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  1. #1 Weekend Trip From Shanghai -- QianDaoHu 
    C-Moto Guru milton's Avatar
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    Motokai and I made a trip to QianDaoHu千岛湖over the weekend, including a Friday night ride to HuZhou 湖州 to test out the workability of un-trapping ourselves from the pits of Shanghai by riding at night. This weekend trip logged around 1000km in distance and was totally satisfying, including even a run-in with ZheZiang police on the expressway.
    We took off on Friday night from Motokai’s apartment:



    The original plan calls for a team of 3 JH600 riders. Then the 3rd guy wrote us a thousand-word email explaining the problem with his shoulder, the “non-reunion” of certain bone, non-performing battery, faltering ignition, bad tires, etc. So we took off sadly without him but our no show friend was constantly in our minds, as you can tell from below picture:



    We will extend this RR and furnish more pictures later. Stay tuned.
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  2. #2 Re: Weekend Trip From Shanghai -- QianDaoHu 
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    The fact that you did it over the weekend sounds fantastic. Reminds me exactly of the Wuhan - Shanghai run I did last summer during a weekend, with about the same total mileage

    I'm curious about the G318 run to Huzhou at night for two reasons. One, which kind of hotels are available once you get to Huzhou? Second, do you have any problems with the checkpoints coming out of Shanghai province?

    Lately, the first checkpoint on the 318 has been re-activated with police actively patrolling and stopping bikes. This checkpoint is basically adjacent to the EXPO checkpoint -- not the one that is actually on the provincial border. Although I'd expect both to be active at this point.
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  3. #3 Re: Weekend Trip From Shanghai -- QianDaoHu 
    C-Moto Guru milton's Avatar
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    The first part of the trip, from Shanghai to HuZhou, was uneventful. Night riding on G318 wasn't bad at all. We were amazed to see flocks of other Chinese motorcycle comrades having the same idea about escaping Shanghai by taking advantage of the excellent lighting condition on G318 traveling at night.


    One of the motorcycle groups swishing by us:


    Stopping at a rest spot and socializing with a bunch of young Shanghai riders. Motokai patiently answered numerous times the obligatory question on how much our JH600 costs. There were many more identical questions put to us throughout the trip. We both regret to have taken the price tag off our bikes.

    Just about the section where the G318 street lights end, we found this hotel at about 120km from Shanghai and 5km before reaching BaLiDian bridge 八里店桥. Motokai calls it a castle. It is a huge hotel with several hundred rooms, which are reasonably clean and inexpensive (118rmb a night with 2 beds). You won’t miss it from G318. It is right by the roadside with easy access. It even has a huge underground car park so we were not given the honor of parking in the front lobby. The picture was taken the next morning:

    Sorry that I don’t have much to say about the checkpoints for getting in/out of Shanghai, as both Motokai and I are perfectly legal with all the documents, which actually was proven critical as we were stopped on the expressway by cops.
    Last edited by milton; 05-19-2011 at 11:25 PM.
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  4. #4 Re: Weekend Trip From Shanghai -- QianDaoHu 
    foreign China moto dude bikerdoc's Avatar
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    Motokai and Milton, glad to have had you donw this way playing in my backyard and one of my MANY favourite rides down these parts. I've ridden & driven from Ningbo-QianDaoHu (JianDe) more than 100 times over the years, some of which have included the return portioin being done the same day/night arriving back in the early hours. Pity I didn't know you were heading down this way, I'd have given you some "must sees" while down that way... e.g. a genuine 1000 year old working village (where people still live) that's free to enter and walk about if one doesn't take a guide, or DaCiYanSi which include a collection mountain cave temples southeast of Jiande. - a great place to spend hours, walking the various mountain paths, suspended bridges, and viewing the hidden mountain top dam.

    There are also a number of ways to get down there from Shengzhou, bypassing the main highways as much as possible which include numerous & multiple mountain routes. If I'd known a day in advance I would have joined you, as a group comprising a few cruisers and collection of BMW's headed down south west of LiShui, while myself and another friend ferried over to TaoHuaDao for the weekend.

    Very much interested to read about your ZheJiang Expressway police skirmish!?
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  5. #5 Re: Weekend Trip From Shanghai -- QianDaoHu 
    C-Moto Guru milton's Avatar
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    Left the castle around 8am, we started out the second day pretty much set on getting to ChunAn淳安,the city of QianDaoHu, as quickly as we can. The lake QingShan Lake青山湖 in below picture is right by S102, just about the only spot we pulled over for a break. Of course we had to stop at some convenient store so Motokai can get his caffeine fix.



    This is how we get to ChunAn淳安:
    http://ditu.google.cn/maps?f=d&sourc...01,2.69989&z=9
    There wasn’t much to write home about until we went passed YuQian于潜, after which we got on S208 and S302, both newly paved with immaculate tarmac surface and barely any traffic on them. Scenery is also quite pleasant. Great motorcycle route:








    Passed YuQian于潜 and high on caffeine, Motokai became more motivated in picture taking:


    Oh, by the way, at YuQian, we met a www.motorfans.com.cn group from Shanghai, a member of which knew Motokai from their Shanghai motorcycle training class (for motorcycle driving license) a few years back. It is indeed a small world. We were asked to join them for a group picture. Look for us in the Chinese motorcycle forum at http://www.motorfans.com.cn/bbs/t_16984927_2.htm Somehow we were described as "lost" in 于潜. Well, what do laowai know.
    Last edited by milton; 05-30-2011 at 11:30 PM.
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  6. #6 Re: Weekend Trip From Shanghai -- QianDaoHu 
    C-Moto Guru milton's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by bikerdoc View Post
    .... Pity I didn't know you were heading down this way, I'd have given you some "must sees" while down that way...
    Thanks for the info. This trip Motokai and I took was mainly to test out our "Getting out of Shanghai: Attack Plan I". Well, at least it was for me. However, we did come away with huge amount of pleasure with the ride itself. Actually we were lost big time in QianDaoHu area and ended up staying overnight at LiShang 里商, which turns out to be the highlight of the trip. One can't really go wrong in any parts of QianDaoHu area.
    Next time we will definitely contact you beforehand to map out the route. I am pretty sure we will go there again in the near future.
    As far as the encounter with the cops went, I hope Motokai chimes in, along with his picture of cops bullying us. He did all the dealing with the cops, and I just stayed on the sidelines with my full-face helmet and sun glasses pretty much having my Chinese face fully covered up. It's a sad thing in China to have a Chinese face.
    Cheers.
    Last edited by milton; 05-21-2011 at 01:44 AM.
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  7. #7 Re: Weekend Trip From Shanghai -- QianDaoHu 
    foreign China moto dude bikerdoc's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by milton View Post
    Thanks for the info. This trip Motokai and I took was mainly to test out our "Getting out of Shanghai: Attack Plan I". Well, at least it was for me. However, we did come away with huge amount of pleasure with the ride itself. Actually we were lost big time in QianDaoHu area and end up staying overnight at LiShang 里商, which turns out to be the highlight of the trip. One can't really go wrong in any parts of QianDaoHu area.
    Next time we will definitely contact you beforehand to map out the route. I am pretty sure we will go there again in the near future.
    Cheers.
    No worries, I also see that you guys didn't leave from Shanghai, hence the more westerly route you took. I'm always up for impromptu rides etc, so if you find yourself without a buddy rider and you're into exploring down this way, or want to hit QianDaoHu again, give me a holler anytime.

    Same goes for any of you other peeps, stuck up there in the big smoke *cough *cough looking to get out of the grit and grime of the city. I'm happy to share some of the great riding down this way. Even my local pick-me-up ride that I do almost daily, takes in three (yes, 3) separate mountain ranges, dams, old villages, lakes etc., with the first mountain within 5km - infact I can see it out my window as I type this... time for a ride!
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  8. #8 Re: Weekend Trip From Shanghai -- QianDaoHu 
    C-Moto Guru milton's Avatar
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    We finally arrived at ChunAn at about 1pm (I think). ChunAn, or QianDaoHu 市,is very touristy with lots of tour buses and restaurant owners on the road side hollering for business.
    We stopped at downtown ChunAn for lunch. When in QianDaoHu one must have fish. I took a picture of a big QianDaoHu fish weighing over 30 pounds, with a kid (see, in the reflection) next to me watching. We settled for a fish of about 4 pounds. It was quite fresh and tasty, even Motokai, who ordinarily is not a fish eater and considers all China waters polluted, mumbled some nice things about the fish dish.





    The part of QiaoDaoHu that one sees from ChunAn is not all that interesting. So after lunch we quickly head out for the ferry with the ambitious plan of circling QianDaoHu in one afternoon.



    Motokai, the ferry, and the high-speed boat circling the water the 20th time:




    On the ferry, Motokai continued his mission of educating the Chinese populace about the price of our China made JH600. His 3 fingers, indicating the cost, were extended in the air for a long time as all the passengers in the ferry wanted to know. After learning the price, they were all duly impressed by the extravagance only a foreigner can afford.
    Last edited by milton; 05-18-2011 at 11:13 PM.
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  9. #9 Re: Weekend Trip From Shanghai -- QianDaoHu 
    C-Moto Guru milton's Avatar
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    We got on the ferry right off the SanTanDao sight三潭岛景区. Right by the ferry route there is a big construction going on for a bridge crossing this part of the water. We were told the completion of the bridge is imminent. So perhaps next time, there may not be a ferry ride any more.
    After getting off the ferry, we were welcomed by a vast display of greenness with old small villages blended in so naturally. Of course there are waters everywhere.










    And gigantic trees:


    And I made sure Motokai saw those gigantic trees:
    Last edited by milton; 05-22-2011 at 09:26 AM.
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  10. #10 Re: Weekend Trip From Shanghai -- QianDaoHu 
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    Great reading, especially the part about the 'castle' and the price of the bike. I'm waiting with baited breath for the next installment about the expressway cops!
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