The border between China and Kyrgyzstan is high in the mountains and the two countries have chosen (for reasons unknown to me) to have 7 km of no man's land in between there two border posts.
For myself and a newly arriving sectional rider, we had flown into Beijing and made the long journey westward all the way to Kashgar by plane and then 4 hours further by vehicle to get to the Chinese side of this mountainous and isolated region. The rest of the group, of course, came from Istanbul and over the war in Georgia, passed the desert in Turkmenistan to get back on schedule, rode through three border in three days to get to Kyrgyzstan, then rode on rugged terrain for three more days to come to the Kygyz side of the border.
We had both come so far, but the small distance of 7 km seemed immense as we struggled to connect the two pieces of our expedition (staff, baggage, and riders on one side, vehicles and Chinese support team on the other.) Official documents had been produced and favours called in, but a power outage at the Kyrgyz customs and a three hour lunch break on the Chinese side of customs meant that our long anticipated arrival to China was slow.
But finally we did cross into China and a hilly 50 km further all the riders arrived in good time to enjoy an authentic meal - a mixture of Xinjiang provincial noodles and yummy steamed dumplings - in the tiny village of Uluqgat. We camped directly in front of the restaurant as hungry riders had only a light snack after the border after several hours in no man's land. It was not our most filling meal, nor our most scenic camp, but i think everyone quietly breathed a sign of relief for having finally arrived to China.
The pollution is thick, and the traffic is somewhat crazy at times, but on the bright side the temperatures have been pleasant, the roads flat, no winds to speak of and the hotel tonight was unexpectedly comfortable and classy, and our dinner in the restaurant was fabulous with lots of wonderful Chinese mushrooms, lamb, beef, chicken and pork dishes, lots of other veggies and the food kept coming.
The G107 is the highway that were on now and will continue on until we reach Beijing – it is by no means a pleasant ride on a country highway – it is bustling and busy with the constant honking of horns and squealing of brakes, but as the towns get bigger you do notice more and more bicycles, and you can easily find yourself riding in a pack of 30 or 40 other cyclists, heading home from work, and going to the market. There’s strength in numbers and you do start to feel a little less threatened by the automobile traffic with so many other bicycles around you.
After just three riding days, we have arrived to another rest day at our hotel in another exciting town in China.
Jiayuguan is home to the western most portion of the great wall, and so riders will have there first glimpse of the wall that will re-appear again before the end of the tour.
Desert camp last night was great - a nice camp fire, surprisingly pleasant night-time temparatures and another great meal - pork kebabs and lots of tasty vegatables.
Sadly, the desert camps are now few and far between, as the fall temparatures continue to drop, we'll be forced to stay in more hotels. I personal prefer the camp experience. Its a much better way to feel the community of this travelling band of cyclists.
Just a few weeks now really until Beijing! Its hard to believe. Next week onto Lanzhau, then Xian, and Beijing.
Well, our staff writer, Rachel, is on a well deserved break, and so you are left with me for a few days to keep you up to date on the latest goings-on, along the Silk Route.
Today was one of those days where this expedition feels like a vacation. The 120km from Dunhuang flew by along the quiet road with near perfect smooth pavement. No winds to speak of and only the gentlest of climbing. To our left for most of the day was a railway line, with the occasional passenger train streaming past us. To our right, we were accompanied by beautiful hills that extended from the magestic dunes in Dunhuang. It was a nice contrast to the flat desert road we traveled on.
Leaving Dunhuang was cold, as most mornings have been over the past few weeks, but by the time we arrived at the lunch truck it was a very comfortable 20 degrees or so.
The caves and dunes in Dunhuang seemed to be a highlight of the tour for many of the riders.
At sunset, the dunes look idyllic. The knife edge peaks of the dunes slither across the horizon into the distance with the colours emphasized by the late day sun.
The Silk Route bikers, their bikes, all the gear and the trucks are all safely stashed aboard the Merkuri 1 and are crossing the Caspian Sea - bound for Turkmenbashi, Turkmenistan.
450 foot long, with 3 decks above the water, Merkuri 1 has been described by the riders as a 'cruise ship' complete with cabins, cold drinks and views to enjoy.......especially those of the oil rigs all round!
The riders are feeling rested after a day off in Baku... so with the 18 hour ferry crossing and another rest day in Turkmenbashi on Tuesday, they should all be feeling dangerously fit before riding out once again on Wednesday to explore enigmatic Turkmenistan.
For now, the riders are reading their books, listening to their music, chilling with cold beers, enjoying cool breezes, catching up on some sleep (there are some party riders in the crew) oh... and of course... eating!
Another day in bike heaven! Life on the TdA Silk Route is good!
Well we have been warning the riders since the very start that the tour (being the inaugural pioneering trip) will be prone to many unknowns and potential delays and problems.
So far things have gone very smoothly from my perspective, but we're always on guard for what might be lurking around the next corner and one of those major unknowns is the ferry crossing the Caspian Sea.
If all goes to plan we expect to depart from the Baku ferry port at 2pm tomorrow afternoon (Monday 27th August) and arrive in Turkmenistan the following morning, clear customs, and have the better part of the day to relax, repack, and re-energize for the next 4 days in the desert heat on our way to Ashgabat.
The riders have been very cooperative with all the deadlines we have laid out for them to ensure that all bikes, bags, trucks and people get on the ferry on time. This morning we were told that instead of having all day and night to pack up red boxes that the trucks will have to head to the ferry tonight to clear customs and be boarded on the ferry and sit there overnight. Meaning that all red boxes and permanent bags have to be loaded tonight. Hopefully our drivers will not need to stay there the whole night too.
So hopefully everything else will go smoothly - the ferry ride promises to be an adventure regardless and I am personally really looking forward to the expereicnce.
In the meantime - the riders have been spreading out across Baku like ants in the shopping mecca of this region. Every western brand name is available here and the restaurants and bars are very familiar to what we'd see back home in North America or Europe.
The Ministry of Tourism has been very supportive to us since we arrived in Azerbaijan and again today they provided a complimentarty city tour for the riders.
You'll hear from us again in Turkmenistan.
The latest and perhaps most ambitious of our projects is now official. You thought Tour d'Afrique took you off the tourist trail, well crossing our third continent, the Silk Route Bicycle Tour will travel through Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and China. The dates, the prices, and the delightful fine details and tour highlights are now online.
