China

Crossing the Mekong was a real milestone and felt very special. It was the third majestic river with its source in China. We passed small villages and spent a day in Jinghong on our way to Mengla and the border.

Cycling in the tropical Yunnan with rice, coffee and tea, banana, papaya and dragon fruit. It was hot and humid but we enjoyed the change of scenery. We got a local invitation to join dinner which was a great experience.

We enjoyed our rest in Lijiang, visited the city by night and took a small road to Dali with Davide. We viewed the harvesting of rice and the views of mountains. In Dali we enjoyed the company of other travelers and made our way to the town Weishan which also has and old center.

Finally we reached Yunnan our last province in China. We crossed two hills to reach Shangri-La and met a fellow cyclist Davide. We also came across a lot of mud. From there it was down and up to Lijiang for a well deserved rest.

After Xiangcheng we followed the river and started to go up. The tarmac finished and we had a 100km section of rough gravel. A very bumpy downhill to where we stayed at the Blue river Bend Hotel.

Leaving the grassland plateau behind we cycled to Sangdui where we turned off and cycled our highest pass to date at 4720 meters. We made it to Xiangchang in the rain.

Half way to Litang and great hospitality from the tibetans. Ready for a rest day in Litang.

On our way to Litang we experienced some great moments some we share here. We cycled up some nice pases and met great people.

After climbing two 4500 meter passes we made it to Seda from where we visited the Tibetan Buddhism Institute Larung Gar.

Accidentally we came across a nice monastery in the town of Baiyu, we climbed a very hard, gravelly and rainy pass and we entered Sichuan province.

On our way we passed a few interesting places one of which was Nyingma temple we also met migrating nomads and cycled through grasslands.

We cycled south out of Xiahe through grasslands, met a nice family who let us shelter for the rain and crossed the Yellow River once again.

We stayed in Labrang for some days and we really found the place interesting. The monastery is quite a special experience.

From Hezuo it was a short ride to Xiahe during which we found a great campspot. In Xiahe at Labrang Monastery we have been amazed by the Tibetan atmosphere. Truly remarkable.

We cycled on along small Tibetan and Chinese villages. We past a monastery where people were coming together and visited Milarepa palace.

Minxian was an interesting city for a short visit but soon we were on the road again, heading up to higher altitude, to grasslands and yaks.

The road was quiet and rough and went over quite a few mountain passes. We got muddy and were invited in by Jack who shared a bit of his life with us.

From Tianshui we go up in to the mountains and cooler weather. We enjoy the valleys and green mountains.

Cycling out of Xian was hot and busy. We followed the river Wei to Tianshui.

The final stretch to Xi'an. Hills were back in the game and we were going up and down on roads with roadworks. We found some great campinspots, a touristic mountain and terracotta warriors before we dropped into the city.

We had left the first few hundred kilometres of China behind us and reached the flat plains of Henan. The road was easy, but filled with traffic and not so interesting. Luckily we had some nice encounters which made our days and we crossed the Yellow river.

Crossing the Yellow sea we cycled from Qingdao inland through Shandong province.

We followed the river north and reached the very busy city of Dalian with many big roads. We have really crossed the Asian continent! We took a ferry to Yantai and from there a ferry to Incheon South Korea.

Cycling out of Jinzhou we made the decision to head for Dalian. The route mainly had bigger roads and less interesting scenery, oil pumps but also the sea!

The road was becoming even more flat but still sometimes we had a small hill. We made it to Jinzhou fast and spent the afternoon looking for a place where we could stay.

We cycled out of Gubeikou towards Chengde and further making good daily distances and finding small roads.

We loved walking through the small streets of Beijing in the Hutong areas and the exotic food at the nightmarket.

In Beijing we visited the Forbidden city. This palace was the Chinese imperial palace from the Ming dynasty to the end of the Qing dynasty. There were many visitors and tour groups which we had to capture on camera.

Halfway the Jinshanling restored section began and we could see far in the distance the vastness of the Great Wall. Magnificent views!

We walked the Great Wall from Gubeikou on unrestored sections.

A final challenge, an 1800 meter pass and snow! But then finally we descended down and we met the Great Wall after following the cute road X015.

After the border from Mongolia to China there was still desert. We enjoyed our last cycling through the Gobi and found some great quiet roads.

Arriving in Hohhot by train Susanne settled into a hostel and went exploring in the city with a mosque, buddhist temple and interesting small markets.

A different trip by train this time. Susanne said goodbye to Martin in Urumqi and hopped on the train east to Hohhot. It was a 32 hour train ride with a similar view along the way.

The road from Urumqi to Tarkshken in the winter as mix of cultures and nature. Camels is the big thing here :)

On the road again and it was time for Christmas. We spent Christmas eve in the tent, Christmas day we cycled to Shuwan Xian and had a nice dinner :) Then it was time for the final push to Urumqi, a crazy and nice city in Xinjiang province.

China! Our surroundings changed immediately! New foods and new roads. A mountain pass, villages and Chinese cities.