The Yuling River is a small tributary of the larger Li River, which runs from Guilin to Yangshou. Unlike the Li, which has motorized boats, the Yuling has only bamboo rafts, each propelled by a man and a pole, to move people across or down the river. Has been that way forever. Very romantic and beautiful! Until you make it a tourist attraction. Now it is like tubing down the Guadalupe on the first day of summer vacation. Makes me sad!
Only two riding days left. Almost time to come home. I’m ready. (by Randy McClanahan)
Early morning bamboo boat ride down the Yulong River. Karst mountains in the background. China is just beautiful. (by Mike Meyer)
Karst mountains from the Yulong River. Amazing. (by Mike Meyer)
Floated the Yulong River’s karst mountains on bamboo rafts before breakfast. Sweet. Two more days riding motorcycles across China, then Hong Kong! (by David Fick)
On the way to Hong Kong. Guangning.Today was our next to last riding day. We are in Guangning, closing in on Hong Kong. Today was relatively uneventful. We escaped the tourist Mecca of Yangshuo early so as to beat the Golden Week traffic. Karst hills became mountains and the smog returned.
We continued to pass through road construction zones, but most of the workers were off because of Golden Week. Just as I began to relax into the ride, however, we were stopped by a fallen tree. It was a planned takedown. There were at least 20 Chinese workers involved. A man held a red tape on either side to stop traffic. A chainsaw felled the tree, which was at least three feet in diameter. Over a dozen individuals armed with sickles cut off the limbs. One or two chainsaws cut through the trunk in several sections. A front end loader pushed the trunk sections out of the way, and we were gone. The entire job took about three minutes! It was amazing cooperation and efficiency.
Less than a mile later, the road ended. It was closed for bridge repairs. Really closed, as in a concrete barrier in place. There was no warning and no detour available. Busses stopped, the passengers disembarked, walked across the bridge and boarded a bus on the other side to continue their journey. There were no cars or trucks, as they were on the expressway. Of course, we cannot use the expressway, so what to do? Not even fazed, we removed panniers, rode through the pedestrian slot, reassembled the panniers and were on our way. Nothing seems out of the ordinary or expected any more.
And finally, for your gastronomic pleasure, meet Mr. Baiqie chicken! (by Randy McClnahan)
On the way to Hong Kong. Shenzhen.
We’ve arrived in Shenzhen, everyone’s safe, bikes are getting washed for shipping, final day tomorrow in Hong Kong, 11,761 miles from Latvia, through Estonia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Siberia, Mongolia, and a full month zigzagging across China! (by David Fick)
A little wash seems appropriate after almost 12 000 miles….. What a trip and what an incredible feeling to get everyone to Shenzhen safe and sound. Hong Kong tomorrow. Trip of a lifetime!!!! (John Jesson)
Hong Kong
That’s a wrap!
20,000 Miles
100 Days
20 Countries
7 Rabies shots
1 Colossal digger in the sand
1,000 Unforgettable memories
I hand the bike off to the shipper tomorrow and take a taxi to Hong Kong. Final rabies vaccination on the 6th. On a plane to LAX the 7th!
Map shows the complete route starting in Heidelberg. (Missing section was due to 4 days without my GPS tracker while riding in Siberia.)
(Mike Bozarth)
We have arrived!! After nearly 11 weeks on the road and half the distance around the world we made it to Hong Kong! This has been the journey of a lifetime. Thanks to everyone for following along! John, Yingchu and I are excited to be here! (Mike Meyer)
Very mixed emotions…. We made it to Hong Kong which marks the end of an absolutely incredible adventure… To be here, awesome!!!!! To end a 69 day adventure, awesome!!!! 6 countries, 12 000 miles and 69 days later…….(by John Jesson)
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