Having a great time in Kaiyuan, treated like a Hollywood star by people here. Henry gifted his pedals, high quality expensive & wouldn't accept any payment. In awe, incredibly generous. Going to rest up and enjoy this place for a few days.

Great ride here, a big climb, running out of daylight maybe gonna camp rough, then a huge downhill appears from nowhere, payback time, and coasted smugly into town. Friendly bike shop, fellow enthusiasts and an English speaking doctor, guided me to a good hotel, noddles & beer evening dinner together. They were keen to help in the quest for quality hard-wearing bike pedals, the next day, I was guided to different shops with no success, until Henry gifted his own pedals, removing them from his pride & joy bike and swapping them to mine. I was going to bus it to Kunming to buy some, no need, so staying here a while. More...

I can now say, at my next job interview, in the distant future:) I rode a bicycle from London to Hong Kong, that'll impress 'em?

Not possible to cycle across the border, so took the train, the inevitable stares, who is this nut-case with a bike going up and down the escalators. Situation would compare to taking a fully laden touring bike on the London Underground, however, some nice conversations, "where did you come from", ... More...

The Gorge Outdoors

3 days cycling to Chongqing, where you embark on your 3 day boat trip to the Three Gorges. A shame, but can't be held captive for 3 days on a cruise boat, no siree & by hydrofoil it's 11 hours each way. The easier option is just go to the 3 gorges museum here in Chongqing, or as I did upon arrival gorged at 1.KFC, 2.PizzaHut & 3.McDonalds, please forgive a cyclist his western indulgences, back to local food tonight.More...

Now in Xian, Shaanxi province, the cradle of Chinese civilization (travelguidechina.com), lots of history to sightsee. There's an ancient 15km wall encompassing the 'inner' city, modern & old intermingled. More populated now as we head east, hopefully will be quieter heading south, hear good things about the route to Chengdu. More...

Hello Brocolli, Bye Bye Blamange

Now in Zhangye (chinats.com), another luxury hotel, it's all getting too easy like a holiday. Marco Polo spent a whole year here, so thought we'd splash and stay 3 nights. More...

The word desert will henceforth be renamed to blamange, or any other after dinner sweet, time for something new and less desert. It's my way of coping. Err, carrot. More...

3 days & 470km out from Kashgar, hot, drink, drink, drink. Basic stops, the temptation too great for rest day here in Aksu, 3 star hotel, luxury, $10 a night! Have a big menu decoder in the back of my phrase-book, any dish i point to, they can make, and was truly delicious after 3 rough days on the road. Unexpected bonus of buffet banquet breakfast included in the price, so am now truly stuffed. It must be what a camel feels like carrying all their supplies in their humps for weeks on end. Someone else's desert photos from Aksu back to Kashgar. More...

Kashgar, China, 1st internet since completing Tajikistan and Pamir Highway, Kyrgyzstan and entering China. We cycled 7kms through no man's land to Chinese customs, big sandy hills with the occasional marble type ripple. Nice grand buildings too, and all signs, statues and everything now Chinese, like suddenly arriving in your local 'China Town', except we are in the extreme west of a vast country yet to cycle. Incidentally we're planning on taking the Northern Silk route across the huge Taklamakan Desert, the other route to the south having less facilities and frequent sand storms blocking the road. Kashgar is a major junction, an oasis of civilisation, and from here you can cross into Pakistan, or head off to Tibet, Nepal and India. More...