Kunming to Beijing - catching a 5.30am flight out of China, Sep-14th

Ni hao MCMer's,
I only have one long trip under my belt, Kunming -> Chengdu -> Kunming [2010] so I thought it fitting asking advice this time and planning way ahead before instead of doing what I did last time; I left home at 2pm and 3 hours later I was still getting lost in the north suburbs. No map, my Androird gps app proved useless(my fault not enough testing before hand). What I'm trying to say is I made it, but only because I was very very lucky, I'm trying to get things right this time.

Right, onto planning, err, hoping at this stage.

1. Primary goal is to go to Beijing to Catch my flight. I'll have to send my luggage by train. Also, I have to find a safe place to leave the bike for about 9 months. So I should be in Beijing a day or two before.
2. I have to cross some border on August 27th or before(visa issue). I would like it to be somewhere near Nujiang, but seems there's no border crossing there. So Ruili it is. Anyone know of a nearer border? I'm not planning on traveling, just getting that exit stamp.

I'm still far from being a China expert, so not sure if I'm picking good spots to pass through, but here's a rough sketch so far. >> Gmap link

http://hotimg23.fotki.com/a/123_86/2...itRoute482.png
noob questions:

1) google maps says if I avoid highways this whole trip is 5031 km .. is this all doable if I leave KM on Aug 23rd?

2) can you suggest a better route, points of interest?

3) Anyone know of good printed maps of the area?

I'll update this when things are clearer in my head..

p.s. this is totally inspired by Pat's trip..

Any advice appreciated,
Thanks.

Looks like an awesome trip! I'm glad you linked back to that earlier road report, I missed it the first time around.. although I remember Lao Jia Huo telling me the story about you walking into that "hotel" and asking to eat! Great stuff.

Any progress on your planning? It looks like your departure date is fast approaching!

A back of the envelope calculation looks like you've got roughly 21 days to go 5000 km.. which is about 240 km/day. That's pretty doable - and if you bump your average up to 300 km/day - it'd take roughly 17 days... giving you some spare days for rest/maintenance, etc.

What are your thoughts on the route through central Sichuan? I swung through western Sichuan (Xiangcheng, Litang, etc.) - which was all pretty spectacular - and predominately Tibetan areas.. although I'm sure you can't go wrong with the route as you've got it planned.

When you get up into Gansu, a little detour over to Xiahe is definitely worthwhile to see the monastery there.. it's a fascinating little place. It looks like you get close to Zhongwei in Ningxia as well - Zhongwei is a nice little town to spend the night in if it lines up. And then the desert in Inner Mongolia is really close, as is Shapotou - where the Yellow River passes through the desert.

As far as maps go - you can probably find an atlas that has maps for all of China. The ones I've seen cover all the G and S roads and a fair number of the smaller roads as well.. I found the atlas was a great combination with the GPS as the GPS was remarkably hard to use to just browse and looks at roads.

Hope this helps!

Thanks Pat, I really appreciate your input. You calculations are correct, on my bike I should be able to average 240 per day. For maps, I'm afraid anything I'll get will be out of date as roads change to quickly here, but I supposed it's better than nothing, considering I won't always have Gmaps handy.

As for preparations, I've got all the tools I need now. Also got a mini-shovel and working gloves in case this happens (thanks for the inspiration MotoKai )::

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5193/...bd4d5528_z.jpg

Still not sure about the route though, that's still in progress..

This is my dream trip, the perfect exit. But I'm really worried the bike might let me down on the way. I've had it for 18 months now. Have one long (2600km) trip on her, and a total of 12,000 km. But honestly it has never let failed me. Only once, the shitty battery died but I just used the kick starter and went on. It's slow, true, but it never died. But the real test is coming up, lets see how it will hold up this time.

Anyone knows what sort of weather extremes I might encounter? The bike survived extreme water downpours .. but I don't know about extreme temperatures yet.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by slabo

As for preparations, I've got all the tools I need now. Also got a mini-shovel and working gloves in case this happens (thanks for the inspiration MotoKai)

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No problem. I can't help you with tracks, as I haven't done this part of China yet, but I can lend you my toolbox if needed.
Please PM me if interested:
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6123/...1cccf43a_z.jpg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MotoKai

No problem. I can't help you with tracks, as I haven't done this part of China yet, but I can lend you my toolbox if needed.
Please PM me if interested:
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6123/...1cccf43a_z.jpg

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hahaha .. gardening in the wild ? err, wait this is part of your toolkit. I can see the set of screwdriver heads on the side :naughty:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MotoKai

No problem. I can't help you with tracks, as I haven't done this part of China yet, but I can lend you my toolbox if needed.
Please PM me if interested:
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6123/...1cccf43a_z.jpg

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Definitely "Don't leave home without it" tools!

Updates: I'll be changing my visa so no more the border crossing. I would really like to see do the Nujiang valley, but not this time. Here's an updated route, thanks Andre..

http://hotimg23.fotki.com/a/123_86/1_2/toBiejing.png

Gmaps link

Kunming -> Dali -> Lijiang -> Dali -> Litang -> Lanzhou -> Ordos -> Hohot -> Beijing

I just remembered that I've never been to +4000m altitude. Anyone knows of any good altitude sickness pills to be bought in China? 6 days to go .. I should be getting some sleep, but I'm so excited..

"Viagra" (万艾可) :lol8: | Acetazolamide (乙酰唑胺) is prescription drug which can easily obtain via Doc in hopstial that had eye dept.
Can you tune the carb by urself for those altitude onroad ? IF can't bring a spare (shitty brand is enough) tuned is safer bet.
Also try to meet up "long haul" biker for "tips" in Kunming ASAP via motorfans.com.cn.

Thanks HB,
yes, Viagra will treat altitude sickness, but with unwanted side effects if riding a motorcycle.. do we have an emoticon for riding with a hard-on ? :lol:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by slabo

do we have an emoticon for riding with a hard-on ? :lol:

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Yes: :wheelchair:

:wheelchair::wheelchair:
riding with viagra .. err... now I can't get that image out of my mind.

But most probably I won't need any pills, one way to beat altitude sickness is gradual ascend instead of flying somewhere. Which is exactly what I'll be doing.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by humanbeing

Can you tune the carb by urself for those altitude onroad ? IF can't bring a spare (shitty brand is enough) tuned is safer bet.
Also try to meet up "long haul" biker for "tips" in Kunming ASAP via motorfans.com.cn.

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Thanks HB, I didn't forget I'll be passing high altitudes, but didn't cross my mind to get an extra carb .. I'll be at +4000m for about 500km ..

I'm not sure what size needle, pilots, mains... I'm confused. Can you also write the Chinese equivalent please.. A good mechanic should know, but I'd appreciate your input also.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by slabo

I'm not sure what size needle, pilots, mains... I'm confused. Can you also write the Chinese equivalent please.. A good mechanic should know, but I'd appreciate your input also.

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Just told for (上高原用) high altitude use . smaller jet/ as Lean as possible when buying new parts in Kunming or visit ANY mechanic in 3000+ m that already knows the quick trick: placing copper wire(s) in jet :mwink:

I'm screwed .. Started noticing the bike is slipping from 2nd to neutral quiet often. After some time trying to explain my problem, and after insisting he opens the left side cover, all the time he keeps insisting .. no problem here, no problem... we finally understand each other .. actually he needs to open the right side to check.
I call him a wrench monkey, but he's the best I could find around Kunming. If I don't trust him, who else can I trust around here. I wanted to change the engine when I come back to Beijing next year. .. oh well.. I should get the bike back tomorrow, but I'm not sure they'll get everything right from day1 on a job like this. For good measure, I asked them to change the bearings as well, I'm starting to feel the rear end wobble slightly at speeds +60km/h

Screwed .. I don't know how many washers and nuts will turn out to be extras .. mei wenti .. mei wentii ...

Thanks to these guys that I called wrench monkeys, the bike is running strong upto now. No problems that I could think of. The main light bulb burnt out first night, even though I just changed it a week before I left Kunming. I suppose it's because of the good wash they gave it after they rebuilt the engine.

I have to put in a good word for these guys. Over two days, they rebuilt the engine, changed the faulty 2nd gear, cleaned the carburetor(i'm surprised it was that clean) serviced the bearing in the rear wheel, I was feeling a bit of a wobble at high speed, cleaned the chain, gave the bike a good clean, looked brand new for the first 50km after that ..

Really, I can't find enough words to thank these guys. Car mechanics work on a piece of equipment that you use passively, while you listen to music, drink coffee, or whatever it is people do while driving to take their mind of the boredom of being stuck in traffic. Motorcycle mechanics are a different breed. They have to put up with a fussy bunch like us, and we're all fussy and passionate about our bikes. You go them to tell them how you 'feel' on the bike, as opposed to a car to the service station for an oil change or calling them when you break down. Well these guys put up with me for a whole 6 hours while they worked on the bike, asking questinos and poking around..

On the other hand, if my engine explodes and burns me in the saddle, you know how to avenge me.

Right now in Zhongdian, or recently renamed Shangrilla. I'm suffering a acute altitude sickness.. i keep forgetting what I'm doing.. where are my keys, oh, right, in my hands ..
I can't stay long here.. have to get going. Here's a teaser for you>>

http://i.imgur.com/BHiN2.jpg

Dear Slabo,

Thanks for the update! Fantastic you've already reached Zhongdian! Did you connect with Kevin Skalsky there? He runs Turtle Mountain Gear.

So happy to know you put some work into the bike before leaving on such an ambitious ride. Does the engine feel better, apart from the 2nd gear no longer slipping? Better power? Did you use a bore kit for a bit more displacement and ooomph?

Thanks for the picture. Great strategy for not losing your sleeping bag (again) -- lash it to your handlebars! Sweet!

Really admire your gumption to make this really long ride as your first long ride, and impressed that you already have surmounted some mighty high mountains. Take it easy with the altitude sickness. Lots of water, don't over-exert.

Stay in touch!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by euphonius

Dear Slabo,

Thanks for the update! Fantastic you've already reached Zhongdian! Did you connect with Kevin Skalsky there? He runs Turtle Mountain Gear.

So happy to know you put some work into the bike before leaving on such an ambitious ride. Does the engine feel better, apart from the 2nd gear no longer slipping? Better power? Did you use a bore kit for a bit more displacement and ooomph?

Thanks for the picture. Great strategy for not losing your sleeping bag (again) -- lash it to your handlebars! Sweet!

Really admire your gumption to make this really long ride as your first long ride, and impressed that you already have surmounted some mighty high mountains. Take it easy with the altitude sickness. Lots of water, don't over-exert.

Stay in touch!

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The photo above is taken off a cliff on the way to tiger leaping gorge. I have more pics but can't upload thru gprs. I didn't go all the way, as I thought just passing through a place like this is not enough, especially since it was almost dark. Again, i wish I took andre's advice. Well, the sign cheated me into thinking it's just a 20km ride.. but that was to the entrance only..
I'll be writing reminders and tidbit updates in this thread when I have a proper internet connection I'll start proper RR..

In Lijiang I had to send back the toolkit back to Kunming. It only weighed ~3kg but the weight was concentrated at one point and it was givign me trouble keeping the bike balanced. Also not stable with the kickstand. I dropped the bike on my leg two nights ago as I was looking around Lijiang for a place to sleep. I wish I took Andre's advice and stayed out of that town, just a waste of time getting there and out.. maybe it would be more interesting if I didn't roll in at 10pm.

I had no idea about Kevin Skalsky. Where is this Turtle mountain gear? I could sure use a local's help now. I lost a day around Zhongdian, figuring out how to get in and then finding a motorcycle mechanic and getting out. I wish I knew someone here to help me out, but I now I'm fine. Fixed the carburetor and the bike runs just as well as it did in Kunming. Simple fix like Humanbeing said, they put a piece of thin copper wire, as thin as a thread, into the whatchamacallit part of the carb. Bike feels great! Finished with the mechanic at 6.30, it was raining, spent 30 minutes putting on my full rain gear only to ride in the opposite direction of the storm! Anyway, the day is lost and I'm about 40km out of Zhongdian, but I think I have to double back as I'm on the wrong road going north-west instead of north-east..
As for navigation, I couldn't find a proper GPS device in Kunming, and I didn't spend enough time looking. With my phone I can only check where I am, but cannot get navigation directions. For some reason, my android device is missing google maps! Oruxmaps is iffy because I can't figure out what levels to download and ... it hurts to think about all of that.. I'm find once I get out of towns, then the ride of 100~200 km to the next checkpoint is too easy.. actually most of the time there's only one road between these towns, so not easy to get lost. If only I could figure out how to get in and out..

I think I'm a bit north of point A.. arrrggg http://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=Ch...sz=8&via=1&z=8

Glad to hear the bike is holding up - all that work in Kunming is paying off. And glad you're looking at that northern route - the road up to Litang is spectacular. Sorry to hear you're suffering a bit of altitude sickness - be safe, stay hydrated and breathe deep!

I wanted to add a quick story from before you left:

The day before he left for the trip (or, what ended up being two days before, as Slabo scrambed to get ready), we rode out to a nearby market to stock up on gear. It was a shop he'd been to several times before, and everyone in the shop knew him. After sorting through their stuff, he decided on a helmet, jacket, leg guards, plastic rain covers for his boots, a bungee and an antenna (normally used to fly a flag - he planned to use it to try his clothes in the wind after washing).

When it was time to pay, the shopkeeper brought out the calculator and punched in a number. To open the negotiations, Slabo told her "I buy a lot of stuff here, give me a better price!" The shopkeeper was stubborn and wouldn't budge on the price: this was already their best price, they couldn't go any cheaper.

Unfazed, Slabo proceeded to go *behind* the counter, get on their computer, and look up prices on Taobao! He even made the shopkeeper read the model number of the helmet and jacket to him so he could look them up! The shopkeeper had no idea what to make of it. As he searched Taobao, he told me "You can't talk to them too much, it's useless. Just give them the price and that's it." He found the items, showed the shopkeeper, and proceeded to write down what he was willing to pay for each item. They went back and forth a bit, and he finally got his price. :clap:

I'm quite sure the shopkeepers there had never seen anything like it - I certainly hadn't!

About the navigation maybe this helps. What I did after trying to get offline maps on my phone and failing was to just take pictures with my phone off google maps from the internet in hotels. Big picks for the easy turning points and zoomed in ones for the bigger towns I would be staying in. This along with my phones gps worked fine. Did get lost a bit here and there but not too bad. I also had a complete driving map book of China which didnt help me in the least. Tried to use it once or twice but gave up because I couldnt find roads in it.

Good luck anyways man

keep it comming slabo! two more weeks :dirtbike: till Beijing!

sorry folks .. only made it up to Ma Er Kang, Sichuan. That's about 2000km. Passed I don't know how many ~4700m mountain passes, did some tough roads, slept under a sky of stars near a temple, battled trucks and tractors, and busted my shoulder last night.

Long story short, battery died, put a new one, not charging and at 10pm last night while trying to get out of this whoring town to find a camping spot, the lights died and I slipped into a ditch, bounced onto my left shoulder and elbow. Had full armor on, so nothing broken just a strained tendon somewhere near my shoulder blade. No swelling and I have movement, but it hurts.

But to fix the bike again, lost too many days and probably will get more trouble but I don't have time, 2500km to go and I'm not sure I can rely on the bike to perform. I have to ride to Chengdu now. Was niec while it lasted, but ...

After another chat with the local mechanic in Barkam, seems alternator busted. He quoted me 160rmb to replace the alternator and put the engine back together. That would be the second time this engine is opened, in 14,000km! Worthless piece of junk that can cruise at 70km/h in perfect conditions. Well I don't want to fix anything on it. I was hoping this would be my last ride and I could find good mechanics in BJ to put a new engine in...

For now, it's running fine with the kickstart, but no lights, and no horn! I hope there won't be any dark tunnels on the way to Chengdu. I can't make it in time to Beijing, so I'll have to leave it in Chengdu. Shoulder hurts but still no swelling, so nothing broken I hope.

Hang in there Slabo. Sounds like a "character building" ride! Did the mechanic give you some idea of how far you could ride with the bike in this condition? If the alternator/stator is really toast, it won't be sending power to your ignition system.

With a bung shoulder and a bung bike, you should at least be keeping your eyes peeled for a truck heading to Chengdu. No shame in throwing in the towel. I can think of many, many worse outcomes. At least your ride finished in some of the world's highest mountains. Mine ended (almost exactly a year ago), as I followed a friend and his girlfriend on their Shineray on an ill-fated ride across urban Kunming, in the dark and in the rain, to dine at a mushroom restaurant!

Keep snapping pix and relish the moment. Once you are back in Beirut, surrounded by people with endless stories about snipers and car bombings, you'll be the exotic one with astonishing tales about your abortive ride to Beijing over the shoulder of the Himalayas!

Chin up, Naim.

Naim - really sorry to hear of your misfortune. I was looking forward to storing your bike in Beijing (cleared a nice spot for you). BTW, the courier called and your stuff is on the way to my place - should be here soon. So, no worries there.

I agree with Euphonius - find a truck to get to Chengdu. I think your bike might be running on its very last electrical legs. And you definitely aren't in proper riding condition, buddy. Take our advice - get a truck.

The good news is you will soon be back in Beirut/Mechref - truly a magical & beautiful place. I'm envious.

Just rolled into to Chengdu last night at 7. Bike is parked safely underground, and not the main catalyst of a bonfire as some of you suggested. Thanks everyone for your support, especially phone and coffee meeting' support. I couldn't have made it so far without you.

Congratulations on getting into Chengdu safely, Slabo. It was a fantastic adventure any way you slice it. Now you've got 10 days to catch your flight. You heading back to Kunming or straight to Beijing?

Oh, and will you have a bike in Lebanon? Would hate to see your growing skills go all fallow.

cheers!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by euphonius

Congratulations on getting into Chengdu safely, Slabo. It was a fantastic adventure any way you slice it. Now you've got 10 days to catch your flight. You heading back to Kunming or straight to Beijing?

Oh, and will you have a bike in Lebanon? Would hate to see your growing skills go all fallow.

cheers!

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I don't know where I'm going yet, have to meet some people in Chengdu first.

As for the question that's burning me most... I think it will be da mafan to get a bike bike home. Register and then customizing the bike only to use for a less than a year, not the best way to spend money, or time, instead of what I should be doing down there..
A motorcycle is one of those things that's never really ready to use out of the box. And then there's all the accessories and gear.. da mafan to carry all that shit back home. .. jeeze im only gone for 9months .. 9 months without a bike:uhoh::uhoh::uhoh:

Well you just never know what you might find. Just any bike for getting around would be better than none.

Alas, I just checked craigslist.org for beirut and there's not a single bike listed!!