Posts Tagged ‘China’

Day 195. 99km. Xinxinxia – Liuyuan

Posted: November 23, 2015 in China, Cycling
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Bickle up people. I’ve entered Gansu with English on the signs. I’m looking forward to the statae class an xi extremely – I’m not sure if I’d recognise it if I saw it though. In the mean time, I drank a lot of ice tea in the ice zone and watched out for the traffic in the harmonious society. Chinglish at its best.

Extremely

Extremely

Welcome to Gansu

Welcome to Gansu

Smooth Communication

Smooth Communication

The Ice Zone

The Ice Zone

Harmonious Society

We set of after the other cyclist Huang today, who was waiting at the hotel reception long before we had even thought about breakfast. With his eyes set of the 220km distant Duanghuan, we thought we would not see him again.

A flat tyre broke up the everyday existence of cycling along the main road through the desert, stopping every 30km or so at the parking area shops.

Puncture

Puncture

All this cycling had brought Achun and I closer and closer to a first possible split in our paths. Dunhuang. A beautiful town, set in the desert, with massive sand dunes as a backdrop. A tourist mecca. And about 130km off our way. I was undecided on whether or not to go there. Achun was undecided. Both wanted to continue parallel to the freeway in Gansu afterwards for a few hundred more kilometres. Both also wanted to continue cycling together. I feel a real rapport with Achun.
It was approaching evening when we reached the turnoff to Dunghuan – a gravel road that stayed that way the whole 130km to Dunghuan. We were still undecided. And then Huang appeared. It became clear we had a companion no matter what our decision was. As the sun sunk lower in the sky, the three of us set off along the dirt road into the desert to set up camp in a beautiful place in the desert lunar landscape.

Sunset

Sunset

Day 194. 107km. Middle of the desert – Xinxinxia

Posted: November 22, 2015 in China, Cycling
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Hitler got the thumbs up. My improving Chinese was used to explain the contrary. My wallet was shamelessly investigated for foreign currency. We acquired another cyclist. All on the way to Xinxinxia.

En route

En route

Why is Hitler so popular so far from Germany? Where are you from? Germany? Hitler! And then the thumbs up. I heard that in the stans, and now in China. Is that the only thing they know about Germany? I used my ever-improving Chinese to explain why I did not like Hitler. I don’t think I changed his opinion.

Our days are cycling through the endless rocky desert and stopping at the parking spots with little restaurants. We arrive and make our way to their fridge to inspect the cold drinks on offer. We sit and drink our purchases while our bikes are gazed at, the tyres are tapped, cables pulled and my carbon drive (chain replacement) is inspected. This time my wallet was also picked up from the table and checked out. My one US dollar was extremely interesting. They wouldn’t let me go until they had exchanged it for yuan.

At one of our stops we picked up another cyclist who was going in our direction. What makes people click? What makes someone like being with another? I don’t know. Something just feels right. Looking into their eyes there’s an understanding. We’re on the same wavelength.

Achun and I looked at each other – we could read each other’s thoughts. We did not have a click with our new fellow cyclist. The three of us cycled together through the desert to Xinxinxia. Our conversations were clipped. Tomorrow our paths are the same too. There is just one road.

The river bed

The river bed

Looking out over the flats

Looking out over the flats

Evening

Evening

Evening

Evening

Day 193. 97km. Hami – Middle of the desert

Posted: November 21, 2015 in China, Cycling
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The desert is vast, rocky and barren, but much has been tamed. For much of the time, the road continues through endless vineyards and agricultural land. Then, when the village and civilization ends, the desert starts abruptly. In a dry creek bed, under the stars we lie, gazing at the heavens.

The stars

The stars

Crossing the back-blocks of China takes time. The roads are good and the kilometres pass (quickly or slower depending on the wind). There are many many kilometres to pass, and I count them down. When I entered China there were over 4000km to the start of the freeway. Now there are under 3000. The road is not busy, and we have the wide emergency lane all to ourselves. We stop every 20-30km for the regular fill of ice-tea and bingjiling (ice-cream). Breakfast, lunch and dinner is the same in China, and so I eat it when we stop. I have accepted my craving for cereal in the morning will remain unfulfilled.

Today we had a picnic lunch on a tree-lined lane between the vineyards.

At our lunch spot

At our lunch spot

And dinner just before heading off into the desert to camp.

Dinner stop

Dinner stop

The desert

The desert

Evening

Evening

My humble abode

My humble abode

Day 192. 90km. Sandoulin – Hami

Posted: November 20, 2015 in China, Cycling
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I cycled along the freeway in the backblocks of China thinking – this is a world full of beautiful people. People caring for their families and enjoying daily life. People with their hopes, dreams and worries.

Refreshment

Refreshment

Today I used my Chinese in a deep philosophical discussion about life and happiness. Life and happiness is the same the world over. I am an example of the human condition, and I am alive today, sharing this planet with others. I hope in the future, another generation of people can live these experiences, and carry on the human condition. It is a beautiful thing – the human experience – and I am honoured to be part of it today and now.

My other thoughts today as I struggled against the fierce wind were how developed China is. All the freeways are brand new and amazing engineering feats. The cities are springing up out of nothing, but are mostly already there. New, snazzy cars zoom along the freeways and in the cities. This is not an America wannabe. It is wealthy already. It is not like America, and it doesn’t wannabe.

The cycling was slow going today against the wind. We called it a day at the big town of Hami.

Day 191. 109km. Qijaojin – Sandoulin

Posted: November 19, 2015 in China, Cycling
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The rest-place on the freeway was occupied by a group of Chinese motorcyclists. We arrived and the cameras came out. All items on the bike were examined – bells rung, tyre pressure checked, panniers examined. I sat down and took out my sunscreen, which was ripped from my hand. What is it? Cameras pointed at me from all angles, I pulled out my phone and took a video.

Observers

Observers

The road climbed, onto ever higher plains skirting the mountains. It was here that I passed 16000km from Eindhoven.

16000km

16000km

Lunch was at the summit. A busload of Chinese tourists arrived, and it was an orgy of photos. Cameras and mobile phones abound. I posed dozens of times in front of the bike, giving the V sign or the thumbs up. I think we were the reason for the delayed departure of the bus. When we finally went for lunch, we found it had been paid for.

Day 190. 145km. Shanshan – Qijaojin

Posted: November 18, 2015 in China, Cycling
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‘What is huoche in English?’
‘Train.’ I answer.
I slam on the brakes. What is that symbol that I have seen everywhere that my Chinese app doesn’t recognize. ‘And,’ replied Achun.
Usually we speak in Chinese, and we get by. He is our spokesperson when we speak to others. We saw lots of people in the green, grape growing region. And then no-one – just cars zapping by as we passed the through rocky desolate plains.

The empty road

The empty road

I got up early to see the desert sand dunes that Shanshan is famous for. Although they look good, I really don’t like arriving, passing the tourist gate, and then the sand buggies, the camels, and the sleds that can all be hired to traverse the dunes. Achun was asleep when I left for the dunes, and asleep when I returned.

The Shanshan dunes

The Shanshan dunes

Today was always going to be a long ride. We followed the road parallel to the freeway until it fizzled out. Then it was just eating the kilometres, climbing up to 1200m before descending again to below 1000m. We’re staying in a little room in a restaurant. I’m glad I know where all these places are – lots of helpful information from a Chinese cyclist I me in Turpan.

Me and Achun

Me and Achun

Day 189. 96km. Turpan – Shanshan

Posted: November 17, 2015 in China, Cycling
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I left Turpan ready for the scorching desert without anything or anyone. Food for lunch and 11 litres of water. It didn’t seem like a desert – it was raining and quite cool, with villages, shops and people. Slowly, I navigated the fully loaded Drahtesel against the wind to above sea-level and beyond.

Mountain face

Mountain face

In Shanshan I met Achun who was also staying at my guesthouse in Turpan. He is cycling from Urumqi to Beijing with amazingly little luggage. Still, he has room for a good camera, and has taken lots of amazing photos from his bike trips around China.

In the mountains

In the mountains

Day 188. 121km. Yuergou – Turpan

Posted: November 16, 2015 in China, Cycling
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Turpan is famous for its heat, so I left early and descended the last metres to the second lowest place on the planet. I passed barren rocky plains and some saltbush plains before arriving in my backpacker’s hostel. Its great to sink into the backbacker’s environment and be amongst travellers.

The low flat plains

The low flat plains

Turpan borders on what I thought was a salt pan. I imagined cycled through landscape similar to Lake Eyre in outback Australia. It was a bit underwhelming – just flat saltbush country. Also, it wasn’t as hot as I had imagined. Uzbekistan was hotter.

Arriving in a backpacker hostel was lovely. No worries about police registration. People that speak English and understand my questions. An oasis of familiarity amongst a sea of foreignness. And I could speak with people in lots of different languages. I love that. I spoke English, German, Swedish, Spanish and Chinese. Yay!

New friends in Turpan

New friends in Turpan

Day 187. 131km. Village before turnoff to Turpan – Yuergou

Posted: November 15, 2015 in China, Cycling
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I missed a day to the rain. The village that I got to know as wet and grey I discovered was perched in a beautiful snowy mountain lined meeting of valleys. I cycled up one of these valleys and down the other side, watching the landscape transform from grassy high mountain plains to a barren flat desert.

Summit prayer flags

Summit prayer flags

When I left my little room at 3am to have a leak, I stepped outside and saw a starry sky, and a crescent moon. I smiled. The rain has gone, and the day cycling will be awesome. And it was. Three more kilometres on the crap road surface before the turn-off, and the smooth roads I have come to love in China.

My bedroom for the night

My bedroom for the night

The rainy village in the sun

The rainy village in the sun

The road was a bit rough

The road was a bit rough

Then a steady climb through the grassy yurt valley before the steep climb. I have grown used to these big climbs. I reach the end of the valley, look ahead at the ring of mountains and wonder where the road is going to go. Then I spot the road way up in some impossible place. How is the road going to get there? Well, it does. Somehow.

Yurts

Yurts

High mountain valley

High mountain valley

Top of the pass

Top of the pass

And then the descent to beat all descents. In total the road drops from 3200m to below sea level – over 200km. It drops from the rolling grassy green landscape to the hot, desolate, rocky flats. I stopped after 131km at the edge of the wide flat expanse. The crossing of that to Turpan can wait until tomorrow.

The way down

The way down

It's getting dryer

It’s getting dryer

The dry rocky mountains

The dry rocky mountains

Day 186. 107km. High Plains – Village before turnoff to Turpan

Posted: November 14, 2015 in China, Cycling
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A drop of 1500m over 50km on a smooth road, and a climb of 800m over 40km on the road from hell. The police nearly didn’t let me take the road from hell – it took me two attempts to pass the police checkpoint. I’m all ready for the last climb to over 3000m before the long roll into the below sea-level furnace called Turpan.

A bumpy road

A bumpy road

A day of contrasts. Frost on the tent at 3300m, and the midday heat having lunch at 1800m. A smooth paved road descending 1500m from the heavens, and a bumpy, rocky, sandy road, plied by big trucks ascending back into the heavens. Failure to pass the police checkpoint. I said I wanted to go to Urumqi (which is the same road to Turpan). Then success – I said I wanted to go to Turpan. (I think they know that a cyclist can handle 40km of crap roads to the turnoff to Turpan. The whole 180km on crap roads over a 4000m high pass is a bit much.. ☺)

Summit monument

Summit monument

The long descent

The long descent

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