Jaiyugunan to Wuwei

Day 47 Wed 16th September 463 km ( 15426 km total)

Averted mutiny, a cool start (& finish) and being mooned at by a sheep!

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There was a near mutiny last night, when tempers and opinions flared as to the quality of the route we are following.

There has been general dissatisfaction amongst the group right from the start of the China trip. We had all signed up for a trip that went through Tibet, but 1 week before we arrived the permits were cancelled due to landlsides, broken bridges etc from storms along the way. The alternative route that has been set up through the northern deserts, is a lot further and would normally be done in 30 days, but as we need to stick to the 25 days planned, we are having to do longer days, hence all the highway miles over the past week.

So, last night, things were said by some individuals and unfortunately face was lost, so in the late evening I had a 1:1 with the chinese guide to try and calm things down a bit, get a few facts straight and explore options.

Although I share some of the frustration, to be fair to the guide, there is not much else he could have done. When the issue arose, we were all already on the road & not easily contactable for discussion, so he & the UK agent stuck to what they know and basically used a previous route that they knew they could get permits for at short notice. The unfortunate thing is that this results in a trip that doesnt really match the interests of any of us.

Personally I think the next 15 days will see a significant improvement as we head south and out of the bleak deserts with their straight flat featureless roads.

One interesting thing that did emerge from the discussion, when I floated the idea of getting to the Laos border a day or two earlier, was that the permits not only fix the chinese entry date but also the exit. So if we arrive at the border early we will not be allowed through!

This seems a little hard to believe initially, but, if you are a regular reader, you may recall that we were held up on entry for a few hours because a particular piece of paper had not arrived from Beijing on time, so we may face a similar issue on exit.

Anyway, we met outside the hotel a little earlier than normal this morning, and both the group atmosphere and the air temperature was a little cool.

I put 'Coldplay' on the headset, though, and off we went, my spirits rising with every wheel revolution & drum beat.

There was a distinct nip in the air, not enough to make me reach for my liners or windproof gloves, but almost. Apart from that it was good riding weather.

The landscape for the first 100km or so was given over to agriculture, the field in the photo was corn, but I also saw potatoes, carrots and various kinds of green vegetables. The fields, although numerouus, were typically quite small in size and most of the crop picking seemed to be done by hand. No sign of high lvels of mechanisation here.

The road was climbing steadily and, as it did so, the vegitation became more sparse and the temperature fell. Is it time to stop & put the thermals on?, I thought, but by this time Coldplay had given way to Pink Floyd and I was 'becoming comfortably numb' , so decided to leave it as I was sure it would get warmer soon.

It didnt and my fingers were starting to ache with the cold, but I found that I could ride ok with one hand holding a hot radiator hose under the tank keeping at least that one nice & warm. So as Pink Floyd morphed into 'The best of the Carpenters' and I entered Karyoke mode, I decided to press on!

The landscape became pretty featurless and temperature continued to slowly drop, so I ventured a look at the altimeter on the gps, which inficated 2550m - oh thats why the sunshine that kept trying to break through was making no difference. It had'nt really felt like I was climbing, but in the last 2 hours the road had risen some 1800m.

Still, ever the optimist, I thought 'what goes up must come down' and decided again not to stop - on the headset Chris Rea started to sing "you're a fool if you think its over" !

Lost in a world of music, straight empty roads and bone numbing wind-chill, the 6 hour ride actually seemed a lot shorter today and before long we were riding unto the city of Wuwei and heading for the hotel and a hot shower.

Highlight of the day?

That has to be this sheep I passed mid journey, who, on seeing an approaching foreign motorcycle rider, decided to have a laugh with his mates & moon at me! ....

.... How very rude!