Update May 2018

Countries visited: China, Mongolia

Cycled mileage in May: 1,658.3km
Cycled mileage per country: 728.2km China, 930.1km Mongolia
Total cycled mileage incl. May: 36,486.4km
May mileage not cycled 3,013.4km (Train, Car, Walking)

Days per country: 16d - China, 15d - Mongolia
Days cycling: 16d

Technical failures: 3 Punctures, 1 broken pannier hook

Link to this month's route

We finished last month in Kunming where we had arrived after an exhausting ride through the mountains in Yunnan. With non-extendable 30-day visas for China we knew we wouldn't have enough time to cross this vast country in its entirety. After some soul-searching we decided to take a train from Kunming to Hohhot in China's Inner Mongolia province. This would allow us to explore some of the sights in the north of China and to arrive at the Mongolian border before our visas expired.
We actually kicked off the month of May with changing our hostel. We had booked two nights in a hostel close to the railway station but cancelled the second night when we realized how unbearably crammed the hostel was. We could barely move inside our room and there was only one bathroom for about 15 guests. Instead we moved to a much nicer YHA in the centre of Kunming. The new hostel even had a tour desk and we were optimistic they would be able to help us with buying tickets for the train to Hohhot. Long story short – they were not. Travelling on a Chinese train with a bicycle was a special request they couldn't be bothered with. At least they wrote a note in Chinese for us, explaining what tickets we wanted to book and that we were travelling with two bicycles. So we went to the ticket office in the central train station and before we could even show our note the guy behind the counter called his English speaking supervisor. With the help of the supervisor the whole thing became super easy and soon we had tickets for the direct train to Hohhot in three days. She also told us that we would have to check in our bikes at the railway cargo office in a building adjacent to the station. We went there and explained them the situation with our bikes. The respective supervisor was called and then we were told to check in the bikes one day prior to the departure of our train.
For the rest of the day we strolled around Kunming, explored the old town and some of the parks nearby.

Downtown Kunming

Gate in Kunming's old town

After some delicious pastries for breakfast the next morning we cycled to the railway cargo office to check in our bikes. What. An. Ordeal. Nobody spoke a word English and after some unsuccessful attempts to explain something to us in Chinese five people started opening our bags and searching through our stuff. Eventually we understood that in addition to x-raying all cargo, it would have to be searched manually. It took forever to do so. Initially they insisted that our camping knives weren't allowed but after we made a big fuss they gave in. Our lighters, batteries and a chain lube spray weren't allowed, though. We were told to check them in as carry-on luggage instead. We didn't want to complain any further as the two gas cylinders for our camping stove were still in the bags. Apparently because nobody realized what they were. Finally all our panniers were sewn into two old mail bags and barcodes were attached to our bikes. We were a bit nervous whether all our stuff would make it to Hohhot.
The next day started with rain, continued with rain and ended with rain. With most of our stuff in the cargo office we had quickly packed up, checked out and then spent most of the day in the restaurant adjacent to the hostel. In the late afternoon we left, briefly stopped in a supermarket to buy supplies for the 36h train ride and then went to the station. The whole set-up there reminded us more of an airport. We waited some time in the waiting area until our 'gate' was opened. Our tickets were scanned then we walked down to the platform. We quickly found our beds in a 4-bed compartment and stretched out. It was 9pm when the train left the station and the other two passengers in our compartment seemed equally tired like ourselves. Someone switched off the lights and by 10pm we all must have been asleep.

36h train ride from Kunming to Hohhot

The next day went by uneventfully. There wasn't much to see through the window. We were still in the mountains and the train went in and out of tunnels. The only other distraction was the talking pillbox of the elderly lady in our compartment. Chinese seem to love it when things talk. Be it a calculator, a phone – or a pillbox. In the evening we reached Xian and the elderly lady and her son got off the train. For the rest of the way to Hohhot we shared the compartment with a young woman and her son who was probably about 4 years old. The mother was on her phone every waking minute and her son was hyper to say the least. We were trying to distract ourselves with our audiobooks when it suddenly became suspiciously quite. When we both looked to the side we saw the boy with his pants down peeing into a Coca-Cola bottle that his mother was holding. We've seen the same thing numerous times in China. Children just wouldn't be allowed to use a public toilet (and there certainly isn't a lack of them!). In supermarkets, on playgrounds, next to public toilets – mums would get out a pee bottle for their offspring. The same irritating procedure repeated throughout the rest of the night and the next morning and we were so glad when we finally reached Hohhot. After an unhealthy but very satisfying breakfast at McDonald's we checked in at a hostel. We took a well-deserved shower and then asked the receptionist to call the railway cargo office for us. Good news – our bikes had already arrived. Naturally we had to pick them up at another railway station 15 kilometres outside the city centre. The bus there took ages and the guys in the cargo office had some trouble finding our bags but eventually we were reunited with our bikes and all other belongings. We cycled back to the hostel and went to bed early after the strenuous train ride.

Reunited with our bikes

We slept late the next morning then we headed out to explore Hohhot. There was a bit of an old town even though it didn't look too authentic. The real attraction was the historic Da Zhao Temple, a Tibetan Buddhist monastery. It was a huge complex and we kept wandering around for the best part of the afternoon. Surprisingly the temple was still in use and seeing the monks in their colourful robes was a first glimpse of things to come in Mongolia.

Strolling around...

...Hohhot's old town

Exploring Da Zhao Temple

Prayer flags...

...and colourful interior

The next day was a Monday and so we cycled to the Mongolian consulate after breakfast. As German citizens we are entitled for 30-day visa exemptions for Mongolia. We figured that 30 days wouldn't be enough, though. There is no information as to whether a visa exemption can be extended so we decided to apply for real paper visas that can definitely be extended.
The application was hassle-free. We had been hoping that same day processing would be available but we were told that we couldn't pick up the visas until after 10am the next morning.
We slept in the next day, packed up and cycled straight to the consulate. At 10 o'clock sharp we arrived and picked up our visas. Leaving Hohhot was easy. Like in most Chinese cities there were generous bicycle lanes. We had hoped to get halfway to Datong but the wind was just too strong plus the hills kept coming and coming. After 60 kilometres we arrived in a small town and decided to call it a day.

Leaving Hohhot

Hilly ride to Datong

The sun was already scorching down when we set off the next morning. We followed quite back roads for most of the day and despite the hills and the heat it was a pleasant ride. In the early afternoon we reached Shahukou. We knew there would be stretches of the Chinese Wall in that region. Actually there was a pretty substantial, if over restored, wall around Shahukou. The explanation boards were obviously in Chinese and so we weren't quite sure whether it was part of the Chinese Wall or just a city wall.
We had a rather underwhelming lunch in a nearby restaurant. Just when we wanted to leave a group of 20 or so Chinese cyclists arrived. Not one of them spoke a word English but we eventually understood they all were from Datong even though it remained a mystery to us where they were headed to. The next couple of minutes were spent taking selfies. They even invited us for lunch but we had just finished ours and refused politely. We carried on for another two hours or so and found ourselves a nice hotel in Youyu. Well, it was quite a pain to find that hotel. Foreigners aren't allowed to just stay in any hotel in China. Hotels require a special license to accommodate foreigners. So it took a while to find the one hotel in Youyu which had that license. Thanks to the free Wi-Fi in the hotel we later confirmed that we had actually seen a part of the Chinese Wall in Shahukou.

Chinese Wall in Shahukou

Selfie with Chinese cyclists

The next morning the sky was overcast and didn't clear up for the rest of the day. The ride to Datong was equally unpleasant like the weather. Even though we stuck to secondary roads there were soooo many trucks. We also passed a coal-mining area which meant that most of the trucks were hauling coal. Soon enough we were covered in black dust. We were glad when we finally reached the outskirts of Datong. We had to cross the city to get to our hostel near the train station. Chinese cities are growing so quickly that maps are often inaccurate. Datong was particularly bad and finding our way was quite a challenge. The hostel was a really nice place and even featured a small cafe bar. We had arrived just before the rain started and we happily spent the rest of the day in the cafe bar.
The rain continued the next day and we spent most of the morning in the hostel. When it finally cleared up we set off to the Yungang Grottoes, a UNESCO world heritage site. The weather remained greyish with on and off drizzle. We spent the best part of the afternoon exploring the Grottoes. On the way back we stopped at the old town of Datong. Old town isn't exactly the right word. Except for a temple there weren't any historic buildings. But the Chinese decided to construct an 'old town' for millions of dollars in the exact same place where the historic town centre might have been once. Actually it was a quite interesting experience to explore the new 'old town' and its impressive city wall.

Buddha statue...

...and more Buddha statues...

...in the UESCO World Heritage Site...

...Yungang Grottoes

City walls of Datong's 'old town'

Inside Datong's 'old town'

The next morning started sunny and we were planning to visit the so called Hanging Temple. The complex is about 70 kilometres to the south of Datong. Even though it is considered a major tourist attraction there is only very limited public transport. While we were having breakfast we heard a Dutch couple inquiring about a taxi there. We quickly finished our meal and joined them. The temple was overrun with, mostly Chinese, tourists but it was still worth it. The structure clings to a steep rock cliff in a height of about 70 metres and looks just spectacular. It was a pity the sheer number of tourists meant that we couldn't spend more time there. Once we were back in Datong we decided to have lunch together with the Dutch couple. A vegan restaurant near the hostel had been recommended to us and so we went there. There weren't any guests and we thought we were too late for the lunch-only opening times. Just when we wanted to leave a woman turned up and made us sit down at a table. We asked about the buffet but she shook her head and said we could have dumplings. We weren't quite sure what would happen and just waited. A bit later we were served huge bowls of delicious salads and a large plate full of equally delicious dumplings. We weren't allowed to pay for the meal and were even invited for dinner.
Back in the hostel we spent the rest of the afternoon chatting with our Dutch couple over some beers. We were joined by a French backpacker and eventually we went back to the vegan place for dinner. We had kind of expected to find the place open for business but apparently it was a private invitation. It was a fun evening. Together with 15 or so members of the local Buddhist community we prepared a hotpot dinner, ate together and were then taught how to prepare the dumplings we had enjoyed earlier that day. What a nice ending for our stay in Datong! We bid farewell to our new friends and went to bed. It was close to midnight and we were planning for a 120 kilometres day tomorrow!

The Hanging Temple...

...clinging to a cliff...

...in a height of about 70 metres

Invitation to a hotpot dinner

Preparing dumplings

Given the short night we had a relatively early start the next morning. Things didn't go well, though. Not even one kilometres into the day Simon was nearly knocked off his bike when a taxi driver suddenly opened the door of his car. Luckily Simon was at low speed and got away with some scratches and bruises. The route to Ulanqab wasn't very pleasant, either. Lots of trucks and more coal-dust. Once we reached Ulanqab it took us almost two hours to find the only hotel that was licensed to accommodate foreigners. What a frustrating day!
From Ulanqab it's a bit over 300 kilometres to the Mongolian border. There are sizeable towns along the way roughly every 100 kilometres. The plan was to have a slow start the next day and to cycle 100 kilometres to the first of those towns. We easily got there at about 4pm after a pleasant ride through steppe-like landscape. There were about three hotels in that town. We went to the first one and inquired about a room. They weren't licensed to accommodate foreigners. Now, local police can allow a hotel to accommodate foreigners even when they're not licensed. So we convinced the receptionist to call the police. He did and then shook his head. The police wouldn't allow him to let us stay. He suggested we could go to the nearby police station and ask them in person. We did as suggested. When we got to the police station there were two officers about to drive off in a police car. They didn't speak a word English but with the help of Google Translator we managed to explain our problem. The policemen just laughed at us, got back into their car an tried to drive off without even giving an answer. We casually blocked their way with our bikes and insisted. Eventually one of them got his phone out and explained to us via an online translator that we couldn't stay. There would be a hotel 50 km back the way we came or another one 80 kilometres further towards the Mongolian border. We tried to explain that it was 4.30pm by now and that we couldn't go any further. At that point both policemen decided to ignore us, got back into their car, reversed and drove off. Bummer!
We decided to cycle on for a bit and to look out for a camping spot. But things didn't go according to plan. 10 kilometres outside town we suddenly heard the sound of helicopters. There were at least six of them circling above the highway. Apparently we got into some kind of military exercise. No point in searching for a secluded camping spot when there are helicopters circling above your head! We kept cycling and the helicopters kept circling. When the sun started to set the helicopters finally buggered off. We had cycled about 70 kilometres by that time and it was only 10 kilometres to the next hotel. We decided to try our luck there. Long story short, after a total of 180 kilometres we finally found a hotel, found a restaurant and a cold beer.

A looooong day in the steppe

With only about 150 kilometres left to the border we were hoping to get there within one day. We didn't. After only 50 kilometres we admitted defeat to the headwind. The rest of the day we relaxed in a surprisingly comfy hotel room in Saihantala, the last town before the border town Erenhot. The next day the wind had changed direction and we bashed out the remaining 100 kilometres to Erenhot before 2pm. We were stunned to find a pizza place on the way to the city centre and we couldn't resist this temptation. The pizza wasn't exactly a proper Italian pizza but it was huge and it had heaps of cheese on it. What more can one expect in a Chinese – Mongolian border town?! We cycled on to the city centre and found a very, very basic hotel room near the train station. The rest of the day was spent sorting supplies for the ride through the Gobi desert. Valentina, an Italian solo cyclist had asked for our help to buy a rear derailleur and a derailleur hanger for her bike that broke down somewhere in northern Mongolia. So we also checked out all bicycle shops in Erenhot. Unfortunately the only thing we could find was a relatively well made knock-off of a Shimano Acera derailleur.

100 kilometres to the Mongolian border

City gate of Erenhot

Enjoying a pizza in Erenhot

We set off early the next morning. The border would allegedly open at 8am. For unknown reasons it's not allowed to cycle across the border. Buses apparently don't accept bicycles so we ended up hiring an old Russian jeep for the mere 12 kilometres between the Chinese border town Erenhot and the Mongolian border town Zamiin Uud. Ridiculous! At least the border was hassle-free. Bikes and panniers weren't even checked and after not even one hour we had all stamps sorted and were dropped off at the Zamiin Uud train station. We had an early lunch there and bought a Mongolian SIM card. Around midday we set off into the Gobi desert. The road was paved and in amazingly good condition. The weather was pleasant to begin with but soon clouds turned in. Eventually rain started and we took shelter in a drainage tunnel. It was bucketing down for a few minutes but as quickly as the rain had started it stopped. When we cycled on we noticed a ger (Mongolian yurt) close to the road and a young girl running towards us, waving and shouting. Apparently she wanted to invite us into the ger. We followed her. She introduced us to her parents and then led us into the ger where we were served hot milk tea. The girl was really enthusiastic but her parents weren't which made the situation kind of awkward. She didn't speak much English so the conversation stopped after a few minutes. We politely signalled that we would have to continue and she seemed to understand. We rode on for another two hours or so. It was still early in the day but we spotted the entrance to a valley with some trees and shrubs, the first we had seen since leaving Zamiin Uud. The opportunity was too tempting and so we called it a day and pitched our tent.

Forced to take a jeep across the border

Setting off into the Gobi desert

Making new friends

Invitation into a ger

Camping spot

After the rain during the day the night was freezing cold. Fortunately the next morning held ample sunshine for us. We packed up, quickly stopped to fill up water at a gas station and then kept cycling until we reached the town of Sainshand. We could have carried on for a bit but the thought of a hotel room – and a shower – was irresistible! We quickly sorted our resupplies in town and even found some real cheese for dinner. Pretty much the first real cheese since Chiang Mai! For the rest of the day we retired into our cosy hotel room.

Cycling the Gobi desert

The agonizing chore of sorting resupplies

We had an early start the next morning and cycled against a gentle headwind for the fist kilometres. Then the wind turned and we were cruising along with a pleasant cross-/tailwind. There wasn't much to see along the way except for some camels and horses. With no distraction the time flew by and before we knew it it was afternoon and we had bashed out 130 kilometres. We stopped in the small village of Airag and filled up water. When we left Airag it was about time to set up camp and we started looking out for a secluded spot. About 10 kilometres outside Airag Simon spotted a green dot aside the road. On closer inspection it was a tent with two bicycles nearby. It was actually a pretty good camping spot and so we joined Russian touring cyclists Yuta and Sergei who were cycling from Vietnam to Moscow. We had a fun evening chatting about our journeys and the experiences we had in Asia. After dinner we discovered that both our bikes had one flat tyre respectively. The way from the road to the camping spot was dotted with little shrubs that had pretty nasty thorns. We fixed the bikes and then went to bed.

The road went on like that for kilometres

Camping with Yuta and Sergei

The next morning we left together with Yuta and Sergei but at some point we lost sight of them. We waited for a bit but then carried on alone when they didn't turn up. We expected to see them later that day in Choir, the next major town and the place we all were aiming for. We got there in the afternoon, had lunch in a restaurant at the edge of town and then checked in to a hotel close to the road. We texted Yuta and Sergei but didn't hear back from them. The weather forecast was for gale-force gusts for the next four days. Also the temperature was to plummet from over 30°C to less than 10°C the next day. We weren't too optimistic we would be able to cycle on.

Some more camels on the way to Choir

When we woke up the next morning the weather looked about alright but as soon as we stepped out of the hotel we were nearly blown off our feet and it was freezing cold! To top things off Simon's rear tyre was flat. We fixed the puncture and then set off. The wind was incredibly strong and it was right into our faces. It took us about 15 minutes to cycle a mere 2 kilometres and we decided it would be pointless to carry on under these circumstances. We turned back to Choir – and ran into Yuta and Sergei. They had stayed last night with a local they had met along the way. We discussed our options and decided we would try to get a train or a bus for the last 200 kilometres to Ulaanbaatar. We checked the train station but the next train wouldn't leave until 3am that night. The only bus had left two hours earlier and there wouldn't be another one until the next day. In the end we cycled to the house of Yuta's and Sergei's host and asked him for help. He contacted some drivers and told us to wait. Two hours later a driver in a minivan turned up and agreed to drive us to Ulaanbaatar for the equivalent of $8 each. We happily agreed and soon all panniers and bikes were loaded into the car. The fourth bike had to be strapped to the roof. Off we went and about 4 hours later we arrived in the outskirts of Ulaanbaatar. The driver refused to drive us to our hostel as it was rush-hour. Instead we were dropped off in a random parking lot. From inside the van the weather had looked kind of nice. It was warm inside and without trees in the steppe around Ulaanbaatar there was no indication as to how hard the wind was blowing. Only when we left the car we realized how strong the wind still was. Plus, the temperature had dropped even further and was around zero. We all were in summer clothes and it was freezing. Great!
It was only about 10 kilometres to get to our hostel but it took forever. The traffic was horrible, we were shivering in the icy wind and halfway to the hostel it started to snow. We were so happy when we finally arrived. The hostel was a pretty unique place with a number of 'dorm' gers on the rooftop. We shared one of those gers with Yuta and Sergei. It was amazingly warm inside and we would have loved to stay in the ger for the rest of the day. But we all were hungry and so we reluctantly left to get some food.

Loading bags and four bikes into our minivan

On the way to Ulaanbaatar

Snow in Ulaanbaatar

When we woke up the next morning the ger was covered in ice but inside we had had a pleasant temperature during the night. It was still very windy but at least the sun was out. After breakfast we two headed out to extend our visas. On the bus to the immigration office we met a French/British couple. Bianca and Yann stayed in the same hostel. They were planning to do some horse-riding in the north of Mongolia and also wanted to extend their visas. Once we found the immigration office the process was relatively straight forward if time consuming. In the afternoon we were all back in the city centre. We spent the rest of the day with Bianca and Yann shopping for food and maps for Mongolia.
The next morning we did another round of shopping, with Yuta and Sergei this time. We checked out some bike shops and outdoor stores. We also explored downtown Ulaanbaatar together, took some pictures of the parliament building and the Chinggis Khan Square. The forecast was for sunny but very windy weather and so we all decided to extend our stay by four days.

Chinggis Khan Square

The next morning Swiss couple Olivia and Lea arrived and we joined them exploring the nearby Gandan Khiid monastery, one of the most important Buddhist temples in Mongolia. The rest of the afternoon was spent servicing the bikes.

Exploring Gandan Khiid...

...one of Mongolia's most important Buddhist monasteries

The next day was a rather lazy one. The weather was back to sunny but the wind was soooo cold. We did a bit of planning for the route ahead when Malaysian touring cyclist Farah arrived. Our friend SK from the famous Tree In Lodge in Singapore had told us about her and it was pretty cool to meet her in person. There were no free beds in our hostel but she was told she could move in the next day.
When we went down for breakfast the next morning Valentina had arrived. We had been in contact with her for a while to help her finding spare parts for her broken down bike and now she had taken a bus back from Mörön to Ulaanbaatar to have her bike fixed. With Farah moving in to our hostel later that day we would be six touring cyclists – how exciting! We accompanied Valentina to the bike shop and while her bike was being taken care of we chatted and chatted. The rest of the day included some more chatting and a bit more planning. We also attended a festival in the centre of town where we watched some folk dancing. In the evening we wanted to go out for a pizza together with Vaentina, Farah, Yuta and Sergei but the only authentic Italian restaurant in town had closed down apparently. We ended up in a random restaurant where they served something that vaguely resembled a pizza. At least it came with a lot of cheese.

Cyclists' meeting: Farah, Yuta, Sergei, Simon, Valentina (left to right)

Folk dancing

The next day the weather was particularly unpleasant with cold wind and drizzle. We mostly stayed indoors finalizing our plans. It was our last day in Ulaanbaatar so later in the evening we went out with Yuta, Sergei and Valentina to grab some beers.
The beers didn't help with getting an early start the next day. Valentina managed to leave before us as she had to get the bus back to northern Mongolia. We might see her again in Kazakhstan or Kyrgyzstan. You can follow her epic adventure here. Together with Yuta and Sergei we left around 11am. The way out of Ulaanbaatar was seriously unpleasant with a lot of traffic but finally we left Mongolia's capital behind. Despite the late start and some substantial hills we hit the 90 kilometres mark. We called it a day when we reached a lush green valley with a small stream. There were gers all along the valley but we managed to find a quite spot. Our presence didn't go unnoticed for very long and a dog from one of the gers came to visit us. The dog almost looked like a lion but our biscuits were the only thing it posed a danger for.
The night was freezing even in our -3°C sleeping bags. The Russians have a sleeping bag that is specified for +15°C!

So long, Ulaanbaatar!

Some substantial climbs on the way north

New handlebars?

Camping spot with canine security guard

The next day went by rather uneventfully. After the cold night it warmed up quickly and soon it became unbearably hot. The landscape was beautiful but pretty hilly and progress was slow. In the afternoon we stopped in a small village and bought some fresh produce for dinner at the local market. When it was time to set up camp we found a quite valley a bit off the road.

Next day, next hill

Quite camping spot

The night had been pleasantly warm and it was almost as hot as yesterday by the time we had packed up. We all had underestimated the heat and were short on water. Probably the pickled garlic we had for dinner didn't help, either! We had around 30 kilometres to the next village and about 1 litre of water left between the 4 of us. Luckily the wind was in our favour. We filled up water and had a last lunch together. Yuta and Sergei would continue straight north into Russia while we would turn west. We all might meet again in Kazakhstan. It was another 10 kilometres to our turn-off. We shot a last photo together and then said our goodbyes. While the sun was scorching down we two continued for another 3 hours until we reached a small town with a hotel. We felt like we really needed a shower to rinse of dust and sweat of the last three days.

Bidding farewell to Yuta and Sergei

We had an early start the next morning to escape the heat and quickly made it to the turn-off to the Amarbayasgalant Khiid monastery. The way there includes 35 kilometres of allegedly pretty rough dirt tracks. We figured it would still be worth it to see one of the last remaining historic Buddhist monasteries in Mongolia. Most of the monasteries had been destroyed by Stalin's thugs in the late 1930s.
The way actually was challenging. There were 3 passes to be climbed on badly corrugated tracks. Down in the valleys the tracks were covered in soft sand. Eventually we reached a tourist camp eight kilometres short of the monastery. Originally we had planned to pitch our own tent but the gers in that camp were reasonably priced and looked super comfy. We booked one of them, dumped our bags and cycled on to the monastery without luggage. A wise decision. The track became pretty muddy and included two river crossings. When we got to the monastery the temples were already closed for the day. Bummer! In the end it wasn't that much of a problem. The compound as such was still open and the buildings were pretty spectacular, even from the outside.
Back in the tourist camp we took a shower and treated ourselves to a beer that they were thankfully selling at the small restaurant. A suitable ending of this month we thought as we watched the sun setting over the peaceful valley.

Mountain pass and Ovoo...

...and a bit more dirt track...

...on the way to Amarbayasgalant Khiid

Glance inside the temple

Night in a tourist ger camp