Greets China Riders!

Hi all, nice to be here....

Just wanted to introduce myself because I see there is a wealth of personalities, backgrounds and knowledge in regards to riding in China on this site that I'm ready to explore ...and the Middle Kingdom via two wheels.

My name is Christine from the US (but grew up part time in Asia, mom is Chinese, dad is American and I speak Mandarin); have been riding over twelve years and my present bike is a Honda CBR600rr. Currently, I am living in Singapore for two months but have plans with another lady, Szu-Ting (http://www.littlepo.com) to ride across mainland China. So far, our route is South to Northwest...but more on that later as there is much-needed info we need before we can even hit the ignition switch.

We are in the process of converting our Hong Kong drivers/motorcycle licenses into ones for mainland China. Location-wise, it will most likely be easiest to do this somewhere in the southeast near Hong Kong - Shenzhen probably. I spoke to someone today in China (a service that makes the process go more smoothly...like a tour guide through China's DMV) and he told me that after obtaining a China driver's license, the applicant has to wait one year before applying for a China motorcycle license. Is this true? It made my heart drop.

Hopefully someone has information on how I can put my heart back in my chest.

If some of you all have experience in switching over licenses, we would be grateful to know what exactly is needed.

ALSO, any leads on sturdy bikes in the southern parts of China, ones that will be our reliable steeds as we undertake this month-long journey would be wonderful; something capable of rugged terrain, rain, fast enough to escape the police, etc (kidding ;).....as I am not sure what to expect with the road just yet.

Bike photos below. Szu-Ting has some to come...she is just learning to ride but picks everything up very quickly!

Thanks kindly and more questions from us to follow I'm sure. :)

Ride safe,
Christine

http://rockriprollgirl.com/home/wp-c...69163_3679.jpg
Riding around Oregon and back to Nevada

http://rockriprollgirl.com/home/wp-c...1583f78bd0.jpg
My present bike. Very happy with Honda.

http://rockriprollgirl.com/home/wp-c...55456_3500.jpg
Old bike, Honda CBR600 F4i

http://rockriprollgirl.com/home/wp-c...2a99be46f0.jpg

http://rockriprollgirl.com/home/wp-c..._8206289_n.jpg
Favorite terrain...mountains and desert

http://www.td.gov.hk/en/publications...ex_id_161.html
If had HK d/l & ID card, just follow this guide & DiY http://www.uwants.com/viewthread.php?tid=7450501
If don't had HK ID card, u need "other" ways...s

Welcome Christine, stand back and take a deep breath as a load of blokes here will jump in and offer you all sorts of assistance. You will need a towel to wipe up the drool but that is just the way they are, nice, friendly, dribbling sort of fellas. HumanBeing has posted a good way to get the d/l sorted if my google translation worked (lots of fruit involved). You speak Mandarin so the original will make sense ot you I guess.
to get an idea of what is current for different purposes, please have a look at ChinaV's threads:
(start at post #88 or thereabouts for the newest machine) http://www.mychinamoto.com/forums/sh...ll=1#post20232
http://www.mychinamoto.com/forums/sh...V-s-Galaxy-250!
http://www.mychinamoto.com/forums/sh...-%28YG250-6%29

and pfaelzer's famous thread on the JH600 is well worth an hour or two -
http://www.mychinamoto.com/forums/sh...light=pfaelzer

Hi Christine, I think I saw you over on ADVRider before? Welcome to My China Moto :riding:

I sent you a PM with some questions.

The rest of the members should be along shortly, they tend to get awfully excited when females make a post here. :rolleyes1:

Cheers!
ChinaV

"Favorite terrain...mountains and desert "

Should like Xinjiang then. Big Mountains, Big Deserts.

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Originally Posted by jape

Welcome Christine, stand back and take a deep breath as a load of blokes here will jump in and offer you all sorts of assistance.

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Thanks a ton for the responses and the assistance already! I'll definitely have a look at the link....I initially didn't spend too much time on here as I've been making phone calls but now that I'm getting settled in and have been led quickly in the right direction, I'm sure I'll gain plenty of knowledge. Really grateful to get handy tips from all you experienced mainland riders...this site is an awesome resource.

Will have a looksee at the links and get back if there are any questions.
OH! And the extent of my Mandarin sadly does not include reading....I am shamefully illiterate (basic stuff=OK).

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Originally Posted by bigdamo

"Favorite terrain...mountains and desert "

Should like Xinjiang then. Big Mountains, Big Deserts.

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YES. I am very excited because we're actually expecting to ride through to Ürümqi.....just my type of riding. I'm so curious as to the fuel stops and whether there are many along the routes?

When you get the time, read some of the ride reports that head that way and in to the sticks in other areas. There is a wealth of information and you can PM the posters for details. From the reports, every village has someone or other selling fuel from bottles if there isn't any gas station. I guess they all have to get about somehow so there would be a fair system set-up however informal. When i come over for my trips later in the year, i shall head off with very little planning. I look forward to the many surprises I shall get!

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Originally Posted by MeowZeDong

YES. I am very excited because we're actually expecting to ride through to Ürümqi.....just my type of riding. I'm so curious as to the fuel stops and whether there are many along the routes?

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In my experience there are plenty of petrol stations except for the desert.I think the only good thing about Urumqi is the road out.Good mountains and deserts around Hami.

Thanks a lot jape and bigdamo. I'll certainly read up on this and keep these points in mind!

As for riding through Shenzhen.. forget it, you'll probably have to get your bike transported through the S.E.Z in a 小面包 or on a truck, you'll be okay to start your adventure somewhere outside the gate (bao'an, longhua, buji, etc).

Hi China Riders,

my name is Szu-ting and I'm the other rider who will be with Christine on this trip. First of all, thank you all for all your help. Christine has passed on much information and I'm overwhelmed by all the hospitality here!

Let me introduce myself a bit, I'm from Taiwan so I use a Taiwanese Compatriot permit to enter China. So it seems the drivers license situation is a little bit different for me than to Christine. I have to admit that it's a bit frustrating to sort drivers license out. But it seems that it might not that impossible as we thought. It seems that the consensus I have learned is that you need some sort of residence visa to prove that you have a residence in China and then you can exchange your foreign driver license to Chinese one. In Shenzhen and Shanghai, people can get a temporary residence proof from the hotel and then police office.
http://www.hudong.com/wiki/临时居住证

I found this document online, it's a bit dated but it looks useful.
a DIY guide to change your foreigner driver license to Chinese drivers license in Shenzhen,
http://www.dianping.com/group/gourmet/topic/842069

and the official DMV of Shenzhen actually verifies the process described above.
http://www.dianping.com/group/gourmet/topic/842069
read the documents No 18 and 19 for foreigners to get a temporary drivers license and a permanent one.

The problem is that it seems that it's very time-consuming. :(

Also all the info I found is a bit dated. those are in 2009, so things might have changed in China...

I was just reading all the messages Christine passed to me from PM or emails she got from riders here. Just can't say enough "thank you!"

You rock!!

Hi Christine and Szu-ting. What you want to do is very dependent on the time you want to spend in China, and where you want to go. The rules seem to state that you need to be a resident to get a license although there are always exceptions, my hanzi level is not great, as is my patience with government legal language, so you guys might be able to find a way of doing things we don't know. Last time we checked temporary licenses were mostly for car rentals.

Some people express a wish to ride motorcycles in China, and seem to get very insulted when we tell them that it might be hard to do it on their bike or a chosen favorite bike that isn't available here. Sometimes making do with a new legal 250cc made in china bike is a good choice. Seems like a massive let-down if you are used to a missile like a CBR600F4i, but given the road conditions they can be cost effective and fun.

I have my own opinions on what is legally/illegally acceptable behavior in rural (not minority/military area or vastly populated city) China. PM my if you want to know what I think, as I wouldn't openly suggest anyone break the law.

Hi ZMC888,
thank you so much for the reply. Chinese is my native language but just like you I don't like bureaucracy and I had experience dealing with Chinese government officials because I led service projects for American high school to rural areas. it was not that fun. but anyway... that's not the point there. I'm going to call some contacts that I got from some Taiwanese business men and see whether it'll be easy to get a license. But if it's too time-consuming or not cost efficient, then screw it. If I learn more info from my contacts, I'll come back and share.

I'm not that picky about bikes. I'm in fact not quite a rider yet. I know how to ride scooters and I did a motorcycle tour in Taiwan (125cc). so I'm going to take private lessons from my riders friends in the States. I just want to ride something that'll run. Christine and I are determined to finish the goal we set our minds to, but we are also quite flexible. Telling us that it's difficult is not insulting but we want to learn the reasons! But telling us it's impossible will be an insult. I'm happy to learn that people here are very realistic and pragmatic!

We want to ride in May and we want to focus on the western part of China. I started an adventure travel company in the States (well, yes I'm working really hard to get the words out) but my mind is set to wilderness. as I have some friends in western parts of Sichuan I also want to visit them during my ride. We haven't had our complete route quite planned yet. the rough idea is to ride from Yunnan, then Sichuan, Qinghai, Xinjiang etc. I have been to some places hiking or touring but I haven't visited Qinghai yet, and I really want to go.

We won't go to Tibet because I don't like the current regulations. I heard about rider post office cars to Tibet but riding seem to be too high profile to enter Tibet.

I think legal or illegal behavior is hard to define, as in China, I think it's very easy to break rules...what I learned is working with locals (regular people) is usually best.

ZMC888, again, thank you for give us your insight! Love to learn about your standard of "legal" behaviors.

Hallo Ladies,

I would suggest starting west and skipping the east if you are short on time and/or want to avoid lots of diesel fumez.

Xinjiang, Qinghai and T-bet will all offer you plenty-o mountains and deserts. Difference being, Qinghai and T-bet are high altitude deserts. All are worth seeing but planning a single route to see it all is difficult. Xinjiang is an easier rider with much better roads, but the local culture is a little less "familiar" with women riders. T-betans, though, just like to have fun and can set up tents faster than you can sneeze.

Food wise, XJ will give you more western-familiar falvors while the foods in TB tend to be rather bland (but you will survive).

There's something to get from every region and you could easily spend a year wandering around Western China alone. You will probably never take so many pictures as you will in this trip.

Also, if you're going to be in the States in April, I would suggest stopping by the Overland Expo near Amado, Arizona. Adventure Moto will be there as well as having a buncha overland adventurers, classes and panels. reminds me, I should announce this in a different section...

Paz,
CC

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Originally Posted by CrazyCarl

Hallo Ladies,

I would suggest starting west and skipping the east if you are short on time and/or want to avoid lots of diesel fumez.

Xinjiang, Qinghai and T-bet will all offer you plenty-o mountains and deserts. Difference being, Qinghai and T-bet are high altitude deserts. All are worth seeing but planning a single route to see it all is difficult. Xinjiang is an easier rider with much better roads, but the local culture is a little less "familiar" with women riders. T-betans, though, just like to have fun and can set up tents faster than you can sneeze.

Food wise, XJ will give you more western-familiar falvors while the foods in TB tend to be rather bland (but you will survive).

There's something to get from every region and you could easily spend a year wandering around Western China alone. You will probably never take so many pictures as you will in this trip.

Also, if you're going to be in the States in April, I would suggest stopping by the Overland Expo near Amado, Arizona. Adventure Moto will be there as well as having a buncha overland adventurers, classes and panels. reminds me, I should announce this in a different section...

Paz,
CC

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Can't say I agree with this quote " local culture is a little less "familiar" with women riders in Xinjiang"

I would say Hong Zhu is widely known in the Xinjiang motorcycle culture having organized many a motorcycle event and tour.I think she has introduced many women to motorcycle riding in Xinjiang and the locals have seen her riding her bike across Xinjiang(all be it very quickly).

Oh and she is the president of the local motorcycle club(depending on whether you listen to her or her husband.I listen to her.)

Don't know about the "Food wise, XJ will give you more western-familiar flavors"

Probably if you have alot Muslim food back home but it is all good nothing better than having some good Kebabs and beer outside at night in summer.Hot pot in winter.

I was able to get a car license and motorcycle license the same day in Nanjing. A lot depends on where you get the license. Rules are not consistent from province to province, much less city to city.
The biggest issue I found in Nanjing was the visa type. In Nanjing the visa type has to be good for continuous stays "OVER" 90 days. That means a work visa or in relative's visa here. With that and a local address, (I successfully used the Fraser Suites which is basically an extended stay hotel) you can get a drivers license in Nanjing. With a USA motorcycle license, I only had to take the written part of the test and then have the USA license "officially" translated and chopped. (Be sure they add both the Car and the Motorcycle to the translation as my first translation overlooked the motorcycle part. I then hired an officially sanctioned "translator" to help me take the written test. Best 300RMB spent in 7 years of living in China :deal:. Took the eye test and license was sent to my apartment within a couple of days. My wife is local Chinese so that helped tremendously. Your ability to speak could assist but you might not want to let them know you can so you can use the officially sanctioned translator. Your call.

I have a Jialing JH600 and recommend it as I am simply too big and fat for smaller bikes. There are of course all kinds of smaller displacement bikes that are recommended here. Just take a look in the forum.

Good luck and let us know if you come thru Nanjing.

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Originally Posted by TexasAggie

With a USA motorcycle license, I only had to take the written part of the test and then have the USA license "officially" translated and chopped. (Be sure they add both the Car and the Motorcycle to the translation as my first translation overlooked the motorcycle part.

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Throwing in my two fen worth, this procedure for getting a local version of a valid foreign car/motorbike license is identical here in Shanghai, so presumably there is something of a national standard at work here. Not that every location will follow it. But if you see what MCM expats who were not so fortunate as to arrive in China with a valid foreign bike license are being forced to go through, you'll really want to push for this treatment if you can find the right visa/residence permit to qualify. I would not want to have to undertake the whole rider's training sequence in China, and I marvel at the patience of those who are doing or have done so.

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I have a Jialing JH600 and recommend it as I am simply too big and fat for smaller bikes. There are of course all kinds of smaller displacement bikes that are recommended here. Just take a look in the forum.

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I second Aggie's endorsement of the JH600, but you gals with your hardbody rock climber's "form factors" should have no problem making do with smaller displacement bikes, and probably would have more fun on a smaller bike than on a big 200kg thumper like the Jialing. Search our archives for the "punishment tour" and you'll marvel at what ChinaV, Felix and Daniel did with their little fleet of 250cc Galaxies. Please avoid emulating ChinaV's handling of that one curve, however.

Also agree with those suggesting your time might best be spent avoiding southeastern/eastern China. Kunming is a good jumping off point, as you'll be into the mountains in no time, with the great expanses of Qinghai, Xinjiang, Gansu and Inner Mongolia awaiting you to the northwest. You could either obtain your bikes there in KM, or have them shipped there from wherever you obtain them. Yinchuan would be another great choice of starting point. Or Lijiang. Or Zhongdian (aka Shangrila). It's not to say there are not some great roads in east and southeast China; it's just that there are these vast things called "cities" in between them, and these are not conducive to awe-inspiring life-changing riding, not to mention great photography....

Keep us posted as your plans gel. I'm sure you'll find MCM members at every turn coming out to ride a spell with you.

cheers

note to self.. If I ever need any information quickly and in abundance, get my girlfriend to ask ;)

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Originally Posted by Serpentza

note to self.. If I ever need any information quickly and in abundance, get my girlfriend to ask ;)

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Why is she good looking?

Big D,

Try reading a bit more carefully before responding. I was comparing the foods and cultures between the two regions of China, not between Xinjiang and your home town. I know a few female travelers who didn't have the best of times going overland in Xinjiang. Granted, they were taking trains and buses, but nevertheless. I myself have had some negative experiences there as did my girlfriend at the time. Same was generally true of the women I met who traveld overland in the Middle East. Perhaps because you live (or lived) in Xinjiang your perspective is different, but there's no comparing the general "friendlyness" of the Tibetans to the folks of Xinjiang. The Tibetans have to be some of the nicest, most fun loving people to be around... at least as a traveler and regardless of sex. Also, I'm not trying to discourage anyone from traveling to Xinjiang, it's an amazing place with outrageous history but I'm not going to tell someone it's all hunky-dorey either when I don't believe it is. This kind of travel exists in cultural contrasts and that, I believe, it the topic of the day.

Regarding the food, kabobs, beef rice, rotisserie chicken, tomato based sauces, nan, bagels and wheat based noodles are all generally more familiar with western stomachs. Yak milk tea, with yak butter in crushed barley in hot water for breakfast, lunch and dinner is generally not. If you're lucky, you may get some sugar. Futhermore, to use the term "Muslim food" is a gross generality. There are all types of "Muslim foods" aorund the world, ranging From Lamb Kabobs to Nasi Lemak....mostly the ingredients need to be Halal.

CC

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ChinaV

Hi Christine, I think I saw you over on ADVRider before? Welcome to My China Moto :riding:

I sent you a PM with some questions.

The rest of the members should be along shortly, they tend to get awfully excited when females make a post here. :rolleyes1:

Cheers!
ChinaV

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(Lol, that may change, which I believe it will, when there is, say, 50/50 male/female ratio.)

Welcome to the forum MeowZeDong! I first looked your nick and though that is complicated now, but on the second look it is not. Three parts and the first part is what? I can only say a great nick :)

About what bike to chose I don't say anything since you should know it yourself after you know where you are going to ride.



(And yeah, I am excited, but I just hope the spring would come, and that should not take too long anymore.)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by szuting

Hi ZMC888,

I'm not that picky about bikes. I'm in fact not quite a rider yet. I know how to ride scooters and I did a motorcycle tour in Taiwan (125cc). so I'm going to take private lessons from my riders friends in the States. I just want to ride something that'll run. Christine and I are determined to finish the goal we set our minds to, but we are also quite flexible. Telling us that it's difficult is not insulting but we want to learn the reasons! But telling us it's impossible will be an insult. I'm happy to learn that people here are very realistic and pragmatic!

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Alright, bike talk. I can do it anytime!

I myself have 250cc air cooled Skyteam, and it is just great bike. The bigger is not better always. 250cc enduro have everything to take you from place A to place B. You might not go so quicly in highways and you might not accelerate so quicly, and thus could have less fun than with some bigger bike, but other than that 250cc is enough, and I can ride with my standard 250cc Skyteam to the places where people can't ride with typical 600cc bikes.

Last summer I did some 3000km with my Skyteam to Nordkap and saw that a scooter would had been just fine for the trip. The roads were perfect. One person rode from Australia to England with 125cc scooter. A trip is basicly more a question of can you do it? Your bike certainly can.

Anyway, if you could ride that Honda MX bike in the picture (meaning you was able to put toes of your feets on the ground when you sat on it) I would recommend you chose a 250cc enduro. You simply can't go wrong with that. But if you want a bigger bike or a scooter, fine, the choise is yours.

I wish you good luck and plenty of determination to go for your goal to ride around China! Hopefully you keep us updated on how things go. And I for one, among others I dare say, would enjoy if you would do more postings when you begin to actually chose what bike to get.

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Originally Posted by CrazyCarl

Big D,

Try reading a bit more carefully before responding. I was comparing the foods and cultures between the two regions of China, not between Xinjiang and your home town. I know a few female travelers who didn't have the best of times going overland in Xinjiang. Granted, they were taking trains and buses, but nevertheless. I myself have had some negative experiences there as did my girlfriend at the time. Same was generally true of the women I met who traveld overland in the Middle East. Perhaps because you live (or lived) in Xinjiang your perspective is different, but there's no comparing the general "friendlyness" of the Tibetans to the folks of Xinjiang. The Tibetans have to be some of the nicest, most fun loving people to be around... at least as a traveler and regardless of sex. Also, I'm not trying to discourage anyone from traveling to Xinjiang, it's an amazing place with outrageous history but I'm not going to tell someone it's all hunky-dorey either when I don't believe it is. This kind of travel exists in cultural contrasts and that, I believe, it the topic of the day.

Regarding the food, kabobs, beef rice, rotisserie chicken, tomato based sauces, nan, bagels and wheat based noodles are all generally more familiar with western stomachs. Yak milk tea, with yak butter in crushed barley in hot water for breakfast, lunch and dinner is generally not. If you're lucky, you may get some sugar. Futhermore, to use the term "Muslim food" is a gross generality. There are all types of "Muslim foods" aorund the world, ranging From Lamb Kabobs to Nasi Lemak....mostly the ingredients need to be Halal.

CC

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Sorry to upset you CC.

Regarding negative experiences in Xinjiang sure it's a difficult region no doubt but if you think Tebet is hunkey-dorey I think you will find there are more provinces more accomadating.Reading carefully your post it reads that way.There are plenty of friendly people in Xinjiang.I once had bad experiences in the USA as well as the former Yugoslavia. Just a bad day and week didn't read to much into it.

It is my experience eating Uyrghur or Hui food is far from easy.They all ways test me with what I can eat.Sheeps foot was the first Uyghur food I was given and I still cannot stomach it.I can now however eat sheep's head(all of it)The food you mention is basically there simple food basically a light meal or entree.

There is quite a range of food in Xinjiang from around the surrounding countries quite alot of Chinese food to strangely enough.

You can find the local equivalent of Yak milk tea, with yak butter with fresh bread at Kazah yurts up in the mountains of Xinjiang.I didn't see any rotisserie chicken(not saying there not there)saw a bit of Kabob chicken but mostly lamb or mutton or seafood kababs.

Happy year of the Rabbit all!

Thanks so much for such detailed responses.....I read most but still going through them all (as I'm going through each carefully and googling more on what I'm unfamiliar with (photos, bike models that you mention, etc). Thank you, thank you.

The JH600 looks awesome! It was never a thought to ship or ride a sportbike for this trip. Dual sport, upright and rugged is what we seek.

The route Szu-Ting's amazing mind came up and suggested a few weeks ago was to start south in Yunnan; linking two trade routes (link at the end of my message of the google map) I think it's going to be amazing.....I've traveled a lot in the east and southeast (not by bike) but my greatest desire was to see more of China's west - as does Szu-Ting. We are both outdoors people and shy away from the big cities if we can. Also, we'll be able to visit and experience some of the ethnic minorities' lifestyles out this way. Can't quite contain my excitement as my colleague brought my gear to me the other day here in Singapore, although we don't plan on riding until May.

I was told I could pick up China road maps in Hong Kong when I'm there in a few days? Does anyone else have experience with picking up a good map before actually setting foot in the country? Do they have suggestions on what was the best map? Or do some use GPS? Interested in hearing the experiences. But can also do a search on the forum. *sorry*

Reading each and every posting (chuckling here and there... :) ...it's a lot...but a lot of good stuff! Hope to meet some of you along our way!

Cheers!

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&sour...06&ie=UTF8&z=4

Thank you! I'm glad you got the name. :) I'm sure it went over some heads. And I was never on ADVRider.com so that person wasn't me.

I sometimes use the 702 sportbike forum in Las Vegas, but the last comment I posted has been forever....it was asking whether I would die if I were to accidentally hit a small desert animal at high speeds....or would it just be like going over a bump. Had some very interesting responses. I hope there aren't a ton of animals that are collide-prone in a lot of the parts we'll be riding...but I'm sure there are. We don't plan on riding at night.

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Originally Posted by moilami

(Lol, that may change, which I believe it will, when there is, say, 50/50 male/female ratio.)

Welcome to the forum MeowZeDong! I first looked your nick and though that is complicated now, but on the second look it is not. Three parts and the first part is what? I can only say a great nick :)

About what bike to chose I don't say anything since you should know it yourself after you know where you are going to ride.



(And yeah, I am excited, but I just hope the spring would come, and that should not take too long anymore.)

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Big D, it's all about perspective. I remember pulling into a small town on the south side of the Taklamakan Desert after having crossed the trans-desert highway (WORTH SEEING!!!). The smell of fresh bagels was all it took to light up my senses. I pulled right in front of the bagel, got a short stack and wolfed that shit down like there was no tomorrow. Where else in China you gonna get breads like that... esp. so abundant. I'm not a huge fan fo goat hooves or head myself but bagels, nan and kabaob were just about everywhere. I also seem to recall some excellent and cheap beef rice in Kashgar. When you're hungry on the road and your diet generally consists of mostly chili oil cooked foods, Xinjiang may as well be food heaven (at least for a westerner).

Meow, you'll be lucky to find any wild animals on the roads in China. When you get up to the higher altitudes, you'll find mostly picas, hares, marmots and a few grazing antellope like animals. Plenty of golden eagles sitting around as well as one of the world largest birds, the cinerous vultures. In Xinjiang, you'll see plenty of dromedary camels... other than that, some small birds and a few insects.

Also worth noting is the mosquitoes near the salt flat lakes. They got these wicked mosquities out there that are yellow with white eyes. They are more tenacious then the Tiger mosquitoes you're used to in Singapore and will make sure you keep on your way.

CC

Even a rabbit can throw you off your bike, I nearly came off yesterday when I hit a fox carcass and skidded in all the rotting flesh and guts and so on but it was my fault, I was avoiding it Ok as I rode along, saw it fine but looked at it and all riders know if you look at something you will ride into it. So ride with your eyes shut and you will be fine.

Knobbly dual sport tyres help a lot in such situations but you need to hose the bike and your legs down later or you smell a bit from the rancid spray. A bit more than usual after a few days on the road anyway.

Don't come to Australia either, the 'rabbits' here are kangaroos up to 2 meters high. They sit on the side of the road munching the long grass then without fail they jump INTO your path. They prefer to do it at dawn and dusk when you are sleepy and cannot see very well.

The worst is snakes, they are two meters long as well and fall asleep on the warmth of the tarmac, it is just a big long rock to their senses; unlike 'roos they do try to escape when you wake them up by riding over them at a 100 kph but are angry at being disturbed and do get wrapped round your wheel and legs and inject you with deadly venom.

The crocodiles are only a problem in the Northern parts of Australia, as are the 'drop bears' in Queensland. And most of the trees they drop out of onto your heads are blown down in the Cyclones passed through yesterday. Sorry to distract you but you do have to be careful. Mozzies, huh, a big beetle or dragon fly wacking into your visor at 100 kph is a distraction too. Always wear a visor, with just goggles they can impact heavily on your face or even fly into your mouth - some flying insects are big enough they make it in bits and pieces right through your clenched teeth. Taste horrid too. A termite swarm isn't too bad, you can eat them as you go, leaves an after taste of acid and licorice. Locusts are sort of crunchy and squishy at the same time, but bland.

As CC says, in China, only small animals apart from sleeping cows, camels, wild rabid dogs, a few endangered and rare pandas hunting for habitat, mountain leopards. I don't think he mentioned the yaks? And wild ponies. And a couple of billion humans that want your bit of road?

So wear all the gear all the time, get really good medical insurance, always carry a good knife (thats what my granpa told me anyway) and travel with a buddy and a good camera so we get to see your dying breaths ...

Just make sure your friend goes first. In the end, life is about survival.

Ditto that on the knife.. even if it's just a pocket knife. I had someone tell me though for self defense its best to use one of those telescoping batons. Knives cut people up and get all bloody and stuff...makes a mess. A good whack to the face (or anywhere really) with a sold piece of metal (lead pipe sitting around anyone?) will probably turn someone off pretty fast unless they are super determined. If they are really THAT determined, you better have a gun in your hand or a gang standing behind you.

But really though, chances of this happening in most part of the world are extremely thin unless you're being a complete ass (which some travelers are). Of the thousands upon thousands of adventure riders that putter around the world every year, only a tiny handfull of them report ever engaging in violence (although more than a few have come pretty close!)

CC