Day 700-722: To Golmud, China

456km to HeTian

The first kind souls I met who gave me lots of Redbull and left me their number in case I needed help and they can turn back and pick me up

I woke up with a farmer approaching handing me a piece of naan for breakfast

Given by a friend, this is Xinjiang's Xiang Fei dried raisins... huge, plump and expensive... this is no ordinary raisins!

He refuses to let me pay for my lunch and gave me a few bottle of cold water to take away

Left with no choice but to sleep here... fairly close to the road

++++

Yawns... good morning!

Emerging new town in the desert

More kind peeps stuffing me with food and water in the desert

5cent and 1cent notes

Rolling into Hotan / Hetian, famous for their Jade

You can try your luck here... who knows you may find valuable jade

Battling with sand storm

Sandstorm

++++

Lovely guys from Beijing who left me with juice and milk!

Drying chillies by the roadside

Met 2 motorcyclists on their way to Tibet who warned me of the storm ahead

Decided to stop and wait out the sandstorm though it never quite shelter me from the sand which was blowing from all directions

Can you see I'm covered in a layer of sand

++++

Dumping spot? Dead sheeps found

Heading to Lhasa!

 

Tombs

Days after days all I saw was this

Temperature been raising and it was getting difficult to cycle in the day... escaping the heat whenever I find shade

Good night

++++

++++

Been cycling for long hours and through the night... eventually I just lay down here and fell asleep 

didn't even borther with tent or bivy, I just passed out and rest for a few hours before hitting the road again

Good morning!

Abandon my bike faraway to get some shade... its really hot..

Sticking a cold pad on my forehead that lasted for an hour (only)

Close to 48degree

Dinner with truck driver, Big plate chicken - 大盘鸡
 

Was on the road in the late afternoon when the sandstorm came... a truck pulled up, got me off the road, gave me shelter and treated me to dinner and lunch...

 ++++

Thanks Mr He from Shandong!

Rubbish, rubbish, rubbish

Never bored of sunset

++++

Before living Xinjiang for good... I was lucky enough to get offered free accommodation at this hotel!

++++

Xinjiang region complete...

Oil mining

Almost got eaten alive by mosquitoes but I was too tired to pitch my tent

 ++++

Qu, who plans to go round China in 5mths on his motorbike

Golmud 2km away!

Treated to a sumptous meal by Uncle Liu (also a cyclists) who was on his way to Lhasa

Sheep organ soup

 ''Mian pian''

 Old truck for hire

Uncle Liu on the right

++++

He even rode out with me to send me off

Yang Long, on his way to Lhasa

01 Jun 16: 128.42km [Sunny]

02 Jun 16: 154.21km [Sunny]

03 Jun 16: 117.99km [Sunny]

05 Jun 16: 105.78km [Sandstorm]

06 Jun 16: 85.62km [Cloudy]

07 Jun 16: 27.72km [Sandstorm]

08 Jun 16: 86.52km [Cloudy]

09 Jun 16: 82.98km [Sunny]

10 Jun 16: 162.42km [Sunny]

11 Jun 16: 76.32km [Sunny]

13 Jun 16: 94.52km [Sandstorm]

14 Jun 16: 60.41km [Sunny]

15 Jun 16: 27.52km [Sunny]

16 Jun 16: 120.79km [Sunny]

17 Jun 16: 103.52km [Cloudy]

18 Jun 16: 140.32km [Sunny]

19 Jun 16: 168.86km [Cloudy]

23 Jun 16: 129.55km [Sandstorm]