Jinghong to Mohan

Day 62 Thursday 1st October 171 km (19008 km total)

 

Good bye yellow brick road!

- - - -

Only a short ride to Mohan, the border town with Laos, so we didnt plan to leave Jinghong until after lunch. That left the morning free for some jobs.

First one was to check the Tiger's wheel nuts & adjust the chain.

The previous evening I had nipped out on the bike with the spare tyre I bought in Astrakhan, to a tyre fitter to have it fitted in place of the Mitas E07 that I had ridden on all the way from the UK.

Actually the Mitas would easily have got me to Thailand, but that would have meant carrying the spare again (it had been in the guide's car boot all through China). So I devided to change it and give the Mitas to the guide to keep as an emergency replacement for anyone that needs it in the future.

So it was goodbye Mitas - a truly fantastic rear tyre & highly recommended - it was being replaced with a Heidenhau, which was all I could get in Russia, but also has a good reputation.

The following 2 shots are of the Mitas E07 after I had taken it off - pretty good condition seeing as it had done more than 20,000 km on all kinds of roads, still about 3-4mm of tread left in the centre.

Nipping out to have the tyre changed wasn't quite as simple as I had hoped though. The first couple of places refused to do it, the third agreed, but only if I took the wheel off myself. No real problem, except I was aleady pretty hot & sticky from the days ride and the only space to remove the wheel was on the pavement, which meant I had soon collected a motley band of observers!

Anyway, wheel off the tyre fitter did his stuff & then it was down to me to get it back on, trying to remember to put the spacers back in the right way around, as well as mount the brake pads correctly. Lots of suggestions coming in chinese from the bystanders!

Anyway the long & short of it is in my haste to get away and into the shower, I didnt adjust the chain properly and so that was the first job for this morning.

2nd job of the morning was to have a haircut. Now this was quite a novelty for me as I normally cut my own hair (no jokes please!). I stopped paying for a haircut about 35 years ago and have just used a pair of clippers since then - easy peasy. However, I didnt have any clippers with me and things were getting a bit unrully, so it was time for a proper cut, and off I headed down the street.

My 25 yuan cut also included washing and a head massage - very nice, might have to start going again!

Not long after, it was time to leave, so off we went for our last bit of China.

Nice roads for the last day

96km to Mohan & the border

 

Farmers burning off the stubble

 

Last Chinese tunnel!

 

As the road curved its way through the lush landscape, Elton John started singing "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" in my headphones. It seemed kind of apt, & my mood necame a little melancholy.

This wasn't just the end of China, but the end of unfamiliarity. Ever since I entered Slovenia some 55 days ago, I have been travelling through countries I have never been to before, unfamiliar lands and unfamiliar cultures. Once I enter Laos tomorrow, it will all start to become familiar again.

 

 

Just as we arrived in Mohan it started to rain heavily.

I checked into the hotel, unpacked & showered and emerged from the room to find a Chinese couple having a wedding reception in the restaurant below.

Good luck whoever you are, as my chinese adventure comes to a close, yours is just beginning.

We went for a a last "guess what it is" meal with our chinese guide, and then turned in for a relatively early night, as we needed to start the border process early in the morning.

Chinese security was clearly determined to have the last laugh, though.

I was just drifting off to sleep in my room when there was a quiet knock at the door. I ignored it.

The knock repeated, this time more insistently, so grumpily, I got up went to the door opened it roughly and said WHAT?!

Outside the door were 5 policeman - well actually 4 men & a lady officer who was the only one who spoke English. She proceeded to ask me the usual round of questions, 'where are you from?', 'where are you going'

Its hard not to be flippant at times like this, especially as she was holding a photocopy of my passport (where are you from) and we are 500m from the border with Laos (where are you going). I just managed to resist telling her I was From Africa and crossing the border to sweeden!

Then a new question from the lady officer

'please give me your chinese mobile phone number'

'Why?' i asked 'what do you want my number for, are you goimg to call me later?'

'It is my duty.' , she replied, maintaining a friendly but stern face.

....

So goodbye China, its been a blast.

You are an amazing country, and have some wonderful peoples. My abiding memory will be of your sheer scale & variety. It has taken 25 days to cross you and in that time I have ridden through snowy peaks, arid deserts, lush jungles, huge cities and tiny communities of yurts. I have seen civil enginnering works that blow the mind and along side them patchwork fields being worked by hand, new cities being created from nothing, with no people yet to fill them, old monasteries and historical sites vying for the tourists attentions. I have met and been detained by your security forces in the line of their routine work and found them always friendly, curteous and never corrupt.

There is a lot to reflect on, it was not the route I had originally planned but an excellent one all the same.

Good night & goodbye China.

 

 

Puer to Jinghong

Day 61 Wednesday 30th September 154 km (18837 km total)

 

Rex, rifles & rain

- - - -

 

The hotel we stayed in in Puer had animatronic dinosaur's outside - never did find out exactly why, but it would appear they were building some sort of themed area.

So with a muted roar from Rex & a growl from the tiger, its off into the chinese part of the golden triangle.

 

 

Pleasant country roads, good in the most part, just a few bits where you had to watch out,

 

The area was very lush & green and the roads tended to have a slight red dust/mud coating - all testement to the frequent rainfall. I could see clouds building up behind us.

Perfectly good local road, with a expressway along side, plunging arrogantly theough the jungle.

 

Mostly it was out of sight, so you could just ride & enjoy the relative isolation.

 

 

But then we hit a checkpoint, armed police at this one. I was in front and so was first in line for passport inspection and questions about where we were going, from, why, when etc

 

The chap with the gun seemed ok and was just about to let us go when his boss turned up and stopped us again. Same round of questions from him, but he couldnt decide & so got on the phone to his boss. This is how it goes in China!

We settled down for a long wait.

"What me taking photos? No sir, i left my helmet camera on the bike.... Oh, is that a remote control in my pocket?"

 

Then it started to rain heavily, & we sheltered in their tent waiting for the big boss & interpreter to arrive. - We finally got away after almost 2 hours & continued the ride to Jinghong in the rain.

 

Lincang to Puer

Day 60 Tuesday 29th September 312km (18683 km total)

 

More great Yunnan roads

- - - -

 

Heading south east towards Puer, there were more examples of the 'cottage industry' nature of the farming around here.

Then it was onto sweeping roads through the mountains.

 

 

 

With great views around each corner.

 

OK, so the roads were'nt all good, but the weather stayed fine so these sandy bits weren't too much of a problem as long as you kept your eyes open.

 

Water buffalo here & there showed we were firmly moving into SE Asia

The road climbed higher into the mountains ...

 

... Until we were treated to one of the best views for some time - truly lovely!

 

so worth a stop & a selfie!

 

... with the early reaches of the mekong far below us

 

 

 

Dali to Lincang

Day 59 Monday 28th September 302 km (18371 km total)

 

South west Yunnan, fine roads & scenery.

 

- - - -

Lincang lies sout of Dali and borders Burma. It is apparently capital of the Yunnan black tea region of china and sits pretty much on the tropic of cancer.

An uneventful but pleasant ride today through some fine scenery with the kind of roads that prompt spirited riding - we of course always stick to the speed limit!

Crossing the lake just after leaving Dali, quite a contrast to the old city.

And onto the start of the fine roads that characterise the Yunnan region.

With a few tunnels for good measure, this one is 3.1 km long.

Passing an army convoy - about 80 trucks in all.

 

Another lake, no jumping off the bridge allowed here!

The farmers here had been making patterns in the crop - still no mechanisation in sight.

Hand sheathed corn....

Great roads here

 

A tunnel in a bend is a bit weird, leaning over for the curve & then being plunged into darkness!

 

Look at this road go!

 

... And so it went on until we reached Lincang. Not much to see in Lincang, but the promise of more good scenery on the way to Puer tomorrow.

 

 

Dongshan to Chuxiong

Day 57 Saturday 26th September 309 km (17859 km total)

Oil leaks, tunnels & timely reminders

- - -

A late start today.

We were just about to leave when John noticed oul dripping from his BMW, so some investigation was necessary. Despite a couple of hours work, the leak couldn't be cured cured but he judged it ok to travel.

The hotel thoughtfully brought some drinks out for us whilst we waited. 'Tiger Power' for a Tiger!

And then we were off, back up the mountain & into the nice cool air.

Of course where ther are mountains in china, there are usually tunnels ..

. Dont go into the light, Russ!!

A petrol stop brought the usual inquisative locals to see what these mas foreigners in big bikes were doing. There are usually 3 questions,

Where are you from?

Where are you going?

How much is the bike?

Then a lot of thumbs up and selfies!
 These young kids were interested in my helmet camera.

Back on the road and going over a bridge, I noticed a 'road safety' measure in the form of a kerb between the fast lane and the slow lane, not seen that one before!

Yet still further on there was a timely reminder of the risks that go with the crazy driving you see a lot in china. Classic manoevers include; - Overtaking on blind bends - Overtaking when you can clearly see something coming the otherway.

 Sometimes it doesnt work out!