Around China in 100 Days

[Roadrunner]

Dushanzi to Ermaoqiao – Day 67

In the morning I found that my back tyre was flat. Thankfully, we were on a street with a couple of bike shops, so I wheeled it over to the nearest one. A nice Uighur guy greeted me and fixed it for me patching up the inner and pulling a dozen thin slivers of metal from the tyre while his young Han Chinese neighbour watched curiously. I also got a spare inner tube just in case. He was a nice guy and I tried to pay him more the fair price, because I knew he was giving me a low price, but he refused.

We asked people where the next town, petrol station, or accommodation was on the G217. No-one knew because no-one seemed to take that road. All they knew was that foreigners couldn’t go there. We decided to give it a go anyway because it would cost us about 2 days extra ride to go up to the northwest part of Xinjiang,Ili, to the furthest of the three roads crossing the Tian Shan.





On the road out of town we came across a not-so-friendly sign. Now we knew why everyone was saying that no foreigners could go on this road. The sign was dated at 2006, so after 5 years the real reason for restricting access (a large military base was in the area, or so we were told) might not be present. If they really wanted to restrict the area, there would surely be a checkpoint. If there was, we would ask them if we could pass. If not, then this sign shouldn’t be taken too seriously.





After about 70 kilometres from Kuitun, most of it beautiful twisty asphalt, we did come up to a checkpoint, its barrier blocking the road. Lulu asked if we could drive through, with me in my ski mask pretending to be Chinese. The guy was quite reluctant to let us through, and probably wouldn’t have if it was just me trying to convince him, but Lulu tried her level best and before long, he relented. I breathed a sigh of relief. He warned us that there are many problems with the snow at the passes and that we probably wouldn’t be able to get through.

Not too far along, the beautiful asphalt started breaking up and soon we were driving on gravel again. I was a little disappointed. My obsession with getting kilometres under our wheels often had me at loggerheads with the road conditions. The valley itself was spectacular. Huge weathered cliffs rising hundreds of metres into the clear blue sky, birds of prey circling and in the distance snow white peaks.

We stopped for a break and shortly after a white ute with four or five guys inside, pulled up. They looked like military. One of the guys got out and was talking into his phone for about 10 minutes, every now and again uttering the word “Waiguoren”. He hung up and started talking with Lulu, mentioning that there was a lot of snow up ahead, and that we may not get through. Satisfied, he got back in the ute and they drove off. I breathed another sigh of relief. I guess he called his boss to make sure it’s ok that a foreigner could drive this road, so I was much less anxious about getting pulled up by heavies in camo gear toting AK-47s and escorted back the way we came.

We were about to move on when a group of five bikers pulled over. They were from Usu (30 kms from Kuitun), home of Xinijiang’s finest beer (IMHO) out for a day ride. We had a convoy! They were faster than us though, and we split up quickly.





The air started to get very cold up past the snowline, about 3000 metres above sea level. Recent snows coated the road and I tried to drive in the tracks of the 4WDs where the wheels could get to the surface of the road. I learnt that it’s best to ‘ski’ in this situation, putting my legs out in a static position and ‘skiiing’ to stabilise the bike in case the front wheel got slipped or got thrown into the snow banks on either side of the ditch. When I hadn’t seen Lulu in my rear mirrors for a while, I turned around (after getting my bike up and over the central snow bank in the middle of the road) to look for her. She had dropped her bike twice and couldn’t get it up the second time.



We met our riding team near the top of the pass. It was late and the snow was getting harder and harder to drive through, so they were heading back to Wusu. They were a great bunch and told us that the next town is 12 kms from the top of the pass.



We both tried out hand at snow driving once again, but Lulu couldn’t manage it with her bike, so I drove both bikes most of the way up to the pass, which just happened to be a tunnel through the top ridge. It looked as though there were some ongoing road works (as there were poles erected as if to prepare for making a covered roadway at the worst points in the snow), and that this road would be an easy drive one day.





Lulu set off through the tunnel first as I was still catching my breath from the exertion of driving, dropping and picking up the bikes at this altitude (around 3500 metres). I wanted to get Lulu exiting the tunnel on the helmet camera, so I rushed through the rutted tunnel too fast, going over a couple of bumps a little too hard, bottoming out the rear suspension with a full load.



I came out the other side, to an amazing landscape, with a flat back tyre. Lulu’s back sprocket also needed looking at. I was livid and exhausted and I couldn’t seem to catch my breath. Also, I hadn’t yet bought the right tools to change the back tyre (due to laziness and more of the laissez-faire attitude to bike tools), so we had to figure out how to get to the next town with both bikes.



I sorted the problem with Lulu’s tyre, and figured that after give the tyre a pump, enough air was staying in the tube to get some distance before it needed pumping up (something that I have since been told is called ‘foreshadowing’).

By the time we had sorted out our problems, the sun had set behind the ridge we just passed under and it was starting to get colder, but our motivation for rushing through this amazing scenery seemed like a waste. It was quite possibly the most beautiful place in the whole trip.



Night had fallen by the time we were driving below the snowline again. We passed construction crews working on the new roads who couldn’t believe we had come through the pass. We couldn’t believe they lived in tents for long periods in such cold weather, and we were probably there on a good day.

We were lucky that the only guesthouse in Ermaoqiao, a 10 building hamlet, had opened a week before. It’s usually closed during the colder months, but as it gets warmer, tourists from Kuqa come here to enjoy the natural beauty of the place. The owner originally came from Hunan, but lives in Ermaoqiao for the tourist season.
We had gone much slower than we expected. We had done 130 kilometres over 10 hours, but at this stage it was definitely quality over quantity.

[Roadrunner]

Ermaoqiao to Gongnaisigou– Day 68

After the awesome day of driving the day before I was excited about the possible day of riding ahead. Kuqa was 379 kms away, and given the state of the roads we experienced so far, it would probably be two days hard riding to get there.



Before we got started, I needed to get my bike tyre fixed. The guy wasn’t hard to find in this village of less than 50 people. It was the same problem from the day before. The guy in Dushanzi didn’t manage to get all the metal spikes out of the tyre.

It was well past lunch time by the time we were cruising through pristine alpine valleys, marmots scurrying across the road and poking their heads out of their holes.



As we drove up and around the switchbacks up to the next pass, dark clouds began to appear over the mountain range we crossed yesterday and we began to get a little worried about the weather. We had no clue about the possible conditions at this altitude, so we were keen to push on.



Until we made it to the top of the 2nd Tian Shan pass, at 3000 metres up. This pass was lower than that of the previous day, meaning less snow and making it easier to drive. From the top, there was a spectacular view over the rest of the Tian Shan and I was surprised that we needed to cross at least one more mountain range before we got to Kuqa.



We took this vision in for half an hour, at the top of the world.



The scenery changed to lush pastures and pine forests below the snowline.



We got to the bottom of the valley and met the G218 at Linggongli (Zero kilometres? 零公里) which ran east to west from Ili, well known for its natural beauty, to Korla. There were only a couple of refreshment stands where we thought there would be a town. It’s the point where two national roads meet after all and I thought there would at least be a gas station, but alas, nowhere to stay, and no petrol. We stopped for lunch/afternoon tea and to figure out whether we should follow the G218 to Korla, avoiding another tricky mountain passage, or keep going along the G217 direct to Kuqa. Either way, we would have to find petrol to go much further, so we kept driving along the paved 218 as it was much more a thoroughfare than the 217.



We drove through the lush valley famed with pine covered slopes, livestock crossing the road every now and again, the nomadic herder’s gers like white marshmallows on the green pastures beside the river. I felt like I had passed into a different world; a kind of Shangrila hidden from the outside world. We arrived in a a small town called Gongnaisigou as the sun set and we were told this was the last town for 200 kms, and we certainly wouldn’t be able to get petrol or a place to stay anywhere else. We didn’t really have a choice but to stay there, not that we needed much encouraging. The setting was incredibly tranquil and a perfect place to have dinner and a couple of beers to relax after a big day.

[bigdamo]

Did you actually get off the G312 and come into Shihezi? I think you just kept on the G312 that is the outskirts of Shihezi and the industrial area.Not much appealing down there.

Xinjiang is a miltary region I'd be wary of the signs for a reason plus you being a foreigner should get a permit to travel that pass if something happens to you up there and you have to call in help they aren't go to be to happy coming and pulling you out.Did you tell anyone that you were doing that pass and were going to ring them when you safely made it through?

The weather up there can change real quick even in summer the storms come in real fast.

That said lots of foreigners do that pass with out a permit probably because if they ask for one they aren't going to get one.

Having that beard helps you .People around here will look at you and at first glance will think maybe your Uryghur or Hui rather than a foreigner.

Got to watch the baijiu .Most people in Xinjiang are extremely friendly and hospitable but will get you extremely drunk.Chinese New Year is killing me.

You can make a serious amount of money getting married here.Far outweighing the actual costs involved in getting married.

I like the practice when you walk in and give your red envelope and they have a plate of lollies and a plate of cigarettes which you must partake in even if you don't smoke.

I beg to differ I think Yanjing is Xinjiang if not China's best beer.Localism may play a part in that.It is made in Shihezi

[Roadrunner]

Did you actually get off the G312 and come into Shihezi? I think you just kept on the G312 that is the outskirts of Shihezi and the industrial area.Not much appealing down there.

Xinjiang is a miltary region I'd be wary of the signs for a reason plus you being a foreigner should get a permit to travel that pass if something happens to you up there and you have to call in help they aren't go to be to happy coming and pulling you out.Did you tell anyone that you were doing that pass and were going to ring them when you safely made it through?

The weather up there can change real quick even in summer the storms come in real fast.

That said lots of foreigners do that pass with out a permit probably because if they ask for one they aren't going to get one.

Having that beard helps you .People around here will look at you and at first glance will think maybe your Uryghur or Hui rather than a foreigner.

Unfortunately, we didn't take the time to visit Shihezi. Just shot straight through.

Have you ever done the crossing?

We had no idea about the permit, and we thought that the road would be good because it's a national road. We also had no idea about what the weather could do in that region. We just wandered up to check it out and managed to get through. We also didn't tell anyone we were going because the possibility of getting stuck didn't occur to us.

Careless and naive of us I suppose.

Even now, I can't find information on the internet about the G217 permit. Do you know how someone else, planning to ride this road, could find out about the permit without putting their faith in the words of a travel agency? It's a stunning road and should be experienced before they pave it and put tunnels at the top of the passes.

Pat's mate wanted to ride through on a bicycle, and the travel agency asked 350 Euros to get the permit. Apparently the permit itself is practically free, but "there's a lot of paperwork". It seems a fairly steep price for paperwork, but I suppose that could include insurance in case the rider gets stranded and needs a rescue.

It's funny you mention the whole beard=Uigur thing. Most people in Xinjiang assumed I was Uigur, until I spoke

[Roadrunner]

Can we make request and or challenges?
If you post the link to the charity your sponsoring, sorry If you already have and I missed that.
Some may actually submit donation for meeting specific challenges?

Here would be mine….
http://toolserver.org/~geohack/geohack.php?pagename=Heaven_Lake_of_Tian_Shan&para ms=43_53_9.7_N_88_7_56.6_E_region:CN_type:waterbod y

Aka Heavenly Lake.

The lake is accessible by Provincial Highway 111 from Fukang City.

I do not believe that Fukang city is far from Urumqi?

Hey MJH,

I'll post up all the charity information at the end of the thread. This is the link to our fundraising site - http://www.ammado.com/community/118797

Cheers

[euphonius]

Thanks for that Euphonius. Are you working for an NGO here?

It's always great to hear about the causes people get involved with and it would be interesting to hear about other humanitarian and environmental projects the guys on MCM are working with. I know there are a couple.

...

Dear Roadrunner,

Yes, I am indeed doing some humanitarian work here, and will give you a fuller update soon. Right now in the process of registering some things. Look forward to comparing notes as we move forward. Actually, I've been doing this work for quite a few years, and only now getting around to formalizing it into a properly funded organization.

Stay tuned!

[bigdamo]

Unfortunately, we didn't take the time to visit Shihezi. Just shot straight through.

Have you ever done the crossing?

We had no idea about the permit, and we thought that the road would be good because it's a national road. We also had no idea about what the weather could do in that region. We just wandered up to check it out and managed to get through. We also didn't tell anyone we were going because the possibility of getting stuck didn't occur to us.

Careless and naive of us I suppose.

Even now, I can't find information on the internet about the G217 permit. Do you know how someone else, planning to ride this road, could find out about the permit without putting their faith in the words of a travel agency? It's a stunning road and should be experienced before they pave it and put tunnels at the top of the passes.

Pat's mate wanted to ride through on a bicycle, and the travel agency asked 350 Euros to get the permit. Apparently the permit itself is practically free, but "there's a lot of paperwork". It seems a fairly steep price for paperwork, but I suppose that could include insurance in case the rider gets stranded and needs a rescue.

It's funny you mention the whole beard=Uigur thing. Most people in Xinjiang assumed I was Uigur, until I spoke

You shot around the outskirts of Shihezi the industrial area.I have been to many places in China and the world in my time.I am sure there are other places in China that are beautiful but for me Shihezi has it all huge mountains close by with areas that are untouched by main stream China and then the deserts one hour away.Shihezi unfortunately is changing quickly but still a beautiful place.

Yes done the crossing by car.Hope to go and ski it this coming spring/summer.

Um the permit I wouldn't bother they probably won't give you one.You need a permit to climb,hike or ski any mountain over 3000 mtrs in Xinjiang which you can get from XMA they would probably do the permit for that pass.

Yeah the travel agents will rip you.I think the permit for hiking and climbing 3000 mtr mountain was $100.00

I doubt that you will get insurance just the permit.

Finding info on the net about Xinjiang is difficult especially the out of the way places one of the reasons I like the place except having to travel down to Urumqi to get some official things done in person sitting around for hours and then told" paper work wrong go back do again" why I can't just email them the documents. pisses me off.

The Uryghurs think I am a Uryghur initially so do the Kazahs.Kazah tradition dictates that any new Kazah that comes into your neighborhood has to be feed and greeted warmly has worked for me in some cases.

People say to me be careful in certain places and there probably right but I say they aren't going to go after me first they'll go after you.

[euphonius]

One more question, Roadrunner, since I see you are using smugmug to host your pictures: How do you get MCM to accept such big pictures? Since the site upgrade a few months ago, I have not been able to post anything larger than what smugmug calls a "small" sized picture. MCM refuses "medium" and "large" images, but you are getting nice big images through! What's the magic touch?

And keep the fantastic reports and pictures coming!

thanks!

[Roadrunner]

Gongnaisigouxiang to Dalongchi – Day 69

We got going fairly early in the morning because we had decided to take the G217 and we weren’t sure how long it would take to get to Kuqa. The guest-house lady owner said that once we crossed the mountains, the roads would be good, but were bad up until the pass. This was good news, as we were expecting to have another full bone shattering day of gravel riding.

I was concerned that my GPS, camera and helmet camera didn’t charge properly after the day before, because the only electricity between 10pm and 10am was a diesel engine that sat right outside the window to our room. I was grateful that they didn’t run the diesel generator all night, but I was sure that I would need electronics for another fantastic day.

It was quite a cold morning, so I warmed myself by the stove and made friends with a week-old pet lamb whose
mother had been killed after a horse kicked her in the head.



We had had to wait for half an hour after we turned up at the petrol station before the electricity got turned on and the pump started working, and we continued on through the stunning valley on flat, tarmac roads. At the top of the pass we came across a Mongolian Aobao, a reminder of the ethnic diversity of this rural area, where Han Chinese seemed a minority to the Mongolians, Khazaks and Uighurs.





We turned off the G218 and onto the gravel roads of the S321 towards Bayin Buluke (巴音布鲁克) which had been the original destination for the day before.



We drove past nomadic herders driving their sheep and cattle.





We met the G217 again and realised we could have saved 70kms of riding by going back to Linggongli from Gongnaisigou and through the road works just past the intersection, but I felt that the detour was worth it just for what we saw.

The road turned to asphalt 5 kms out from Bayin Buluke, the only fair sized town we had come across on the 217, where we stopped for a great (and greasy) Zuafan lunch in a very Muslim restaurant. There were women in burqas, men in topis, Arabian style teapots and a clock showing Xinjiang time on the wall.



We filled up at the petrol station just in case the unexpected happened. A couple of the guys there told that there are road works on the road to Kuqa and cars and trucks don’t usually use the road but motorcycles go through all the time.

The smooth tarmac continued and eventually was so comfortable for Lulu that she needed to have a nap on the bike.



The asphalt stopped abruptly at a sign saying something like “only work vehicles past this point” and a big dirt barrier with tyre tracks leading over it. We followed the tracks over the dirt mound and we were back to gravel road skirting a river in the gorge’s rock face.



I was looking forward to climbing up into the mountains we saw from the top of the pass the day before, but the track didn’t do much climbing. We passed through a long tunnel which was what I imagine driving through a massive, dark freezer would feel like. We came out into the late afternoon sunshine and found that the only way was all downhill from here.



Lulu was driving in front again as I got a flat back tyre. I didn’t beep at her to let her know I was in trouble because I thought that a quick pump would do and I’d be on my way again. It wouldn’t hold air for more than 30 seconds. There was no cellphone reception in the mountains so I couldn’t call her to come back, so I set about doing what I could with what I had. It was the first time I had ever changed a back tyre of a motorcycle, so it was a bit of a learning curve, but didn’t seem too complicated. I tried to get the back axle nut off but it was hopeless with the tools I had, even after taking off the exhaust pipe and luggage rack to get a really good crack at it.





I had no option but to wait for a car with a wrench the right size. I got the chain off the sprocket and unhooked the back brakes while I waited. I waved down a couple of vehicles until a friendly Uigur stopped with one the right size. It was off in seconds and he was off in a couple more. It took me another 30 minutes to, get the wheel off, the inner out, put the spare inner in, hook up the brakes and put the chain back on, after which I had to wait for someone else with a wrench the right size.





A couple more vehicles, but no tools the right size. Plenty of time to muck around though.



A Uighur guy on a motorcycle stopped and fished out a wrench from the plastic bag of tools he had strapped to the back of his bike, helped me get tighten the axle nut, and then offered to drive with me to Kuqa, which I was more than happy about. A couple of seconds later the sound of screeching metal stopped me. I had tightened the brakes too much and the torque of the back wheel against the drum brake tore out the brake link. There was no way to fix that there, so I had to make to with driving downhill on gravel and dirt by only using the front brakes and the engine to slow me down.



We saw Lulu coming back to find me. She figured out what was happening by asking the cars that had come down if they had seen me, and she had been asking about a place to get the bike fixed.

All three of us went on. We decided to stop at the next village, Dalongchi, as it was getting dark. It was night by the time we got in and had to drive through a stream fed by ice-melt from the day to get through, which was our first fording, but not our last.

We stayed the night in a Mongolian ger which was part of a campsite. It was a tourist village, and it was low season so we got a decent price of 25 rmb each and all three of us slept on a big square of wood covered in blankets with Mongolian patterns all over them. I swore to myself that, when we got to Kuqa, I would find the basic tools we needed. It seemed like the wrench would be the last tool I would need to complete my slowly growing basic tool kit; a tool kit that a wiser man would have had from before the start.

[Roadrunner]

One more question, Roadrunner, since I see you are using smugmug to host your pictures: How do you get MCM to accept such big pictures? Since the site upgrade a few months ago, I have not been able to post anything larger than what smugmug calls a "small" sized picture. MCM refuses "medium" and "large" images, but you are getting nice big images through! What's the magic touch?

And keep the fantastic reports and pictures coming!

thanks!

I couldn't get big pictures either until I started to deselect the "Retrieve remote file and reference locally" box, which is automatically selected each time the photo-posting-box-thingy is opened. If you're not already doing that it might help.




Cheers