It has been a while since my last China trip. That trip report is here. http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=222736
I certainly had an interesting time, but I was a bit disappointed I did not make it to Lhasa. So I woke up one morning, and decided it was time for one more effort to get there. So Chiang Mai, Thailand to Lhasa, Tibet, here I come. This trip I am going to try to cut down my accidents as well. But there are a few obstacles in the way..........
1. It is a hell of a long way. Solution ? Lots of riding .
2.The city of Chiang Mai has been seizing bikes that have foreign plates. So for the last few months my Chinese bike has been cowering in my shop. Solution? Leave at 6 in the morning when the police are sleeping.
3. I smuggled the bike into the country with no import papers. Solution? Try to quickly board the ferry across the Mekong before the customs guy sees me. If he accosts me, plan is to look very sorry and slip him a medium sized bribe.
4. The Chinese registration on the bike has expired. Solution? At the Chinese - Laos border when they are carefully
examining every document, try to look befuddled and hopeful at the same time.
5. No foreigner is allowed to enter Tibet without a special travel permit, and you are certainly not allowed to travel alone. By Chinese law you must book a tour through a travel agent. Solution? Cross the border into Tibet at 5 in the morning when it is not manned. If spotted, keep my visor down, and hunch down to try to look like a Chinese rider.

So that is what I am facing. Plus extreme altitude, bad roads, snow, cold rain, ice, etc.....
No need to waste time worrying, just go !!! But all trips should have a certain amount of preparation . For high altitude training, I rode today to the highest point in Thailand, 2565 meters. A bit lower than the passes in the Himalayas....:rofl


A Thai girl I was riding with, in front of the sign to prove the extreme altitude.


The bike.....A Qing Qi 200, with 14 snarling Chinese horses on tap waiting to be unleashed. I have spent a fair amount of time prepping this bike out. If you go to China to buy one it will not look like this one....
Side view.


Back view.


Cockpit view.


The front ....


And a finally a picture with a friend to keep you guys interested.


Tomorrow morning I hit the road, bound for Laos the first day, then onto China. Am pretty sure this should be an interesting trip..........

An early morning departure out of Chiang Mai, and a smooth uneventful trip to the border of Laos at the city of Chiang Kong. I had to get the bike out on the sly, as I did not have any import papers for the bike when I brought it in. The trick is to follow a truck down the ramp to the ferry, and quickly get on board before the customs guy sees you. I zoom down but miss the ferry by seconds. So had to pull the bike around the river bank out of view of customs and wait for the next ferry. 20 minutes later I was aboard and headed to Laos.


Another smooth segment with a bit of rain coming into Luang Nam Tha, which is a town in Laos near the Chinese border. There I met up with my long term friend David Unkovich for dinner. He is the owner of the Africa Twin in the picture.


Up to the border in the morning, a pretty short trip. Here is the greeting sign just before you cross.


I was asked first if I was sick , or had been near any pigs.....
Then at immigration I presented my passport, while dressed in biking gear. He then sort of fearfully asked where my bike was from. He was stunned to see I had all the proper paperwork for a Chinese bike. Big smiles, a couple of stamps on the paperwork, a couple questions as to why the bike had been gone for two years, and then I was in !!!

Rolling the perfect brand new toll road leading north.


Sights along the way headed north. Did you ever wonder where the tea in the cup you are holding comes from? Wonder no more. The size and scale of these terraced hills of tea
was staggering. It went on as far as the eye could see. Here some workers snapped with a zoom.


Closer....


Closest...


Here is a long shot of the road to the Laos border. This is a very expensive road, with lots of tunnels and raised portions
to keep the road fairly straight and level.


Today was a pretty good day, had only one near death experience. I am sure this rate will pick up faster a bit later in the trip. Coming into a long tunnel from the bright daylight, I carefully turn on my lights and flip up my sunglasses. About halfway into the tunnel I see bright lights coming directly at me in my lane. WTF !!! I jam on the brakes, pull over to the edge of the raised sidewalk, and wait while seconds later a large truck comes past me, missing me by inches. For some reason they were doing roadwork in the lane of the oncoming traffic. So the tunnel workers simply coned off the lane, and directed the traffic into my lane for a length of about 200 meters.
Amazing China? It pays to be really careful in a land of no liability.. Here you see the cones starting to move traffic into my lane.


Am now spending my first night in the town of Samao, a very pleasant medium sized town.
Met some really friendly people, and had a great dinner. The small restaurant even had a picture
menu, saving me the trouble of wondering around the restaurant staring at people's food while deciding what to order. The famous point and shoot method. The soup was red hot.....