From China to Thailand
Boarding the plane to Hong Kong and knowing to be back on the road soon felt really good after spending almost 3 months in Germany. Arriving back in Kunming made me instantly feel like coming home. Before I could leave the airport I was held back by the immigration police as the only one, and there had been quite a few westerners with me on the plane. I suspect the visa-extension, I had obtained last year after leaving Tibet, or perhaps they had information stored in their database about the fine and the alien travel permit which I obtained in Ali in West Tibet. After a brief check (more…)
From Guizhou Province to Hongkong
I left Guiyang following the motorway. Unless there are alternative roads, taking the motorway with a bicycle is legal in China. I didn’t know wether there was another road nor how to find it, so I just continued and was rewarded with a nice 140km ride on perfectly smooth tarmac, little traffic and moderate climbs. Passing the ‘Dragon’s Backbone’, the rice terraces of Longshen, the first part of my ride that day took me along the banks of a stunning river in the direction of Guilin. Guilin, biggest city of Guangxi province, is well known for it’s surrounding environment, unreal-looking (more…)
From Yunnan to Guizhou Province
Northwest Yunnan was spectacular with its authentic Tibetan culture, gorgeous views and friendly people. But also, there was a big presence of package tourists, Chinese and international due to relative ease of accessibility of the region. Reaching the town of Zhongdian, better known as Shangri-La, was another milestone: being back to “civilisation”, and the first and best place to obtain the desperately needed visa extension. After I had found the PSB Office, I managed to get another two months on the spot without hassles. I also got my camera repaired. Mr.G, the manager of the place where (more…)
Lhasa to Yunnan
I had planned to stay five days or so but in the end left Lhasa after almost two weeks. I had caught a cold with a strong cough and cycling without being well didn’t sound like a good idea. The cough was persistent, though after a couple of days when I felt fit enough I decided that there was no point in hanging out for another week, so I hit the road hoping it would vanish with some exercise. Lhasa is a great place to hangout and I could have easily stayed for another month or two, but the winter was approaching and my visa was about to expire – and try was no way to (more…)