Hohhot - Harbin

**futianshenzhen** · 07-09-2013, 05:09 AM

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Hohhot - Mohe

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Mohe - Fuyuan

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Fuyuan - Harbin

**futianshenzhen** · 07-09-2013, 07:01 AM

I arrived in Hohhot at midday on June 25 having met a girl on the plane. Her ex boyfriend gave me a lift to the shipping warehouse and it took me about 3 hours to get the bike roadworthy. Almost everything had been dismantled and it was a real pain in the arse. Then took the bike to the yingang shop to change the brake pads and give the brakes a service. After all that it was too late to head off as planned so I found a hotel then went off to meet some friends of the girl I’d met on the plane. Turns out they were pretty unusual guys for China, they were in a rap/metal band and were either artists or tattoo artists. We went to golden hans for a few and then back to the tattoo studio for a few more.

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I had such bad DTs this was was the steadiest photo I could take

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Mural in the tatoo studio, the guy specialised in traditional Mongolian tattoos

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You know your getting old when you've never even heard of the band's genre!

**futianshenzhen** · 07-09-2013, 07:32 AM

26

Left Hohhot at 8.15, beautiful scenery and roads through Houyaozi northeast of Hohhot. Then it became boring and straight for the next 600 kms. Arrived Xilin Gol at 5.30 after getting pissed on for the last hour. My waterproof boots filled up as I didn't stop put on waterproof trousers! The first hotel I enquired about was 836 quai! Found one for 238 in the end which still stung a bit but wasn’t worth trying to find something cheaper in that rain. I caused quite a scene walking around town, I hadn’t seen people so shocked to encounter a laowai for a while!

700 kms

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Northeast of Hohhot

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This was by the side of road, the saloon car behind the nearside wheel gives you an idea of the scale of the thing.

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These guys were also riding up to Mohe and then going to some big bike meet nearby. It sounded cool but they were only averaging 400 kms a day which was about a moring's ride for me!

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One guy had a 250 jialing crosser and the others were on 150/125 taxi bikes

**futianshenzhen** · 07-09-2013, 08:04 AM

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Northeast of Hohhot

27

Left at 8 and immediately had to battle a section of very slimy mud though some road works. I’d completed 400 kms by 1 pm which I think is a record for me. The roads then got really bad and potholed so I took a break and had the leftovers from last night’s dinner by the side of the road among some huge cranes in a marshy area. Unfortunately they all flew away before I could get the camera out. I noticed that my chain guard had snapped so I ditched it and the chain slider was half off as well so I cable tied it into place.
Had to use my jerrycan for a fill up as the fucking stupid teapot was almost rusted through. Told the attendant to call the boss a sha bi from me. After my brief rant I continued heading north and the bugs seemed to double in quantity, it was like mosquito soup at times. There were a few cyclists about and were covered from head to toe, some even with nets covering their whole head.

On the S203 I was right next to the Mongolian border and there both army and police check points. My bike was searched but the guys were friendly enough and I was soon on my way. The road was terrible and there were a few huge trucks that were stuck in the mud that had blocked the whole road so there were huge tailbacks. I arrived in Arxan after dark at 8.30 having ridden 800 kms.

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Near East Ujimqin

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**futianshenzhen** · 07-09-2013, 08:18 AM

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This was the marshy area where I failed to photograph cranes and found the chain guard and runner had broken

**futianshenzhen** · 07-09-2013, 08:52 AM

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These are stills taken from my video camera near the Mongolian border

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**prince666** · 07-09-2013, 09:02 AM

i see from the last picture are you useing your I Phone as a GPS tracker

**futianshenzhen** · 07-09-2013, 09:04 AM

28

Left 7.40, good fast roads all day. Was within spitting distance of the Mongolian border on the S203 before reaching New Braag Zuoqi. At the town I had a choice between using a poteholed dirt track or going the wrong way up the gaosu as only one side had been completed. I was a little nervous at first and came off in a very muddy village and got lost but there were loads of people at it so I got back on and at the end they’d even opened a toll so people could pay. The road south of Lake Hulun was bumpy and wavy (while being straight if you know what I mean) but it didn’t slow me down too much. I have to confess to being distinctly underwhelmed by the scenery, maybe I’ve been spoilt in Xinjiang, but the steppe just wasn’t doing it for me.

At Manzhouqi on the Ruaain border there was an orthodox looking Church and I was able to cut a corner from my intended route on a brand new stretch of gaosu. Another petrol station attendant was the victim of another of my anti teapot tirades, this time because I left a large trail of petrol all the way to my bike due to a substantial leak. With my spleen vented I rode on through Old Brag and then turned north just above Hulunber.

The scenery improved a lot after Erguna and I was happy to leave the grasslands behind. I arrived in Genhe at 7.35 with a new PB of 9.35 kms.

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Brunch was had here near Lake Hulun

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A couple of hours later I stopped for lunch just before Manzhouli on the Russian border

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**futianshenzhen** · 07-09-2013, 09:40 AM

Originally Posted by prince666

i see from the last picture are you useing your I Phone as a GPS tracker

Hey, my smartphone is my map on the road. I preplan the routes on google and save them to mymaps then download them onto my phone. The phone is charged using a car cigarette lighter charger wired into the bike, it must me 2000 mAh otherwise it just runs flat

**fahni** · 07-09-2013, 09:59 AM

Hey there, nice ride!

I see my saddle bags are still alive and well!

Lobotomous and me jus got back from a Qiqihaer to Beijing vial Hohot ride last weekend. Seems we missed you on the road!