Attachment 12678
Another shot of the scenery near Manzhouli
Attachment 12680
Attachment 12681
What I thought was a church in Manzhouli
Attachment 12694
North of Erguna
Attachment 12695
Muddy village shortly after I dropped the bike
Printable View
Attachment 12678
Another shot of the scenery near Manzhouli
Attachment 12680
Attachment 12681
What I thought was a church in Manzhouli
Attachment 12694
North of Erguna
Attachment 12695
Muddy village shortly after I dropped the bike
Cheers, the bags are still going great! Looking forward to your RR
Some more stills from the video
Attachment 12696
Wrong way down the gaosu!
Attachment 12697
Attachment 12698
Friendly mechanic in Genhe
Attachment 12699
Attachment 12700
A cyclist on the X324 heading north from Genhe
Attachment 12687
Cable ties actually did a lasting repair of the chain runner
Attachment 12688
The chain guard was a dead loss though, snapped at off the bolt
29
Left 7.45, X324 had the potential to be 400 kilometres of dirt hell and I would have taken an alternate route but thankfully it turned out to be a reasonable surface. It was pretty wavy and bouncy but I made good ground for the first 270 and the scenery was the best I’d encounter on the trip. It was also a popular route for cyclists who were braving the largest most aggressive mosquitoes I’ve ever seen in my life. As soon as I stopped to take a photo or have a drink I was immediately swarmed and bitten multiple times on any exposed skin. The last 100 kms were road under construction shite and the bike and I got pretty beaten up riding through the silver birch/pine forest. I them joined the S207 and rode through Mohe to the Russian border where I promptly did a U-turn and went back through Mohe to Jintaozhen then off S207 onto southbound nameless track (maybe called X502). It was brand new perfect concrete and I boshed out 150 kilometres in an hour and a half.
I arrived in Huzhongzhen at 7.10, 745 today, 3180total
It was a weird little town and there was a building (with English signage) for entry / exit visa into Huzhong area, no idea what that was about but kept a low profile and stayed in a proper pikey hotel for 40 quai that had communal toilets and basins but if you wanted a shower…tough.
After being questioned by a an old dude in a petrol station I had some dinner and then found some more excellent tinned goods. Even simple things like sardines in tomato sauce and pickled gurkins are a treat in China and I suspect a Russian influence at play here.
Attachment 12689
All these photos were taken by the X324
Attachment 12690
Attachment 12691
Attachment 12692
Attachment 12693
Attachment 12701
View from the X324
Attachment 12702
Check out the bugs!
Attachment 12703
The silver birch and pine forest on the X324
Attachment 12704
The X324 crossed the tracks several times - health and safety has never been my strong suit :icon10:
Attachment 12705
One of the many cyclists snapped this for me
Attachment 12706
What could possibly add to nature's natural beauty? A tastful Swiss mill of course
Attachment 12707
...and maybe a fake tree...
Attachment 12708
...with accompanying fossil....
Attachment 12709
...and nothing would be complete without a GWoC!!
Attachment 12710
As any of my friends will tell you I'm the classiest and most sophisticated English gentleman you’re ever likely to meet. Today's lunch - pour monsieur - sardines au sauce tomat, servez vous avec les deux twigs
Attachment 12711
X324 dirt
Attachment 12712
I bought this beef jerky from a petrol station on the first day and it lasted the whole trip, great snack for a bike trip
Attachment 12713
The entrance to a park about 2 kilometres south of the Russian border north of Mohe. You had to pay to get in so I turned around and headed back to Mohe
Attachment 12714
A rower South of Mohe
Attachment 12715
South of Mohe
Attachment 12716
Some mud huts that were part of a tourist trap, no idea what they were
Attachment 12717
South of Mohe
Attachment 12718
South of Mohe
Attachment 12719
Attachment 12720
Friendly mechanic in Genhe
Attachment 12721
Attachment 12722
One of the many cyclists on the X324
Attachment 12723
Russian architecture in Mohe
Attachment 12724
30
While loading up the bike I found that the exhaust bracket had snapped, probably due to me pushing too fast on the dirt yesterday, an easy fix with some wire.
Left at 6.25, decided the previous evening to go to Fuyuan, the easternmost point in China. I made such good ground that my original route would have meant reaching Harbin way too early, so to ride the Russian border by the Heilongjiang seemed the obvious choice.
Started with more great mystery road now called 501 country road, then intermittent road works on Jiamo highway AKA S207. Got low on fuel and missed the comfort blanket of the jerrycan I hadn’t filled up. Turned left at Jagdaqi, which looks like a province in itself but actually is just a prefecture. There then followed 100 kms of dirt, good enough to be in 5th gear but bad enough to be shaken to bits. Then on to Heihe, fast boring roads all the way. Nice enough scenery but nothing special, endless silver birch forest.
My phone died in Heihe, had to race through town to get on right road, just made it before power completely went. From there I just had to continue straight on the border road with the Heilongjiang on my left so it was pretty easy and I soon arrived in Xunke where some guys with some foregn bikes were parked. I did a stop and chat and they were heading up to Mohe, 3 bikes and one car in convoy. They were very surprised to hear I’d done over 800 kms that day!
Arrived Xunke 6.30, 820 kms 4000 total
100 quai hotel, very friendly boss who locked my bike up with his. Xunke itself was a nice little town with all the signs in Russian and Chinese.
Attachment 12725
Bodged exhaust bracket
Attachment 12726
You can see where it snapped
Attachment 12727
The mighty Heilongjiang - I had to climb a tree for this one
Attachment 12728
The excellent X501
Attachment 12729