Western China

#19 - 08.08.2009, Xining, China:

We dash from Hami to Dunhuang by bus and as a birthday present for Sandro finally obtain the necessary visa extension, allowing us another 30 days in China. In Dunhuang we visit the well preserved Mogao Cave complex, an incredible repository of Buddhist art from different periods. Once returned to Hami we switch back to the bikes and tackle the final stretch of desert. In Jiayuguan we enter China “proper”, pass the final point of the Great Wall and its defence point the Jiayuguan Fort and proceed to Zhangye. We turn our backs to the desert and start the ascent into the Eastern Tibetan mountains of Qinghai province. Once in the altitude lush green grasslands and blooming rape fields welcome us, yaks graze everywhere and colourful prayer flags adorn the mountain passes. Xining, the provincial capital, is the first big Chinese city we enter - we are overwhelmed by the bustling activity, but enjoy it as a necessary stop in civilisation.
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#18 - 22.07.2009, Hami, China:

Leaving Kashgar the heat immediately hits us and we know what we are in for: choosing to cycle on the Northern Silk Road we cross from west to east along the Taklamakan Desert. Thousands of kilometres lie ahead of us as we cycle to our limits, more than just once covering over 200km a day. We get used to the heat but the constant winds, very often head-winds, and sometimes sandstorms are difficult to stand. We stop once for a day to relax but the purpose of our ‘Race across the Taklamakan’ is to reach the border of the Xinjiang province where clashes between the local Uighur population and the Chinese army have led to a charged atmosphere. Reaching Hami we hope to be able to extend our visas there but Chinese bureaucracy has another unpleasant surprise in for us.
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#17 - 07.07.2009, Kashgar, China:

After months in Central Asia and weeks in the loneliness of the Pamir Mountains, Kashgar is a little paradise for us: the Chinese part of the city boasts thousands of shops selling everything from melons to the most unusual foodstuffs, all of which we are tempted to try out. Apart from discovering the famous Livestock and Sunday markets, we wander through the old city but also spend a couple of days fixing our bikes. We share these experiences with our Spanish cycling friends Aitor and Iñigo whom we also decide to join for a four day excursion to the Karakul Lake at the foot of the mighty Muztagh Ata Mountain up in the Chinese Pamir. When we return once again to Kashgar we are surprised by heavy military presence everywhere, it takes us some time to understand the cause: heavy clashes between the local Uighur population and the Chinese Han majority have left hundreds dead in Ürümqi, the province’s capital as well as Kasghar itself.
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