Motorcycle adventures

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Category: Tibet

China 2

Go back to the first part of the trip through China.

Lhasa to Gyangtse (265 km)

After riding for 10 days without a break it certainly was nice with a rest day in Lhasa, and today people, including me, were ready for another day on the road. To get out of Lhasa took the usual crazy manoeuvres but we did it without mishaps. As we have traveled we’ve seen a lot of engineering projects being done or that has been completed. Amazing concrete pillars for the construction of new high speed railways over deep valleys, or bridges for the road. I didn’t manage to photograph some of the more impressive ones but here is a nice looking bridge we passed early in the day.

Bride over the river at Lhasa.

Bride over the river at Lhasa.

The road was in good condition and we rode by some scenic lakes before starting the climb to higher elevations reaching 4800 m later in the day.

Mountains and water look nice on a sunny day.

Mountains and water look nice on a sunny day.

Reflecting lake by the road.

Reflecting lake by the road.

Surrounded by dark looking mountains.

Surrounded by dark looking mountains.

Glacier.

Glacier.

Sheep and rocks.

Sheep and rocks.

Impressive rock formations.

Impressive rock formations.

Interesting geology. Looks like sandstone brechsia?

Interesting geology. Looks like sandstone brechsia?

Close to the glacier.

Close to the glacier.

Beautiful lake nestled in between the mountains at around 4500 m.

Beautiful lake nestled in between the mountains at around 4500 m.

After a very scenic day of riding we reached the destination around 5.30 and were to meet for a walk to the local fortress but I did my own thing staying at the hotel and having a nice meal of onion soup and spaghetti bolognese. Back to my room I worked on this missive. As we travel further west and north daylight lasts longer and today it got dark a bit after 9.

Gyangtse to Tingri (320 km)

We saw Everest for the first time today! However, it was far in the distance.

Mount Everest in the far distance.

Mount Everest in the far distance.

Otherwise the ride was similar to yesterday’s one, a little bit longer, but only one high pass which was at 5200 m which is higher than the Mt Everest base camp where we are going tomorrow.

Snow by the roadside.

Snow by the roadside.

Cereal or grass fields at a high altitude.

Cereal or grass fields at a high altitude.

Interesting gathering of colourful indians. Some of them were riding their horses up and down a stretch.

Interesting gathering of colourful indians. Some of them were riding their horses up and down a stretch.

May 22, 2019  Tingri to Everest base camp (90km)

We are getting close to Everest! Tingri is a small town by any standards of 500 people and tiny by Chinese standards. It’s basically a town with a hotel or two and a petrol station… At the hotel we met up with another biker tour group that started the ride in Kathmandu and were also going to Everest base camp today. They were all riding Royal Enfield bikes and they claimed they were good for the riding they had done.

Back to Everest – we had an easy ride crossing one mountain pass at 5200m with amazing views of 5 peaks above 8000m. The 20km road up to the pass was made up of beautiful switchbacks on nice smooth road surface – pure joy on a motorcycle!

5 peaks above 5000m. The photo does not give justice to the amazing view.

5 peaks above 8000m. The photo does not give justice to the amazing view.

Interesting geologic layering.

Interesting geologic layering.

Mount Everest in all it's glory.

Mount Everest in all it’s glory.

Tonight we’re sleeping at a guest house close to the base camp, there is no heating so I’m afraid it’s going to get cold with a biting wind and sub zero temperatures.

Everest base camp to  Xigaze (320 km)

We started the day very early and got up at 6 for breakfast at 6.30 and bus transport from the lodgings to the place where the bikes were stored.  In previous years you were allowed to ride the motorcycle all the way, but now, because of environmental concerns, you have to take the electric bus.  By 8 we were down by the bikes and made sure they would start since the temperature had been sub-zero during the night and we had to scrape some frost off the seats.  Also scrambling to change into riding gear, that was stored in the service van during the night.

Mount Everest just before sunrise.

Mount Everest just before sunrise.

Well, we finally got away without incident and started riding in the cold morning – brrr… Today we would ride the same way we came – in the other direction.  We again rode the amazing switch-back road, it must be one of the best roads in the world for a motorcycle.  It’s close to 40 km going up and then coming down.

Race track or mountain road?

Race track or mountain road? The road leading to the Tibetan Everest base camp.

It's not easy to get trees to grow at an altitude above 4500m.

It’s not easy to get trees to grow at an altitude above 4500m.

Maybe not so easy to image this with seismic?

Maybe not so easy to image this with seismic?

Desolate. Very inhospitable in winter.

Desolate. Very inhospitable in winter.

We reached the hotel in Xigaze early – for a change around 4.30 and had time for a snooze before diner.

 

Xigaze rest day

Some people went to the famous and large local monastery, some worked on their bikes and I took it easy working on the blog to keep it to date.  Anyway, it was very nice with a rest day before starting the last 2500km to Khasgar.

May 25, 2019  Xigaze to Saga (400km)

Before setting off we took farewell of 3 people in the group, they were going back to Lhasa to catch a flight either home or other vacation destinations. It was the third time we rode the first 150 km of today’s route and the rest was on the G219 that will lead us to northern Tibet and Khashgar.  The ride went without  problems although there were stretches with big pot holes that we had to navigate carefully. As  we got closer to Saga the wind got much stronger and you had to ride at a lean angle to go straight.

Saga to Bagaxiang (490 km)

Nice views for the entire ride of the Tibetan landscape.  It’s incredible grand with new mountains showing up all the time .  The road was in general  in good condition.  One problem was that there was a distance of around 250km between  petrol stations and some of the bikes could not handle that distance, the strong wind making the fuel consumption go up as well.

Map showing route from Lhasa to Everest base camp, back to Xigaze and onwards to Bagaxiang.

Map showing route from Lhasa to Everest base camp, back to Xigaze and onwards to Bagaxiang.

The vastness of the Tibetan high plateau can only be experienced by being there...

The vastness of the Tibetan high plateau can only be experienced by being there…

This is close to 5000m elevation and it was cold.

This is close to 5000m elevation and it was cold.

At the highest point of every pass there is colourful bunting.

At the highest point of every pass there is colourful bunting.

Golden bull and a black tiger.

Golden bull and a black tiger.

Ice on the water.

Ice on the water.

And it was cold! In the morning below freezing and at noon below 4C.  Luckily I have electrically heated pants and jacket to help me keep warm but it’s still chilly.

Mountain on the Chinese side - still the Himalayas.

Mountain on the Chinese side – still the Himalayas.

Bagaxiang to Tsaparang (540 km)

This was to be a day of true adventure! The ride was supposed to be a short one but me and Andy pulled out in front, got into a good rhythm and followed the main road, we had a great time without thoughts of if we were going the right way.  After 170 km we stopped at a check point and sat down to wait for the rest of the group to arrive.  We waited and waited… Finally I messaged Jah, the tour leader.  He informed me we missed a turn off and were far away from where we should be and he had sent Mike to “retrieve” us.  Mike arrived but the problem was we were out of fuel and to get to the petrol station we had to cross the check point.

We approached the police officers who turned out to be very nice (they even offered us a can of Red Bull) and after showing scans of our passports (the passports were carried by the Tibetan guide) and after various discussions we were let through to find fuel.  Then we had to go back for 250 kms to find our nightly stop.  After 130 km we turned off onto the X705 road that led us through some very scenic areas.  The last part went through an area of clay-rock that displayed various colours and were amazingly beautiful.

Amazing views along X705 road.

Amazing views along X705 road.

Clay rock formations flanked by sno covered mountains - beautiful!

Clay rock formations flanked by snow covered mountains – beautiful!

 

Tsaparang rest day

A beautiful day with glorious sunshine and blue skies, and at 3700 m much lower than the usual 4500 m so the outside temperature was higher.  Some people went to look at some local site but I decided to stay at the hotel and relax – it’s so nice not being on the bike for a full day!

May 29, 2019  Tsaparang to Rutog (330 km)

We backtracked the 250 km we went wrong two days before. Since we were leaving Tibet and  entering into a new province, Xinjiang, there was a long holdup before we could continue the last 120km to our hotel in Rutog.  The hotel was not nice, no heating and in a rather dilapidated state, however, with electrically heated blankets it was still possible to keep warm. It got to -5 C during the night because the altitude was still large at around 3600m.

Filling up 12 motorcycles with petrol always takes time since the rules requires the use of a 2-stage process where first a can is filled and this is used to fill the bike. SOmetimes, we were allowed to push the bikes to the pump and fill.

Filling up 12 motorcycles with petrol always takes time since the rules requires the use of a 2-stage process where first a can is filled and this is used to fill the bike. SOmetimes, we were allowed to push the bikes to the pump and fill.

Always beautiful scenery in the mountains of Tibet.

Always beautiful scenery in the mountains of Tibet.

 

Rutog to Da Hong Liu Tan (580 km)

A long day on the road involving riding but also stops at check points which were starting to take even longer time. There was 370 km between petrol stations and we had to fill spare tanks with fuel for some of the bikes that did not have the required range using their “built in” tanks.  We all made it so someone had made the right calculations.

India on the other side of the lake.

India on the other side of the lake.

Colorful bunting in many places. Nice or an eye sore?

Colorful bunting in many places. Nice or an eye sore?

 

We arrived at the hotel town which turned out to be more of a military town late and was subjected to a thorough investigation to make sure we were the same person as shown in the passport.  This took a considerable amount of time and, of course, we had to take it with a smile.  So late in the evening we were finally in the hotel which turned out to be the worst on of the trip.  There were no showers and heating and the toilets were broken.  At night it got to several degrees below zero so the rooms got chilly during the night. 

May 31, 2019  Da Hong Liu Tan to Kashgar (600 km)

This is the last leg of the trip through China and the longest day, both in terms of kilometers and hours.  We started at 6 am while it was still dark and the first few hours were extremely cold – some people reported their bike thermometer as saying -8 C.   We climbed to an elevation of 5000 m when the sun had just come up with the views from the top of the pass being  fantastic.  The road was really rutted with big pot-holes in places and, although some people love these conditions, I feel with my motorcycle for all the hard hits it takes when hitting the pot holes… As it turned out I had hit one so badly that the front wheel rim was badly bent, luckily, not so bad that the air leaked out.

View from the 5000 m pass early in the morning.

View from the 5000 m pass early in the morning.

The road leading up to the pass. It was in a bad state of repair.

The road leading up to the pass. It was in a bad state of repair.

Camels in China? Oh yes! I was told the people here come from eastern Turkey originally and they brought camels.

Camels in China? Oh yes! I was told the people here come from eastern Turkey originally and they brought camels.

 

After many stops for petrol and security check points we arrived in Kasgar at the hotel around 10.30, pm, any later and it would have been  dark.  We had ridden for 16.5 hours!

Kashgar rest days

There was a lot of work to be carried out on our bikes including oil and filter changes as well as other repairs.  My front rim was miraculously bent back to it’s original shape without problems – I was really pleased to see that it could be done so well!  We were originally planning to stay for 2 days but because the required work on the bikes could not be completed in that time we are staying for an additional day.

Kashgar, or Kashi, as it’s also known, has a history stretching back to 200 BC and with a current population of 500,000 it has served as a trading post and strategically important city on the silk road between China, the middle east and Europe.  It’s modern day layout is pleasant with wide avenues lined with trees – so different from our travels through Tibet which showed very little greenery and was more dessert like.  Kashgar is at an altitude of 1200 m and is nice and warm with daytime temperatures in the 30’s.  So nice after the freezing temperatures we;ve seen the last few weeks.

The old bazaar.

The old bazaar.

Lots and lots of electric mopeds going at pretty high speed in their designated lanes.

Lots and lots of electric mopeds going at pretty high speed in their designated lanes. It’s an efficient and pollution free way of transport.

Tree lined wide avenues. In the middle the car lanes, to the side of that the moped lanes and at the edges the pedestrian lanes.

Since leaving Singapore I have ridden 10301 km in one month.  The first 3000  km from Singapore to the Boten China border were easy with good roads and took no more than 5 days in the saddle.  The 7000 km in China has been hard work with the first 10 days without a break.   We’ve had more breaks since then but we did 7000 km in around 21 days on, at times, bad roads and 15-20 mountain passes.  The Tibetan scenery has been breath taking – no doubt about that!  However, somewhat sterile and very brown.  

The RideChina company with Jah, it’s leader, did a brilliant job of putting together the trip and organizing hotels etc.  The hard schedule could very well be because of the Chinese authorities putting a lot of restrictions on what they would accept.  The group was not very disciplined with people disappearing for some time but Jah never let that affect his temper but remained calm throughout.  I don’t think I could have in the same situation. 

 

Boten to Lhasa

Boten to Jinghong (261km)

We left a bit after 7 to get to the border with China at the opening time at 8.  After getting out of Laos we were met at the Chinese border by the organizer, Jah.  After an hour or two of border formalities we were in China! We stopped for a lovely lunch before continuing to the next city to finalize the formalities allowing us to drive our bikes in the country. This involves getting a Chinese driving license and having the bikes inspected.

The formalities were finished around 2 or 3 in the afternoon and we got on the highway to Jinghong, the goal for the day.  The highway is new and beautifully constructed but at one point it was closed and we had to get off it and ride the old road which was very twisty so should be fun on a bike, however, with a lot of big trucks going very slowly and difficult to overtake it was pretty hard work.  After 60km of the old road we were back on the highway and were soon in Jinghong.

Our intrepid leaders

Our intrepid leaders

Boten China border

Boten China border

It had been a long day and I was very tired by the end of it.

Jinghong to Kunming (530 km)

We stayed in a nice hotel and were offered a very nice spread for breakfast.  The idea was to start at 8 and we were probably on the road about that time.

Morning preparations and chats before setting off

Morning preparations and chats before setting off

Getting in and out of the Chinese cities is not easy and luckily our guide knows his way around.  The traffic seems very chaotic, much more so than other Asian countries where I’ve been riding and it seems like a minor miracle that people do not get hurt.

We stopped for lunch at the halfway point and, unfortunately, one of the guys lost his phone and after reviewing CCTV footage it turned out that someone nicked it and he had taken off, but they knew the culprits car registration.  Wonder what will happen to him?

Discussions with the police reagarding the missing phpne

Discussions with the police reagarding the missing phpne

So after a lengthy delay we were on our ways again.  The highway is beautiful ly constructed as it cuts its way through the very hilly country.  There are a large number of viaducts and tunnels with sweeping turns in between – it’s a very nice road to navigate on a motorcycle.  Along the way there were other, very, impressive constructions with huge viaducts being built.  

We stop every so often to drink water and stretch our legs.

Water stop

Water stop

We arrived at the Kunming hotel around 6.30 where we met additional adventurers joining the group.

Kunming to Linjiang (500km)

Another group of 5 people joined us so we are all together 14 bikes.  This took some time to organize and then one guy had a scare thinking he’d lost his passport delaying us by close to an hour.  He re-traced his walk to and fro the bank and finally figured out h’ed put it in a hidden pocket in his jacket.  Without passport would probably mean aborting the trip plus having a lot of problems getting out of the country.  So everyone drew a sigh of relief once it was found.   

All this meant we didn’t get on the road until after 11 and we had a long way to go.  On the way we we’re stopped at a roadblock because of an accident further along the road and it was quite a gathering of people with the locals wanting pictures of the bikers, a bit like we were from another planet.  After half an hour the policeman let us go so we had the entire road to ourselves for quite some time.  When we reached the accident it was a relatively small one and I can’t understand why the whole road was blocked for that.

Road block gathering

Road block gathering

We arrived in the beautiful town of Linjiang after 6 some time and stayed in the old part of town which a a pedestrian precinct with cobblestone streets and old buildings – very nice!  However, since we were so late there was no time to explore the town and I was very tired so after dinner I went back to the hotel and bed.

Linjian old town

Linjian old town

Our hotel - very nice!

Our hotel – very nice!

Linjiang to Shangri La (270 km)

Today was the first day we’d traverse a mountain pass and on the way admire the Tiger Leaping Gorge. After the first stop there was a bit of a problem and some guys, including me, got lost.  It took some time to gather the group back together again and then we set off for the Gorge.  It’s pretty amazing scenery with tall mountains surrounding it.

The Yangtze river in all it's might flows at the bottom of the gorge.

The Yangtze river in all it’s might flows at the bottom of the gorge.

The leaping tiger.

The leaping tiger.

After admiring the gorge we had some nice twisty roads for 150 km reaching an elevation of 3800 m.  The temperature also dropped to 10C and it felt pretty cold after the days of extremely hot riding conditions.

Shangri La to Guibading (190 km)

Today was a fairly short ride so we set off from Shangri La a bit later.  On the way we stopped at a monastery and listen in on the service for a while.  The buildings are set nicely on the mountain side.

By the entrance to the inner court yard of the monastery

By the entrance to the inner court yard of the monastery

Monks out in the courtyard after (or in between) services.

Monks out in the courtyard after (or in between) services.

Rather than following the new main road which goes by a tunnel through the mountain we took the old road which goes over the pass at close to 4300m.  The road is not well maintained so there were several places of dirt-road and stream crossings as well as rock-fall for most of the way.  Some of the stretches were pretty rough so I got to practice my off-road riding skills which is nice and I’m getting more confident when not having full control of where the bike is going.

The lads having a laugh at the peak of today's ride.

The lads having a laugh at the peak of today’s ride.

We’re now at the foothills of the Himalayas and tonight we’re staying at an elevation of around 3500 m and I can see the snow covered mountains from my hotel window.

Guibading to Zogang and into Tibet (380 km) Total distance 5164 km

We had an early start – this was going to be a long day. Some of the people in the group love roads that are not so good and today they were very happy. The road quality leaves a lot to be desired with a lot of gravel and ruts.  We traversed two high passes with the 2nd one being above 5000m. It was getting late in the afternoon by the time we got there and it was rather cold so we quickly descended and reached the hotel at seven.  It was indeed a long day.

Filling up the tank in Tibet

Filling up the tank in Tibet

The pace is rather relentless with long days in the saddle, late dinners and early mornings.  It is starting to not feel like a vacation but a grueling test of stamina.  I did not have this in mind when I signed up :-(.  The original itinerary included more rest days and some shorter riding days.  However, I think there will be more rest days once we get to Lhasa.

Zogang to Ranwo (180 km)

We had our first puncture today!  The wheel had an inner tube and to replace this the wheel had to come off and since the service van had a tire we fit both a new tire and inner tube.  This took at least an hour but we had stopped at a sunny meadow with yaks eating of the grass.  Quite serene really.  

Puncture repair

Puncture repair

Once done we continued to lunch and then climbed up to above 4000 m.  Beautiful scenery for most of the day.

 

Ranwo to Bayi (360 km)

This was another long day and I had no energy to update these pages and now a few days later I have a hard time remembering what went on during this ride…  However, there was some nice mountainous scenery with wooded passages.

Bayi to Lhasa (400 km) Total distance 6255 km

A nice ride on undulating roads with good asphalt.  Along the road we see a lot of Tibetan pilgrims on the way to the holy city of Lhasa.  Many of them cycle, some walk while the most arduous walk a few steps (the length of their body) then lie and kiss the ground before repeating the process.  There was risk of rain at one point and we stopped to don rain gear but it turned out to be false alarm since very little rain actually came down.

Morning sun on mountain lake

Morning sun on mountain lake

Snow covered mountain all around

Snow covered mountain all around

There are yaks everywhere along the road and you must be prepared to stop at any time.

There are yaks everywhere along the road and you must be prepared to stop at any time.

Highest point on today's ride at 4900 m.

Highest point on today’s ride at 4900 m.

Since entering China in Mohan we first went due north until we reached the kink and since then pretty much due west.  The map shows the route through China so far.

So we’re now due north of Bhutan and tomorrow we’ll continue our westward journey towards Mount Everest base camp.  Since entering China I have traveled 3200 km which is more than half the total distance through the country.  Lhasa is around 29 degrees north while the endpoint of London is at 51 degrees which means I’ve come more than half way north from SIngapore.

Lhasa 

Today is a day off the bike and we spent several hours at the Potala palace.  From wikipedia:

“The Potala Palace  in LhasaTibet Autonomous RegionChina was the residence of the Dalai Lama until the 14th Dalai Lama fled to India during the 1959 Chinese invasion. It is now a museum and World Heritage Site.”

The palace is huge covering an area of 400×300 m.

Part of tapestry as we entered into the palace.

Part of tapestry as we entered into the palace.

Lhasa is surrounded by mountains and the views from the palace is spectacular.

Lhasa is surrounded by mountains and the views from the palace is spectacular.

Court yard at the top of the palace before entering the inside.

Court yard at the top of the palace before entering the inside.

Go to the legs of China after Lhasa

Singapore to London

I’m planning to ride my motorcycle from Singapore to Europe starting April/May this year, 2019. I will go through Malaysia, Thailand and Laos before joining a group ride through western China. After a month in China riding through Tibet I will enter Kirghistan. Then into Kazakhstan and further towards Europe.

 

This will be a long trip and there’s lot’s of stuff to prepare.  I will be going through many countries and visa requirements will vary from country to country.  There are also preparations to do for the bike.

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Singapore to Laos

The first part of the trip was easy with no visas or other paperwork needed and went from Singapore through Malaysia, Thailand and Laos.

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Laos to Lhasa, Tibet

We rode 3200 km to Lhasa through amazing and scenic landscapes gradually ascending to an elevation of around 4000m.

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Lhasa to Kashgar

The highlight of this stretch was undoubtedly Mount Everest base camp but there were many other exciting sights as well.

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Silk Road

 

 

Once out of China the real adventure starts!  Kirghistan starts off as a bit of a bad dream, but Uzbekistan through Samarkand is amazing while the route through Kazakhstan is more of a transport stretch.  

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Astrakhan, Volgograd, Moscow and onward to London

Russia turned out to be a lot nicer than it’s reputation and I particularly enjoyed Volgograd.  Of course, Moscow was amazing and I got to see the famous buildings we often see on the news.  After a ferry across the Baltic I spent some time in Sweden before going to London and the end of my adventure.

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