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New Year’s Eve in Kashgar
Seeing in the New Year
Kashgar hostel – heading for the desert again, 31 Dec 14
Kashgar, 1 Jan 15
In the pedestrian zone, Kashgar, 1 Jan 15
People’s Square … but no people.
Kashgar night market, 2 Jan 15
Kashgar night market, 2 Jan 2015
Kashgar’s main mosque, 3 Jan 15
“Why is China strong? Because of the Communist Party.”
“Strengthen ethnic solidarity. Promote social harmony.”
“Upholding law and order is everyone’s responsibility. Maintaining stability is the people’s happiness.”
The livestock market, Kashgar, 4 Jan 15
A grisly fate, Kashgar, 4 Jan 15
Neat and tidy, Kashgar, 4 Jan 15
Looking out for a bargain, Kashgar market, 4 Jan 15
Kashgar market, 4 Jan 15
Kashgar market, 4 Jan 15
Kashgar market, 4 Jan 15
Kashgar market, 4 Jan 15
Kashgar market, 4 Jan 15
Kashgar market, 4 Jan 15
“What are you looking at?” Kashgar market, 4 Jan 15
A truck which didn’t make it, 5 Jan 15
Meeting Uighur kids, Sanchakou, 6 Jan 15
No chimney in our room, Qilang, 7 Jan 15
“Unity and stability bring prosperity, separatism and chaos bring calamity”, Qilang, 7 Jan 15
The start of the Northern Road, 7 Jan 15
Day 4 in the Taklamakan desert, 8 Jan 15
Bagging dried chillis, 8 Jan 15
Passing through a Uighur village, 8 Jan 15
Factory wall propaganda – “Vigorously oppose the destructive movement of ethnic separatism”, 8 Jan 15
“Everyone should fight terrorism to build a harmonious society together”, 8 Jan 15
Motorway riding in Xinjiang – far more casual than in other parts of China! 8 Jan 15
“…don’t blow yourself up!” 8 Jan 15
Cotton factory, 8 Jan 15
A 32-wheel flatbed truck makes its way along the Northern Road, 9 Jan 15
Freezing beards in the morning, 9 Jan 15
Rapid lunch breaks, 9 Jan 15
Sunsets on the saddle, 9 Jan 15
Riot shield in the mosque, Kuqa, 10 Jan 15
Slogans in both Arabic and Chinese script, here in the Uighur part of Kuqa, 10 Jan 15
Keeping a close eye, Kuqa, 10 Jan 15
“Violent terrorists are the rats which cross our streets and cast fear into our people”, Kuqa, 10 Jan 15
A bigger town, black SWAT figures drawn onto the red sign
More propaganda in the Uighur district
Ke’zier 1000 Buddha Cave, Kuqa, 10 Jan 15
Ke’zier 1000 Buddha Cave, Kuqa, 10 Jan 15
Ke’zier 1000 Buddha Cave, Kuqa, 10 Jan 15
Kuqa, 10 Jan 15
Ke’zier 1000 Buddha Cave, Kuqa, 10 Jan 15
Kuqa main bus station, 11 Jan 15
Jan 2015
Standard petrol station
Police escort on the way to Luntai, 11 Jan 15
Modelling the view in the Taklamakan desert, Jan 2015
Laurence in typical Taklamakan hostel room
A cold start to the Taklamakan, 12 Jan 15
Scrubland turns into snowcapped dunes, 12 Jan 15
North-South crossing of the Taklamakan, 12 Jan 15
The Taklamakan desert, 12 Jan 15
So many dunes, 12 Jan 15
Laurence in the Taklamakan desert, 12 Jan 15
200kms across the Taklamakan, 12 Jan 15
Still smiling at sunset, Day One. 12 Jan 15
Night falling, Day One, 12 Jan 15
North-South crossing of the Taklamakan, 13 Jan 15
Entering the Sea of Death, 13 Jan 15
Nick in the Taklamakan desert, 13 Jan 15
Struggling on Day Two, 13 Jan 15
On the Southern Silk Road, Taklamakan desert, Jan 2015
Alone in the Taklamakan, 16 Jan 15
Where we invited ourselves in, Jan 2015
Leaving Xinjiang by an asbestos factory, 19 Jan 2015
Sunrise on our push to Golmud, 21 Jan 15
Finding a rare place to rest in Qinghai
Nomads on the plateau, Jan 2015
The direction to Lhasa
Climbing up to 3200m from Xining
Marking £10,000 raised for Prostate Cancer UK among the prayer flags, 27 Jan 15
Tibetan style, Jan 2015
Meeting yaks, 27 Jan 15
On the Tibetan plateau, 27 Jan 15
Contemplating the wind at Qinggenhecun, 28 Jan 15
Gale outside, Qinggenhecun, 28 Jan 15
Causing a stir at breakfast
Braced against the wind on the Tibetan plateau
Rosy cheeks actually severe sunburn
What to see when strolling around a village, 30 Jan 15
Prayer flags everywhere
Tibetan prayer wall, 30 Jan 15
Windier than Wales
Lobby’s bike being loaded in Maduo, en route to Xiewu, 31 Jan 15
Staying over with this Tibetan family
Early morning headlights, 1 Feb 15
On the Tibetan plateau, Feb 2015
The sun rising to reveal compacted ice
At the Bayankala Pass, 1 Feb 15
Abandoned streets but colourful hills
Always on the top of windy, steep hills
Xiewu, on the Tibetan plateau, 2 Feb 15
On the Tibetan plateau, Feb 2015
Xiewu, on the Tibetan plateau, 2 Feb 15
The skull-cracker
Totally reasonable for self-defence
Following the pilgrims’ route up the mountain, 3 Feb 15
Lobby with prayer flags, Yushu, 3 Feb 15
Pilgrims, Yushu, 3 Feb 15
Yushu, 3 Feb 15
Some just added the one mani stone…
…others opted for the wheelbarrow
Yushu High Street, 3 Feb 15
Feeling important
Jumped by the excited crowd
Woman travellers on the Tibetan plateau, Feb 2015
Early morning starts on the Tibetan plateau, Feb 2015
He saw my face and offered me his mask, a very sweet man
Icy road on the Tibetan plateau, Feb 2015
Longing for open road once more – all this to come…
In Zhuqing Xiang, 6 Feb 2015
Tea with a monk – his iPhone on the table
On the Tibetan plateau, Feb 2015
On the Tibetan plateau, Feb 2015
Daofu market, 12 Feb 15
Mountain scenery, Feb 2015
Snaking up the mountain – spot the road
Herding yak by motorbike on the grasslands
Lobby forced to take transport after some cold scares
More Tibetan hospitality
A Tibetan mastiff
Summiting a high climb out of Yushu
Looking down from the top
A long walk to Lhasa
On the Tibetan Plateau, Feb 2015
Yak at the top of another pass
Prayer flags on the bike, Feb 2015
On the Tibetan plateau, Feb 2015
The grasslands
The fluffy version
The real version
Much warmer lower down
Uzbekistan?
Many houses unsafe to live in
Tibetan couple who invited Nick for yoghurt on solo day, 14 Feb 15
Central Square, Chengdu, 18 Feb 14
Wonderful hotel in Suining, 19 Feb 15
New Year’s banquet
Back to navigating through cities, Feb 2015
Selling fireworks on street corners
Pathfinding with an audience
The Year of the Goat, Feb 2015
Dragon dancers and bangers, Feb 2015
The Yangtze at Chongqing, Feb 2015
Chongqing, 23 Feb 15
Old and new in Chongqing, Feb 2015
A Chongqing hotpot, 24 Feb 15
Celebrating New Year at a temple near Chongqing, 23 Feb 15
Climbing through Guizhou province, Feb 2015
Motorway riding in Guizhou, Feb 2015
Guizhou province, Feb 2015
Guizhou province, Feb 2015
Guizhou province, Feb 2015
With motorway police, 25 Feb 2015
Hobo’s in Guiyang, 28 Feb 15
Longji terraces, 9 March 15
Guizhou province, March 2015
Guizhou province, March 2015
Guizhou province, March 2015
‘One is enough. Boys and girls are the same.’
Guizhou province, March 2015
Shui women, Guizhou province, March 2015
Shui woman, Guizhou province, March 2015
Red Yao village, Guizhou province, March 2015
Guizhou province, March 2015
Boatmen in Guizhou province, March 2015
In Guizhou province, March 2015
Karst peaks, near Yangshuo, 12 March 15
Karst peaks near Yangshuo & Guilin, 12 March 15
By an abattoir in Guizhou province, March 2015
Cycling around Yangshuo, 12 March 15
Yangshuo, 12 March 15
Fun police in Yangshuo, 12 March 15
Making friends, 13 March 15
Splashing out for our 8-month on Le Grand Large Hotel
Setting out from Yangshuo, 13 Mar 15
Fr Christmas enjoys breakfast dumplings, 15 Mar 15
Market scene in Hunan, 15 Mar 15
Mist over a river in southern China, 15 Mar 15
15 March 15
Front pannier issues, 15 March 15
Child-catcher in southern China, 16 Mar 15
Half-built bridge is good enough for us, 17 Mar 15
Single layers!! 17 Mar 15
More and more of our bikes are held together with duct tape, 18 Mar 15
Tyre blowouts, 18 Mar 15
Noodles in a saucepan, 19 Mar 15
Noodles in a bowl, 19 Mar 15
Typical Guandong roadside breakfast, 20 Mar 15
Cards, food and babies, 19 Mar 15
19 March 15
Bamboo! 20 Mar 15
Drying chillies, 20 Mar 15
Chilling by the side of the road, 21 Mar 15
Oasis of calm, Yinghao, 22 Mar 15
Teaching the Yinghao schoolkids some rugby, 22 Mar 15
Seven motorways converging, 23 Mar 15
Getting into Guangzhou, China’s biggest city, 23 Mar 15
Guangzhou velodrome, 24 March 15
Guangzhou velodrome, 24 March 15
Guangzhou velodrome, 24 March 15
Guangzhou velodrome, 24 Mar 15
Demolition outside our accommodation, 25 Mar 15
Headphones in, mask on, 25 Mar 15
Fans in the traffic, 25 Mar 15
Everyone making their way south,25 Mar 15
More fans in the gridlock, 25 Mar 15
Into Shenzen on 8-lane roads, 25 March 15
Journey To The East 