Today was to be up at 6:00 and have breakfast a 6:30 and be on the road at 7:30 at the latest (hence the pictures being blue/grey, early morning). We have to cross the border today as we have been booked in by the Chinese agency and there is no flexibility on it being tomorrow. We have to go through today.
So after packing it s get the bikes cleared of snow but we will not start them until we are about to leave as condensation will build up in the engine for a short warm up and then emulsify in the sump. Then breakfast which was Kyrgyzstan porridge made from Yak milk (sort of semolina) and the usual Cye and bread.
Out to the main road and thankfully it did not freeze enough for the pot holes to be hidden by snow but do have a slight thin layer over some of them. This is going to be a slow process getting to this border crossing by 11:00 and it is only 50 miles
The route we are taking, Irksham Pass, is heavily used by trucks entering back into china and there is evidence that they are on the move early which helps in making a clear lane for us to travel on our knobbly two wheels. All of a sudden the road changes, the surface is excellent with new tarmac and no potholes, Ahh maybe things will be easy to the border in the snow?
Then we start to climb and the snow is thicker and not cleared, even with the trucks passing through which normally leaves a path. The road in the snow gets narrower and the summit height is 3700m and my GPS is saying 3500m. Oh good only a couple of hundred metres before we drop back to warmer climate.
No, that does not happen. Instead more snow and no real increase in altitude.
Bulldozers are out and although they clear a path in the snow they compact the snow left in the path to ice making a very difficult time for us all.
People are dropping their bikes in these slippery conditions and I spend quite a bit of time stopping and helping them pick them back up. I dropped mine twice and on one occasion I had o pick it up myself and at altitude, this is bloody hard work, which leaves you gasping for air. However we have to get through no matter how hard. Luckily both my drops are soft and in deep snow which prevents any damage but does mean it is slippy under foot to get grip to lift.
The time ticks past as we all fight to stay upright and look out for the impatient China trucks passing us as we fight for grippy lines and not get run over. Finally the road starts to drop and it clears for a small distance but it is sheet ice. Also looking into the distance there are long lines of trucks which means the road is impassable.
“SHIT” we are never going to make the border and it could also mean we have to camp out on this mountain in freezing conditions and have to worry about the border if we get there, whenever
Other vehicles are getting stuck and the mist is coming in to the point of almost total white-out and with mixed riding abilities the group is getting stretched out to the point where you cannot see people in front or behind you until they need their bike picking up when you come across someone.
Finally the clouds lift and we get blue sky but it is still cold and icy. We have got to keep pushing forward so we can get to the border and into China.
The bulldozers are making the road really hard and especially where they have pulled trucks out, the surface is really chewed up and compressed to ice. Hope the sun can start a thaw as we descend for the ice and snow to melt.
The going gets muddy with snow piled up at the side and then lots of trucks all fighting to get down from the pass and we have to get past them and keep out of their way. Can this get any more difficult and I can safely say, this is the hardest thing I have ever done on a motorcycle
The road finally clears to brown slush and the trucks pick their pace up and we all pull over to regroup and take a breather.
Let’s get to the Kyrgyzstan border and leave this “bloody” road ((what’s left of it)
Down we keep going, fighting for space with the trucks and then the barrier is before us with all the trucks lined up but thankfully our guide goes straight through and persuades the guards to let us all go first. Need to get the waterproof jacket off as it is really warming up. I have to keep the bottoms on as they are plastered with mud.
Then off we go and then to the final gate where we have a quick check of our bags and then into no- man’s land we go. Goodbye Kyrgyzstan and hello Chinese border but oh great, they are on a break.
Kevin has been in contact with our new guide (Little John) who will be with us for the remainder of the trip and his agency is responsible for making sure we leave the country with our motorbikes.
That was 50 miles in just under 7 hours with no breaks and just relentless problems to stay upright. Everyone is jubilant and cannot believe what we have just done. Out of thirteen bikes there was a total of forty times the bikes were dropped.
NO NOT ME! as I have stated previously, I laid it down gently, twice OK!!!
The border for China start with some big black wrought iron gates with golden lions on them but no chance of picture here as we cannot afford to jeopardise our entry. Just found out Robert had his GoPro camera mounted on his bike discretely and has a picture somewhere so if i get a copy i will add it in.
Gates are finally opened and we are shown to the side of the road for the usual bag and pannier checks. Then you move forward to the next cabin for them to check your passport and take a digital photo of it. Finally shown to another area where we all wait to regroup. I was just thinking how simple that was when Kevin reminds us all that this is a preliminary check and there will be the main building to go through.
Yep, really big building and we have to form two rows and then a guy comes running out to shake hands with Kevin very rigorously. This is John our guide and he is responsible for preparing all the paperwork for us to get our bikes into the country. If you fly in you can go where you like by foot or hire a care but the moment you arrive in your own vehicle there is the usual route you have advised Beijing on and you can not stray from this.
They bikes are then sprayed with something for disinfectant and then we are asked to go into the main hall. Your passport is taken off you and then an official fills in an arrivals card for you. Then form a queue where John has advised us to tell the clerk our number on the list so they can match our passports to the Agency list. The clerk seems to take forever to type the details into his computer and precisely place an entry stamp in the passports.
Ok nearly there and we have to wait in another area for another official to take a digital picture of our passports. (Please, was the first one not good enough!!)
OK back out o the bikes and in two’s ride through the customs lane and be stopped and some other official to check your bags again (just keep smiling).
Then we are waved through some big gates past guards and i don’t believe it.
Whoopee into China we go and we group up outside the Immigration Hall. Then all the locals are swarming around the bikes and pressing buttons again, sounds familiar, but here they will sit on your bike as well.
An F800GS, belonging to Charles has just cut and refused to start, so that will have to go in the van with Simon’s bike.
The guides’ pick-up is then filed with stuff from the van to make space for Charles’s bike and this will lead us to the hotel in Kashgar which is 120 miles’ish away.
Oh no the driver has decided to do 30 miles an hour and we all want to get to the hotel for something to eat and at this pace it will take forever. So Kevin signals to the driver to get a move on which he does speed up a little. After 20 miles, the first check point and Simon gets out of the pickup and tells us that it is a Government car and therefore is GPS monitored for position and speed with alarms going off in the cab if he goes too fast. Kevin says that we will pay the drivers fine and he just needs to get a move on.
Well that did it and we start making progress as the evening goes dark and all of us are on “Fuel Low” warning lights as we drive into the city.
We could not all get changed quickly enough to get some food (Chinese funny enough) and a drink before getting some sleep
What a day it has been and it has been the hardest thing I have ever done mentally and physically where it has been 15 hours of intense riding along with a border and a crazy night time ride where the driving is unbelievable
7118 miles – Kashgar, China
No comments:
Post a Comment