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  1. #1 Beijing to Kunming : A Commute to Work 
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    Pre-ride Prep


    I recently got an internship in Kunming, so after close to two years in Beijing I'm preparing to make the move south. Most importantly, the start date isn't until July, giving me enough time to make the commute! I've got roughly thirty days and am basically planning to head west to Qinghai, turn left, and then head south to Yunnan.

    Here's what I'm roughly thinking for a route (I'd like to loop the lake in Qinghai, which I forgot to draw on the map):

    route.jpg

    I'm hoping to keep this thread updated as best I can as I make progress. My route is very much a work in progress - so any suggested roads, sites, or anything else would be great!

    My lease is up in less than 48 hours, and I hope to be on the road shortly after that - so time to start packing!
    Last edited by Pat; 06-29-2011 at 08:49 PM.
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  2. #2 Re: Beijing to Kunming : A Commute to Work 
    Senior C-Moto Guru
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    Epic ride. What will you be riding? When will this happen?

    Good luck!
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  3. #3 Re: Beijing to Kunming : A Commute to Work 
    Senior C-Moto Guru euphonius's Avatar
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    Nice work if you can get it, Pat. Congratulations! That looks like somewhere between 3k and 4k km, I'm guessing, with lots of high desert and desert mountains crossing the Qinghai plain.

    Hope you are not trying to carry your entire household of goods on the bike.....

    Envy!

    cheers
    jkp
    Shanghai
    2010 JH600 "Merkin Muffley" (in Shanghai)
    2000 KLR650 "Feezer Ablanalp" (in California)
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  4. #4 Re: Beijing to Kunming : A Commute to Work 
    Life Is Good! ChinaV's Avatar
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    Here are some sections that might help with the Sichuan/Yunnan part.

    This kml file I did with Felix and Daniel last year.

    This kml file I did with CrazyCarl in 2008.



    Great stuff in these areas, and there are multiple ways to go based on how wild or mild you want the ride to be.

    Looking forward to your adventure , can't wait to see stuff from Qinghai and northern Sichuan.

    Cheers!
    ChinaV
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  5. #5 Re: Beijing to Kunming : A Commute to Work 
    Duct tape savant felix's Avatar
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    nice commute! i'm planning to do xian - xining with the girlfriend as soon as i get my new bike. this is the route i want to take. i can't comment on it yet obviously but you're welcome to steal bits of it if you want!


    http://ditu.google.cn/maps?f=d&sourc...,13.392334&z=7
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  6. #6 Re: Beijing to Kunming : A Commute to Work 
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    Quote Originally Posted by felix View Post
    with the girlfriend
    The ride just went epic. Very interested in how that works out for you. Are you taking the sidecar?
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  7. #7 Re: Beijing to Kunming : A Commute to Work 
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    Hi Pat,

    I can comment on the TaiYuan part - skip this town, one of the uggliest most polluted places allover. Coal Trucks wherever you go - you cant escape them!
    TaiYuan is home to one of the (maybe THE) biggest Stainless steel factories in Asia - the need to coal to keep it running and the drivers are not allowed on many expressways, so they share the smaller, Free of Charge roads with you and your bike. Maybe head directly for Inner Mongolia, though coal trucks there as well...

    Yunnan - Sichuan:
    If possible enter Yunnan as most westernly possible, skip Xichang/Panzhihua that you have on your Sichuan route now. There is a small road directly at the tibetan boarder going south entering Yunnan just north of ZhongDian. Simply Breathtaking!

    Otherwise on a 1 month trip I would not plan too much, have Map, have GPS, will find gas and food...the rest just take it as it commes...
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  8. #8 Re: Beijing to Kunming : A Commute to Work 
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    Thanks for the tips guys. I'll be riding a Qingqi 200GY 3rd generation (picked it up last summer).. if all goes according to plan, I'll be leaving in a couple days (Wednesday morning). Don't worry Euphonius, the worldly possessions will be shipped separately - I should be relatively light on the bike - back case plus two side bags. Although I haven't actually packed yet, so we'll see!

    Instead of packing, I've been reading through ChinaV and Felix's trip last summer. It's inspirational (and a bit cautionary) to say the least. I'm hoping to hit some of those same roads once I make it down south. Felix, I like how your Xi'an route follows the mountains all the way to Xining.. why go around when you can go through! That route may be a bit too far south - but I'm definitely planning check out the area around Xining.

    Thanks for the heads up Andre - There's a small village I'm hoping to visit SW of Taiyuan.. although I may see if I can find a route that avoids Taiyuan as much as possible.. sounds horrible! As for the entry into Yunnan, I've been looking through an atlas - is that road you mentioned in Sichuan/Yunnan S217? Looking at ChinaV's kml file - it looks like he and CC took it in '08. I may very well enter Sichuan on S217 from Qinghai - is it a good road to follow all the way through Sichuan?
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  9. #9 Re: Beijing to Kunming : A Commute to Work 
    Senior C-Moto Guru euphonius's Avatar
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    Best general advice: Avoid cities like plague!
    jkp
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    2010 JH600 "Merkin Muffley" (in Shanghai)
    2000 KLR650 "Feezer Ablanalp" (in California)
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  10. #10 Re: Beijing to Kunming : A Commute to Work 
    foreign China moto dude bikerdoc's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by euphonius View Post
    Best general advice: Avoid cities like plague!
    I second that well thought out bit of advice... with gusto! I'm well known amongst the riders I ride with for finding the longest, most mountainous rides around, and thankfully this has allowed me to stumble across many gems, which I'd not swap for, well... "all the tea in China"... hahaha! I make no apologies for my long point-point rides which has alienated me from just one or two of the Chinese riders in the riding group - which is it's either their way or no way.
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