Beijing to Kunming : A Commute to Work

[Pat]

Day 9-10 : Rest : Zhongwei, Ningxia and Camping in the Tennger Desert

I decided to take a rest day in Zhongwei, and thinking of picking up additional gear, I walked over to an outdoors shop a couple blocks from the hotel. When I walked in, there were five or six people in the small little shop, and I was greeted with a big "Hallo!" They asked if "Hallo" was German, I said I didn't know, but it was definitely an English word. They confirmed that we speak English in America, and pulled a chair up for me. One of the other customers was from Henan, and a debate broke out over just how "bad" Henan people are ("huai" vs. "zei").

They were thrilled to learn that I had ridden in from Beijing, as the guys who run the store were also bikers! One of the guys had ridden to Lhasa the previous year (which I've learned is the feather in every Chinese motorcyclist's cap). We immediately broke out the maps and they recommended routes (and are convinced I can get into Tibet no problem..)

I told them I was eager to ride through the desert, and they invited me to camp with them in the desert the following day. We made plans and I headed to a coffee shop close to this fellow:




I joined the Chairman and kept on an eye on the square from a neighboring coffee shop. Later in the afternoon, these ladies came out to the square for a little dancing:




The next day, I had the morning and afternoon free to explore. I headed out to Sha Po Tou, an area where the desert hits the Yellow River:




Afterwards, I turned north heading back into Inner Mongolia and the Tennger Desert. Shortly after entering the desert, I came across a solar power plant:




Finally, I had found the endless sands I had been searching for since leaving the grasslands near Hohhot:




Somehow, these grasslands exist right in the middle of the desert:




Close to the grasslands was, I think, a plant that had something to do with salt. At least all the white stuff around the plant appeared (and tasted!) like salt:



A ranch with Chinese and the Mongolian script that is common throughout Inner Mongolia:




Even the camels stare!




After riding around into the early afternoon, I went in search of gas and lunch. After a couple abandoned villages, I finally found a place to eat. The waiter and waitress (from Hebei and Sichuan) had recently arrived arrived from Beijing to work at their relative's restaurant. They weren't thrilled with moving to the middle of the desert to work in a restaurant and said they'd find a way to get back to Beijing before the end of the year. After I finished lunch, a couple of Mongolian men came into the restaurant and invited me to join them - one taught Mandarin at the local school and the other was a farmer. They were quite proud of being Mongolian, talking about Ghengis Kahn, their horse riding and motorcycle riding skills, and that behind Russians, Mongolians are the number one drinking ethnicity in the world!

By the time I left the restaurant it was pushing 6:00, so I headed for the campsite, only to pass my camel friends again:




Look both ways before crossing the street:




The campsite was pretty easy to find:




A biker keeping watch:




We got our tents set up:




The sun set:




And dinner hadn't arrived yet! We huddled up on top of a small dune and hung out for awhile waiting for the car with barbeque supplies to arrive. We waited... and waited... and waited.. and just before midnight, they arrived! And it was well worth the wait - they set up the chuar grill, skewered the lamb meat, and we feasted until close to 2 AM. Well fed and tired, I climbed into the tent hoping to be able to sleep well past sunrise...

[Pat]

Day 11: Tennger Desert, Inner Mongolia to Lanzhou, Gansu

The next morning, the group got together and took pictures.

The Li brothers who had invited me to join the group:



With a few other bikers (including one who is a bit self conscious about his height!):



Group photo:



We got packed up, said our goodbyes, and hit the road. I rode back out of the desert, retracing the route I had followed the previous day, south out of Inner Mongolia back into Ningxia and then west towards Gansu. The road ran just south of the desert and became more mountanous:



Before long, I hit the Gansu border.



This part of Gansu was incredibly arrid, with parts looking like the moon:



As I turned south, I entered a valley that was much more fertile. The sky became overcast, and I started pushing it, hoping to make Lanzhou before the rain hit. About 80 km outside of the city the road split - a nice road, complete with a "To Lanzhou" sign pointed to the right. The GPS pointed to the left. I had just passed a gas station, so I turned around to ask directions. The attendant told me the road to the right led to the expressway, so I should go left. We talked for a bit about the trip and the weather and how scared I am of rain, and as I rode off, the gas attendant said "Good Luck!"

I went left, started bumping along the broken road, and five minutes later it started to rain. I stubornly rode on for a bit, the rain got heavier, and I hit a town with a row of buildings in the process of being demolitioned. Seeking shelter, I rode in through the front door:



I sat in the building for awhile and admired the view out the back door:



Eventually the rain slowed, and then stopped. I jumped on the bike, still 60 km outside of the city and made a run for Lanzhou. It remained overcast, but the rain held, and I made it in relatively good time. The Yellow River runs right through the city:



Having spent the previous night in the middle of the desert, I splurged on a hotel right along the river, and called it a day.

[Pat]

I made it into Xining yesterday and took the day off today. The forecast continues to say rain, rain, rain. I spent most of the afternoon searching forecasts and looking for a path around it, but it looks like rain all across Qinghai and Sichuan. I still have roughly 19 days to make it to Kunming, but I think I'm just going to bite the bullet and head towards Yushu tomorrow (I was planning to loop Qinghai Lake, but the loop is 460 km - and it's forecast to rain over there, so I think I'm going to use the one clear day to start moving south...

[Jimbosidecar]

This is a great thread. I'm really enjoying the read. My older son and I roade a Chang Jiang out to Yinchuan in 2000. Mostly off road back then, but I was enjoying your pictures as we crossed some of the same routes.

[felix]

Pat, excellent report! I am hooked.

Very entertaining, great pictures, amazing parts of china, what more can we ask for from a report?

EDIT: oh yeah, more girls please

[Wandering Force]

Big Brother,

You are doing something awesome. Do not stop doing that thing that is awesome (do not stop being wary of rain).

Little heart, be careful!

Englishly yours,

ni hao

xiao ge

[robtho]

Thanks for the report Pat, I'm enjoying the words and pics tremendously. In the throes of planning a trip myself after the summer and reports like these are very useful.
When you get time it would be great if you could put together a review on how the bike and any of the other gear you took handled the trip.

[Lao Jia Hou]

We hadn't heard from Pat in 10 days! And it has been even longer for Jeremy & Lulu (Around China in 100 days).

Being a worry-wart, I sent out the SMS search party ... apparently the two groups have crossed paths & I was interrupting their dinner together!

All is well, and more ride report installments are on the way when decent internet connections are found!

[Forrest Speyer]

Hello Pat!! Forest here!! Your thread is so enjoyble!!! I really love what you did out there!keep up the good job man!! I'll be wating for any of your new updates!! take care youself alright? see ya!

[jape]

Yes, this thread is up with the best, thanks.
I am always surprised when over a 1000 views and so few comments, even a would be good, but that is often the way of it here.

Amazing, just a few km from the desert and you get all that rain. Go well.