July 2025
we have ended up in a completely different world after the Stan countries
we travel by bus from Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan, via Alma-Ata in Kazakhstan to Ürümqi in north-western China.
warm Chinese people who have bright eyes and a sense of humour
colourful Chinese characters replace the Cyrillic alphabet
shops where you can buy anything
delicious noodles, those people can really cook!
we feast on this paradise for the inner man
but there are also lots of cameras hanging around taking photos of us
police checks
we feel like we are being watched
that we must behave ourselves
ChatGPT and Google Maps do not work here.
a Chinese iPhone does not have an e-SIM.
we install and activate an e-SIM in Mongolia before entering China.
so we can bypass the Great Chinese Firewall
we can still use WhatsApp, Google Translate, internet and our email.
a life without it is unimaginable.
we install Alipay, WeChat, Maps.me and Trip
to pay, communicate, navigate and book hotels
Paying with Alipay is very easy and works everywhere.
a meal costs €2, a decent hotel room €10
not all hotels accept foreigners because they have to be registered
at the end of July, we travel by bus from Ürümqi to Qinggil.
to cycle across the border into Mongolia
september 2025
we travel from Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia to Beijing on the legendary Trans-Mongolian Express
there are no left bicycles in Beijing at all
only electric scooters, buses and most cars are electric
Zeekr, Leapmotor, Aion, Haval, Beijing, BYD, Roewe, Arcfox, Saïd, Geome, Aito, JAC, Voyah, Xiaomi, Maple, Aeolus, Xpeng, Wuling
it is therefore remarkably quiet on the street
the smog of 17 years ago has disappeared
elderly people do morning exercises
and play games in the landscaped green areas
where the irrigation system is on
and all the cigarette butts have been picked up from the ground
the stainless steel handrail in the public toilet is wiped down with a cloth.
it has been developed and is clean
we visit Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace and the Great Wall of China.
peking duck
but what we enjoy most is strolling through the authentic hutongs (Mongolian for well)
roads run from north to south and from east to west
car parks are being built underground
24 apartment buildings ranging from 15 to 30 storeys on top
with park-like green landscaping
entire neighbourhoods are being transformed in the same way with the same architecture
as a result, all cities are the same
but too much has been transformed
vacant apartment buildings and lots of unfinished concrete shells six-lane roads that are empty
traffic lights and cameras every 500 metres
some cities feel like ghost towns
we have never cycled through a red light so often
we cycle through the countryside
over small concrete roads and unpaved paths
the corn is harvested and dried on the street
the pears hang in the tree in paper bags, an environmentally friendly pesticide and packaging material
through villages with characteristic houses surrounding walled courtyards
large double entrance doors decorated with tiles
in the courtyard, a screen wall to ward off evil spirits
burial mounds
through long streets lined with industry, from small warehouses to gigantic complexes
over busy six-lane roads with an enormous number of lorries
on empty six-lane roads
sometimes roads are closed and we have to take a detour
they are all small white roads on our Komoot navigation system.
the unknown variety makes every day a pleasant surprise
the feeling of being watched diminishes after Beijing
less cameras, no checks, and every hotel is accessible again
we thoroughly enjoyed China, the food, the colours, the fact that it is different
our journey through China ends in the coastal city of Qingdao.
from here, we take the night boat that takes us to Incheon in South Korea in 16 hours.
Reactie plaatsen
Reacties
O, aus Südkorea hatte ich 2018 ein Paar bei mir zwei Tage zur Übernachtung über Warmshowers. Sie waren schon über zwei Jahre mit den Rädern unterwegs. Kim und Michelle.
https://www.warmshowers.org/user/90572
und es gab einen ganzseitigen Bericht in unserer Zeitung über beide.
Viele Grüße und gute Weiterfahrt
Martin