Luckily, though, they have been passing moments, and, until now, we have had no major issue that has had to stop us for long periods of time.

Here is a brief summary of our health and equipment to date.

Jenn

Health:

Feet, ankles, knees, stomach/digestion system, and back are doing surprisingly well.

Left shoulder is suffering, right shoulder is tweaked and hips are in a constant state of soreness, probably due to the new walking trolley and harness system. Right leg also now and again has cramping, which we think may be from muscle exhaustion and/or lower levels of magesium or potassium (she is taking vitamin supplements and eating bananas often).

I try to hang tough mentally, but most days are exhausting, and it’s hard to be a smiley, happy person when crazy drivers force you further out of the shoulder area and the taste of dirt is my mounth all day. But, the moments when we share smiles with locals give me strength to keep going.

Equipment:

I have changed my equipment several times since starting out. It’s proven to be a constant evolution. I wanted to start with the equipment I had, but it hasn’t been the right mix. There were clothes and backpack changes in the spring, and the experiment continues with a new walking trolley, another backpack, and a backpack harness system, which also means extra equipment and tools, like an extra wheel, extra axles, screwdrivers and wrenches needed for roadside repairs (which happen now again when the harness screws come unscrewed). I have also added extra weight in the form of a warmer sleeping bag, a warmer jacket and some other winter gear we’ll need in north India this winter, and which has already come in handy this month.

Boots. I’m on my third pair. The latest pair, Salamons bought in September, are holding up well enough, but are starting to show their first cracks, up on top of the shoes where the balls of my feet bend. The soles are also beginning to wear down.

Walking trolley: This is the biggest change so far, and has had mixed results. It reduces some of the weight and pressure on my back, but not as much as expected. It is also more difficult to maneuver through cities and crowded areas of South Asia with a trolley, and since most hotels we stay in have no elevator, hauling the cart up several flights of stairs is a nuisance. But we’ll see how it goes these next few months.

Lluís

Health:

Feet, ankles, knees, legs, stomach/digestion system and shoulders are doing surprisingly well.

His back, particularly his lumbar area, hurts a lot at the end of the day. We think it’s his Achilles heel, his weakest point. But, it’s a normal tiredness after so many hours walking (we typically are out 11 to 12 hours a day) carrying the weight he is carrying.

He carries about 20 kilos; we don’t know his exact weight right now, but we estimate that his backpacks represents more than 40% of his total body weight, which is A LOT and wsy too much!

Equipment:

Lluís  continues with about 80% of the things he started out with last January when we left home. The normal changes have come in the form of new shoes, socks, a warmer jacket and a hat, needed for colder weather. The most important change was a new tent, which weighs a bit less than the one we started with and that’s important as every gram counts.

Boots: Like me, he started out with new boots in September in Bangladesh, and they are holding up well. He has started to notice wear on the soles and where they bend near the toes, but they are still in decent shape.

Backpack: He has made several repairs, sewing holes and reinforcing stitching in hip belt, but it is holding up pretty well.

 

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2 thoughts on “Els primers 5.000 Km | Our first 5,000 Km”

  1. Lluís,
    Happy Christmas from Michelle and Paddy in Ireland.
    We see from your posts that you are doing well and will see you in Poble Sec when you return.
    Paddy

    1. Dear Michelle and Paddy,
      Thanks for your comment.
      Happy New Year 2017 for you too! Looking forward to meeting you again in Poble Sec.
      Big hugs for you and the girls!

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