The Long Goodbye: From Kunming to Urumqi

[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!

[MotoKai]

Yes!

Good stuff Pat. Thanks.

[felix]

Pat, you were already a legend. Now you're just showing off.

[kikikillercat]

Fucking awesome road report................so much detail and the photos.......wow!!! you really got into the cultural experience.

Are you still in Kunming? I think I came across you two years ago in Lijiang on your way to moving to Kunming....