Tag Archives: China

The Journey’s End – 28 March

We slipped into the New Territories in northern Hong Kong the day before our planned arrival at the Peak, via the subway. This was apparently the only legal way of getting into the country with a bicycle, as we were … Continue reading

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Nearing the Finish Line – 27 March

This one has taken a little while! The penultimate blog post from our expedition, put together part-time on weekends and snatched hours in the evening. Wishing everyone a merry Christmas – ours may be a bit warmer than the Kyrgyz … Continue reading

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Police Chases along the Sky Road: The Hills and Minorities of Southern China – 14 March

Beyond the jet black hillside looming overhead an orange glow filled the sky as if the land beyond had been devoured by some huge fire. The map on my phone showed a snaking road slithering up and over the darkness. … Continue reading

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Pedalling the Plateau, Yushu to Chongqing – 21 Feb

Our route from Yushu to the end of the Tibetan Plateau crossed another series of high passes over a distance of about 1000km before meeting up with the urban sprawl around Chongqing, where we planned to spend Chinese New Year. … Continue reading

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The Rooftop of the World: Tibetan Plateau to Yushu – 3 Feb

We set out from Golmud on a road bound for Lhasa, the Tibetan capital. We wouldn’t be following it all the way, as the Chinese government doesn’t allow independent travel to the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR, hashed in yellow below), … Continue reading

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The Record Attempt: Crossing the Taklamakan – 14 Jan

Addicted to challenge, we thought the Taklamakan desert would be the ideal place to test how long our bodies could remain upright on bicycles before they passed out from exhaustion. To cycle across Xinjiang there is usually either one of … Continue reading

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China’s Wild West: Trouble in the Taklamakan – 11 Jan

We left Kashgar on 5th January, having spent a very enjoyable few days back in civilisation. This had mostly involved eating, as well as exploring China’s troubled corner of empire, revealing some fascinating and very real tensions between Han and … Continue reading

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Kashgar: A Bazaar Place – 6th Jan

We made it to Kashgar! On 29 December we arrived at our Grail – what kept us motivated through the wind, snow and trials of our final days in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. A real city, with some Western comforts and … Continue reading

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Last Push – 30th Dec

It is already difficult to remember the details of our last section through the Pamirs. I think I’ve forgotten the tough times and what is left is a fantastical world of snowflakes, tinsel and Christmas merriment. Far from the truth! … Continue reading

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Welcome to the Pamirs – 24th Nov

We are finally through and beyond the Kyzyl Kum desert. If it’s felt like you’ve been reading about our desert crossings for a while, I can safely say that cycling them will have felt longer. 1600km ended up being about … Continue reading

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