Beijing to Kunming : A Commute to Work

Thanks again everyone for reading - I'm glad you guys can share the ride with me. Euphonius, that's a good question about the town I found in ruins.. it may very well have been earthquake related. At the same time - that was still before Qumalai - which was still several hundred km from Yushu - so I'm not sure. There wasn't a soul to be found in the place, otherwise I would have stopped to ask about what had happened.

Moilami - I laughed when I read your comment - towards the end, I figured out that I could ride off to the side of the road opposite the dust cloud - it saved me at least a few dust baths!

Laojiahuo, It was really something to see these basketball courts pop up - I ran into them a few times, but never managed to get into a pick up game!

Day 23 Yushu, Qinghai to Shiqu, Sichuan

In the morning I rode over to Mani Shicheng, home of over two billion hand carved prayer stones. I arrived to find pilgrims walking a kora around the temple:

http://i.imgur.com/mM33L.jpg


The stones are piled high:

http://i.imgur.com/TPR7p.jpg


And have prayers written on them:

http://i.imgur.com/vqbZ8.jpg


I walked with the pilgrims:

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


In places prayer flags are draped over the stones:

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


On the back side, a path leads into the middle:

http://i.imgur.com/JFy2X.jpg


Where another sea of stones reveals itself:

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


Along the walk, I met a photographer and reporter for National Geographic. And Euphonius, I'm sure you'll be glad to hear, the photographer complimented the Canon G12! They were in Yushu writing a story about the caterpiller fungus that is popular in the region. According to the reporter the fungus is supposed to be a medical cure all, and is worth more than gold.

Afterwards, I rode over to the Temple of Princess Wencheng. The entrance was quite a sight, the prayer flags looked like spider webs, covering every inch of the mountainside:

http://i.imgur.com/15f60.jpg


I did my best to not get caught:

http://i.imgur.com/En9u5.jpg


I rode past the temple looking for the Leba Gorge. A dirt road led into a valley and forked left and right. I guessed left and rode for awhile:

http://i.imgur.com/FMG7e.jpg


This direction didn't appear to be turning into a gorge, so I turned around and tried the other path. It had been raining and road went from dirt to mud.. and, due for a good humbling, I hit a patch of mud, a groove, and...

Down she went:

http://i.imgur.com/imwp6.jpg


I was able to pick the bike back up, but then it wouldn't start. I thought the engine might be flooded, so I waited awhile, but it still wouldn't start. It had gas and the battery wasn't dead, so I figured I might as well change the spark plug (why not?). And it still didn't start.

I began thinking I would be sleeping with the monks that night, when a little two-stroke tractor pulled around. I told the Tibetan man that the bike wouldn't start.. he turned the petcock to reserve (even though the tank was almost full), pushed the ignition, and the bike fired right up! I'll chalk that repair up to the magic touch.

Not wanting to push my luck, I turned around and hit the road for Sichuan.

And rode past some newly built houses that are clearly right in the flood plain:

http://i.imgur.com/8Y8Yg.jpg


The road followed a river out of Yushu and I continued to pass blue tents, villages that had been destroyed by the earthquake, yaks, stupas, and prayer flags:

http://i.imgur.com/1uOuv.jpg


The border with Sichuan is not far from Yushu, and, like the road into Qinghai from Gansu, this road climbed towards a snow capped mountain:

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


Each time I thought I had reached the top, the road switched back and continued to climb. And at 4700 meters, crossed into Sichuan:

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


And despite the change in province, this was still very much the plateau:

http://i.imgur.com/bp0EZ.jpg


I was closing in on Shiqu and came across this large monastery:

http://i.imgur.com/a4KWh.jpg


Which led into a Tibetan town. There were kids everywhere, and few stopped to poke and prod my bike and GPS. I pulled out my camera and they jumped to get their pictures taken. One in front of newly built houses:

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


I wouldn't mess with this little guy!

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


We played around for awhile, and I got back on the road. As I reached Shiqu I pulled into the first gas station I saw and filled up. After filling up, I was preparing to go look for a hotel, when this guy pulled up:

http://i.imgur.com/Js4Sv.jpg


I thought he looked familiar and we started talking and then Lulu pulled up. A lightbulb went off, and I asked, "Are you the 100 days guys on MyChinaMoto?" Jeremy said "Yeah" - and two worlds collided! I was dumbfounded, I had read their posts as I was preparing for my trip, and here they were - at a gas station in Shiqu, Sichuan!

I was thrilled to hear that our route was going to line up for a bit, and we made plans to ride out together the next morning. But first things first, we needed a hotel for the night.

They gased up:

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


And we rode over to the monastery next to the gas station. Young monks hard at work:

http://i.imgur.com/7pHEf.jpg


Unfortunately, it seems that monasterys are reluctant to allow women to spend the night, so we turned around and headed into the city. We found a hotel and, remarkably, a room with three beds and then went to dinner:

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


It was quite a thrill to run into these guys and hear stories from their 100 day odyssey. Not to mention have a conversation in English for the first time in memory. And little did I know the adventure these guys were going to take me on the next couple days..

Day 24: Shiqu, Sichuan to Manigangge, Sichuan

The next morning we got the bikes ready:

http://i.imgur.com/1U6RT.jpg


And after a breakfast of noodles, we headed east for Ganze. The skies looked ominous, and shortly after hitting the road it began to rain. Mud and rain would be the theme of the morning:

http://i.imgur.com/AU3KZ.jpg


But there were some moments of paved, rain-free roads:

http://i.imgur.com/3J974.jpg


Ni hao!

http://i.imgur.com/8SUdD.jpg


The rain was heavy enough at times, that Jeremy and Lulu decided to inspect the local real estate market:

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


While the bikes got a free wash:

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


I did my best to keep the camera ready just in case I had an opportunity to immortalize Jeremy falling in the mud:

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


And he did the same for me: (why ride the bike when you can walk it?)

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


After all, traction was great:

http://i.imgur.com/P10mm.jpg


Mud is fun enough to ride through on flat roads, it's even more fun to ride through on mountain passes. Here, we were just waiting for a car to skid out of control and finish us off:

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


Riding through the mess with friends definitely made it easier:

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


And when we weren't looking at the road or the sky, the landscape was spectacular:

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


And the road continued to wind through mountains:

http://i.imgur.com/2HsEa.jpg


It was getting into the late afternoon and with all the hard riding, we had worked up an appetite. We stopped at a small Tibetan restaurant to eat. Across the street was a hot spring and I watched as a three men splashed around. Then all of the sudden one jumped out of the spring... and I was horrified to learn that they were bathing in the nude! Sorry ladies, no pictures!

After lunch we got back on the road:

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


But not long after Jeremy pulled over to the side of the road. I assumed he was taking pictures and rode on past. When he didn't catch up, I turned back around to double check. I rode back to where he had stopped, and sure enough, his chain had fallen off. Lulu soon noticed we were missing and came back as well as Jeremy repaired the chain:

http://i.imgur.com/9Iv9E.jpg


He got it fixed in no time, and didn't charge me for the free lesson! We started off again and passed a Tibetan village at the base of these mountains:

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


And not long after, Jeremy pulled off to the side of the road again. His back tire had been giving him trouble and had gone flat. Usually a good pump or two gets him back on the road:

http://i.imgur.com/AC3RH.jpg


But this time the tire wasn't holding air. He broke the tools out, took off the back tire, replaced the tube, and put the tire back on the bike. At this point, the sun was starting to drop, and we set off again.

And then he pulled over again. The chain had fallen off again. The tools came out, but this time the master link was broken, the chain had fallen off inside the casing and neither of us had the right tools to get it back on. It couldn't be repaired.

To make matters worse, the sun had set, it was dark, it had started to snow, and the road was pure mud. And to top it off, we were still more than 30 km from the next city. Lulu hadn't noticed that Jeremy's bike had broken down and was up ahead.. somewhere. And, as if that wasn't enough, we had no cell phone signal.

Jeremy looked at me and said: You go ahead, I'll push the bike. I'll be fine. It should be all downhill from here.

I told him to stay on the road, we'd come back for him.

I set off in the pitch black. Ahead, in the sky, I could see truck lights weaving back and forth. There was a mountain between us and the next city.

I rode slowly, brights on, trying to navigate the mud. And then, miraculously, I saw a white, single story building. I rode up the sloped driveway into a small courtyard and saw two cars - neither big enough to carry a bike - and a dog that was barking his head off.

A teenage Chinese guy walked out. I quickly told him my friend's bike had broken down and asked if we could stay there for the night. "No problem" he said. I wanted to hug him.

I rode back to Jeremy, watching the odometer. At just 1.5 kilometers I found him, pushing his bike. His front light had dimmed significantly as the battery ran out of juice. "1.5 km" I told him. He asked if they had rope. I hadn't thought to ask, nor had I thought to leave my bags behind so I could carry his.

I turned around and rode back, our new friend took the rope off the flag pole and gave it to me, I dumped my bags, and I rode back out to Jeremy. He had pushed the bike another two hundred meters while I was gone. We transfered his bags onto my bike and he tied the rope around my luggage rack and around the front of his bike. It was too muddy to ride, and so I put my bike in first gear and we walked beside our bikes, mine towing his behind me.

It was exhausting. I hadn't had any trouble with altitude since ascending to the plateau, but this was another story. We would push, pull, and drag the bikes several hundred meters at a time and then stop, panting for air.

Finally, the white house came into view. We pulled the bikes up the driveway and into the courtyard. Our friend had started up the stove in a neighboring building and heated two cans of peanut milk for us. Exhausted we huddled around the stove and tried to figure out what to do next.

Lulu hadn't come back. The dark, the snow, the mud, the mountain. No cell phone signal.

We had to get to the next city and call her. It was late, and there were virtually no cars on the road. When we did hear the occasional car, Jeremy jumped up and ran down to the road, but the cars were inevitably going the other direction.

We asked our friend what we could do.. he said he could wake up the man who ran things there and see if he could drive us. He left to wake him up, and a short while later, he came back and said 200 RMB. No problem. We got our things ready, got in the car, and held on for dear life as he sped up the mountain, through the mud, snow, and pot holes. At no point did I think we'd survive.

As soon as we reached an area with a cell phone signal our friend turned around and told us we could call. I held my breath, pulled out my phone, and called Lulu. It rang, I gave the phone to Jeremy, and she answered. We both breathed a sigh of relief.

She was alright. She had stopped on the mountain to look back for us. She didn't see us, but the weather had already deteriorated to the point where she couldn't go back. Knowing the two of us were together, she forged on. It had taken her three hours to cross the mountain and get safely to a hotel. She couldn't get through to us, and was waiting for Jeremy to call. She had even called friends to get them to put money on Jeremy's phone (he had realized it was out of money that morning).

Our driver got us safely to Manigangge and took us to a hotel. As soon as we walked in, we saw Lulu's bike parked in the corridor. She heard us coming in and met us in the hallway where we told her about everything that had happened. And then, finally, we went to bed.

Day 25: Manigangge and bike repairs

The next day started with stops at the local hardware stores and motorcycle shops to pick up the tools needed to fix the bikes:

http://i.imgur.com/VIE6f.jpg


And a long walk to the gas station to get some spare fuel, just in case:

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


And then we sat and tried to hitch a ride back across the mountain to where we'd left the bikes:

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


Traffic was light, but we eventually found a minibus who gave us a lift back to where we had left the bikes the night before:

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


And Jeremy went back to work in the cold and snow:

http://i.imgur.com/m0l5S.jpg


He replaced the chain and got ready to pump up the tire again, but his pump had frozen, and the tube snapped in three pieces when he pulled it out. Fortunately our friend from the night before found another pump, Jeremy pumped up the tire and went to get his stuff. And a few minutes later I saw that the valve was bubbling. I went to tell Jeremy and he just laughed. The tools came back out, the tire came back off, the tube came back out, he patched the tube, and repeated the process in reverse.

And finally, we were ready to set off. Before tackling the mountain, we stopped to take a picture with our savior from the night before:

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


The road was still muddy, and mountain snowy, so we made our way up slowly, Jeremy in the lead. His back tire was definitely low, but it appeared to be holding air:

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


As I came around every corner, I was expecting to see him stopped and broken down. But we made it up to the peak without incident:

http://i.imgur.com/6ZMSz.jpg


We stopped and celebrated for a few minutes. From here, it really was all downhill. After resting for a bit, we began the descent:

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


And then coming around a corner, I saw him on the side of the road, tire flat as a pancake. And we hadn't taken the pump from the house. No problem, we thought, we'll just flag down the next car, truck, or motorcycle, borrow or buy a pump, and be on our way. We waited.. and waited.. a truck came lumbering up the mountain and we made pumping motions, but the driver, not wanting to lose momentum, kept going while yelling out "Mei you!"

It was starting to get late in the afternoon and we decided I should ride back to Manigangge, still more than 20 km away, pick up a pump, and come back. Jeremy would start pushing.

I raced back to town, bought two pumps at the shop, got gas, dumped my bags at the hotel, and started racing back towards the mountain. I was thinking about us getting caught in the dark again and wondering how it was all going work out.

I had ridden a good 10 kilometers back when an oncoming truck started honking at me - which isn't particularly unusual - and as I passed by, I heard a "PAT!!" - I looked over and saw this caged animal!

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


The feeling of elation I felt at that moment is hard to describe. And it was only topped only by riding behind the truck and watching heads turn and people laugh as they watched Caged Jeremy ride by (on his way to the zoo?).. later Jeremy told me he was waving to everyone as they rode by.

The truck brought us back to town and we unloaded at a repair shop:

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


The perfect truck at the perfect time:

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


A new tube for him, an oil change for me, and we were back at the hotel (this time in the 15 RMB room, instead of the 80) and then off to a hard earned dinner.

Incredible stuff, can't get enough of this thread. :clap:

Looking at these beautiful pictures one does not imagine the perils (like these) riders face. It's great everyone came out safe and sound.

Amazing trip. This is what a motorcycle touring all about. Very appreciated for your taking us along.

Wondering though how much longer Pat can keep up his clean, radiant, beard-free appearance? Everyday seems like his first day of the trip.
http://i.imgur.com/Js4Sv.jpg

Amazing stuff and lucky you three run into each other at such a point...

Well done, see you in Kunming.

caged animal!
haha,Jeremy had a new name now,I called him hero mama

so nice to read our stories

where r u now?r u back to us?

This just keeps getting better. Posting at 2.30 am?

It's really difficult to find words to describe what you're going through.

Awesome survival of the hardship! I can only wonder how the man could look so happy after and during all that! Seems he is natural born adventure rider :clap:

We are all indebted to you for the effort you are putting into writing this report. Maxithanks Pat, what an entertaining thread!

Lulu, Jeremy and Pat, the three of you are fucking troopers!

What? Is it already finished? No triumphal grand entrance into Kunming?? Did I miss a post?

Every picture seems to tell a story, yet also begs more questions.

Like this one, for instance:

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

Lulu seems to be staging a boycott: "I've had just about enough of you guys' bright ideas...."

Plenty of fans hoping for more!

:popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn:
:popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn:
:popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn:

You didn't miss anything Euphonius - I've been working on the posts and I'll try to get this thread wrapped up this week!

Day 26: Manigangge to Litang

I was hoping to make Litang the next day, roughly 350 km away, and so we parted ways in the morning. I tried to sneak out of the room without waking Jeremy and Lulu, but the last thing I heard before closing the door was Lulu say: "Jeremy, Get up!"

This part of Sichuan is still largely Tibetan and actually has trees! This road could have come straight from Beijing - white painted trees lining the street:

http://i.imgur.com/iP6ut.jpg


Behind which sat a Tibetan village and a mountside full of prayer flags:

http://i.imgur.com/2ZGuf.jpg


Before long I hit Ganze:

http://i.imgur.com/z0gua.jpg


I rode through valleys, past Tibetan villages, and into a field where the flowers were blooming:

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


And then turned south towards the mountains:

http://i.imgur.com/nalh6.jpg


Things started easily enough as the road followed a small river:

http://i.imgur.com/2qs4l.jpg


And past waterfalls that were spinning prayer wheels:

http://i.imgur.com/Mm46B.jpg


And villages that depended upon farming as opposed to herding:

http://i.imgur.com/4DZRU.jpg


As usual, the roads were shared:

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


And after crossing this bridge, the road took a turn for the worse:

http://i.imgur.com/LanZ9.jpg


And then I ran into this animal.. a not so rare and not so endangered species on Chinese roads:

http://i.imgur.com/bVFX8.jpg


As well as its cousin:

http://i.imgur.com/KFF3g.jpg


I had heard rumors that 50 km out from Litang the road was under construction. The rumors were false.. it started 80 km out. When I rode up to the first backhoe I came across, the worker told me it'd be two hours before I could pass! I protested, he consulted with the backhoe operator, and they agreed to let me go through - as long as I crossed their little pile of rocks by myself. A fair deal.

From that point on, I cringed every time I saw this sign ("Construction ahead"):

http://i.imgur.com/sse53.jpg


And spent kilometer after kilometer navigating mud, picking paths around backhoes, and riding over piles of rocks, hoping I could cover 80 km in the four hours before the sun set.

At one point these three little guys, who clearly aren't afraid of heights, waved me down and practiced their English ("HALLO!!"):

http://i.imgur.com/66ufW.jpg


The road was bad, but it went through a beautiful valley. After days and days on the plateau, I wasn't used to seeing trees like this:

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


The road climbed through alpine forests, and coming around a turn I spotted a tent village:

http://i.imgur.com/1Tpxc.jpg


Riding through, I stopped and a crowd immediately surrounded the bike:

http://i.imgur.com/RY2cl.jpg


I pulled out the camera and they took turns getting their pictures taken:

http://i.imgur.com/ZoN8k.jpg


This young fellow *did not* try to give me the flowers after this picture:

http://i.imgur.com/U6PcT.jpg


And of course flashed the peace sign (what else are you supposed to do with your hands in a picture?):

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


We took pictures for awhile and then I continued on. Shortly after, I hit the peak:

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


And started back down into a valley that reminded me that I was, in fact, still on the plateau. There were storm clouds in the distance and, starting to get close to Litang, I tried to speed up as best I could. And then I turned a corner and saw this:

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


I stopped for awhile, futilely searched for the pot of gold, and then rode on under the rainbow. And then turning another corner and saw this:

http://i.imgur.com/6RI3l.jpg


I could see both ends of the rainbow - and still, zero pots of gold!

http://i.imgur.com/znf95.jpg


And to make things even better, for the first time in a long time, I saw pavement!

http://i.imgur.com/4SphW.jpg


But it was the Chinese road gods playing with my emotions as I made the turn and...

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


At this point, I was less than 20 km out from Litang and didn't care. The road crossed one more mountain:

http://i.imgur.com/8jlbC.jpg


And then descended into Litang.. where I called it a day.. the last of my 300+ kilometer days.

Day 27: Litang, Sichuan to Xiangcheng, Sichuan

After fighting through mud, dirt, rocks, and construction the previous day, I braced myself for another hard day of riding. The plan was to continue on the S217 for another 200 km due south to Xiangcheng.

On the way out of town, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the road was actually paved, and as it turned out, was in pretty good shape throughout the day. After the adventures of the previous few days, the day went remarkably smoothly.

Just outside of town, the road wound up out of the valley above Litang:

http://i.imgur.com/6jM75.jpg


It passed through a number of Tibetan villages and then turned towards the mountains:

http://i.imgur.com/x498t.jpg


Riding into the mountains, the road began following a small, rocky stream:

http://i.imgur.com/Tb1QL.jpg


And then ascended to this peak at close to 4700 meters:

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


The road continued ascending and descending mountains:

http://i.imgur.com/n0Fp6.jpg


Continued to switch back and forth:

http://i.imgur.com/0ka95.jpg


Until it hit a rock-strewn plateau:

http://i.imgur.com/FQ7Sx.jpg


Surrounded by mountains:

http://i.imgur.com/5gsG7.jpg


The road continued to wind through the rocks:

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


And then descended into a valley:

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


And past another entry into the "Vehicles of China" category:

http://i.imgur.com/05xAu.jpg


The area continued to be heavily Tibetan, with prayer flags strewn across the road:

http://i.imgur.com/Ruoz6.jpg


And script carved into mountains:

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


It ascended to another peak at 4700:

http://i.imgur.com/mFxy9.jpg


And then reached Maxiong Gorge:

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


The road clung to the mountainside:

http://i.imgur.com/Nkk4z.jpg


And even featured a guard rail!

http://i.imgur.com/jCI0y.jpg


After passing through the gorge, the road passed through a mountainside forest:

http://i.imgur.com/2qYG3.jpg


And a Tibetan farming village:

http://i.imgur.com/f2jXA.jpg


As the road approached Xiangcheng, it passed a "Natural Environment Improvement" project of some sort:

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


Seems like they're building a dam:

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

Oh wait, they're protecting the fish! ["The finst key position for fishes proteetion of xiangcheng power station"]

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


And finally reached Xiangcheng, perched up on a mountainside:

http://i.imgur.com/2TKWl.jpg


It was still relatively early, so I parked the bike at the hotel, tried, unsuccessfully to find somewhere to get online, and wandered up above to city to look back down into the valley:

http://i.imgur.com/Gs5nw.jpg

This would be last city before I'd begin the "vacation" part of the ride, as I'd head for the "mythical" Shangrila the next day.

Simply awesome Pat.

Cereal, coffee & Pat's updated ride report - a great way to start a day.

Inspirational.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Pat

This part of Sichuan is still largely Tibetan and actually has trees! This road could have come straight from Beijing - white painted trees lining the street:

---

Great ride Pat! I've been silently reading from the beginning and enjoying each passing day....
I have to say there was something quite eerie about your thread, then I remembered your comment about a scene in Gansu with "parts looking like the moon"....with photos like this one below.

But now you're in conditions and altitude that allow for trees. I can almost breathe again, so I can't imagine how you must have felt to come back in touch with this kind of nature. Amazing that so many people can live in such harsh conditions of Gansu, Qinghai, Tibet and other regions.

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

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Pat

And of course flashed the peace sign (what else are you supposed to do with your hands in a picture?):

---

In China this isn't the peace sign but the sign for Victory (解放 1949!) :swords:

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

Hey MotoKai - glad you've been reading.. it is amazing to see people living in such harsh conditions and to see how great a contrast there is in China - from the people to the geography to the lifestyles.. even within the same provinces and ethnic groups.

Day 28: Xiangcheng, Sichuan to Shangrila, Yunnan

This day was going to be a momentous day for my bike, we were going to celebrate her 10,000th kilometer. In preparation for the big day and remembering (for the first time in weeks) Lao Jia Huo's words of wisdom to keep the bike clean, I found a car wash to give the bike a long overdue shower:

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


After a thorough cleaning (and spraying my pants and boots down too), I plugged "Shangrila" into the GPS and saw that the ride into Yunnan was going to be fun:

http://i.imgur.com/DDrd2.jpg


The road wound up and down along a stream before passing above a Tibetan village and wheat fields:

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


I had heard that the road into Yunnan was dirt, but I was happy to start on a beautiful, paved, guard railed road to start the day:

http://i.imgur.com/RxCb5.jpg


But the dirt road arrived soon enough as I approached the mountain pass from Sichuan into Yunnan:

http://i.imgur.com/ov34W.jpg


The dirt road wound up, down, and around the mountains:

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


Beep, beep:

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


And featured the occasional truck induced dust storm:

http://i.imgur.com/M5fTX.jpg


And then passed this incredible mountain range:

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


I kept a close eye on the odometer as we approached its 10,000th kilometer, and as it rolled over from 9999.9 to 10,000 I pulled over to celebrate:

http://i.imgur.com/bY1Uv.jpg


No better place to celebrate:

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


After giving the bike a good rest, I hopped back on and began the descent. The dirt road actually hadn't been bad and was, for the most part, relatively smooth. But on the descent, I rode past construct crews "fixing" the road by covering it in rocks. The ride down was a lot bumpier than on the way up:

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


And after roughly fifty to sixty kilometers of dirt and rocks, I finally hit pavement again:

http://i.imgur.com/ux3B8.jpg


I stopped for lunch and checked out their solar power water heater:

http://i.imgur.com/e3wjp.jpg


After lunch I got back on the road. Somewhere along the mountain pass, I had crossed into Yunnan, though the area continued to be largely Tibetan:

http://i.imgur.com/JHHO5.jpg


Now in a more forested area, the road passed another mountain range:

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


And another peak marked by prayer flags:

http://i.imgur.com/08oeS.jpg


The road felt brand new, as smooth as any road I could remember riding on. And yet, parts were already caving in:

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


Enough to break one's heart:

http://i.imgur.com/53eye.jpg


The road then wound down a forested mountain:

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


And past a farm that reminded me of the wild west:

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


Starting to close in on Shangrila, I stopped to rest in the shade for a bit:

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


And then finished the ride into Shangrila. I rode into the old town, remarkably similar to (i.e. copied from) Lijiang's old town.. which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Cobblestone streets, restaurants, bars, coffee shops - it looked like an ideal place to just sit for a day or two. So sit I did. I found a great little Inn that let me ride the bike right into the courtyard:

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


And spent the next two days doing.... nothing!

Day 31: The Final Day: Shangrila, Yunnan to Lijiang, Yunnan

If I could use one word to describe Shangrila it would be: comfortable. Three meals a day, a warm bed, a shower, Internet, coffee... I even ate fruit at one point! It was great.

My hosts at the inn told me it wasn't uncommon to have people plan to come for a couple days and end up staying weeks. I could see why.

But, I was running out of time. I had a bit of a hard deadline on the trip, and the adventures of Qinghai and Sichuan had used up more time that I had originally planned.

I had wanted to reach Kunming, but was down to three days and didn't have anywhere to put the bike in Kunming (I needed to return to Beijing before starting work in mid-July). I had some friends in Lijiang, and decided that if I could find a place to stick the bike, I'd run out the clock there.

So that morning I set course for Lijiang and hit the road. On the way out of Shangrila, I finally saw a Yak that wasn't just hanging out in a field eating grass, but actually earning its keep!

http://i.imgur.com/3R746.jpg


And then rode past this... oddly placed restroom: [one way to fertilize the fields]

http://i.imgur.com/eR0Ao.jpg


The road out of Shangrila was in almost too good of shape. I worried that I'd cover the ground by lunch and the trip would be over. But fortunately, I hit a fork, the road deteriorated, and I knew I was going to get to enjoy one last China Road.

After turning off, the road passed through a few villages and a number of these wood structures (any idea what they're for?). It seemed each house had one:

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


And rode past another training ground for the Yao Mings of tomorrow:

http://i.imgur.com/wLB9Q.jpg


And then hit another traffic jam:

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


And then a river!

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


Back in Sichuan, Jeremy and Lulu had shown me video of Jeremy riding through a river. Jeremy asked if I had had to cross any rivers.. and I disappointedly said "no." Now I had the chance, although to be honest, this was more of a stream.. a flow of water.. what Jeremy and Lulu crossed was actually a river (waiting for the pictures!).

I rolled through the trickle of water without incident and the road looped back out to the main road and started following a real river. I had visited Tiger Leaping Gorge the year before, and I started to get a serious case of deja vu:

http://i.imgur.com/qOuV1.jpg


Sure enough, the road wound out into the town that marks the trailhead of the TLG hike. Hungry, I stopped for my umpteenth lunch of Xihongshi Chao Jidan (Tomatoes and Fried Egg). This was just a warm up for the feast I was planning for that evening:

http://i.imgur.com/VrLD6.jpg


After lunch, I turned away from the gorge and followed the Yangtze towards Lijiang:

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


The road crossed over the river and began to cross the final mountain range before Lijiang. The architecture shifted to a more classical Chinese style:

http://i.imgur.com/Ln0ex.jpg


At times it felt like I was riding through the rooftops:

http://i.imgur.com/MIo0X.jpg


I was looking forward to my evening feast - but this wasn't it!

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


I confirmed that these weren't pets, that he had caught them himself, and that their market value was 80 kuai each (a little more than $10). Not sure if that's a bargain or not, but either way, I decided to save my apetite and continued on.

The road wound up and then back down the mountain and into Lijiang. I hadn't seen him since Ningxia, so my first stop was to visit the Chairman, and make sure he was still keeping an eye on things:

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


And then I rode up to the Old City of Lijiang. Finished!

http://i.imgur.com/gk6Ta.jpg


I parked the bike and promptly spend the next hour and a half wandering around the maze-like Old City trying to find the inn I had stayed in with a friend last year. On the verge of giving up, I finally stumbled across it and got a room (40 kuai).

I needed to get my luggage to the hotel, and since motorcycles aren't allowed into the Old City, I found this Naxi man, one of the many ethnic minorities in Yunnan, who agreed to give me a hand with my luggage:

http://i.imgur.com/Z8PxN.jpg


I had been assured by multiple people that the parking garage next to the old city is safe and so after moving my luggage, I went back out and found the parking attendant to ask about leaving the bike for a month. She told me old bikes are 7 kuai per day, nicer bikes are 10. Thoroughly happy with either price, I thought I'd try bargaining a bit anyway, and asked if she could give me a discount. She looked around and then told me to come back in an hour after coworker got off work, and she'd let me park for free! This ranks as perhaps the first time I haven't been ripped off in a negotiable situation in China. That is, assuming my bike is still there when I go back in July.

Time for a rest!

http://i.imgur.com/L8Dx3.jpg


Having found a place for my body to rest and a place for my bike to rest, I was feeling pretty good, and I set out for the long awaited feast.. a meal I had been looking forward to since some time in Inner Mongolia.. it was time to visit the Colonel!

Oh KFC, how I've missed you so:

http://i.imgur.com/Aj0OR.jpg


And like that, it was over. At least for now. I spent the next two days haunting Lijiang's restaurants and coffee shops and trying, with mixed success, to stave off withdrawal.

So at this moment, the bike is still in Lijiang, two days from Kunming, and I'm tentatively planning to head back in mid-July to ride the last couple legs...

but the last thing I heard before closing the door was Lulu say: "Jeremy, Get up!"

did u heard he said,shut up?
haha

Back in Sichuan, Jeremy and Lulu had shown me video of Jeremy riding through a river. Jeremy asked if I had had to cross any rivers.. and I disappointedly said "no."

sometimes,i was waiting for Jeremy passed 1st,and i will saw him disspeared into the water....em in fact,his moto and bags
so i cant help laughting

he will be angry
could u do someting except laungt
but u know,i cant stop

it happens sometimes,lovely lovely jeremy

oh i forgot to tell u ,there r 2 couchsurfer in lijiang,they all had a big big yard.....and they r all from usa

be4 i plan to go to lugu lake to spent this summer,but i have to visit dentist everyweek.................woo

after yunnan,will u have plan to go to se aisa or india by moto?

well pat that was great. sorry its over. Fair play tyou for all the effort you put into it. I hope I can do the same on my upcoming trip and repay in kind. I will also be on the qingqi but I will have ms. clegg to stand in for the photos to shake it up a bit

Yo Pat!!!! The power of my house is restored!! and finally I got the internet working again!!! So it sounds like you'll be back to Beijing soon? Give me a call when you do man,I can't wait to see you and listen to your trip story in person!!!XD

Hi great guy,I suggest you should write a book about this trip,it's amazing,it's one of my dream to have a motor adventure like you've done.

awesome, fantastic and great adventure and pictures!

What a trip. Wish I were 20 years younger, I would have gone with you ........