The Long Goodbye: From Kunming to Urumqi

[Pat]

Day 8: Kangding to Luhuo

I woke up to blue skies the next morning and set course of Luhuo. I would take the G318 west and then cut north on the S215 past Tagong and the S303 past Daofu. Riding out of the old city and past the new city, I was greeted by a snow covered mountain:



The road began to ascend almost immediately as it approached the Zheduo Pass:



I saw signs for convenience stores and gas stations:



But fortunately I had already gassed up:



I rode past entrepreneurs ready to make a buck filling up trucks’ water cooled brakes:



And reached the summit:



And prepared for the descent:



The road descended into a lush valley, and I saw my first yaks (that weren’t on a dinner plate):



And Tibetan architecture was largely stone:



Of course there was construction. I stopped and chatted with the construction workers for a few minutes. One hopped on the bike..



.. and took off! .... Hope he comes back!



Fortunately he did, and then helped me take an action photo:



The road continued through the valley as storm clouds collided with blue skies:



And passed brightly colored Buddhist paintings:



Along a river with painted stones:



I reached Tagong, in the middle of the grasslands, and home of a large monastery:



With rows of prayer wheels:



Coming around the corner from Tagong was this golden stupa with a snow-capped mountain in the background:



And more yaks:



The snow-capped mountain continued to peek over the hills surrounding the road and accompany me on the ride:



Stupas were everywhere:



About 100 km from Luhuo, I reached Daofu. On my way into town there was a police checkpoint – the first I’d hit during the trip. As I rode up the police waved for me to stop and asked for my passport and bike registration (blue book). They were friendly and asked where I was going and checked my visa. I pulled out my atlas and they told me about road conditions (that ended up being wrong). After everything checked out, I thanked them for the advice and they said “No Polite, this is we supposed to do! (不客气这是我们应该做的).”

I got back on the road, and stopped for an apple that overlooked two horses drinking in a nearby stream. I tossed the apple core down to them, but they weren’t entertained:



I passed monasteries with decorated mountainsides:



And villages with golden fields:



And finally reached Luhuo:



I found a hotel with a parking lot off the street, pulled in, walked into the reception area and was greeted by a Tibetan woman who looked at me like I was from another planet. Handing over my passport didn’t exactly clarify anything. Thoroughly baffled, she pulled out a piece of paper and asked me to write my information on it. "If she’s happy, I’m happy," I thought. I wrote down my information, unpacked the bike and went out for dinner. I spent dinner hanging out with this little baller:



A beggar walked into the restaurant and I gave her a bill that was clearly too big. He scolded me, saying “Don’t you know that 1 kuai or 5 mao is enough!” He went on to explain the denominations of money – 1, 5, 10, 20, 50, and 100. “How have you lived here for five years and not know how the money works?” Fair enough. I took my scolding and changed the topic to whether the little five year old girl in the restaurant was his girlfriend. “No! I’m eleven years old!”

After dinner we said our goodbyes and I went back to the hotel – only to have the woman tell me I needed to go register myself at the police station! Paper in hand, I went back out with a hotel staff member to get registered. As soon as I came out of the hotel, my little friend joined us on our trip to the police station. After registering, he took me to the market to buy fruit for the next day (“My parents don’t let me come here alone at night”) and we walked back to the hotel. It was getting late so we said our goodbyes again and I turned in for the night.

[Pat]

Day 9: Luhuo to Maerkang

I woke up to rain again the next morning:



And immediately hit construction coming out of town:



The main road was “under repair” and so I followed a “road” that would be better described as a mud bath. After my previous encounter with mud, I read up on how to ride in the mud:

1. Follow the water (advice from my friend)
2. Pick a good line
3. Maintain momentum
4. Don’t use the breaks
5. Keep your eyes on your line, don’t look where you don’t want to go
6. Think positive thoughts

I held my breath, kept it in second or third gear, and slipped, splashed, and sludged my way through the soup. I cleared it without any major issues and as the road approached the mountain it turned back to tarmac:



The police at the checkpoint the day before had told me the construction was only just out of the city, and so I assumed I was through the worst of it. Relieved, I stopped to look back at the road traveled (mud bath on the lower track):



I paused to enjoy the view:



And rode past nomadic herders camped out in the valley:



With their yaks dotting the landscape:



But after coming back down the mountain, the road quickly deteriorated again:



And turned back into mud. Kilometer after kilometer of mud.

Passing a road crew, I asked how much more construction was left – and got the answer 30 kilometers! Wanting a second opinion, I asked the next crew, and they said “it goes all the way to Maerkang!” Or in other words, more than 200 kilometers. 30 kilometers started to sound good.

“Slow and steady,” I thought bouncing through massive mud puddles. I was making steady progress, hadn’t fallen, and thought to myself “Look at the bright side, it could be worse.” And then coming around the corner I saw extra thick mud, and forgot Rule #6: "Think Positive Thoughts” – thinking, “this is worse.” And sure enough, down she went!

I hadn’t taken any mud pictures because I didn’t want to break Rule #3: "Maintain Momentum." But, now with momentum broken, I took a quick picture:



Not wanting the bike to sit long to allow the mud to solidify and lock the front tire, I quickly began to unpack the bike so I could lift it up. And just moments later a car pulled up behind me and stopped. A man jumped out of the car and helped me pick up the bike. I asked how much more mud – and he said, “It’s almost over! There’s still construction, but not much mud.” Relieved, I hopped back on the bike, and was even more relieved when it started right up and the front tire rolled perfectly fine.

Sure enough, the road improved shortly thereafter:



Though the construction continued:



I gradually realized that the river was eating the road and in places the whole right lane had crumbled and fallen into the river:



And if Chinese construction follows this plan:
1. Tear up the old road leaving a soupy mess
2. Wait (indefinitely)
3. Cover the road in rocks
4. Wait (indefinitely)
5. Crush rocks and pave
6. Wait (no more than one year)
7. Repeat from step 1 (If first you don't succeed...)

Then this road had been solidly in step #2 and was about to shift into step #1.

Three signs could sum up the day:

“Flying Rocks”:



“Missing Holes”:



And, of course, “Construction Ahead”:



I mean, what could go wrong?



I passed massive mountains of rocks that I’m sure they’re planning to throw onto the road (Step #3):



But the road did gradually improve, construction vehicles became more sparse, and after 150 kilometers I was finally out it and on pace to make it to Maerkang before dusk. There were still signs of Tibetan culture:



And finally the road prepared to make a turn away from the road-eating river and so I stopped to say a bitter farewell:



And then it happened! The moment that made the whole day’s trails worthwhile:



I looked and looked for a pig shaped stone – but couldn’t find anything remotely pig shaped. Do you see a pig?



The Tibetan architecture continued to be beautiful:



And included towers that are typical of the building in this area:



And perhaps not as beautiful Tibetan track housing near Maerkang:



Reaching Maerkang, I stopped to get the bike washed and get myself sprayed down as well:



Full bike wash plus spraying down my bags and I - and only 15 kuai! I couldn't believe the price, and tried to give them 20 - but they refused and then would only accept 10! We chatted for a bit, and I hit the road with the typical dusk storm clouds gathering. Moments before the skies unleashed a torrent of rain I found a hotel, borrowed an umbrella and set out for a late night dinner.

[Pat]

Day 10: Maerkang to Xiahe

The next morning as I was packing the bike I had a “pay it forward” moment when these two guys asked if they could borrow my pump to inflate a flat tire:



I was happy to help and shortly thereafter on the road to Xiahe. I would be taking the G213 up through Langmusi and into Gansu Province. The road, like the previous days, continued to follow a river:



And past small waterfalls:



It was a gorgeous day:



And soon I was back up in the grasslands with the yaks:



And nomadic herders:



The last couple days I had been riding through remote areas, but coming out of Ruoergai I noticed a lot more traffic and touristified Tibetan Experiences – horse riding and yurts. As the day wore on, I realized it was Sunday and that the hordes were ascending from Chengdu:



But the grasslands were vast, and there were plenty of areas free of cars and tourists:



And I stopped frequently to try and soak it all in:



Open, treeless fields, nomadic herders, and yaks:



They do not look both ways before crossing the street:



Prayer flags and stupa – why pay the admission price when you can see it from road?



I saw a group of young monks waiting to get next on the local court:



Who spotted me and came over to say ‘hi’:



And rev the engine:



And try to figure out exactly what planet I had come from:



Soon after the road turned and climbed a small mountain. I stopped to look back at the road traveled:



But I wasn’t leaving the grasslands yet, and came up on herders who had made camp alongside the road:



I spotted a small hill off to the side of the road and rode up to look over the valley:



An SUV tried to follow and drove straight into deep gutter that lines so many roads:



Yaks weren’t the only animals in the grasslands:



And then coming around a corner, I saw a man standing in the middle of the road flagging cars to stop. Just ahead a BMW had run into a truck. Of all the roads I was on this trip, this very well may have been the most dangerous. Two lanes, in perfect condition, and full of Chengdu tourists! They were flying – passing into oncoming traffic – parked on the road – you name it. I think I saw three accidents over the course of the day – thankfully all at low speeds. Beemer, meet truck:



Flocks of yaks and tourists:



Surrounded by people, I took the opportunity to get a picture:



And then navigated through traffic:



To the Tool Gate!



Passing the Tool Gate (new album in 2014??), I reached Gansu shortly thereafter:



And the scenery began to change:



As I entered a valley:



As I approached Xiahe, I passed a pilgrim on pilgrimage – every few steps, she would fall to her knees, and prostrate herself on the ground. Slow:



A new road has been built into Xiahe – perfectly smooth:



I was almost there, and began to race the rain:



I rolled into Xiahe as it began to sprinkle, only to find that even the roads around the monastery are under construction:



I pulled up to the Overseas Tibetan Hotel and was greeted with a "Hello Motorcycle Man!"



The owner is a super friendly Tibetan guy who speaks perfect English. He had me park the bike in a secured lot behind the hotel and then set me up with his driver to talk roads. Xiahe is a fascinating place and I hadn't figured out the next part of the ride so I planned to take a rest day and spend some quality time with the atlas.

[MotoKai]

If there was a (like) button next to each of your photos, I would have "liked" them all!
Thanks for sharing Pat!!

[Pat]

Day 11: Rest Day in Xiahe

Having finished the plateau portion of the trip, I needed to plan a route to Xinjiang and decided to take the day off in Xiahe. It was nice to sleep in a bit and then wake up to rain, only to not care! Over a breakfast of hardboiled eggs, I met the drivers of the bus in the picture above. Turns out the bus is a converted truck that they were driving for Odyssey Tours from Istanbul to Beijing! After chatting with them a bit I met a woman from the Netherlands who was planning to tour Labrang Monastery. The last time I had visited, I hadn’t actually gone into any of the buildings, so I decided to join her:



Unfortunately, no pictures were allowed during the tour except for in a room full of Yak butter sculptures:



Delicious!



After the tour and a lunch of Kung Pao Chicken and Yak Butter Tea, I retired to a restaurant to pour over the atlas and debate between a route through central Qinghai and Golmud, a route through northern Qinghai to Dunhuang, or a route through Gansu. At different parts of the afternoon, I had basically decided on each one of the routes, only to change my mind. After a couple more conversations with folks in Xiahe, I decided on the northern Qinghai route - it looked the least trafficked and the most remote - so northern Qinghai it was!

[Pat]

Day 12: Xiahe to Xining

The next morning I woke up happy to see that the rain had passed. I packed up the bike and set course for Xining. On the way, I would be leaving Tibetan areas behind and entering into areas dominated by the predominately Muslim Hui people. Within just a few kilometers, I began seeing mosques:



But there was still evidence of Tibetan culture:



And soon hit the first of several small Hui towns I would ride through. I’m not sure what it is, but in each of the towns the streets were full of people:



And mosques:



While it wasn’t raining, as I approached the mountain pass on the border of Gansu and Qinghai, I saw that the mountain was shrouded in clouds:



I began the climb into the clouds, past herders and their herds:



And then was in the mist:



I was a bit disappointed, as the last time through the views looked like this:



And last time I reached the peak I got hailed on (in June!). This time it looked like this:



Crossing the peak, I wove my way back down the other side of the mountain and out of the midst that sat like a blanket above herders’ tents:



And turned into a valley:



Bordered by red mountains:



And then entered another Hui town and a street lined with butcher shops:



I love these mountains:



The road turned and started to follow a river:



And another Hui town:



I crossed the river and entered into a narrow canyon:



Cut out of the rocks:



And then up over another mountain pass:



And into a flower lined valley:



The next day was going to be 500+ kilometers, so I was hoping to ride through Xining and get as far as I could to cut the next day’s ride down a bit. I was making decent time and started thinking I could knock out an extra couple hours of riding, I mean, what could go wrong? And sure enough, as I started climbing the final mountain before Xining I began to notice cars parked on both sides of the road… and families placing flowers in different places. Strange, I thought, but maybe it’s some Tomb Sweeping-like festival:



But the further I went, the more cars there were, until I hit complete grid-lock:



What in the world?



I asked a couple people, and sure enough – there had been a concert on top of the mountain and it had just ended! I mean, cars parked on both sides of the road leaving a single lane, just wide enough for one car, in the middle – what could wrong? Oh wait..
Sometimes all you can do is laugh… and cry. One lane, lined by cars, and anxious drivers trying to go both directions. On top of a mountain. As I sat staring at the line of stationary cars, I thought back to the traffic jam north of Beijing in 2013 that lasted nine days. But after a half an hour or so the cars began to trickle through, I rode through every gap I could, and about an hour later I had broken through! The road down was perfectly clear (everyone still being stuck up top) and so I enjoyed a nice smooth ride down the mountain:



I was running out of daylight and decided to just stop in Xining for the night. On the way into the city, I stopped to get gas, only to be greeted with a “Sorry, we can’t give you gas now, come back in a little bit.”
“What? Is this a Qinghai rule or a Xining rule?”
“I don’t know.”
“Well, after what time can I get gas?”
“In a little bit.”
“What does that mean??”
“Well, do you have a license?”
“Yes!”
“Ok, then we can give you gas.”
I handed over my license – the first time it’s ever been asked for in China – and they set to work recording it:



I’m pretty sure they were mixed up and wanted to see my bike registration because on the way out the guy pointed to another motorcycle and said “See, we can’t give him gas because he doesn’t have a plate.” Fair enough. With a full tank of gas, I rode into Xining, found a hotel and called it a night.

[Pat]

Day 13: Xining to Delingha

The next day started much like the previous one had ended, in traffic:



Xining is big, but not that big and soon enough I was through the city and on my way to Qinghai Lake:



I reached the lake, with mountains on one side:



And the lake on the other:



With horses still the preferred mode of transportation for some:



I made my way past the lake with mountains looming:



The road wound through the mountains and past more nomadic herders and their tents:



I reached a mountain top and was surprised to see the elevation was close to 4000 meters:



A perfect spot for a makeshift pool hall:



As the road descended into a valley, a bike pulled beside me and the rider waved for me to pull over. As I pulled over, I realized it was actually a group:



They were doing a several day trip and were in from Lanzhou:



And clearly very good at Kung Fu:



We chatted for a bit – and they gave me the usual, “You’re alone!? You should find a partner to ride with!” “Great, wanna come with me?” Needless to say, they weren’t heading to Delingha, so we hung out for a bit and then parted ways. Back on the road, the landscape turned stark and desolate:



So I took advantage of a sign of civilization and stopped at a truck stop for lunch:



After lunch, the clouds sat in the sky above the mountains:



And I reached the turnoff: Golmud to the left, Delingha to the right.



I was still sort of debating taking the southern route in my mind, but ultimately stuck with Delingha. The road was immaculate:



And I saw a stray bicyclist, clearly lost:



Needing to ride 500 kilometers, I was pleasantly surprised by how smooth the road was. Even though it was a G road, all of the sudden it felt like I was on the highway – two lanes going the same direction and traffic going over 100. I hadn’t turned on to the highway at any point – and as I scanned the landscape, there clearly wasn’t any other road. As the afternoon wore on, I realized that they had built a parallel two lane road and then converted the old G road into a “High Speed Road” – the Chinese is a bit ambiguous – it was a highway, but it wasn’t! The road had pull off spots too and while I was taking a quick break at one, a truck pulled up and this super friendly guy jumped out:



He carries ebikes from Fujian to Hotan with a partner – they drive 24 hours a day switching drivers every six hours. He had pulled off the road because there was an inspection point ahead and he wanted to wait for the police to get off work. He said they’re all corrupt and pop him for 200 RMB at every stop for being too wide. Although it looked like he actually was too wide to me, but what do I know! He said he had to budget 2000 RMB per trip for fines – and that the coppers just pocket them. We chatted for a bit, and before leaving he invited me to spend Chinese New Year with him and his family in Anhui Province!

Back on the road, the terrain became even more arid. But, that hasn’t stopped them from planting trees:



As I approached Delingha, I was surprised to see that the city was actually set off a good 10-15 km from the road. I turned off the highway and onto a typical wide, empty street that leads into so many Chinese cities:



This is usually the part where I write “I found a hotel and called it a night” – I did find a hotel, but this time the receptionist said, “Let me call the security bureau to see if you can stay here.” She called and they said, “We’ll be right over.” “Great, what does this mean?” I thought to myself.

Fifteen minutes later, a police officer named “Sailor” came. He asked for my passport and told me that Delingha is a military city and not open to foreigners! Not only that, but foreigners could be detained and fined for coming into the city! I sat there thinking, “This is crazy, how in the world was I supposed to know that?” He continued, that if I had come during the day, I might have been able to get a permit, but as it was late, everyone was already off work, so I couldn’t stay. I protested telling him that the next city was hundreds of kilometers away, I had already ridden over 500 kilometers, and the sun was going down!

He was actually pretty friendly, and told me he’d make a call and see what he could do. Fifteen minutes and a couple calls later, he told me that he could escort me to another hotel and I could stay the night, but had to leave first thing in the morning. Fine! We went back out and I followed him over to another (much more expensive) hotel. He checked me in, instructed the staff that I couldn’t leave the hotel, and reminded me three times – “Don’t go out!” I promised him I wouldn’t – so I ordered dinner from the hotel – and retired to my cell:

[Lao Jia Hou]

Wow, really great stuff Pat. Really really great!

I've just returned to China and was pleased to read about your progress. Hopefully, we will connect before you head home.

I hope the GW is treating you well, aside from that flaky front fender.

Best to you!

[prince666]

Hi Pat
What so important about the town!!
Can't say why here in MCM
But can post link for you to read why !

http://fas.org/nuke/guide/china/facility/delingha.htm

[milton]

Great stuff, Pat! Your RR brings back lots nice memory of the trip (Silk Road) Motokai and I took two years ago.

It seems that you have missed S215 (not G215), which winds through Qilian Shan 祁连山. Should your schedule allow it, look for it and get on it. It's one of the most scenic and colorful roads I've ever experienced.

Keep your pictures and stories coming. Cheers!